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Author Topic: Microphone Windscreens  (Read 4606 times)

Isaac South

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Microphone Windscreens
« on: March 21, 2018, 10:51:32 AM »

About halfway through our Pastor's sermon this weekend, his mic  got very thin sounding.  Lost all of it's mid-range and low end.  So I gave him a different mic (we use QLXD24 SM58 mics), thinking it was his battery.

But the battery was fine.  In fact, it wasn't even close to being low.  My next assumption was he got too much spit inside the cartridge.  I screwed the grill off to check, and the top of the cartridge was very very very wet.

I'm aware that this is not good for these mics.  I'm thinking I should probably get some windscreens (at least for the preacher mic).  And maybe for all of our mics.  And that's my question...

What are your opinions on windscreens?  Am I going to lose some sound quality with a windscreen?  Is there a brand that's better?

Thank you 
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Stu McDoniel

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Re: Microphone Windscreens
« Reply #1 on: March 21, 2018, 11:33:04 AM »

About halfway through our Pastor's sermon this weekend, his mic  got very thin sounding.  Lost all of it's mid-range and low end.  So I gave him a different mic (we use QLXD24 SM58 mics), thinking it was his battery.

But the battery was fine.  In fact, it wasn't even close to being low.  My next assumption was he got too much spit inside the cartridge.  I screwed the grill off to check, and the top of the cartridge was very very very wet.

I'm aware that this is not good for these mics.  I'm thinking I should probably get some windscreens (at least for the preacher mic).  And maybe for all of our mics.  And that's my question...

What are your opinions on windscreens?  Am I going to lose some sound quality with a windscreen?  Is there a brand that's better?

Thank you
It appears a windscreeen would be ideal in your situation.  You can wash it with warm water mild soap and let it air dry, and keep a spare around.  You have tone controls on your mixer if you are not happy with any tone change.  A big tone change would signal a dirty clogged windscreen needing a cleaning.
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Tim McCulloch

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Re: Microphone Windscreens
« Reply #2 on: March 21, 2018, 11:40:26 AM »

About halfway through our Pastor's sermon this weekend, his mic  got very thin sounding.  Lost all of it's mid-range and low end.  So I gave him a different mic (we use QLXD24 SM58 mics), thinking it was his battery.

But the battery was fine.  In fact, it wasn't even close to being low.  My next assumption was he got too much spit inside the cartridge.  I screwed the grill off to check, and the top of the cartridge was very very very wet.

I'm aware that this is not good for these mics.  I'm thinking I should probably get some windscreens (at least for the preacher mic).  And maybe for all of our mics.  And that's my question...

What are your opinions on windscreens?  Am I going to lose some sound quality with a windscreen?  Is there a brand that's better?

Thank you

Fire the rabid dog and hire a preacher without salivation issues... or tell him he's the spitting image (not a pun) of Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails.  Reznor goes through a half-dozen mics per performance; there is a crew member sitting under the downstage center and he hands up fresh mics as Reznor saturates the mic he's using.

From a personal standpoint I don't "get" the screaming preachers.  If you have to scream your message at the people there is something wrong with either the message or messenger.  YMMV.
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David Pedd

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Re: Microphone Windscreens
« Reply #3 on: March 21, 2018, 12:36:29 PM »

Fire the rabid dog and hire a preacher without salivation issues...

LOL!!
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Art Welter

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Re: Microphone Windscreens
« Reply #4 on: March 21, 2018, 01:13:41 PM »

1)I'm thinking I should probably get some windscreens (at least for the preacher mic). 
2)And maybe for all of our mics.
3)What are your opinions on windscreens? 
4)Am I going to lose some sound quality with a windscreen? 
5)Is there a brand that's better?
Isaac,

1) You could purchase a few spare screw on SM58 screens to cycle through while cleaning and drying, aftermarket generic versions are also available for a fraction of the cost. See 3) for why..
2) Most singers don't spit nearly as much as your preacher, that problem is probably well under 5% (I can personally only remember 1 out of hundreds of singers over the last 20 years). Keep the preacher's mic & a backup for his exclusive use. Check the other singers mics, address as needed.
3) Extra foam windscreens will keep some of the spit out of the foam under the metal screen, but having a spit soaked sponge compressed between lips and metal looks and feels gross.
4) Extra foam windscreens will change the tone, reducing high frequency a bit, and also keeping the lips further from the cartridge, reducing the proximity effect and gain before feedback slightly.
5) Having used the cheapest and most expensive screens, I haven't noticed a difference in sound quality if the cell count looks similar. UV resistance seems to have varied with brands, but with frequent washing, physical degradation would probably be your biggest problem.

Keep 'er clean,
Art
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Isaac South

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Re: Microphone Windscreens
« Reply #5 on: March 21, 2018, 01:16:34 PM »

It appears a windscreeen would be ideal in your situation.  You can wash it with warm water mild soap and let it air dry, and keep a spare around.  You have tone controls on your mixer if you are not happy with any tone change.  A big tone change would signal a dirty clogged windscreen needing a cleaning.

Thanks Stu.  I was just wondering if pro sound guys are against using them or not for sound reasons.  But you're right.  I can adjust if it modifies the sound too much.  One positive: I Probably won't have to use as much of a HPF with the windscreen, I guess.
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Isaac South

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Re: Microphone Windscreens
« Reply #6 on: March 21, 2018, 01:24:44 PM »


From a personal standpoint I don't "get" the screaming preachers.  If you have to scream your message at the people there is something wrong with either the message or messenger.  YMMV.

Thanks for your input, Tim.  Glad we live in a country where we can all be different.  Also, nobody mentioned "screaming".  Where did that come from?
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Isaac South

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Re: Microphone Windscreens
« Reply #7 on: March 21, 2018, 01:31:43 PM »

Isaac,

1) You could purchase a few spare screw on SM58 screens to cycle through while cleaning and drying, aftermarket generic versions are also available for a fraction of the cost. See 3) for why..
2) Most singers don't spit nearly as much as your preacher, that problem is probably well under 5% (I can personally only remember 1 out of hundreds of singers over the last 20 years). Keep the preacher's mic & a backup for his exclusive use. Check the other singers mics, address as needed.
3) Extra foam windscreens will keep some of the spit out of the foam under the metal screen, but having a spit soaked sponge compressed between lips and metal looks and feels gross.
4) Extra foam windscreens will change the tone, reducing high frequency a bit, and also keeping the lips further from the cartridge, reducing the proximity effect and gain before feedback slightly.
5) Having used the cheapest and most expensive screens, I haven't noticed a difference in sound quality if the cell count looks similar. UV resistance seems to have varied with brands, but with frequent washing, physical degradation would probably be your biggest problem.

Keep 'er clean,
Art

Thank you, Art!  Great info.  Exactly what I was looking for.
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Ray Aberle

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Re: Microphone Windscreens
« Reply #8 on: March 21, 2018, 01:41:48 PM »

Thanks for your input, Tim.  Glad we live in a country where we can all be different.  Also, nobody mentioned "screaming".  Where did that come from?
Tim mentioned Trent from NIN; who *does* scream a bunch. Typically, excess saliva is commonly produced by users/performers who scream into the microphone.

-r
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Tim McCulloch

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Re: Microphone Windscreens
« Reply #9 on: March 21, 2018, 03:07:34 PM »

Thanks for your input, Tim.  Glad we live in a country where we can all be different.  Also, nobody mentioned "screaming".  Where did that come from?

That's where the spit comes from.

Yeah, it's a personal thing.  I don't like being yelled at whether for secular or spiritual reasons.
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Art Welter

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Re: Microphone Windscreens
« Reply #10 on: March 21, 2018, 03:48:48 PM »

Quote from: Isaac South on Today at 01:24:44 pm

    Thanks for your input, Tim.  Glad we live in a country where we can all be different.  Also, nobody mentioned "screaming".  Where did that come from?
That's where the spit comes from.

Yeah, it's a personal thing.  I don't like being yelled at whether for secular or spiritual reasons.
Tim,

Although the first time I experienced the spit soaked mic "die off" was with early 1980s punk "screamers", one of the worst cases I've seen was with a very mellow sounding nearly blind country singer- gobs of spit at a normal conversational level.
Much of the paint was pitted off his personal microphone- "acid etched"!
After a few encounters, I took to standing "off axis" with him when we talked  :'(

Totally nice guy, never heard him yell at anyone, had a laugh remembering the "Earle of Expectoration" ;^).

Art
« Last Edit: March 21, 2018, 03:51:58 PM by Art Welter »
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Russell Ault

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Re: Microphone Windscreens
« Reply #11 on: March 21, 2018, 04:09:46 PM »

Maybe it's just a misunderstanding on the preacher's part: have you tried telling him that the salvation parishioners are seeking only has one "i" in it?  :D

-Russ
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Tim McCulloch

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Re: Microphone Windscreens
« Reply #12 on: March 21, 2018, 04:49:45 PM »

Quote from: Isaac South on Today at 01:24:44 pm

    Thanks for your input, Tim.  Glad we live in a country where we can all be different.  Also, nobody mentioned "screaming".  Where did that come from?Tim,

Although the first time I experienced the spit soaked mic "die off" was with early 1980s punk "screamers", one of the worst cases I've seen was with a very mellow sounding nearly blind country singer- gobs of spit at a normal conversational level.
Much of the paint was pitted off his personal microphone- "acid etched"!
After a few encounters, I took to standing "off axis" with him when we talked  :'(

Totally nice guy, never heard him yell at anyone, had a laugh remembering the "Earle of Expectoration" ;^).

Art



On a lighthearted note, from Beauty and the Beast '..nobody spits like Gaston!'
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"If you're passing on your way, from Palm Springs to L.A., Give a wave to good ol' Dave, Say hello to progress and goodbye to the Moonlight Motor Inn." - Steve Spurgin, Moonlight Motor Inn

Mike Caldwell

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Re: Microphone Windscreens
« Reply #13 on: March 21, 2018, 06:07:23 PM »

No one mentioned getting a pair of latex gloves to wear while changing windscreens or ball grills.

Thankfully I've only had a couple issues with a spit soaked mic.

I do wash and replace the inner grill foam on somewhat regular basis on my vocal mics.
« Last Edit: March 21, 2018, 09:16:46 PM by Mike Caldwell »
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Jerome Malsack

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Re: Microphone Windscreens
« Reply #14 on: March 21, 2018, 06:17:12 PM »

Microphone is not selective and sends the loudest sound down the wire.  Guess we wont have problems with GBF on this one.
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John Fruits

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Re: Microphone Windscreens
« Reply #15 on: March 29, 2018, 04:13:34 PM »

I vote for switching to an ETL mic with the hand knit windscreen.
http://www.eartrumpetlabs.com/products/microphones/windscreen
Plus, they have a link to the open source knitting instructions so the church ladies can knit up a storm and knit special ones for the seasons.
They don't have a wireless capsule model, but perhaps they could custom make one.  A wireless Josephene would be awesome (it's got that Trinity thing going for it).
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Tim McCulloch

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Re: Microphone Windscreens
« Reply #16 on: March 29, 2018, 06:56:22 PM »

I vote for switching to an ETL mic with the hand knit windscreen.
http://www.eartrumpetlabs.com/products/microphones/windscreen
Plus, they have a link to the open source knitting instructions so the church ladies can knit up a storm and knit special ones for the seasons.
They don't have a wireless capsule model, but perhaps they could custom make one.  A wireless Josephene would be PLOSIVE but it's got that Trinity thing going for it.

I fixed it for you. 8)

Had an act show up at a festival with a Josephene flanked by Edwinas to the left & right.  They sounded good and worked well on my big, open stage but were less forgiving on 2 other stages with hard sidewalls and back wall.

ETL has done a good job of working with performers, too, and enjoys considerable loyalty for those efforts.
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"If you're passing on your way, from Palm Springs to L.A., Give a wave to good ol' Dave, Say hello to progress and goodbye to the Moonlight Motor Inn." - Steve Spurgin, Moonlight Motor Inn

ProSoundWeb Community

Re: Microphone Windscreens
« Reply #16 on: March 29, 2018, 06:56:22 PM »


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