How to strap on a wireless transmitter?

[Judge]

Got a recording gig coming up where the talent will just be wearing a tank top and shorts, so no handy place to drop the Sennheiser pack into really. She is happy enough with the mic clipped onto her top, but we are struggling to find a solution for the transmitter. I am thinking about just making a belt with velcro and elastic - but it has to be discreet and not spoil her lines. Is there actually any kind of pre-made solution for this? Or shall I head off down to the fabric shop?

[david.elsbury]

There's lots of places to hide wireless tx's. Small of the back. Bra strap. Inner thigh. ........

 

the smaller the tx the better of course. Letrosonics do tiny ones.

[S&L]

pretty common for the wardrobe dept to make these up on theatre productions.

I saw some footage of idina menzel recently - in her case it was an iem receiver but her dress maker had made a pack out of thesame material - it was very discrete and though noticeable, you had to be looking hard to see it.

[Shaggy]

Shure sell a pre made waist pack if you don't want to make your own - part is WA580.

[w/robe]

As well as the places mentioned I've sewn them in to hats and inside upper arm

 

pretty common for the wardrobe dept to make these up on theatre productions.

A general note from the Blue Room Wardrobe Department.

Making up pouches is a pain and time consuming so if you want them doing;

1 Ask on the first day of rehearsals not the morning of the tech.

2 Offer to pay for at least the materials if not the labour.

3 Bring the pack with you.

4 When you come to pick them up bring nice biscuits/G&T.

[Judge]

Thanks all - that Shure one is expensive isn't it? Turns out that my Google Fu was weak and in fact I should have been searching for a Fitness Pouch - huh, sounds like something else doesn't it? That finds a few worldwide and one at the Ipswich PA Centre for £12 so we'll go for that.

@w/robe - totally right - those people have enough to do usually without having guys just strolling and and saying "Could you just...."

[w/robe]

@w/robe - totally right - those people have enough to do usually without having guys just strolling and and saying "Could you just...."

Very true, there's tea and biscuits to consume, bitching, gossip to spread. It's one thing after another.

[paulears]

Personally, wardrobe is the pleasantest place to go and hide for a while. I may well wind every department up during a run, except wardrobe - they are always 'different', and despite being hectic and overworked, always somehow calm under the surface...............

[Bobbsy]

Yup. I've always had good luck (and often a nice chat and cuppa) by involving Wardrobe. As has been said, offer to pay for materials (they usually say no or at least only ask you to pay for stuff they don't have). This can either be for generic pouches or for specific pockets etc. built into costumes they're making or adapting anyway.

 

Canford will sell you pouches for about 20 quid but I'm not a fan of their new design--the old ones used velcro as the fastening (i.e. nice and flat) but now they have buckles. Basically what you want is a pouch that snugly holds the pack (a velcro fastening over the top can help)and has a "tunnel" you can fit a strap through. Elastic with velcro at either end makes a perfect strap. Black is common but I found beige/flesh colour very useful at times. By varying the length of the elastic you can mount in a variety of places...waist, top of the arm inside a sleeve, thigh, that sort of thing.

 

On the other hand, I've hidden the packs inside a wig several times!

[J Pearce]

If the talent is wearing a tank top, I'd go for inside the tank top at the back. Depending on the fit and material (and undergarments) this may or may not need a mic pouch to aid with stability.

[cedd]

I buy the smallest children's trainer socks that I can buy. Then get a shoe lace and poke the end through the material in a couple of places (no reason to cut holes, just force it through). This gives a nice tight pouch that hugs the pack, but is also disposable and easily washed. You can also get a range of colours though my main stock are black or white. That said, I run 26 beltpacks, so I go through them pretty quickly. With your one pack it might be more economical to buy a "proper" one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[neilalexrose]

One of my female cast members was hiding her mic pack in her bra cup, I think she has now graduated to having a mic belt, with the pack sitting in the middle of her cleavage. She doesn't wear anything low cut.

I've also had them underneath the bra strap at the back too. I'm touring shure UR1m's, so luckily quite small and discreet.

 

Neil

[gibbothegreat]

http://cpc.farnell.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?catalogId=15002&langId=69&storeId=10180&categoryId=700000007724&pageSize=25&showResults=true&pf=111873085,111873086

[ImagineerTom]

"Pound stores" and you local market sell an amazing array of cases for smartphones, some of the fancy belt-clip and armband ones make great pack-holders that hold things much more snugly and secure than a normal pouch will.