ProSoundWeb Community

Sound Reinforcement - Forums for Live Sound Professionals - Your Displayed Name Must Be Your Real Full Name To Post In The Live Sound Forums => SR Forum Archives => Installed Sound/Contracting FUD Forum Archive => Topic started by: baking and welding audio on August 03, 2004, 03:01:41 PM

Title: Outdoor Mic/ Bells
Post by: baking and welding audio on August 03, 2004, 03:01:41 PM

I have been asked to get digitally controlled bells back into the chapel sound system of a monastery. Is there a good outdoor(all weather condiditons) mic that can be used with a compressor/gate to make this a reality. or a better way to do this? this is a first for me, and have no idea what to do. HELP!!!!!!

thanks

jc

Title: Re: Outdoor Mic/ Bells
Post by: Mac Kerr on August 03, 2004, 03:29:05 PM

I can't tell from your question what it is you are supposed to be trying to do. If you are trying to replace the bells in the tower with a digital equivalent, it is called a carillon. Real ones are a set of bells played from a keyboard. There are plenty of churches using electronic alternatives as real tuned sets of 20 or more tower bells are expensive.  Try this URL.  http://www.ezbells.com/g5.html or this one http://www.chimemaster.com/index.html

Mac Kerr

Title: Re: Outdoor Mic/ Bells
Post by: Hal Bissinger/COMSYSTEC on August 03, 2004, 08:06:33 PM

Hmmm, no it sounds like he is looking to use a mic to pick up the sound from the bells and send it through a comp/limiter to the sound system.

Probably a few ways to go here. I assume these are "real" bells that are electrically controlled, so no way to "tap" the audio.

You could use a regular mic and build a housing that would protect it from the elements as necessary and mount it with the bells.

Another thought is to use a horn type speaker in reverse as a microphone. Should be no problem with weather resistance and these make very sensitve microphones with a response pretty much what you will need. Use a 70 volt line transformer to match the 8 ohm voice coil impedance to the the input of whatever you are using. If you find hum is a problem use a shielded transformer.

-Hal

Title: Re: Outdoor Mic/ Bells
Post by: Phil Ouellette on August 04, 2004, 12:03:08 AM

With a mic in a bell tower I would be very concerned about the likelyhood of lightning traveling down the mic cable to your mixer.  Damaged equipment might be the least of your worries if a storm happens while the equipment is in use.  

You might want to consider adding something like this in-line surge suppressor to the mic cable.  This particular suppressor is specified for data links or analog instrumentation signals so it should be transparent to mic signals.  I don't know what would happen if you tried to use phantom power with this, it might trigger the protective circuitry.  You would have to check that out if planning on using a condensor mic.



 http://www.globalspec.com/FeaturedProducts/Detail?ExhibitID= 3997