Microphone Advice Please

I know the one i want...... Shure PG58 hand held radio mic. Its where to get it from. It seems that there are two versions PG24E/PG58 and PG24UK/PG58. I'm presuming the latter is the UK version...... hence the former can be found a lot cheaper. I can't find any explanation of this....anyone got any idea whether I'm right about this and whether it really makes any difference. I'm assuming the first one is european and may have the wrong adaptor or frequencies for the UK.

Ideally I want it by Thursday as I've got a big wedding that wants ceilidh dancing....so lots of chirping from me on the mic and my Kam is playing up a tad!!!!

Personally I don't like the PG58 radio microphones, for a start they don't suit me but being practical they take PP3 batteries which are more expensive than AAs and on the PG they are said to last up to 8 hours but in reality they don't last that long. The main thing is the feed-back rejection, although Shure say they don't suffer with feed-back they do and I would have thought that was important for the work you are doing if you are out front of the PA with a noisey crowd as they don't allow a lot of head-room. I reckon they are over priced too. DJ Store are prob your best bet with £10 postage to you.

I would strongly suggest to try an AKG WMS40 if you can find one locally to you to try...I think you will be impressed, I have used them for years, my current WMS40 double set is a good 5 years old and still like it was new and all kinds of knob heads have used it...bloody good singers have used it too and they have all remarked how good it is.

Except for the personal thing about if it suits you or not the AKG wins hands down IMO for the following. 30 hours battery life on much cheaper batteries, better built metal transmitter case, better feed-back rejection, £100 cheaper, 4 years warentee, and higher output.

The E is European and the UK is UK frequencies, but I have never heard of anyone being procicuted for a radio mic that will only go for a distance of 100 yards or so...guess if you were working next door to a government listening post or something alike that was monitoring all frequencies then you might be in trouble if its not completely legal.

I've been touring the DJ shops, NI and England looking for the ideal mic and the shure PG 58 ticked all the boxes for what I do with.

Being out front a lot, I needed one that I could easily switch on and off as I'm running tound the dance floor. I like Trantec but the switch was on the bottom, so awkward to use on the move. The SHure has a handy on off press button right where your thumb rests.

Another requirement is good pickup because I use it for ceremonieas, putting it on a mic stand (usually disguised in a flower arrangement or a lecturn) so needs to pick up at a distance.....the shure did this exceedingly well.

I use it for speeches. The top table is often a fair distance from the rig so range is an important factor as well. The shure has an incredible range.

And lastly..........my mic needs to feel like an extension of my arm, by comfortable to hold etc etc...... hence why I've been trying them out in shops. In all the shops I've been in in the last few months, the Shure is the only one that seems to fit the bill.......but now you've worried me about feedback cus obviously thats dead important.

Sorry didn't mean to worry you Have you actually tried an AKG though? It really does tick all the boxes for me, pick up isn't an issue as it has to be the best I have used except for a condenser and its comfortable too, it feels a bit like a willie The switch is a 3 position slide and easy to use and I don't know how true it is but I have heard that the push buttons on the new breed of Shure mics is prone to playing up...my mate Kev who is an engineer says he always gets them for repair. I've never been beaten by the range either and all over Christmas mine was used in a ballroom and fed to a reception bar which was through some doors and down a corridor and I'm told it was nice and clear.

Generally speaking Shure are a good brand but remember that they aren't the quality product made in America that they used to be, I sware by my SM58 wired but its the old Shure Bros. USA model. The PG is the entry level too and all brands have to have an entry level.

Pitty its short notice as you might not have chance to do any more research and testing...But, at the end of the day the Shure or the AKG will be a massive improvement on the KAM and you will notice.

My Mic Feels like a Mini Willie

I was just trying to make it sound appealing to Sandy

I need a new set of Mics (Wireless), for Karaoke. So, decent mic, decent receiver, no feedback, and good coverage. What would you recommend Andy????

Cheers,

Wayne

I'm going to still use my Kam twin radio mics for karaoke....their built to bounce and take the beer splashes and spitting.....they just don't cut the mustard for my high end weddings and what I'm doing with them.
Wayne....if you're just looking for durable mics for karaoke I recommend the kam....they're not bad on feedback either.

I would say the KAM are ok for Karaoke and there are everso many like them like the Warrior and Cool Sound etc. If you want to knock it up a gear then the AKG do make a double set, thing is the KAMs and alike are cheap enough that its not so serious if they get a bit of knocking about.

I must admit im not a big fan of the Shure radio mics. They are still good mics with them been shure. But i much prefer Sennheiser. I use myself for my main microphone and 1 for speeches.

2x Sennheiser Evolution Wireless (EW135 G2) those mics i think theyre brilliant in terms of build quality and the sound quality is very good and the coverage is excellent would be fantastic for a singer and used for speeches.



Not the cheapest radio mic you can buy... but probably one of the best. Would be perfect for karaoke. But not the sort of mic you want a punter to get their hands on. (Its a no brainer)

Gotta watch it though John....lots of copies of them 135 mics on EBay

well a mic is a very personal thing

not jsut down to price but down to how your voice actually sounds using it.

Sandy... word from the wise

try a few of them out, and dont just do it on price... or how good they look.

a few options you could go for here

a sennheser base unit & also a transmitter kit used to connect to a standard mic to is a favoured option.

look at the polar pattern on the spec list that comes with every mic, or look at thier website.

what you are idealy looking for in our line of work is a mic that rejects feedback but amplifies vocals
look at the polar pattern, and if it looks like the pattern is like a ice cream cone upside down, then that is a mic that does what i said above. these tend to be super cardoid mics if you are looking.

any other pattern either balances up using the noise around to give a more all round mic that pcks up just about anything.

like i said before

try a few out before going for any old mic tht takes your fancy!!


PM me if you want a more detailed explanation on the above

chris

topnotch

I've actually been looking for one for over a year now. I first tried the Shure out at Clives shop in Lacey green last year and although I've tried a few others out since then....I still keep going back to that one. I've used various mics on jobs when I've been out with other people such as Trantec, Sennheiser, T-bone etc. Must admit, when I was test running the Shure at Clives place, the shop was busy and everyone commented how good it sounded, although a shop isn't the same accoustics as a venue.

trantec & shure use the same radio guts along with most other european manufacturers they are more or less the same... but the quality of the mic head is what lets most down

look also at audio technica
bayer dynamic, AKG
even the sennheiser ones

the ones you have metioned in your post are TBH a bit on the cheap side, and not a patch on the ones i have mentioned.

what i would suggest to you is to hire from a reputable audio company some differnt mics, and try them out for yourself.

i spent 18 months trying out all sorts and i have now 3 trypes i use

sennheisser radio G2 & EW300

live band mics sennheisser 800 series 845's & 865

vocal mic for me is and AKGD3500 very nice mic @ around £200 and this i use with sennheisers plug in mic wireless adapter for cable mics

there you go ... there maybee a bit more you can do there sandy if you want a mic that will last for ages and make you sound great

chris

topnotch

thanks Chris..... I like the idea of hiring one to find out for myself if its the 'one'......not thought of that. I'm willing to spend around£200 to £250 but can't really go much higher than that as it looks like i've got to buy a new mixer too (mines in bits on the dining room table at the mo!!)

Chris; do you have more info on the Sennhiser base unit and transmitter kit? It sounds like a fabulous idea as I have a few mics that I really like for different applications...guess my trusty old favourite is the SM58, but I also use a Bayer, AKG and EV when the mood takes me and the environment suits, also I like the idea of putting a crappy Numark or Skytech mic on a transmitter for the drunken idiots.

here it is

http://www.sennheiser.co.uk/uk/home_en.nsf...nsmitter_021138

General Description
The SKP 100 G3 adapts G3 wireless technology to a wired world. Imagine taking a wired microphone and turning it into a wireless simply by plugging in the SKP 100 G3 to it’s XLR port. Maybe you would like to send a signal from a mixing console to a Sennheiser evolution G3 receiver across the room? No problem. Featuring G3 upgrades such as wireless transmitter sync and easy-to-navigate menus, the SKP 100 G3 is ready to literally plug in and play.

Features
Sturdy metal housing
42 MHz bandwidth: 1680 tunable UHF frequencies for interference-free reception
Enhanced frequency bank system with up to 12 compatible frequencies
Pilot tone squelch for eliminating RF interference when transmitter is turned off
Increased range for audio sensitivity
Wireless synchronization of transmitters via infrared interface from receiver
User-friendly menu operation with more control options
Illuminated graphic display
Auto-Lock function avoids accidental changing of settings
HDX compander for crystal-clear sound
Transmitter features battery indicatation in 4 steps, also shown on receiver display
Programmable Mute function
Wide range of accessories adapts the system to any requirement
Delivery Includes
1 SKP 100 G3 plug-on transmitter
2 batteries
Operating instructions



there you go

Cheers, it looks like its pretty good quality too.

Quick update on the perils of Sandysounds and the search for the ideal radio mic.......

Went into Belfast today to take my mixer to the electronics shop to be repaired. While there I had a play on an AKG and a Sennheiser. Don't know what model they were but I was dead disappointed with the AKG....at £200 it had a really poor pickup distance (mouth to mic) and a lot of feed back. The Sennheiser was much cheaper at £140 so probably entry level but it knocked spots off the AKG. As I'm prepared to go more than that, matey at the shop is going to get the next one up into the shop so I can try it out when I pick my mixer up. At the moment the Sennheiser is odds on favourite. I've gone off the Shure one a tad because I think the fancy button switch may be a problem on them.

I am really surprised by that, can't comment on the Sennhiser as I'm not up on those but I suspect it was the Freeport for that price. Don't think the AKG would have been the WMS40 unless it was a bit expensive but that definately doesn't sound like you are talking about the same mic that I have, it is just so hard to make feed-back and pick up is fine, mine easily mics up a whole top table...and, when you get someone that doesn't know how to use a mic and they hold it way down low it still picks them up fine.