White noise in AT wireless mic

Monglane

Monglane

Well-known member
I have recently purchased an Audio Technica ATR288-W combo system (see picture below) which I haven't had the opportunity to field-test seriously until today.

The unpleasant surprise is that this system generates an audible level of radio hiss, regardless of which mic (lav or handheld) is used, regardless of which of the two available frequencies is used, and even when transmitter and receiver are like 5 meters away from one another... >:(

As it is, the system is virtually unusable (I don't want to spend hours cleaning up the hiss in post).

Was I supposed to expect the hiss because this system uses VHF ? Do UHF wireless perform better, and is this why they're significantly more expensive ? Is it just a question of antenna orientation (I kept the one on the receiver vertical, as seemed logical) ?

Thanks for your help and tips !

atr288w.jpg
 
Re: White noise in AT wireless mic

UHF is substantially superior to VHF.

It's difficult to find a system worth its salt for under $400 or $500. I have no idea what that system cost you, but if it was much less than that, well, like I say, good performance is usually more expensive.

With that said, Audio-Technica gear is usually very good.

And if I were you, I wouldn't put up with an unusable amount of hiss -- either the unit is defective, or it's simply not suited for your use, and in either case hopefully you can return it to the seller. Try to budget for a Sennheiser Evolution system or an Audio-Technica 101 system -- those are both good performers at the bottom end of the price scale.
 
Re: White noise in AT wireless mic

I have that exact kit and I experience no hiss with it. Your mileage may vary, so best of luck with it, but in my experience it's been a solid performer.
 
Re: White noise in AT wireless mic

You may want to wait. Sennheiser's G2 set which is replacing the Evo 100 will be out next month.  It should be smaller and better for about the same $$.  I use the AT101 set ($500) and it rocks.  It's UHF true dual diversity with 100 channels, XLR ouput, and a metal case.  It also sounds great for a wireless set--no hiss, no hum, no interference.
 
Re: White noise in AT wireless mic

i just bought the sennheiser evolution ew100eng from rush and received it yesterday. as barry mentioned, hiss free! i was thinking of going w/ the upcoming G2 but it costs $100 more. as for vhf, i used to own the crappy azden wlx-pro...talk about hiss?!!? even in short distance...actually the only vhf lav systems i heard produce pretty good sound are the at pro88's at $175.
 
Re: White noise in AT wireless mic

I have both the AT101 and the Evolution 100, and find them both to be solid performers.

The G2 was announced about a month after I got my Evolution 100, so initially I was a bit annoyed. After comparing specs, I didn't notice too much difference between them, other than that the G2 is much smaller, and apparently uses AA batteries instead of 9V. And it's more expensive. Did the audio quality improve on the G2?

Evolution, AT-101, and G2, any of them should be fine for a low-budget choice. They're not Lectrosonics units, but then again a good Lectrosonics setup would be in the range of $2500, and these are 1/5 that price, too.
 
Re: White noise in AT wireless mic

Thanks guys ! I'm selling my AT and will look around for a UHF replacement based on your input. What botthers me is that none of the receivers I've been looking seems to be able to attach to the light shoe on top of the camera, which was very practical with the AT... Guess I'll have to devise some attachment thing that will keep the antenna more or less vertical... I think there's a thread about that somewhere around here...
 
Re: White noise in AT wireless mic

The new Sennheiser comes with an adapter to attach it to the camera accessory shoe.

http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/icm_eng.nsf/root/21412

While I love my AT, I think I might go for the new Sennheiser ew 122-p G2.  The price is the same as the previous Evo 100 unit--B&H lists the new unit for $459.95.  The new G2 units do have better specs than the old sets--they now have 1440 tunable UHF frequencies and automatic frequency scan, plus some other nice features.  I really like the super compact size of the G2.  About the only drawback I can see compared to the AT101 is the lack of true dual diversity--essentially a backup duplicate signal path.  But from the comments of others, intereference wasn't a major problem with the Evo100.

One last point--the antenna of the receiver does not need to be vertical.
 
Re: White noise in AT wireless mic

[quote author=Barry_S link=board=Links;num=1082691844;start=0#8 date=04/24/04 at 10:01:47]One last point--the antenna of the receiver does not need to be vertical.[/quote]

It doesn't ? Are you sure ? Why, that's good news...

The damn thing is expensive though, at least here... Get this : the euro is worth 1.2 USD or so, and this Senn sells for over 650 euros... And to think that the mic is made by a German company !! Makes you wonder.

One last thing, Barry : the ME4 mic is cardioid. I always thought omni (or at least hypercardiod) was better for lav mics because they won't cause a drop in signal level if the subject turns their head while talking. What do you think ?

P.S.: thanks for the heads-up on the light shoe attachment. ;)
 
Re: White noise in AT wireless mic

I'm a different Barry, but I gotta say that I prefer omni lavalieres for precisely that reason.

Barry_S: the other advantage, and I don't know how much of an advantage it is, that the AT has over the Sennheiser is true balanced output. The Sennheiser uses a 1/8" mini-jack, and while it includes a 1/8"->XLR cable, that 1/8" is still an unbalanced output.

Hasn't made much of a difference though. I just used the Sennheiser today for an 8-hour gig, it performed well, no interference...
 
Re: White noise in AT wireless mic

For the record, I just just had a shoot and used both the AT101 UHF and the Sennheiser Evolution 100, the AT unit (which I own) is dead quiet. Sounds great. The Sennheiser (brand new, first time used) had quite a bit of hiss compared to the AT. The second shooter that was using it, sent it back to B&H the next day. He may have had a lemon, who knows?

Andrew
Crystal Clear Media
 
Re: White noise in AT wireless mic

Yes, an omni lav is preferable--I agree.  The link I posted was just to show the TX/RX specs.  Andrew--maybe the Evo 100 was on a bad frequency.  Wireless sets can be quirky, but they can save your butt.  I would trust Barry G's opinion as he owns them both.

I was mixing sound for a shoot in a restaurant on Thursday.  We just had a 3 hour slot to get our scenes shot--a very tight schedule.   The principal actress is getting her makeup done when she gets a call--one of her friends was just killed in a car accident!  I figured that was it for the day, but she decides she want to go ahead--after an hour to compose herself.  The director says--ok we do all shots in one take.  So I decided to plant a wireless omni lav mic on the table in addition to booming with my ME64.  I hid the lav under a crumpled napkin and managed to get good sound between the two mics throughout every shot.  
 
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