Problem with the Sennheiser wireless g2 100 series mic

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dolphinstreet

Member
I've been using the EW 100-ENG G2 system from Sennheiser. The transmitter/receiver work great, but the mic is driving me slightly mad. It sounds okay, but it picks up so much noise from clothing. It's annoying. If I put it carefully onto cotton clothing, I can still clearly hear in the headphones how the mic picks up even the slightest touch of the clothing. It's way too sensitive. If the microphone cord itself is touched just slightest bit, a loud pop occurs.

Anyone else noticing this? Or is it just a sub-standard mic? I think it's called ME2.

If so, recommend me something else I can use, please.

If not, tell me what I'm missing. I have adjusted sensitivity and squelch, but nothing helps this issue.

Perhaps I am not attaching the clip right, so I get too much coupling? Any tips on how to do this best?

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To help fight clothing noise, Rycote makes what are called overcovers and undercovers. You can also use bandaids in a pinch. The are a variety of clips and pins, ie. vampire, alligator, etc. etc. Learning how to mic someone up properly for wireless to avoid clothing noise is most of the work. If you don't like the sound of the ME2 that comes with the G2/G3 (most location audio pros don't) you can get something like a Sanken Cos-11 or a Countryman B-6. To take a peak at what's available for location audio for both hardwired and wired visit a site like Trew or Coffey
 
Craig is right, it's not the mic. Many times, it's the technique. Fighting clothing rustle can be tough, especially if they are wearing some crinkly outfit that snap/crackles/pops if you look at it funny.
 
dolphinstreet said:
Perhaps I am not attaching the clip right, so I get too much coupling? Any tips on how to do this best?
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Yes - It's not the microphone, it's how you are using it.

I have posted a thread on "How to use a tie microphone" HERE which should help.

I originally posted this on another forum when I realised that many people do not know how to fit a tie microphone properly - it helped there, so I have repeated it here.

I hope this helps.
 
By the way, the mic you show in the picture is the ME-4, which is a cardioid mic, and even more prone to handling noise. Typically, for film work the lav of choice is an omni. And others are correct. Hiding lav mics and keeping clothing rustle out is a craft in itself. I buy moleskin by the roll and cut it into 1/2" x 2" strips during down time and use these strips for both attaching the mic, providing a layer is isolation, and attaching a strain-relief. I also carry tupee tape, and if the actor is wearing two layers of clothing in the vicinity of where I'm placing the mic, I use the tape to attach the two layers of clothing to each other so they move together and don't slide over each other. Thre two approaches I consider when micing an actor are, keep the cloth from moving over the mic, or have the mic move with the clothing.

Many production quality lavs have a bit of a high frequency boost, and are designed to perform well under a layer of clothing. I carry both the Tram TR-50s and the Oscar Soundtech Tram knock-offs. Bang of the buck, I have been very, very pleased with the Oscar Soundtech products.

My mic placement location of choice for female actors is what I've heard call "the valley of good sound" and use a vampire clip to attach the lav to the small strip of fabric which connects the two cups of her bra. This area is ideal since there is less chance of her wardrobe touching the mic when placed in this area. Since this requires some intimate contact with the actor, I always bring a female PA or other female crew member into the dressing room when I mic female actors in this way. After a few days on set, the actor may well dismiss the need for an observer but I always offer and finds this helps place the actor at ease.
 
gpforet said:
By the way, the mic you show in the picture is the ME-4, which is a cardioid mic, and even more prone to handling noise.
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Actually, I don't think it is - it looks like an ME 2 to me.
[EDIT: on second looks, you could be right - but the "ball" ME 2 does look very similar to the ME 4 - the clue is that the ME 2 has a sealed rear and the ME 4 has an open grill on the rear.}

There were two versions of the ME 2; one which looked like a miniature oil barrel and the other that looks like a small ball.

The difference between the ME 2 ball one and the ME 4 is that the ME 4 is larger and has holes on the rear.

This is the ME 2-US "oil barrel" version:-

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This is the ME 2 "ball" version:-

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This is the ME 4:

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gpforet said:
Typically, for film work the lav of choice is an omni.
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Yes I agree - omni tie mics are nearly always better than cardioid ones.
 
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The decoupling loop is essential. Thanks for that, John.

I might also add that static can be an issue, depending on the time of year and the climate. One essential I keep in my audio bag is a travel-sized spray can of Static Gard. A quick spray of the talent's shirt and/or jacket/sweater can alleviate static problems.
 
Thanks for the suggestions, that really helped to attach in a different way. I tried a loose knot, and it was a whole lot better.

:thumbup:


I think mine is the ME2, at least that's what the box says. Certainly not a stellar mic, but it will work for my needs. I have Shure that is better but I need a stereo plug into the Sennheiser transmitter, and the Shure has an XLR connection. Perhaps I could find a converter somewhere.


The mic is a ME 2 Clip-On Microphone (Omnidirectional Pick-Up Pattern), the "ball" version, not barrel. I don't like the clip at all. That barrel version looks like it would decouple better.


Thanks guys!
 
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dolphinstreet said:
Thanks for the suggestions, that really helped to attach in a different way. I tried a loose knot, and it was a whole lot better.

:thumbup:
Click to expand...

Good - I'm glad it helped.



dolphinstreet said:
I think mine is the ME2, at least that's what the box says. Certainly not a stellar mic, but it will work for my needs. I have Shure that is better but I need a stereo plug into the Sennheiser transmitter, and the Shure has an XLR connection. Perhaps I could find a converter somewhere.
Click to expand...

The plug is a 3-pole mini-jack, but a 2-pole would work just as well as the ring is the line input and that is shorted to screen for the mic. input.



dolphinstreet said:
The mic is a ME 2 Clip-On Microphone (Omnidirectional Pick-Up Pattern), the "ball" version, not barrel. I don't like the clip at all. That barrel version looks like it would decouple better.
Click to expand...

Yes, the clip on the "ball" mics is something horrible. The "oil barrel" version is the MKE 2-US and is the normal version in the USA and can be bought on its own as an accessory in the UK.

The professional MKE 2-ew is a vastly better mic. - supplied as standard with ew 500 G3 systems and available on its own. The "ew" suffix denotes that it is the version with the lockable mini-jack for evolution wireless systems.
 
dolphinstreet said:
Too bad the MKE mic is expensive.
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Honestly, in most cases the stock mic that comes with the wireless system is going to be sub-par. Any really respectable lav is going to be more expensive ($250+). Yes, there are some cheaper alternatives out there (Oscar Sound Tech), but the general favorites (Sanken, Countryman, Tram, RøDE) are going to cost a bit... and are worth the investment.
 
Alex H. said:
Honestly, in most cases the stock mic that comes with the wireless system is going to be sub-par. Any really respectable lav is going to be more expensive ($250+). Yes, there are some cheaper alternatives out there (Oscar Sound Tech), but the general favorites (Sanken, Countryman, Tram, RøDE) are going to cost a bit... and are worth the investment.
Click to expand...

True - any supplied mic. would be low cost - if a good mic. was put in it would make the system so expensive that people would not by the system (the same is true with camera mics).

But the mic. is the easiest thing to upgrade - so this is actually the best option.
 
Here's the thing. I have both Trams and OSTs, and lately have find myself reaching for the OSTs more often than the Trams. Durability has been excellent, and I find the HF rise on the OSTs more pleasant when working under clothing than the Trams. FYI, I am using the OST 801s.

Alex H. said:
Yes, there are some cheaper alternatives out there (Oscar Sound Tech), but the general favorites (Sanken, Countryman, Tram, RøDE) are going to cost a bit... and are worth the investment.
Click to expand...
 
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