Wired microphones
Best Microphones for Worship Vocals
Quick answer
Buy the Shure SM58 at $109 for most worship vocal positions, and step up to a supercardioid such as the Beta 58A at $179 where floor wedges are loud. A four position vocal rota costs about $436 in SM58s, plus stands and cable.
Vocal microphones are the cheapest part of a church sound system and the part that most determines whether the congregation can follow the words. The decision is not really brand, it is polar pattern: how much of the platform behind the singer the capsule refuses to hear. That rejection is what lets the operator raise the vocal above the band without the system ringing, and it is worth more than any frequency response chart. Work out how many inputs the platform needs with the mixer channel calculator, and see how to mic a worship band for how the vocals sit against everything else.
On this page
- Which polar pattern for which platform?
- Small church: equipping a vocal rota, $99 to $119 each
- Mid-size church: a lead vocal that cuts, $179
- Large room on in-ear monitoring: $699
- How many vocal microphones should a church buy?
- Vocal microphones compared
- What usually goes wrong with worship vocal channels
Which polar pattern for which platform?
Pattern is the specification that matters for a worship vocal, because a church platform is a room full of loudspeakers pointed at the microphones. A tighter pattern rejects more of them and buys more gain before feedback, and it charges for that in tolerance: the tighter the pattern, the more a singer who drifts off axis loses level and tone.
A supercardioid capsule such as the Beta 58A buys roughly 3 to 4 dB more gain before feedback than a cardioid SM58, at the cost of a much narrower usable working angle.
| Pattern | Example | Price | Rejection at the rear | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardioid | Shure SM58 | $109 | Maximum rejection directly behind | Any singer, any rota, the safe default |
| Cardioid, brighter | Audix i5 for instruments | $105 | Similar to the SM58 | Sources needing less equalisation |
| Supercardioid | Shure Beta 58A | $179 | Nulls at about 125 degrees, small rear lobe | A lead vocal fighting floor wedges |
| Hypercardioid | Audix OM5 | $179 | Tightest front pattern, larger rear lobe | A disciplined vocalist in a loud room |
| Hypercardioid, budget | Audix OM2 | $99 | Most of the OM5 rejection | Filling out a backing vocal rota cheaply |
Supercardioid and hypercardioid capsules have a rear lobe, so the wedge must sit at the null rather than directly behind the singer. Positioning a monitor under a supercardioid as though it were a cardioid throws away the advantage you paid for.
Small church: equipping a vocal rota, $99 to $119 each
A small church usually needs three or four vocal microphones and one spare, and the correct answer is to buy the same model for all of them. Identical microphones mean identical channel settings, which means a volunteer operator can swap a dead microphone mid service without re-mixing the channel. Mixed boxes of donated microphones are the reason so many church desks have every channel set differently.
Shure SM58 Pro XLR Dynamic Vocal Microphone
$109.00The default. Rugged enough for a rotating volunteer team, familiar to every guest musician, and cheap enough to buy four plus a spare.
Best for: Every vocal position that does not need to be wireless
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Audix OM2 Dynamic Vocal Microphone
$99.00A hypercardioid giving most of the feedback rejection of the OM5 at a price that lets a church buy four of them instead of two.
Best for: A backing vocal rota in a room with loud wedges
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Shure SM58S Pro XLR Dynamic Vocal Microphone with On/Off Switch
$119.00The SM58 with an on and off switch, which is right for a shared announcement microphone and wrong for a worship vocal, because someone will always find it switched off.
Best for: A shared announcement or lectern microphone
Check price on AmazonWho should not buy this tier: A lead vocal on a platform loud enough that the monitors are already at the edge of feedback.
Mid-size church: a lead vocal that cuts, $179
The step up is about pattern and presence rather than durability. A supercardioid rejects more of the wedge behind the singer, and the brighter capsule sits above a full band without the operator having to add a lot of high frequency that also lifts the cymbals. Buy one or two for the lead positions and leave the rota on cardioids.
Shure BETA 58A Supercardioid Dynamic Vocal Microphone
$179.00A brighter capsule in a supercardioid pattern, which rejects more of the platform and buys a few more decibels before feedback than the SM58 in the same position.
Best for: A lead worship vocal on a platform with floor wedges
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AUDIX OM5 Hypercardioid Handheld Dynamic Vocal Microphone for Stage Singers
$179.00An unusually tight hypercardioid with very high gain before feedback. It rewards a singer with consistent technique and punishes one who moves.
Best for: The loudest room you have, with a disciplined vocalist
Check price on Amazon Shure SM58 Pro XLR Dynamic Vocal Microphone
$109.00Keep the supporting positions on cardioids. Mixing patterns across a rota is fine as long as the lead position is the one that gets the tighter capsule.
Best for: Backing vocals alongside a Beta 58A lead
Check price on AmazonWho should not buy this tier: Churches with a rotating volunteer vocal team and no rehearsal, where a tight pattern costs more in inconsistency than it returns in gain.
Large room on in-ear monitoring: $699
Once a platform is on in-ear monitors rather than wedges, the feedback constraint largely disappears and a different capsule becomes viable. A condenser hears far more detail and far more of the room, which is a liability in front of a wedge and an advantage in front of nothing. This is a genuine step up in sound and a genuine step down in forgiveness.
Audio-Technica 3000 Series Wireless System Wireless Handheld Microphone System (ATW-3212/C710DE2)
$699.00 Specs and sizingThe 3000 Series wireless receiver with a C710 condenser capsule, which is a far more detailed vocal capsule than any dynamic and correspondingly less forgiving of a loud platform. Buy it for a room already on in-ears.
Best for: A skilled lead vocalist in a room with in-ear monitoring rather than wedges
Check price on Amazon AUDIX OM5 Hypercardioid Handheld Dynamic Vocal Microphone for Stage Singers
$179.00Where the platform still has wedges but the lead vocal needs maximum separation, the OM5 remains the more practical choice.
Best for: A loud platform that has not moved to in-ears
Check price on AmazonWho should not buy this tier: Any church still using floor wedges. A condenser capsule in front of a wedge will feed back well before it reaches a useful level, and the money belongs in in-ear monitoring first. This tier only makes sense after the stage volume problem is solved.
How many vocal microphones should a church buy?
Count the positions that sing at the same time, add one spare, and stop. A three singer team needs four microphones, not six, and the fourth exists so that a failure during the first song is a thirty second fix rather than a re-plan. Where churches overspend is buying a microphone per person rather than per position, which leaves a drawer of capsules that are never all used at once.
The more useful place for the money saved is stands and cable, which is where church platforms actually fail. A vocal microphone on a drooping boom gets moved every service, and a singer adjusting a stand mid song is a bigger problem than a slightly cheaper capsule. See microphone stands and cables and snakes, and use the channel calculator to check the console has inputs for all of it.
Vocal microphones compared
| Model | Price | Microphone type | Polar pattern | Needs phantom power | Frequency range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shure SM58 Pro XLR Dynamic Vocal Microphone | $109.00 | Dynamic | Cardioid | No | 50 Hz to 15 kHz |
| Audix OM2 Dynamic Vocal Microphone | $99.00 | Dynamic | Hypercardioid | No | - |
| Shure BETA 58A Supercardioid Dynamic Vocal Microphone | $179.00 | Dynamic | Supercardioid | No | 50 Hz to 16 kHz |
| AUDIX OM5 Hypercardioid Handheld Dynamic Vocal Microphone for Stage Singers | $179.00 | Dynamic | Hypercardioid | No | - |
| Shure SM58S Pro XLR Dynamic Vocal Microphone with On/Off Switch | $119.00 | Dynamic | Cardioid | No | 50 Hz to 15 kHz |
What usually goes wrong with worship vocal channels
Too many open microphones. Every open channel adds room sound and lowers the feedback threshold for the whole system, so a platform with six vocal microphones open for a song with two singers is fighting itself. Muting unused channels is free and is the most effective feedback control available.
Then there is the wedge placed by convenience rather than by pattern. A supercardioid has a rear lobe, so a wedge directly behind a Beta 58A is aimed straight into the one place the capsule still hears well. Move it to about 125 degrees off axis and the same microphone gains several decibels of margin. Finally, low end: every close vocal capsule has proximity effect, and a channel with no high pass filter carries stage rumble, plosives and chest resonance into the mix. See gain structure and eliminating feedback.
How we chose
We did not test these products in person and we never claim to. Picks are researched from manufacturer specification sheets and operator manuals, FCC rules where spectrum is involved, published standards, warranty terms, and the recurring themes in verified owner reviews. Every pick is matched to a real room size, seat count or input list rather than to a price bracket, and it is placed in the tier where its capability actually belongs. Where a product is wrong for most churches we say so on the page.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Is the Shure SM58 still the best microphone for worship vocals?
For most churches, yes. It is durable enough for a rotating volunteer team, its cardioid pattern rejects the wedge behind the singer, and every guest musician already knows how to use it. Better capsules exist, but they are either tighter patterns that demand consistent technique or condensers that need a platform without floor wedges. At $109 it remains the sensible default.
What is the difference between the SM58 and the Beta 58A?
The Beta 58A is brighter and supercardioid rather than cardioid, which means a tighter front pattern and roughly three to four decibels more gain before feedback in the same position. The trade is a rear lobe, so a floor wedge must sit at about 125 degrees off axis rather than directly behind, and a singer who drifts off axis loses more level than with an SM58.
Should worship vocals use condenser or dynamic microphones?
Dynamic, unless the platform is already on in-ear monitors. A condenser hears far more detail and far more of the room, which is an advantage with no wedges present and a liability in front of one. Condensers also need phantom power and cost more to replace when dropped. Solve the stage volume problem first, then a condenser becomes a genuine upgrade.
How many vocal microphones does a worship team need?
One per position that sings simultaneously, plus one spare. A three singer team needs four microphones. Buying one per person rather than per position leaves capsules unused in a drawer and money not spent on stands and cable, which is where church platforms actually fail. Confirm the console has inputs for all of them before ordering.
Why do our vocal microphones feed back during worship?
Usually because too many channels are open at once and the monitors sit in the wrong place relative to the capsule pattern. Every open microphone lowers the feedback threshold for the whole system, so muting unused channels helps immediately. Then check that wedges are at the pattern null rather than directly behind the singer, and that vocalists are working close to the capsule.
Do we need different microphones for backing vocals?
Not necessarily, and identical microphones across a rota have a real advantage: the same channel settings work for any position, so a volunteer can swap a failed microphone mid service without re-mixing. Where budget allows a distinction, put the tighter pattern on the lead position where cut through the band matters most, and keep cardioids on the supporting positions.
Researched, not professional advice. This page is compiled from published manufacturer specifications, operator manuals, FCC rules, published standards and owner-review consensus, not hands-on testing. Sound system design, rigging loudspeakers overhead, and any electrical work are jobs for a qualified professional: have flown loudspeakers and their attachment points signed off by a structural engineer or a certified rigger, and have all wiring done by a licensed electrician to your local code. Wireless microphone rules change, so confirm the current FCC position before buying. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.