Wireless Headset Mics on the Cheap

[Jivemaster]

£200 is simply not enough to buy four radio mics other than possibly ones on prohibited frequencies or ones of poor construction and limited life. £200 per year is a likely cost of batteries and replacement headsets.

 

Best plan so far is to get the talent to project properly.

[Weir69]

Hi all, thanks for all the replies!

 

Too many things to quote so I'll just address some concerns.

• I new I was never going to get a decent new system, but asked just in case there was anything good that I was unaware of.
• When discussed we decided that If we bought it would almost have to be second hand.
• Telling the actors to project their voices is difficult because we are working with children.
• One plus for buying is that the children would be able to rehearse in advance with mics rather than causing lot's of problems during the run up.
• We have two techs for this production and competent people for stage management.

 

With that in mind hiring still seems the best option but what opinion do you have of buying a second hand system from a well reputed manufacturer?

[Alec]

One plus for buying is that the children would be able to rehearse in advance with break more mics rather than causing lot's of problems during the run up.

[sam.spoons]

Well, at the risk of rowing against the tide, I did get a cheap four-way largely plastic Ch 70 (licence-free) system for a particular purpose and it has worked pretty flawlessly for me.

 

The unit in question is http://cpc.farnell.c...neck/dp/MP34807

 

It's still over 25% above the OP's budget, mind. And those headsets, while of unknown performance, are pretty non-unobtrusive!

 

I recently had a similar problem with our local scout hut. I decided that as I was being asked to recommend some mics, Sennheiser XSW was the lowest I was prepared to go. I bought XSW 72 GB on Ch38 (A belt pack variant supplied without mic, intended for guitars etc. (The belt pack is the same as supplied with mic)) and bought some headset mics off ebay. I did look at the 4 way set linked to but had concerns about their longevity solely because of the price, I suspect that repair would not be an option.

 

 

I too question the way an equipment based solution is looked at before other options have been considered.

 

£200 is simply not enough for 4 radio mics IMHO.

 

 

 

Agreed and CH70 can only cope with 4 wireless mics at any one time (taxi's notwithstanding :) ) A CH38 licence costs £85 (£75 by DD IIRC) so that's over 1/3rd of the budget gone just to stay legal. Depending on the show it may be possible to do it with hand held wired mics (I did Hair 40 years ago with 8 x wired mics, a home made multicore and a very basic mixer). You need the producer/director and choreographer onside but it can be done. Creative blocking is the key and clever use of the stage can make it work well (it can look impressive too) but it does depend (as I said) on the show. Mics for the songs is fine but if you need mics for the dialogue you are probably onto a loser.

 

edit :- oh and to add, headset mics and quiet children's voices are a recipe for rampant feedback, do the show quietly and the parents will have to be quiet and listen, pander to 'the volume devil' and you'll struggle.

 

 

 

[Jivemaster]

Have you ever heard a group of children playing quietly? It's well into hearing protection range. They CAN make sound then they stand on stage and go dumb.

[sam.spoons]

http://www.blue-room.org.uk/public/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif Yup, been there......

[Weir69]

Have you ever heard a group of children playing quietly? It's well into hearing protection range. They CAN make sound then they stand on stage and go dumb.

 

Oh I've noticed!

 

One plus for buying is that the children would be able to rehearse in advance with break more mics rather than causing lot's of problems during the run up.

 

That really wasn't helpful. Under the circumstances I doubt that very much.

 

Thanks for your help anyway, I think it's case solved :) at least my presumptions where confirmed. Now to tell the committee they need a bigger budget.

[Jivemaster]

To run a set of mics in the deregulated (licence free) band you will need your £200 budget for annual repairs, batteries and replacement headsets for a set of four radio mics. an initial purchase budget ( http://www.terralec.co.uk/radio_mics/trantec_s53_rack_n_ready_set_including_remote_kit/25750_p.html ) of £2500 minimum is realistic. Lots of other options exist -that's only an example.

 

Simply the expense is a good reason for working without wireless.

[alistermorton]

That really wasn't helpful. Under the circumstances I doubt that very much.

 

I doubt it was meant to imply malicious damage - radio headsets (and the belt packs) get damaged all the time even when seasoned experienced talent are using them.

 

 

 

[paulears]

One other thing is how old the kids are - under 12s have real problems with the headsets staying on, and even the kids sized versions you can buy if money is available fall off!

 

I'll also dare to mention one other issue I'm finding with amateur shows that have kids in. Putting the mics on.

 

I've got a transportable DBS, so people can check me out if they wish (and as you can see who accesses your data on line, I know who they are too). Realistically, as backstage people rarely get left alone with the kids, and the fact that license wise, chaperones for these shows usually are in charge - the technical people don't need them anyway. There is a problem though. The last show my mob did was a dance show - 4 to around 70 as an age range, and while just a few years ago, my guys were happy miking the kids up, now it can get damn awkward. My sound man is in his 50s, has two daughters and a granddaughter but he said to me "I'm not happy with this - I have to get this radio mic pack off her, and stick it on her - and I'm on my own in the wing, and I don't feel comfy doing this". In this post Savile age, the knock on effect is making stageside tech people extremely wary, and perfectly understandable. The shows should have the kids chaperoned, but it's usually mums, and they're not like the chaperones you get on pro shows - just helpful people.

 

Putting radios on young people is problematic for so many reasons now, I must admit my heart sinks a bit when the dance show booking suddenly gives you a piece of paper that says "soloist in the middle". The older girls - 14 upwards can be guided through fitting each other - but the younger kids just stand there and look at you.

 

Over the years, most sound people working with radios have stories to tell, but now things are very different. The days when an actress would say to my wife "I haven't seen Paul since the last time he had his hand up my skirt" have gone. Everyone now needs to be totally sneaky clean to sleep at night.

[soundspider]

I would have to agree with gibbothegreat on the four way chord system from cpc. I have used this on three very budget installations, both handheld and beltpack/headsets versions, and have had no issues - they just work. Granted, they are above budget, and the headsets are far from pretty, but even if the budget could be stretched to £300 you could have a pretty decent, ok sounding four way radio system with cheap beige headsets that would do the job.

 

Obviously the more money you can spend the better the mics will be, but in my experience (particularly with kids) something (that works reliably, which this does) is better than nothing.

 

Alan

[Stuart91]

I've also had a customer who bought the four way Chord system. They didn't have any major problems to report, despite my initial incredulity. They have since added some JTS systems for the "money channels" but still retain the Chord for occasional use.

[sam.spoons]

Just out of interest what is the show?

[Weir69]

One other thing is how old the kids are - under 12s have real problems with the headsets staying on, and even the kids sized versions you can buy if money is available fall off!

 

I'll also dare to mention one other issue I'm finding with amateur shows that have kids in. Putting the mics on.

 

I've got a transportable DBS, so people can check me out if they wish (and as you can see who accesses your data on line, I know who they are too). Realistically, as backstage people rarely get left alone with the kids, and the fact that license wise, chaperones for these shows usually are in charge - the technical people don't need them anyway. There is a problem though. The last show my mob did was a dance show - 4 to around 70 as an age range, and while just a few years ago, my guys were happy miking the kids up, now it can get damn awkward. My sound man is in his 50s, has two daughters and a granddaughter but he said to me "I'm not happy with this - I have to get this radio mic pack off her, and stick it on her - and I'm on my own in the wing, and I don't feel comfy doing this". In this post Savile age, the knock on effect is making stageside tech people extremely wary, and perfectly understandable. The shows should have the kids chaperoned, but it's usually mums, and they're not like the chaperones you get on pro shows - just helpful people.

 

Putting radios on young people is problematic for so many reasons now, I must admit my heart sinks a bit when the dance show booking suddenly gives you a piece of paper that says "soloist in the middle". The older girls - 14 upwards can be guided through fitting each other - but the younger kids just stand there and look at you.

 

Over the years, most sound people working with radios have stories to tell, but now things are very different. The days when an actress would say to my wife "I haven't seen Paul since the last time he had his hand up my skirt" have gone. Everyone now needs to be totally sneaky clean to sleep at night.

 

I see your point. There are helpers backstage who should be able to sort that out. Also the plan is for each actor to wear the headset for the entirety of the show so there won't be to much swapping around. With regards to them falling of it's a shame we can't use some gaffer tape!

 

Just out of interest what is the show?

 

An abridged version of Oliver.

[Jevans]

You might not be able to use gaffa but you can certainly use various medical type tapes to help mics stay on - my preference is 3M Transpore, which you can buy cheaply online.