samtanner332 Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 HiWe have a small stage which we need to get some hanging micraphones which come down from the ceiling. Can anybody advise us on any good ones which they have used. Budget is very big so no expense spared.ThanksSam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ynot Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 HiWe have a small stage which we need to get some hanging micraphones which come down from the ceiling.Questions first...Why do you want to hang from the ceiling?How low are you intending to hang them?What sort of show/event is it?LOADS of cast singing chorus or lots of soloists or a mix?What mixing desk do you have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 The general view is that hanging mics work really badly in most cases. If you have to hang, then Audio Technica do quite a few at reaonsable prices, however cpc have some cheap ones that are quite good. I was going to post a link to the old threads on here, but can't find the right ones. The biggest problem is simply distance, and visibility issues. General concensus is that PZM/PCC floor mounted ones are better. Much revolves around reflections from the floor - meaning that it's very easy to get hot-spots where if people are there, they are loud, move a couple of feet and they vanish. All in all, for conventional theatrical use, we don't use them that often. However, for audience pickup, converence work etc they sometime work quite well - just look pretty stupid dangling down from the top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ynot Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 All in all, for conventional theatrical use, we don't use them that often. However, for audience pickup, converence work etc they sometime work quite well - just look pretty stupid dangling down from the top.My personal take on hanging mics is that even normal trained perfromaers don't sing with heads tilted back, so the direction of sound from the mouth isn't going to be towards a hung mic.Normal projection ranges from either down at their feet to slightly above the horizontal when done proper-like. As Paul says, good use of PZM plate mics may well be your best bet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timtheenchanteruk Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 If you do decide to continue with the hanging mics, the audio technica pro 45 is a pretty good mic, I use them and have had no problems, and nice warm pick up, they are around £60-70 each. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 quick note - CPC have two version of overhead mics in their sound and effects special offers this week omnicardioid £21.69 + vat = cheap! dangly, wire bottom guide and XLR At that price, might be worth buying a couple just to see Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
broadcast_techie Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 My experience of hanging mics has been limited, but I would favour Sure over the AKG's I tried. Excellent for recording the show where you can pull them up a bit, but not so great for live. They do work ok for reinforcing good actors, but the timid mouse at the back ain't going to become a tiger just because there's a few hundred pounds worth of 'magic' microphones hanging above their heads. Kris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Beesley Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 Further to Pauls post we have a couple of slightly better units ... the omni is great for over the bulk of the cast and also we have a shotgun for pinpointing areas of the stage. Omni Shotgun/Rifle If your budget will stretch then I would (personally) go for the Audio Technica's ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 I've never used them for live sound reinforcement, but I have used the CPC ones paul mentioned, and virtually identical products from some "big name" manufacturers, as the source for induction loop systems, mounted at the front of a lecture theatre or classroom. Some have worked very well; others have been very prone to picking up noise from ventilation systems or roof-mounted projectors. Going off at a tangent for a bit, I once had a look at a rather bizarre looking microphone system for boardroom/classroom use - the AudioScience system, as supplied with Tandberg videoconference systems. We were very sceptical about this unit, but it worked surprisingly well. Basically it seems to be an "upside-down boundary mic" - a Crown PZM mounted on a clear heavy perspex sheet about 1.5m x .75m, which is suspened from the roof. It's not a flat sheet - there's a reflector panel at the rear. http://www.tandberg.net/collateral/documen...oScienceMic.pdf I've sometimes wondered if this sort of thing would have any use in a stage scenario. Edit: Answering my own question, the above document says it's good for recording, or videoconferencing, but not for live sound. Ah well, back to the drawing board... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbuckley Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 The Crown PCC series application notes explain the construction of these panel thingies... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbsy Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 Budget is very big so no expense spared. If you REALLY mean this, probably the best hanging mics you could get would be either the Schoeps CCM series or DPA 4022 compact microphones. Sound-wise you'd be hard to better these, but even with a big budget, make sure you're seated when you get a quote. If it turns out your budget isn't quite as good as you thought, I've had good results with the AKG Blueline series. One of the accessories you can buy is a cable (CK-97-C by memory) that lets you extend the mic capsule away from the power supply to keep the bit the audience sees as small as possible. You can also choose a cardioid or hypercardioid pattern, depending on what works for you. Also, AKG do some specific hanging modules for mics, like THIS. Now, to be clear, this doesn't work with the Blueline mics I've suggested, but you wouldn't be the first to poach the idea and create your own out of coathanger wire...well, that's what I did, anyway. Finally, though, I'll just reinforce the suggestion that you might want to consider the sort of floor mic (PZM or PCC) that others have mentioned. In most cases, these are more effective than any hanging mic. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robloxley Posted February 22, 2007 Share Posted February 22, 2007 Well if budget is very big, what about radiomics for everyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallMike Posted February 22, 2007 Share Posted February 22, 2007 Well if budget is very big, what about radiomics for everyone? What's that noise? The sound of a can of worms opening? I'm running....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shez Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 What might be more useful is if the OP would clarify what they're trying to do, rather than what they think they need to do in order to achieve it. I don't want to make any assumptions about their knowledge level, but where I work, people frequently ask directly for equipment, assuming that what they've asked for is the best way to do the job, rather than explaining what they need to do and letting someone more experienced recommend a solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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