Home 2023 Forums Digital DJ Gear How optimize audio from portable mic?

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  • #2147701
    bob6397
    Participant

    any decent super/hyper cardioid mic should do the trick – pic a known brand eg. AKG, Shure, Sennheiser, Samson… etc

    If a mic is super cardioid, it will have a very focused area to pivk up sound from – extending out from the top of the mic in a thin oval sort of shape. This will reduce the risk of feedback if you just set the level for when the hold the mic say 30cm from their mouth..

    #2147711
    DJ Vintage
    Moderator

    It’s a b*tch with very little by way of a solution I am afraid. If someone knows one, please tell me, I haven’t been able to find one for the last 35 years or so LOL.

    In theory a good condenser mic with cardoid or supercardoid pattern would be your best bet. Due to their far better sensitivity, you can pick up sound easier that originates further from the mic. And due to the strong directional characteristic, you shouldn’t pick up too much ambient sounds. What you can’t get rid of easily is the “space” that is obviously created by the actual distance between mic and source.

    I am gonna assume that the people will be in the audience when asking the questions and thus the back of the mic will be facing the speakers and at a good distance. This will be necessary to avoid feedback.

    I’d stay away from the old “default” SM58s and the like, they are way too insensitive for what you are trying to accomplish.

    Since it’s wireless, you are somewhat limited to the capsule you can put on your mic. My advice would be to get a condenser capsule if you can (for Shure this would be the beta87a for example, Sennheiser has the 865 capsule if I am not mistaken and AKG the C 5, to cover the most important brands). Be ready to ride the fader though!

    #2147791
    bob6397
    Participant

    I can vouch for the way that the sennheiser ew 100 (g2) series condenser hyper cardioid wireless handhelds don’t do this… The ones I have used are awful anywhere in front of the speakers… They aren’t sensitive enough to pick up vocal more than 15 away properly. And if you do then increase the volume to account for this, then when the person holding the mic then turns around to walk back, pointing the mic towards the speakers… FEEDBACK!!!!

    That can be where riding the fader can help (as Vintage said) – and properly EQing your speakers will also help with this 🙂

    All in all, not great. And the range on the G1 is awful… about 20 meters or so before it starts to cut out.. 🙁

    But, if you place the receivers close to where the mic will be used, that isn’t an issue and I’ve had great results through them when using them as main vocal/backing vocal at live (rock-style) events..

    They are good, but it’s a good job they belong to school and not me 🙂

    #2147941
    DJ Vintage
    Moderator

    Is that 15 inches or feet? LOL

    The mic that comes with the EW100 (a very basic wireless system btw), the EW145 if I am not mistaken, is a dynamic mic. As I said in my reply, dynamic is best suited for close mic-ing. Hence the advice of going condenser.

    #2148731
    Bob Knepper
    Participant

    Thank You all very much for the wireless microphone advice.

    Tried an easily available Martin Ranger WM-100 for two sessions of a 70 person senior class. Regardless of prompting, the “students” would not consistently keep the microphone close to their mouths. Reverted to “stand up and speak loudly”. Regret that the sponsoring university did not respond to a request for advice. I’m a long retired EE but not an audio expert.

    Bob Knepper

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