Mixing Wireless Microphones

[Hughesie]

Hi everyone just quick question

i have been mixing sound four years now and i have finally been asked to take the helm and mix WIRELESS MICROPHONES this is a big step for me because i have always just mixed overhead mics and foot mics and sometimes bands

and i need some tips on mixing wireless microphones any tips

[audioslavematt]

How many mics are there? What equipment is in your FOH rack? What console will you be using? Is that going to be a submix going to your main console?

The first thing you need to do is patch everything for wireless and make the best use of your equipment. I'll help you out with that once I know what you have.

The next thing you need to do is get an order for batteries. Multiply the number of mics by the combined number of performances and rehearsals. That will give you the number of batteries you'll need. I normally add an additional two for ever mic as spares. Change the batteries before rehearsal if nescessary and before every performance. If the actors are sweating a lot, see this thread Best way of micing actors.

We'll get to seting things up and running the show once we know what we're working with.

[Soundguybs]

There is not that much you need to do different. Just you know to stay on the ball during the show and don’t miss your cues and just run the show. You will be fine. I do shows with 24 Wirless, 7 Floor mic, and around 20 mic in the pit. I am the only one at the FOH a lot of the time during the show and I am doing everything from all of the SFX to all of the Wireless Mic’s and the Pit. You will be fine.

I don’t know what you are running but if you only have at the most 2 or 3 Wireless up at a time you will be fine. As you add more open wireless, Rings will come a lot faster. Something you can do is to have a EQ just for your Wirless. (That’s if you have one that you can put there) This EQ is different from your mains and you just take out the Freq’s that are Ringing but just watch out how much you take out because you don’t want to take out to much and lose the clear sound.

What kind of stuff are you using and what is this for?

[mbenonis]

The key is to know the show. Once you know the lines reasonably well, you can mix line-by-line - that is, duck all of the mics other than the current speaker/singer by about 10 dB. This requires focus and practice, but it's the only way to get a good sounding show. Along with this, when two people are face-to-face, you should always kill one of the two mics. If you don't, you'll get comb filtering and the result will be terrible.

Another thing to consider is where you will be placing your mics. You'll want to work with costumes and makeup to get the mics in the hair for anyone who has a decent amount of hair, and behind the ear for everyone else. Don't place mics on the lapel/chest, because it will sound really bad.

Finally, get the mics going as early as you can. Ideally, start on the first full run-through (even if it isn't designated as a tech run). This will give you the time you need to get the show right.

Good luck, and ask any questions that come up!

[AVGuyAndy]

How do you guys attach the mics to the ear? I have a show coming up, and have always just put them on the chest, due to lack of time and annoying people.

[Soundguybs]

I use a little Metal thing that I make it in a shape of a ear and tape the mic to that. Then you only need one peace of tape on the ear to hole everything. But that’s for guys. Girls sound best in there hair at the top of there forehead.

[Andy_Leviss]

As far as how to mount the mics, see this site...Jason's a sound guy out in Vegas who definitely knows what he's talking about (in fact, I was going to do a similar web page, but decided not to when I found Jason's, because his covers everything I was going to, with pictures and everything!):

http://www.brightandloud.com/microphone-placement/.

As for mixing, Mike's advice above is pretty spot-on, with one minor quibble. Mike says line-by-line mixing involves ducking the non-active onstage mics by 10 dB or so. In some situations, yes, I'll resort to that, but whenever possible, you should pull them all the way out (of course, we're referring to onstage actors here...all offstage actors are down all the way as a given).

It's a lot of finger gymnastics, and takes some practice as well as knowing the script COLD, but it's the best way to get a good sounding mix. Start out as Mike suggested just pulling back partway, since there's a little more room for error that way (if you miss a pickup, the mic will at least be up, if not as loud as it ought to be). But, as you practice and get better, the end goal should be to pull the mic all the way down unless absolutely impossible--for example if there's a trio going on and you need to rapidly bounce between three mics, you can get the coordination down to duck the two that aren't currently active, but if things are going fast enough, you just won't be able to constantly pull the mics down.

The hardest thing, as Mike hinted at, is mixing duets. One of the last off-Broadways I mixed only had three actors, so you'd think it'd be a simple show, but it was the most challenging show I've ever mixed in that it was all about duets. Every scene had a major duet, and in many of them the lead couple would be dancing up close while singing together, and then the woman would spin out (while still singing), then spin back in and immediately shout, "Noooooo, Gino!" right into the man's mic, then spin back out again...you get the idea. It just became a matter of fingers flying really fast, and learning which mic would pick up the opposite actor at which distance, so that I could make the transition from one mic to two back to one and have it sound clean.

Again, though, while you avoid some of these problems with mixing floor and hanging mics, for a play, it's not all that different to how you should be mixing those fixed mics. Even with those, you want to avoid having more than one up whenever possible, it's just that there you're following the blocking first, and then the script, whereas with wireless you're primarily following the script, and then the blocking for things like duets.

--A

[pattrick1]

I briefly read through the thread, and I didn't catch what type of microphones were referring to, but assuming that their hand helds, I find it useful to identify a few key mics with color windscreens or vinyl tape. Why hand helds, for obvious reasons - they get passed around. If your having a full tech run, "assign" a color to certain performers and take a few notes on who is using what. It's more practical than guessing, but not nearly fool-proof. And a final thing I sometimes do, if you have an extra crew member, assign them to be incharge of microphone management on stage to ensure that the right performers get their correct microphone.
Good luck, and like others mentioned, it's not that difficult. To me I have a tough time figuring out what microphone is where.
Patrick T

[Hughesie]

Here is what i know and to awnser the question of all batteries and stuff that's sorted as for the patching of the mics it's fine

here is some infomation you need to know to help me

they are going to be sennheiser Generation two belt packs with the mic down the hair line for the girls and just behind the fringe on the left attached with a rubber band to their hair for the boys

there will be 19 radios
the desk is a Crest X8 (48 channel i think)

that all i think

[PhantomD]

I've done Wireless Mics for our musical two years in a row now, and the one thing you need to know is that it requires your full attention to the script and the stage.

The more channels you have, the harder it is to set which ones you need at the right volumes at the right times and have them off when they're being exchanged to another actor.

It gets easier each time though. Not a glory job.