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Author Topic: Countryman Isomax Life...  (Read 1024 times)

Eddie Ybarra

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Countryman Isomax Life...
« on: August 18, 2019, 07:05:15 PM »

At the theme/amusement park I work at we have a ton of Countryman Isomax mics with Shure Ulx transmitters that get used for shows. Problem is they seem to die in some form or fashion after just a week/weekend or two of use. So after getting moved to the audio department over the summer this will be my first time having control over how these mics get used and first order of business is to figure out how why and prevent this equipment from breaking so early into the run of shows. So my question is who here has worked with this sort of set up of Isomax mic Shure Ulx transmitter on  a singing performer that does a bunch of dancing and choreography and interaction with other performers, and what steps have you taken to insure longevity of equipment.
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Eric Snodgrass

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Re: Countryman Isomax Life...
« Reply #1 on: August 19, 2019, 10:31:10 AM »

Sweat and cable breaks are the two main killers of wireless headworn/earworn mics. 
Sweat will get in the capsule and ruin the element.  Frequent checking of the end cap on the mic and occasional cleaning of said end cap will help to minimize prospect of damage.  You can clean the end cap by removing it and blowing compressed air through it to remove any debris.
Cable breaks almost always happen at the connection points.  With the Countrymans that can happen either at the point where the earpiece connects to the cable or at the point where the strain relief meets the pack connector.  Using a Hellerman sleeve to strain-relief the cable at the pack connector can help quite a bit to stave off the cable breaking at that point.  On the ear-connection point the Countryman mics have a snap connector for convenient removal if needed.  Check that connection to make sure that it is solid.  You can replace the broken cables for a relatively minor cost. 
You should note when a mic dies.  Does it die on the same performers and/or the same performance types (dancer, narrator, etc.)?  This could narrow down any persistent problems due to mic breakages and help you to resolve those problems.  It could be a costume piece, a particular movement, a particular performer or just the way the mics are handled that are causing breakages. 

I know theme parks can be really busy with their performance schedules, so if you can't check the mics and inspect the connectors before each performance, at least check them thoroughly at the beginning of the day. 
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Eddie Ybarra

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Re: Countryman Isomax Life...
« Reply #2 on: August 22, 2019, 02:31:29 AM »

Awesome thanks for your input.
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Miguel Dahl

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Re: Countryman Isomax Life...
« Reply #3 on: August 22, 2019, 09:14:00 AM »

Just wanted to add to and support what Eric said about noting when a mic dies. If you keep track of this, you'll eventually see the pattern, after a while you can eliminate a lot of deads.

This summer I did an open air theater. For the first four shows, a girl which went on always had a crackling mic. Four shows.. wow. It was a mic swap between her and a guy which was on stage before her. It always worked on the guy. But this guy (a teenager) was so stressed out that he'd miss his unmiked entrance way later in the act, that he just ripped his headworn and pulled the cable every time to get out his beltpack. After the fourth show I asked the (volunteer, no sound experience except this play once a year) "A2" what's going on? Is he just ripping of his headworn? And the "A2" said Yup!  After a talk to the actor and the A2, there were no more problems.

You need to speak to the people using the mic, and the people who works directly with the person who uses the mic. They might see something the actor doesn't recognize themselves. Always do a "crackle-check" with headphones or a speaker before you hand out the headworns for the day. They don't break when the actor is putting them on, but rather when they take them off, and if it's kids, they tend to play around, fall, get some hands tangled into his or her friends cable etc, generally break something the second they have the time to do it.

This was more about physical abuse of the equipment though. There's factors like sweat and such which you can't control as easily unless you use some countermeasures.
« Last Edit: August 22, 2019, 09:56:06 AM by Miguel Dahl »
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Re: Countryman Isomax Life...
« Reply #3 on: August 22, 2019, 09:14:00 AM »


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