Microphone selection

[paulears]

A rifle is very fragile, incredibly sensitive to noise unless you have a very expensive isolated mount, and is so susceptable to wind noise that moving one left to right quickly sounds like somebody left the door open and the wind came in. Off axis sound on a rifle drops off really quickly. Many rifle mics have screw or twist on power supply sections and the length and weight soon weaken the joint - not to the point of breaking, but the threads are quite fine and just seem to get loose. Cheaper brands such as Audio Technica are often used by colleges rather then Senns, and finding one with all the screws still in after a month or two of student waving about is uncommon. I must say I too rather like the two into one solution. Simple, should work well and pretty foolproof.

[Ben Langfeld]

Thanks for the replies, my thinking behind a more expensive microphone was not really concerning fidelity but more towards durability, reduction of noise when being handled and reliability (as it is to be used by "unskilled" people)

 

An SM58 is about £70 and I challenge you to break it.

[jamesperrett]

For two identical mics a y cord would work fine, no mixer should be required, as long as the mixer/amp can supply enough current on phantom for both mics.

 

A Y cord is fine for splitting one mic to two outputs but won't be good for combining two mics into one input. If you are talking about two dynamic mics then most of the energy from each mic will go into driving the other mic like a loudspeaker. If you are using two condenser mics then the two outputs will be fighting against each other. You might get sound out of the cable but it won't sound as good as it should. Depending upon the particular mics used, you might be able to use a special cable that connected the mics in series or a cable with resistors in the mic legs which would improve things slightly.

 

However, a couple of SM58's and a small mixer with two mic inputs should still fall within your budget.

 

Cheers

 

James.

[Chappie]

A Y cord is fine for splitting one mic to two outputs but won't be good for combining two mics into one input.

Combining mics passively works in many situations and is the least of the problems that need to be considered in this application.

 

I would also avoid the talk of PCC-160s etc as, in my opinion, it adds unnecessary distance from the performers to the mic, if you are trying to keep within the top 3dB of it's polar response. Having a mic on a stand will allow the mic to be positioned closer, in the correct plane and have a better signal-to-noise.

 

I would try and find a not-too-expensive condenser with the widest pickup pattern possible. This plus the cost of a stand and cable etc should not be a problem with the budget in mind.

[Just Some Bloke]

Combining mics passively works in many situations and is the least of the problems that need to be considered in this application.

 

Agreed.

 

Also, if space is at a premium and you've managed to put the performers in a semi-circle rather than a straight line, then you might get away with using one stand and a stereo bar to mount 2 mics pointing in different directions. Obviously, if the performers are in a straight line this won't work as it will pick the centre 2 up lounder than the outer 2.

[Girlyboy]

Hello

 

If budget is a real restriction, I wouldn't go wasting all my money on one particular microphone, only to discover it doesn't work very well. An SM58 is a great robust microphone, but some degree of technique is required on the speaker's behalf to generate enough level to be heard. Many times I've seen people handed an SM58 to do a speech or announcement, only to stand with the mic around hip height speaking straight over it - and then all the punters complain they can't hear.

PZM's aren't ideal either - they work in theatres etc where there are trained singers giving a decent vocal level but aren't the easiest mics to get loud in a PA system.

I would consider a few pairs of cheap condenser mics like Behringer C-2's ( £42.99 matched pair at dv247.com) set a few feet back on short stands (like Beyerdynamic GST 590's) pointing at head height, and just ride the faders in turn with the poetry. Used WITH a good dynamic for handheld purposes should give you all the coverage you need.

 

Simon

[camerongp]

this may be unpractical for its portability, but have you thought about omni-directional float mics?

a quick google has brought up the audio-technica es933/o im not that familiar with the sound quality of the omni-directionals, but have used a pair of audio-technica hypercardiod pattern ones before on a flute and piano performance. sounded good. not sure what speech will sound like, but its worth looking into it. and im not familiar with the cost of these units either.

 

but hopefully some of this helps.

cam