Cheap stage relay mic

[NTABID]

The ancient mic for the stage relay at our local amateur theatre has failed. It hung high above the centre of the stage and provided a perfectly adequate signal to relay to the green room, bar etc. Knowing little about microphones, I should be grateful if anyone would suggest the sort of replacement mic we should be looking for (cheap if poss.)

Thanks!

[chelgrian]

The ancient mic for the stage relay at our local amateur theatre has failed. It hung high above the centre of the stage and provided a perfectly adequate signal to relay to the green room, bar etc. Knowing little about microphones, I should be grateful if anyone would suggest the sort of replacement mic we should be looking for (cheap if poss.)

 

Do you know what this microphone is plugged in to as that will affect the recommendation for a new one.

 

If possible if you could identify the current microphone or post a picture of it then that would make it easier to recommend a replacement.

[GR1]

Please post a photo of the microphone and what it is plugged in to.

[sandall]

Unless it's very, very old, in which case it might be a high output crystal mic, it is probably a cardioid dynamic. The last time I replaced one I used a very cheap budget vocal mic with a captive lead, to save the risk of it falling off the connector. Some paging amps supply 12-15v phantom power to at least 1 input, so there is a slight possibility that it could be a capacitor mic, in which case the problem could be with the amp rather than the mic.

 

As has been suggested, photos (or names & model numbers) of the mic (if you've brought it down yet) & amplifier would help. Can you plug another mic into the amplifier to see whether the rest of the system works?

[NTABID]

Thank you for your replies. I've been trying to upload an image and think I might have sorted it - try this:

 

I can't find any markings on the mic. The far end of the cable, most of which is inaccessible, is plugged into an Allen & Heath MixWizard WZ3 14:4:2. Substituting a feed from a hand mic works fine. So we suppose that the fault must lie in the mic or connecting cabling - since this is a mixture of (at least) bell wire and microphone cable (XLR 3 pin), most of which is hidden behind insulation panels, the proposal is to replace mic and cable.

 

Suggestions would be gratefully received.

[sandall]

Looks vaguely familiar, but I can't put a name to it.

 

Sensitivity shouldn't be an issue, as your MixWizard will have plenty of gain in hand, so basically any cardioid dynamic mic with a permanently attached cable will do - if you don't have a CPC or RS account try your local Maplin. Something with a screw-on connector MIGHT be ok if the connector is well taped, but DON'T even think of using a mic with an XLR - they DO come apart, & a metal-bodied mic landing on someone's head will leave a dent (& possibly earn you a day in court).

 

 

[S&L]

I have one or two old shure unidyne's in my collection at least one has a captured cable with a jack end...now I couldn't make a safety assessment but if you are passing Blackpool, I'm happy to donate it.

[NTABID]

Thanks so much for your helpful replies. As I'm unlikely to be passing Blackpool in the near future (but thank you), I've opted for the cheap dynamic cardioid mic.