Body Mic's

[Tyo1655]

I am involved with a community theatre that is pretty successful............. the major problem we have is the body pack wireless transmitters with the lav microphones.......... they are pretty fragile and we are constantly having to change out the mic and cable. these mic's are also prone to cutting out if a person is dancing or moving quickly. we are looking for alternatives, a recent suggestion was to use head sets instead of the lav. I am hoping for some suggestions on brand names and models.

[chelgrian]

I am involved with a community theatre that is pretty successful............. the major problem we have is the body pack wireless transmitters with the lav microphones.......... they are pretty fragile and we are constantly having to change out the mic and cable. these mic's are also prone to cutting out if a person is dancing or moving quickly. we are looking for alternatives, a recent suggestion was to use head sets instead of the lav. I am hoping for some suggestions on brand names and models.

 

Bodypacks are usually pretty robust however mic heads of both lav and headsets basically have to be treated as consumable items. You can prolong their life with careful handling however no matter what you do they will die. They generally fail due to:

 

- Gross cable damage though being mis fitted or being taken on and off by the performer themselves and yanked in the process.

 

- Cable breaks at the plug or mic end with no visible damage due to fatigue due to repeated stress, can be lessened by ensuring there is adequate strain relief.

 

- Moisture from sweat entering the capsule.

 

We now use

 

http://cpc.farnell.com/pulse/mic-500lj-beige/microphone-lavalier-lock-jack/dp/MP34259

 

that's the Sennheiser version but others are available. Which with a bit of EQ are perfectly good and we couldn't tell the difference with an A/B test with a Sennheiser ME2 at at least 4 times the price.

 

there's also a headset version which is nearly double the price

 

http://cpc.farnell.com/pulse/mic-1000lj/microphone-earhook-3-5mm-lock-jack/dp/MP33900

[sclg]

We now use

http://cpc.farnell.c...jack/dp/MP34259

 

So do we and find them fine. I have to swap the connectors to use them on our X75s but no problem.

We tend to tape them to foreheads or cheeks and get good results that way. Also much less cable problems because much of it is taped down.

 

Mind you, getting the tape of after the show is a bit yuk!!

 

S

[d_korman]

We've also had good results with these:

 

YPA ML2-CS4

 

on Line-6 V75s

[MarkBarl]

+1 for the CPC headsets. For the price, the tone and gain before feedback is remarkable. We have about 40 of them and over two years have not had a single one go down. We look after them carefully, individually bag them for storage (Just using freezer bags) stored neatly coiled. We expect one to go any time, but thus far they have been great. A local am dram that insisted on using lavs (b3s) recently did JC Superstar and we persuaded them to go for the headsets to get the vocals over the rocky music. They are now thinking about switching permanently.

[sandall]

We now use

http://cpc.farnell.c...jack/dp/MP34259

 

If you can afford them, the Sennheiser MKE-2's have a steel-reinforced cable & are pretty indestructible. Canford (& no doubt others) sell packs of flesh-coloured soft-iron wire to make your own ear-loops. Otherwise the CPC / Pulse head-worns are reasonably tough, although I would recommend the double-ear version, as the single-ear ones tend to fall off if not securely taped. The only problems I've met were with Sennheisers, if the collar on a locking-jack hadn't been tightened properly.

 

Sticking with tie-clips - if you are on a tight budget, & handy with a small-tip soldering iron, CPC do some very cheap tie-clip mics with 2-pole jack plugs for computer use. Performance-wise they are not very different from similar-looking manufacturers spares costing £45+. Most of my belt-packs now have a mixture of MKE-2's for corporates & sub-£5 mics (repairable at least once before you have to junk them) for schools.

 

A tip for crocodile-jaw mic-clips - when the plastic mic-holder breaks, instead of throwing the whole clip away just drill 2 small holes where the plastic clip was & use a very small cable-tie to hold the mic. You will never need to buy an expensive replacement again.

[cedd]

There are other mic strategies out there aside from Lav or Headset. Personally I'm a big fan of headsets - I don't think modern audiences are too concerned about seeing a headset these days, at least not in the types of theatre I do (musicals).

 

You can use florist wire to make an ear loop - basically a headset, but I tend to make mine with a shorter boom - normally with the mic just protruding from the sideburns. Not as much gain before feedback as a headset, but a big improvement on a lav.

 

Another option is to use a "halo" - a loop of thin elastic that wraps around the head. This can be used to secure the mic in the hairline (but doesn't work on baldies like me!). Hair clips also work well.

 

In other words, your choice doesn't have to be as clear cut as lav Vs headset. There are better ways to deploy a lav that might give you better results. Headsets for me are always a favourite because they're quick and easy to fit, and get the capsule right where I want it.

 

My headsets of choice are Proel HCM23's - they're cheaper than the CPC ones when you shop around, and they sound really nice. Out of the box they're a little delicate and I know a friend has had trouble with reliability of the locking minijack's on his Sennheiser systems. I'm a Trantec and Line6 user, so I use 4 pin mini xlr, but I do tend to chop the cheap factor plugs off and replace them with REAN ones, whilst at the same time adding a liberal coating of heatshrink to either end of the cable. Works a treat and I've just done a 14 performance (plus 4 rehearsals) run of pantomime with 22 radio mics. Multiple swaps, some worn by kids, plus lots of acrobatics and throwing himself around the stage by the daft lad character, and not a single mic failure. Very impressed.