Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: AT or Shure

For musical theatre I depend on a dozen high quality wireless body mics that won't let me down on opening night. Nothing can ruin a show like a mic that drops out during an important solo by your leading lady!

The only mics that I trust are Sennheiser beltpacks with Countryman earsets.

Here is a photo of my new Sennheiser Beltpack with the new Countryman Earset:

http://www.lowell.to/Tech/Earset.jpg

THE WIRELESS BELTPACK TRANSMITTER

My local audio supply rep. sells the new Sennheiser sets for $499.00. The set includes the lightweight EW 100 G2 Beltpack, the EM 100 G2 Receiver unit, and a traditional Lavelier mic.

Their new beltpack transmitter is about half the size and weight of their old style, and it runs on two AA batteries, (which I prefer over 9 volt). They have digital frequency control so you can dial up precise channels easily. But the best part is they have an easy-to-read battery life indicator, which my backstage "mic runners" can easily check as soon as an actor runs off stage.

The best feature on the new beltpack is the battery life indicator. It's a show-saver!!! Here you can easily see I have 2/3 power left:

http://www.lowell.to/Tech/BatteryGauge.jpg

I never have transmission issues or signal cross-over problems with these, even with 16 of them running at once! (And I like this a lot!...because back in the old days, my old VEGA mics would pick up pilots landing at the airport!)

Here is a comparison of wireless mics. The VEGA is a 15 year old mic, (the company since went out of business), and in the middle is a 5 year old style Sennheiser which is rather heavy and used 9v battery. On the right is the new and smaller Sennheiser which is about the weight of a cell phone:

http://www.lowell.to/Tech/NewBeltpack.jpg

I generally do not use the lavelier clip-on mics that come standard with the Senneiser beltpack. But I do save them for emergencies. Or we run thru an actor's hair if she has lots of quick costume changes. (You must take care in mounting mics on an actor's forhead...you don't want the audience to think a black horsefly has landed on her face!)

THE "BROADWAY STYLE" EARSET MIC

What I do use with my beltpack is the new Isomax Earset mics from Countryman. These are what you see in many Broadway shows. I get them for about $350.00 each from my local audio supplier. Countryman has recently improved and "kid proofed" these mics by beefing up the over-the-ear element with a thicker "rubber gel" sleeve, (similar to what you see on a hearing aid clip). The wire that runs down the actor's back is coated in Kevlar, so it is never going to break.

The only place that these mics will break is at the point where the mic wire attaches to the mini-connector that screws into the top of the beltpack. If your actor is not careful, he can drop the beltpack while jumping around. The shock caused by the weight of a falling beltpack is what snaps the wire at the point it connects to the plug. (This is illustrated in my photo below).

Here are 3 Earsets that have been broken in half by actors who bent the wires too much. On the right you can see a mic wire that broke at the connector when the beltpack fell off an actor:

http://www.lowell.to/Tech/deadCountryman.jpg

PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT!

To avoid breaking a wire or smashing a beltpack, you must never allow actors to merely put the radio in their pocket. Even the "belt clip" provided with the mic is not secure enough if he is dancing or swordfighting on stage. You must have your costumer sew some velcro belts and pouches for you. These have saved lots of money for us! (I have pictured one below).

Here is one of my "one-size-fits-all" velcro mic straps:

http://www.lowell.to/Tech/Belt.jpg

The simple muslin pouches have a small velcro "seatbelt" on top to keep the radio snug inside. Then there is a nice elastic waist belt with enough velcro to adjust to any size actor. In the year since using these straps, we have never dropped a mic on stage during musicals or fight scenes.

Notice the little velcro "keeper strap"...not only does it hold the mic snugly in the pouch, but more importantly, it hides the "Mute" button so actors can't fiddle with it!

http://www.lowell.to/Tech/velcro.jpg

Sometimes, if your lead actor dances all night and gets very sweaty on stage, you might need to put a (non-lubricated) condom over the radio beltpack to keep the salty sweat from destroying the unit. But since the mic wire runs down the actors back, the sweat runs down the wire like wax on the wick of a candle. You need to be sure that the top of the condom is very tightly taped around the wire or else the sweat will just follow the wire down into the radio.

WHICH MIC TO USE?

People either love or hate the Earset style mics.

If your audience sits very close to the actors, you may not like the Countryman Earsets because they can be seen on the chin, (even though they come in several skin-matching tones). Some directors might think they make the actor look like Janet Jackson on tour! And if your actor wears the mic sticking out too far from the jaw line, it looks like the kickstand on a bicycle! But I have a 600 seat proscenium theatre with an orchestra pit...so the actors are at least 20 feet from the first row...so I don't need to worry about the mics being seen at that distance.

Here is a picture of our recent production of High School Musical. Notice the boy wears a clip-on lavelier mic and the girl uses an over-the-ear mic. Her mic would be invisible to you if it weren't for the piece of medical tape that she put on her cheek to secure the mic. Normally tape is not needed, but middle school age actors have tiny ears, so the mics can fall off.

http://www.lowell.to/Tech/DHSMbodymics.jpg

I come from the "old school" of theatre, where we had no mics and the directors constantly yelled, "PROJECT!!!"

While my new theatre was built for acustic performance with no microphones, that notion goes out the window when we add a 14 piece pit orchestra! Like it or not, these fragile wireless mics have become the workhorse of any show that has a LOUD live orchestra that needs to be overcome. So until I can convince a 14 piece pit orchestra to, "play softer!"...I guess I am married to these little suckers...

Yes, our actors have broken several of my earset mics over the years by treating the flexible wire like it was a coat hanger...and breaking it in half! But recently this behavior has all changed! I have worked closely with directors to teach microphone use & care workshops to the lead actors on every production. Things have steadily improved! In fact, this season none of my over-the-ear parts were broken! Even if you can get your sound crew work with your leads for just 15 minutes prior to tech rehearsal, you will notice a temendous improvement.

LET THEM "TAKE OWNERSHIP" OF THEIR PLAY:

I take pride in having students run every aspect of our theatre. When the curtain goes up on opening night, the director and I always sit in the house. Our job is done. The stage managers, light crew, fly crew, and sound operators are all high school or middle school students, (grades 5 thru 12). I trust them with all the expensive lighting and sound equipment. I trust them to fix problems on the fly without the audience noticing.

I feel that a big part of the "theatre process" is problem solving and working well with each other under pressure. Some nights there is quite a drama on the intercom headsets as the tech crew works to get a replacement mic onto a lead actor the very second she makes her exit. For me, the best nights are the ones where the crew says, "sorry for that problem in Act II", and I reply, "what?...I didn't notice a problem!" That's very cool. That's when I know I've done my job as a Technical Director in educational theatre.

The best book for teaching theatre sound is called Live Sound Reinforcement, by Scott Hunter Stark, by Mix Books:

http://www.lowell.to/Tech/soundBook.jpg

I hope my ranting about wireless mics has helped. These are just my personal recommendations. The next technician may offer different ideas, or your troupe may have different needs than mine. Regardless, good luck and break a leg. - Dana

Mr. Lowell,
Lighting/Set Designer & Tech Director,
for the Linda Sloan Theatre,
in the Davison Center for the Arts,
at Greensboro Day School

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Thank you so much! That is exactly the kind of input i'm looking for!

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Hello doublezero420 , how is the sound system going?

Did you purchase any new mics yet?

-Dana

Mr. Lowell,
Lighting/Set Designer & Tech Director,
for the Linda Sloan Theatre,
in the Davison Center for the Arts,
at Greensboro Day School

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Author	Message
doublezero420 Star Joined: 4/13/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 50	Topic: AT or Shure Posted: 6/14/07 at 11:35pm
	My CT is looking to buy new mics, since the ones at the facility we rent are old and extremely abused (we rent the high school theater and they are not known for taking care of their equipment) We are looking to buy 6-8 mics and want to know which is the best to get. We are looking to get hair mic lavs (unless someone here has a good reason we shouldn't) Price is not a big issue unless they are going to run more than a grand or so each. Thanks for the input!

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Mr. Lowell Celebrity Joined: 1/30/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 269	Posted: 6/15/07 at 5:43pm
	For musical theatre I depend on a dozen high quality wireless body mics that won't let me down on opening night. Nothing can ruin a show like a mic that drops out during an important solo by your leading lady! The only mics that I trust are Sennheiser beltpacks with Countryman earsets. Here is a photo of my new Sennheiser Beltpack with the new Countryman Earset: http://www.lowell.to/Tech/Earset.jpg THE WIRELESS BELTPACK TRANSMITTER My local audio supply rep. sells the new Sennheiser sets for $499.00. The set includes the lightweight EW 100 G2 Beltpack, the EM 100 G2 Receiver unit, and a traditional Lavelier mic. Their new beltpack transmitter is about half the size and weight of their old style, and it runs on two AA batteries, (which I prefer over 9 volt). They have digital frequency control so you can dial up precise channels easily. But the best part is they have an easy-to-read battery life indicator, which my backstage "mic runners" can easily check as soon as an actor runs off stage. The best feature on the new beltpack is the battery life indicator. It's a show-saver!!! Here you can easily see I have 2/3 power left: http://www.lowell.to/Tech/BatteryGauge.jpg I never have transmission issues or signal cross-over problems with these, even with 16 of them running at once! (And I like this a lot!...because back in the old days, my old VEGA mics would pick up pilots landing at the airport!) Here is a comparison of wireless mics. The VEGA is a 15 year old mic, (the company since went out of business), and in the middle is a 5 year old style Sennheiser which is rather heavy and used 9v battery. On the right is the new and smaller Sennheiser which is about the weight of a cell phone: http://www.lowell.to/Tech/NewBeltpack.jpg I generally do not use the lavelier clip-on mics that come standard with the Senneiser beltpack. But I do save them for emergencies. Or we run thru an actor's hair if she has lots of quick costume changes. (You must take care in mounting mics on an actor's forhead...you don't want the audience to think a black horsefly has landed on her face!) THE "BROADWAY STYLE" EARSET MIC What I *do use* with my beltpack is the new Isomax Earset mics from Countryman. These are what you see in many Broadway shows. I get them for about $350.00 each from my local audio supplier. Countryman has recently improved and "kid proofed" these mics by beefing up the over-the-ear element with a thicker "rubber gel" sleeve, (similar to what you see on a hearing aid clip). The wire that runs down the actor's back is coated in Kevlar, so it is never going to break. The only place that these mics will break is at the point where the mic wire attaches to the mini-connector that screws into the top of the beltpack. If your actor is not careful, he can drop the beltpack while jumping around. The shock caused by the weight of a falling beltpack is what snaps the wire at the point it connects to the plug. (This is illustrated in my photo below). Here are 3 Earsets* that have been broken in half by actors who bent the wires too much. On the right you can see a mic wire that broke at the connector when the beltpack fell off an actor:* http://www.lowell.to/Tech/deadCountryman.jpg PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT! To avoid breaking a wire or smashing a beltpack, you must never allow actors to merely put the radio in their pocket. Even the "belt clip" provided with the mic is not secure enough if he is dancing or swordfighting on stage. You must have your costumer sew some velcro belts and pouches for you. These have saved lots of money for us! (I have pictured one below). Here is one of my "one-size-fits-all" velcro mic straps: http://www.lowell.to/Tech/Belt.jpg The simple muslin pouches have a small velcro "seatbelt" on top to keep the radio snug inside. Then there is a nice elastic waist belt with enough velcro to adjust to any size actor. In the year since using these straps, we have never dropped a mic on stage during musicals or fight scenes. Notice the little velcro "keeper strap"...not only does it hold the mic snugly in the pouch, but more importantly, it hides the "Mute" button so actors can't fiddle with it! http://www.lowell.to/Tech/velcro.jpg Sometimes, if your lead actor dances all night and gets very sweaty on stage, you might need to put a (non-lubricated) condom over the radio beltpack to keep the salty sweat from destroying the unit. But since the mic wire runs down the actors back, the sweat runs down the wire like wax on the wick of a candle. You need to be sure that the top of the condom is very tightly taped around the wire or else the sweat will just follow the wire down into the radio. WHICH MIC TO USE? People either love or hate the Earset style mics. If your audience sits very close to the actors, you may not like the Countryman Earsets because they can be seen on the chin, (even though they come in several skin-matching tones). Some directors might think they make the actor look like Janet Jackson on tour! And if your actor wears the mic sticking out too far from the jaw line, it looks like the kickstand on a bicycle! But I have a 600 seat proscenium theatre with an orchestra pit...so the actors are at least 20 feet from the first row...so I don't need to worry about the mics being seen at that distance. Here is a picture of our recent production of High School Musical. Notice the boy wears a clip-on lavelier mic and the girl uses an over-the-ear mic. Her mic would be invisible to you if it weren't for the piece of medical tape that she put on her cheek to secure the mic. Normally tape is not needed, but middle school age actors have tiny ears, so the mics can fall off. http://www.lowell.to/Tech/DHSMbodymics.jpg I come from the "old school" of theatre, where we had no mics and the directors constantly yelled, "PROJECT!!!" While my new theatre was built for acustic performance with no microphones, that notion goes out the window when we add a 14 piece pit orchestra! Like it or not, these fragile wireless mics have become the workhorse of any show that has a LOUD live orchestra that needs to be overcome. So until I can convince a 14 piece pit orchestra to, "play softer!"...I guess I am married to these little suckers... Yes, our actors have broken several of my earset mics over the years by treating the flexible wire like it was a coat hanger...and breaking it in half! But recently this behavior has all changed! I have worked closely with directors to teach microphone use & care workshops to the lead actors on every production. Things have steadily improved! In fact, this season none of my over-the-ear parts were broken! Even if you can get your sound crew work with your leads for just 15 minutes prior to tech rehearsal, you will notice a temendous improvement. LET THEM "TAKE OWNERSHIP" OF THEIR PLAY: I take pride in having students run every aspect of our theatre. When the curtain goes up on opening night, the director and I always sit in the house. Our job is done. The stage managers, light crew, fly crew, and sound operators are all high school or middle school students, (grades 5 thru 12). I trust them with all the expensive lighting and sound equipment. I trust them to fix problems on the fly without the audience noticing. I feel that a big part of the "theatre process" is problem solving and working well with each other under pressure. Some nights there is quite a drama on the intercom headsets as the tech crew works to get a replacement mic onto a lead actor the very second she makes her exit. For me, the best nights are the ones where the crew says, "sorry for that problem in Act II", and I reply, "what?...I didn't notice a problem!" That's very cool. That's when I know I've done my job as a Technical Director in educational theatre. The best book for teaching theatre sound is called Live Sound Reinforcement, by Scott Hunter Stark, by Mix Books: http://www.lowell.to/Tech/soundBook.jpg I hope my ranting about wireless mics has helped. These are just my personal recommendations. The next technician may offer different ideas, or your troupe may have different needs than mine. Regardless, good luck and break a leg. - Dana
	Mr. Lowell, Lighting/Set Designer & Tech Director, for the Linda Sloan Theatre, in the Davison Center for the Arts, at Greensboro Day School
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MikeO Lead Joined: 9/15/06 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 35	Posted: 6/15/07 at 6:04pm
	Good call, Mr. Lowell!!
	I'd rather act, but they found out I can do tech & sets!!
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doublezero420 Star Joined: 4/13/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 50	Posted: 6/16/07 at 1:26am
	Thank you so much! That is exactly the kind of input i'm looking for!
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Mr. Lowell Celebrity Joined: 1/30/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 269	Posted: 6/25/07 at 3:42pm
	You're welcome! Glad I could be of help. But keep in mind that I am mostly a lighting designer, not the be-all, end-all of sound stuff. But, at least I know what I don't know. And one thing that I DO KNOW is that SOUND IS EASY TO DO POORLY. Everybody with a home stereo with variable EQ thinks he's got all the answers for your sound issues. And sound is the last thing directors think of at the last moment. But if you simply put in a little advance planning, and get some trusted professional advice, then you can relax on opening night without sweaty palms. I will be the first to admit I don't know squat about sound design. All I can say is, buy the book mentioned above. This was the textbook used in an audio production course I took at a local technical college a few years ago. I took the course using my theatre budget...and now it's paying off...with better sound quality with each passing show. And I suggest you find the money in the budget of every musical to hire a local *"sound roadie"* to sit behind your board operators...even if only for Tech, Dress, and Opening Night. Get someone who works hands-on with professional equipment at all kinds of different venues. His wisdom and "good ear" can save your butt while you're so preoccupied with putting out fires on stage. And then to protect your expensive mics, schedule a block of time before Tech Rehearsal to run your lead actors through a microphone care and use workshop. Have your crew kids teach this each time...it's a welcomed boost for their techie egos. Just my suggestions. I'm sure that lots of other theaters have their own technical opinions to offer here. So I hope some other sound designers chime in soon. Well, good luck and keep us posted. -Dana *By the way, I updated my original post above with some photos to help illustrate what I'm talking about.
	Mr. Lowell, Lighting/Set Designer & Tech Director, for the Linda Sloan Theatre, in the Davison Center for the Arts, at Greensboro Day School
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Mr. Lowell Celebrity Joined: 1/30/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 269	Posted: 9/03/07 at 10:24pm
	Hello doublezero420 , how is the sound system going? Did you purchase any new mics yet? -Dana
	Mr. Lowell, Lighting/Set Designer & Tech Director, for the Linda Sloan Theatre, in the Davison Center for the Arts, at Greensboro Day School
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skyguy Walk-On Joined: 1/26/08 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 0	Posted: 1/26/08 at 7:34pm
	Actually, I have used the Sennheiser EW112, Shure ULX-P, and the Audio Technica 3000 series. I personally found them all of good quality. The sennheisers were at a brand new theater and the Tech liason was really not very knowledgeable about setting them up. It took some time to sort out frequencies and such, but after that, they worked great. The Shure mics are also pretty high quality. Unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of the TA4F connectors that they use. The tab that "locks' in the connector seems to wear out over time. I like the locking systems that AT and shure use. I personally own six AT 3000 series units and have been very happy with them. I put them at the same quality as the others, but with a better price tag.
	Can I have some more talent in the monitors please?
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Lights and Sound
Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board :Producing Theater :Lights and Sound

Topic: AT or Shure( Topic Closed)