1- It helps tremendously with your practicing. You can't really hear yourself when you sing acoustically. Vocal subtleties, nuances and textures can sometimes only be heard through amplification.
2- Its great not to have to rely on others when you are at a gig or rehearsal.
3- It makes your more professional.
4- It calls for better hygiene. I like to get personal with my mic, so sharing with others is kinda gross.
5- It'll make you a better vocalist by allowing you to experiment with different microphone techniques.
6- It is the closest thing you have to an instrument because it amplifies what you have inside-- your voice!
7- It is an investment! This particular microphone will last you a lifetime!
Now that I have given you my spiel, if you've never owned a microphone before, check out Shure's SM58. Its sturdy, industry-standard and gives you a nice clean sound. Its great for practicing, performing live, and I've actually even recorded with it. It has an isolated cardioid which means that it picks up your sound very clearly while eliminating unwanted background noise.
If you're thinking that you might want something cheap or feel like you may need to have something expensive, think again. If you want to be cheap, you'll end up buying something that won't last you and will need to be replaced. And if you want to spend a lot of money, use your money on a nice monitor/PA system. In terms of microphones, you've got everything you need here for about $90 depending on where you buy it.
I tend to be a very technical singer... so I get nerdy. But I hope this helps!
Til next time Divas,
Katrina =)
