Duke of Metal":2ytrzjsj said:
Cant go wrong with a Shure 58 mic.
Take it from somneone who is paid as a professional sound engineer...you can go very wrong with a Shure SM58. It's never my first choice, and I'll only rarely use it if it's in the tech rider and the artist insists. An SM58 is like McDonald's...it's consistent and predictable and you can find one anywhere, but that doesn't make it good.
Shure SM58's and loud stage volume = a monitor engineer's nightmare unless your using all IEM's. The SM58 invented monitor feedback.
I don't know if I can be much help for "cookie monster" vocals since my experience is with actual singers, but I'd take a Sennheiser E835 (or better) or an Audix OM5 (or better) as my first choices for live work in most cases. There is no "best mic" because each voice is different, but those 2 mics are a good starting point in the reasonably priced mic category.
I prefer a Neuman KMS105 (or Shure's version, the KSM9) for live condensers, but I wouldn't waste either of those mics on anything but a great singer.