Can wireless lav be used wired or vice versa

M

MadPainter

Member
Hi, I have done a search here and elsewhere and can't find an answer. Like many new to filmmaking I am on a limited budget and want to maximize my bang for the buck. I already have a shotgun and now I am in the market for a lav mic for wide shots, car interiors, one-person shoots, etc. I prefer to run a wired lav at this point for the cleanest sound. BUT I also want the option in the future of using the same lav in a wireless system. I have read the Dan Brockett review on Ken Stone and am strongly leaning to either the Tram TR50 or the Audio Technica AT899 lavs. I will be feeding the mic into an HMC150 and sometimes into a Zoom H4n, both with XLR inputs and 48V phantom power option.

My questions are 1) is it possible to use the same lav as both wired and wireless given the right adapters, and 2) if it is possible, what would be the most efficient route (convert a wired to wireless or convert a wireless to wired)?
Thanks
 
it's possible to use the same lave for wired as for wireless situations.

Actualy it's just an adapted connector you need.

Every brand of receiver/transmitter has it's own kind of connector (5pins, 3pins, different shape,....)

Lavs are most of the time sold separated, which means you have to know which brand of transmitter you have, to know which connector is needed.

Good lavs are DPA and sanken.

To connect them wired, it's a xlr to lavconnector adapter
 
Yes - but you need to decide now what radio system you will go for.

The Sennheiser ME 2 and MKE 2-ew are used with the evolution G1, G2 and G3 systems and can be used wired by using the MZA 900P adaptor (in the UK Canford Audio also do adaptors to use most tie mics on a cable).
 
Thanks for the help. Just to clarify...so it would appear that the way to go is to order the wireless version of the lav based on the type of wireless system I plan to buy in the future. Then buy an adapter for that wireless lav to convert it to a wired XLR. Is that right?
 
MadPainter said:
Thanks for the help. Just to clarify...so it would appear that the way to go is to order the wireless version of the lav based on the type of wireless system I plan to buy in the future. Then buy an adapter for that wireless lav to convert it to a wired XLR. Is that right?
Click to expand...

Yes.



ggrantly said:
It amazes me that those gizmos are 2/3 the price of a decent lav like the EMW. Can anyone give me a report on how well the Sennheiser version works?
Click to expand...

The Sennheiser one works very well. Don't forget that these adaptors are not just connection adaptors. There is a circuit inside that - firstly balances the mic. It changes an unbalanced mic. into one with a balanced output. Secondly, it takes in 48V phantom power and converts it to about 5V plug-in power to power the microphone.

The Sennheiser MZA 900P (or MZA 900-4 if you plan on using 2000 series or above) also has an LED that tells you if you have phantom power - so it's also a phantom tester.

Canford Audio also do a whole range of these adaptors - see HERE - the 3.5mm adaptor sells for about £38 - so very affordable.

20-761_01.jpg


I hope this helps.
 
Thanks for the tip John, I have EMWs and was choking a bit at paying $125 for the adapter. I'll look for a US distributor.

Grant
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top