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Author Topic: 6 Wireless Mics  (Read 22710 times)

David Sturzenbecher

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Re: 6 Wireless Mics
« Reply #10 on: March 07, 2017, 11:33:46 PM »

I would rather have ULXD, but on the analog side there is still a step up from UHF-R, Axient. Very soon there will be a digital mic based on Axient.

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With Dante outs? Please.


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John Rutirasiri

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Re: 6 Wireless Mics
« Reply #11 on: March 08, 2017, 02:14:56 AM »

Actually the BLX4R units are rack mountable with removable antenna.

Thanks for the correction, Ray.  I forgot there are 3 different receivers for the BLX series.

John R.
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Mike Caldwell

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Re: 6 Wireless Mics
« Reply #12 on: March 08, 2017, 08:08:10 AM »

Look at the Audio Technica 3000 series. With six wireless systems of any make an model I would also factor in an antenna distro system.

Do not be tempted with the multi unit wireless mics like Voco Pro and others that offer all in one eight mic units for $400!!!!

Isaac South

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Re: 6 Wireless Mics
« Reply #13 on: March 08, 2017, 08:57:38 AM »

Wow.  Thank you all very much for your input.  Just to quickly respond to all the questions that you all asked:

1.  The mics we currently use are the SM58 and the PG58.  I'll get the model # of the receivers this weekend at church.

2.  I don't know our exact budget.  I'm going to present the leaders with some options.  I'd say they will want an SM58 or equivalent.  So whatever price range that is.  I'd say we will either go with Shure or Sennheiser.

3.  Someone mentioned that there are dealers on here.  That's honestly what I would prefer.  Someone (that knows the kind of mic I want for our type of church) to just tell me exactly what items to purchase.

Some of you mentioned analog.  I'm guessing the best option for me, if money is no option, is digital, correct?  We currently have one receiver with antennas and one that is digital.  The one with antennas cuts in and out sometimes (not often), but the digital one never does.

**Sorry - I had to log back in and edit my last statement.  I just read something on the internet that said analogue is best if you are going to run several wireless mics.  Digital will only allow 6 to 8 at the most.  Is this information correct?
« Last Edit: March 08, 2017, 09:14:56 AM by Isaac South »
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Frank DeWitt

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Re: 6 Wireless Mics
« Reply #14 on: March 08, 2017, 10:02:01 AM »

When you go all wireless I recommend you always setup a good wired mic with a long cord somewhere on your platform.  You will need it.  I have read that is you spend a few thousand per mic you can approach the quality but not the reliability of a good wired mic.
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Ray Aberle

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Re: 6 Wireless Mics
« Reply #15 on: March 08, 2017, 10:48:48 AM »

Wow.  Thank you all very much for your input.  Just to quickly respond to all the questions that you all asked:

1.  The mics we currently use are the SM58 and the PG58.  I'll get the model # of the receivers this weekend at church.

2.  I don't know our exact budget.  I'm going to present the leaders with some options.  I'd say they will want an SM58 or equivalent.  So whatever price range that is.  I'd say we will either go with Shure or Sennheiser.
Isaac, there are Shure wireless systems with an SM58 cartridge for $349, and there are systems for $1,349 --  both have the same cartridge, it's the transmitter quality (both build and transmission) that varies. So, we need to settle on what *model system* you want, and then we can decide on the cartridge. For the most part, all cartridges are available in all systems. (I mean, you can't buy a factory packed UHF-R with a PG58 cartridge... And you wouldn't want to.)

3.  Someone mentioned that there are dealers on here.  That's honestly what I would prefer.  Someone (that knows the kind of mic I want for our type of church) to just tell me exactly what items to purchase.
And that's the great thing about being on the PSW. It's like we're a big happy family. Maybe dysfunctional at times. Hahaaaa.

Some of you mentioned analog.  I'm guessing the best option for me, if money is no option, is digital, correct?  We currently have one receiver with antennas and one that is digital.  The one with antennas cuts in and out sometimes (not often), but the digital one never does.
Without knowing a bit more about your setup, there might be another extenuating factor (line of sight, position, etc) that causes the digital one to not cut out but the analog one does. Getting a system with antenna that can be mounted to ensure great line of sight at all times would be a smart move.

**Sorry - I had to log back in and edit my last statement.  I just read something on the internet that said analogue is best if you are going to run several wireless mics.  Digital will only allow 6 to 8 at the most. Is this information correct?
That's unfortunately a silly statement. There are no such limitations to digital- I mean, if you were looking at someone discussing the Shure PGXD system, yes, they only recommend up to about 8 channels in one system, but there are plenty of other digital systems (Shure QLX-D, ULX-D, or even GLX-D if you wanted to risk 2.4GHz) out there, and there's no problem at all with multiple channels.

We went with QLX-D when we were looking to purchase "big boy" mics. We didn't have a need for the advanced networking capabilities of the ULX-D, although being able to connect them via Dante to our CL5s would be nice-- but we're getting the same signal quality and connectivity. Those start a a thousand per channel, though. You'd also want a UA844+SWB/LC antenna/power distro, but that would only support 5 channels (four channels plus the cascade outs). If you're anticipating adding more in the future, tho, adding a 2nd distro is easy to do. (Cascade from one to the other, 4 channels of QLX-D connect to the first one, 2 channels to the other. Everything works off of one pair of antenna. UA874US are good.) This option lists at $7,521.80. (Naturally, *someone* on here would hook you up!)   [Edit: This option is proposing 6 channels of QLX-D with SM58 cartridges at $999 each, 2 UA844+SWB/LC at $449.95 each, and two UA874US at $313.95 each. That's list; a package deal would bring that down a bit. Ask 'em for the $7,500, and get a couple of QLXD1 bodypacks for flexibility. You never know when you might have a guitarist who wants to go wireless. Just remember that until you get another receiver, any bodypack being used would reduce your available handhelds. Getting a lav capsule or headset option might also be beneficial.]

If you went Sennheiser-- as mentioned, the EW G3 series is also really good. Starting at $600 per channel, and the ASA1/NT antenna splitter (which handles 4 channels) is about $650. I'd need to check to see if there's cascading on the ASA1 (It's been awhile since I've looked at the back of it!), but if not, a set of passive splitters would share the 1 pair of antenna between the two ASA1s. Passive directional antenna from Sennheiser is the A2003UHF, for $279.95 each. (Which the Sweetwater listings do NOT include.)

-Ray
« Last Edit: March 08, 2017, 11:03:05 AM by Ray Aberle »
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Isaac South

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Re: 6 Wireless Mics
« Reply #16 on: March 08, 2017, 01:28:35 PM »

Thank you, Ray.  Could you PM me your email address?

In reply:

I see what you are saying about the different transmitters.  I can say with confidence that they probably won't go over $1,000 per unit. Which I realize doesn't help a whole lot, but that would include both of the options you listed out for me.

Currently, our mic receivers are on stage direcly behind the singer/preacher.  We currently have one digital unit.  It sets under something.  It hidded from plain sight.  But the analogue one that we have, sits on the floor, with direct sight to the preacher/singer.  I said it cuts out earlier.  But it's very very rare.

Thank you for sharing the Shure and Sennheiser mics that you recommend.  That really helps.  Just so I'm clear:

What is the purpose of the Antenna Splitter? 

And what's the purpose of the Power Distributor?  I'm guessing you plug all of your power cables into this one unit, rather than plugging them into the wall?
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Ray Aberle

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Re: 6 Wireless Mics
« Reply #17 on: March 08, 2017, 01:43:01 PM »

I see what you are saying about the different transmitters.  I can say with confidence that they probably won't go over $1,000 per unit. Which I realize doesn't help a whole lot, but that would include both of the options you listed out for me.

Currently, our mic receivers are on stage direcly behind the singer/preacher.  We currently have one digital unit.  It sets under something.  It hidded from plain sight.  But the analogue one that we have, sits on the floor, with direct sight to the preacher/singer.  I said it cuts out earlier.  But it's very very rare.

Thank you for sharing the Shure and Sennheiser mics that you recommend.  That really helps.  Just so I'm clear:

What is the purpose of the Antenna Splitter? 

And what's the purpose of the Power Distributor?  I'm guessing you plug all of your power cables into this one unit, rather than plugging them into the wall?
Depending on the frequency of your two mics, the digital one might be more resilient to a lack of line of sight based on that alone. Also, "cutting out" could be loss of RF, or seeing something else more powerful in the same frequency, and cutting to that. There's a few variables at play, and hard to accurately determine without being on site in person. :)

The two units mentioned do the same thing. Both allow you to use one pair of antenna to feed all receivers. They also distribute power to the receivers, so instead of having multiple devices to power, you only need to power one. Cleans up the "Wall wart farm" a bunch! When your gear is rack mounted, then you also bring your antenna around to the front of the rack, and external antenna are used. That really helps your RF signal be more consistent. (The two directional antenna don't boost the RF signal, though- what they do is "increase off-axis RF rejection." SO, they focus their attention in the direction they're aimed, and ignore more things that you don't care about.)

-Ray
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Jonathan Johnson

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Re: 6 Wireless Mics
« Reply #18 on: March 08, 2017, 02:11:00 PM »

Some of you mentioned analog.  I'm guessing the best option for me, if money is no option, is digital, correct?  We currently have one receiver with antennas and one that is digital.  The one with antennas cuts in and out sometimes (not often), but the digital one never does.

Just wanted to clear something up. ALL wireless mics and receivers have antennas -- whether analog or digital.

Most mics now have internal antennas -- older VHF mics may have an external antenna because the mic body isn't long enough to hide the antenna internally. (The higher the carrier frequency, the shorter the antenna.)

Some UHF receivers have internal antennas; some have external. The external antennas are usually found on higher-end gear, so they can be removed to connect an antenna combiner or to remotely mount the antennas.

Some lower-end receivers have only one antenna. Higher end receivers usually have two antennas -- and two radio receivers internally. The receiver automatically chooses the antenna with the strongest signal. This is known as diversity reception, and greatly helps to prevent dropouts.

Digital receivers that operate in the unlicensed 2.4 GHz spectrum can have very short antennas that easily fit inside the case.

I'm not a big fan of internal antennas in receivers. Besides the inability to use an antenna combiner (which isn't something that concerns me in my applications), internal antennas can't be easily oriented for optimal reception, and the receiver must be placed where it can get a clear signal. Being able to remotely mount the antennas, even if not using a combiner, is sometimes beneficial.

As a rule of thumb, diversity antennas on a receiver shouldn't be oriented parallel to each other. Orienting them roughly 90° relative to each other decreases the chances that the signal will drop out on both antennas/receivers simultaneously.

Receivers usually have 1/4 wave antennas, which require a ground plane to create a reflection that allows it to "see" a full waveform. The receiver provides the ground plane at the base of the antenna. When remotely mounting, you may need to use half-wave antennas since you won't have a ground plane. Also, the antennas must be the proper length for the frequency band your gear uses. (I'm not a sharp radio guy, so I may not have explained that the best way possible.)
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Thomas Le

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Re: 6 Wireless Mics
« Reply #19 on: March 08, 2017, 03:12:56 PM »

I would rather have ULXD, but on the analog side there is still a step up from UHF-R, Axient. Very soon there will be a digital mic based on Axient.

Mac

Ah, keep forgetting about that line, but AXIENT is a special order, not usually available on online stores.

We should also point out that there are quite a few dealers on here for this gear (myself included) so if the OP wants a good deal, there are other options than sending him to Sweetwater.

-Ray

I know, just pointing out the options and setting pricing expectations for OP, don't know how much dealer savings are there. I might have to refer back to PSW in case I need to upgrade to VHF QLX-D if they do away with 500MHz in the far future, rendering my EW investment illegal.
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Re: 6 Wireless Mics
« Reply #19 on: March 08, 2017, 03:12:56 PM »


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