After releasing her new record, Apple Tree, Katie Herzig has been touring about the USA as a headliner and an opening act promoting the release. With help from some high-end Nashville production and friends from The Fray (David Welsh and producer Aaron Johnson) she produced an intelligent, whimsical folk-pop CD that most humans with a soul will find charming, so says this humble GW reporter.

Lately she's been touring with a Sennheiser e845S as her go-to vocal mic, but that's not to say she's married to it.

"I've used it for several years. It was purchased because my sound engineer at the time got it for me and I've just kept using it. Though I will be getting a new mic soon, a Heil," says Herzig. "I used one on the Hotel Cafe tour and really loved the depth and feel of it, it made my voice feel huge, wide. . ."

As Herzig describes, bringing your own Microhpone on the road, regardless of make and model, is just a good idea.

"I do bring my mic on the road [even though] some sound guys do get cranky. I prefer the taste and smell of my own mic, thank you," she says, "but some feel the Sennheiser is great and some feel it's not great. It goes both ways."

She adds that the Sennheiser has been a durable mic over the years, suffering the indignity of bouncing off the floor of many a venue.

"I've dropped it many times and had it for so many years." says Herzig.

So what is the singer-songwriting Herzig looking for in a mic? The answer may surprised you. . . unless you're Stephen Colbert:

"Something that feels like it's enhancing my voice. Not stripping it. But there is a hard line to draw between a mic, and how the sound engineer is mixing you. You can't have a great mic without a great mixer and still have it sound great."

She adds that she thinks the e845S is "up there with goodness" even though she knows there may be "better" live mics ("better" is always subjective). But she says the Sennheiser has served her well for a long time.

The current model of the 845, the Sennheiser e845S, lists at $238 and sells for a little under $150. It has all the things you want sound-wise and has full metal construction. It comes with or without an on / off switch as well.