Lavilier mics question

sputnikslim

sputnikslim

Active member
We film puppets and used a pair of very cheap wireless mics last shoot and ended up doing a lot of post work on the audio to clean it up. I want to avoid that on our upcoming shoot. I see Sennheiser as an option. What about Shure? Anything in between? Where is the best place to buy for the best price? We need two mics/transmitters & control unit that work flawlessly. Thanks.
 
Why do you need wireless?

What is your budget?

What kind of post work was required? Where you getting RF hits and dropouts, or were the lav mics making noise due to clothing, movement, etc?

I used the Sennheiser G3 systems quite a bit with Tram TR-50 lavs. They have worked very well, but fair warning, there is no such thing as flawless wireless.
 
Thanks. Wireless works best with puppeteers as they are constantly moving around, move at odd angles, etc.; sometimes several feet away from a stationary mic.
Budget: would like to find something in the $500-800+ or so range if possible.
Post work: audio clean up; a number of issues due to the cheap(under $100) mics .
OK, flawless is a moving target. We did one shoot with a Sennheiser set up and were pleased with the results.
 
sputnikslim said:
sometimes several feet away from a stationary mic.
Click to expand...

Lav mic's don't have to be wireless. If your puppeteers are only moving "several feet"
there is no reason why you can't buy wired mic's and have them wear them.

A better choice would be a head worn mic such as a Countryman E6 (or a number of others)
The sound will always be consistent and because the mic is so close to their mouth and as a bonus it will drastically get rid of any background room sounds as well.
Also the obvious, it will rid you of any clothing noise issues.


Even if you buy top shelf mic's going this way is going to save you a good amount of money and get better end results.
 
Thanks for the response. I meant more along the lines of a wired lavs, or in your case, headsets, since the performers are never seen I would think that wired headset mics would deliver the most consistant results. Even if you choose to have them wireless, headset mics attached to wireless packs would aleviate much of the problems with lavs and induced noise. For $800 you could purchase a Sennheiser G3 system with a quality headset. For the most realiability I would still consider running these mics wired, rather than wireless.

RF intereference, which proportional to the quality of the wireless system, is a concern even with multi-thousand dollar per channel lectrosonic systems.

When purchasing new wireless, please be aware that systems operating in the 700 mhz area are illegal to use in the U.S. Dealers selling new equipment are aware of this and will not sell you wireless gear that operate in this range, but there are ruthless people selling used gear who would love to unload their illegal gear on the unsuspecting. Work with a reputable dealer and you'll be fine.



sputnikslim said:
Thanks. Wireless works best with puppeteers as they are constantly moving around, move at odd angles, etc.; sometimes several feet away from a stationary mic.
Budget: would like to find something in the $500-800+ or so range if possible.
Post work: audio clean up; a number of issues due to the cheap(under $100) mics .
OK, flawless is a moving target. We did one shoot with a Sennheiser set up and were pleased with the results.
Click to expand...
 
If you are looking to buy wireless, you might want to look at the new Shure systems. I checked them out at NAB, and they are along the same lines of the Sennheiser G3's. I haven't used them, so I couldn't tell you if they are any good, but they are new.

I've always seen puppeteers use headworn microphones, so that's probably the way to go. As far as which one to use...that are lots to choose from. As far as where to buy...there are lots of good places out there...DVestore, Coffey Sound, Trew Audio, Location Sound, Gotham Sound, B&H, and others.
 
Thanks everyone. Alex- great page.
We have the puppeteers wear baseball hats with the mic taped to the brim. We do get the occsional brim bump. When I say 3 feet away from a central mic, it may be only three feet but at times it's like a mosh pit back there with props being fed to the puppets and taken away, etc, so the less wires to step over, the better. Also, this is how I was taught to do it from puppeteers that have been on the tv. So, lots to digest, I greatly appreciate your input.
 
Another question. In looking over the Sennheiser G3 sets, I see they all come with one lav mic, we need two. Can I just buy a second mic and use it along with the first or do I need to buy two complete sets and run both simultaniously?
 
OK, just re-read Alex's post and that answers my question.

"5) No, you can't just buy an extra transmitter and use both transmitters with one receiver. You must have a second receiver with the second transmitter, and run that second system on a different frequency. Yes, there are systems that come with dual transmitters and one receiver unit, but that unit has two receivers built in along with two separate audio outputs."

The cheapo set we have now has two receivers/two mics.

How do the freePort Sennheiser sets preform? A couple of those and we'd be under $1,000.
 
Are you trying to run two lavs into one transmitter? If that's the case, then you should use two wireless systems.
 
davefisk said:
Are you trying to run two lavs into one transmitter? If that's the case, then you should use two wireless systems.
Click to expand...

Our cheapo set runs like that and I was wondering if there was a higher end unit that actually works (2 lavs). From what I'm seeing, I'll have to go with two sets. It looks like $499-599 ea is the price for Sennheiser.
 
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