How to use crown pcc-160

[museav]

Does anyone ahve any advice on teh sound board to use in mixing with the pcc-160. We have an ancient sound board that we are going to replace. Brand new boards do not seem too expensive. Any thoughts on brands and other factors? Thanks. Jonrob

As far as the console, a PCC-160 is simply a mic that requires phantom power.

To all those using foam under the mic, just keep in mind that the PCC-160 is a boundary mic and works based on being close enough to the mounting boundary that it gains level from the boundary reflections while any phasing with the direct sound from the reflections is at very high frequencies. As you move the mic further away from the boundary you lose the added gain and can introduce phasing issues, so sticking a big block of foam under it may not always be the best idea.

While seemingly obvious it does get screwed up, so make sure that you are facing the PCC-160 in the right direction, it is cardioid and the Crown logo is the front side. Also, you can hardwire a PCC-160 with the cable exiting the bottom, there is a hole in the bottom of the case specifically for this purpose.

 

[gafftaper]

Brand new boards do not seem too expensive. Any thoughts on brands and other factors? Thanks. Jonrob

What's your potential budget and what are your needs? How many mike channels do you need? How do you use it? What other gear would it be working with? How many output lines do you need? How many aux sends do you need? We can help you make a good choice.

It's hard to go wrong with Mackie boards. They have a wide price range starting at about $100 for a cute little 4 channel mixer. A Mackie VLZ 1202 which runs $300 can handle the basic needs of a lot of small low budget theaters. They are pretty clean sounding and are very rugged in construction.

Yamaha is probably the best in the business. I've got an Allen and Heath board which is pretty nice. If you've got a little money and are thinking big. The Yamaha O1V96VCM runs about $2400 and is your first step into the amazing world of digital audio mixing. It's a GREAT console at a price that competes with similar sized analog consoles.

If you want to sleep at night with a clean conscience don't be tempted to buy Behringer products. They have been sued multiple times for stealing other manufacturers ideas and reproducing them to look like they perform exactly the same... in many cases they even look the same as the original product. However, they are inferior components on the inside. Spend a few dollars extra and get the real thing. It'll last longer and you won't have to pay for all the therapy from your guilt.

Prices above are from Sweetwater.com, Other good on-line sources include: Full Compass, Musicians Friend, and Zzounds. HOWEVER, as always around here, we advise everyone to call your local dealer for pricing. Establish a relationship with your local dealer. If you need a repair on friday night, the online dealer isn't going to be able to save your show. Paying a few percent extra is worth it.

 

[Sayen]

Nothing to stop you building your own cables for the PCCs, they are only TA3F connectors on the output, wired pin for pin for XLR...

Here inlies the problem with the cables, the TA3F connectors...

My actors seem to be unnaturally drawn towards those connectors...I got sick of repairing/replacing them.

As far as the foam - you don't need much, just a small shim to cut down on foot noise from actors.

 

[DavidDaMonkey]

My actors seem to be unnaturally drawn towards those connectors...I got sick of repairing/replacing them.

As far as the foam - you don't need much, just a small shim to cut down on foot noise from actors.

The trick I learned was to get a conduit clamp and cover the connector with it, and then screw that into the deck. This completely blocks the connector from anyone stepping on it.

 

[brubart]

I designed the PCC-160, so if you have any questions about the mic or how to use it, I'd be happy to answer them.

About the TA3F connector breaking, I designed a new model with the cable permanently attached to the mic. That might be helpful. It's the TM-125C.

About foam under the mic to reduce footsteps, try this experiment: As someone is walking in front of the mic, pick it up off the stage floor about 1/4 inch. In my experience, the footsteps do not get any quieter. That shows that the mic is not picking up stage-floor vibrations; it's just picking up the footsteps acoustically, as your ears would do in the same location. So putting the mic on foam does not improve the situation. I usually recommend that the wardrobe dept. put rubber soles on the actors' shoes :>)

Putting the mic on foam raises the mic above the boundary surface, which causes phase cancellations and changes the frequency response of the mic.

That's an interesting post about angling the mic up 10 degrees to get more gain before feedback. That would also cause phase interference, but hey, whatever works.

Hope this helps,
Bruce Bartlett
Bartlett Microphones in Elkhart, Indiana - home page

 

[brubart]

The connectors on these are a weak point, also I had one fail in a soft way where one of the components in the mic as part of the system failed, so the output level was very poor. Crown fixed it but it was a couple of hundred bucks.

Is it that you are not getting any signal level? or is it that you are not getting the pickup you need? reason is that these of course work by picking up on the reflected sound from the floor. In a lot of school productions, the actors are simply too close to the front of the stage to pick up enough. The problem of getting them too far forward and creating feedback from the pa speakers is an issue also.
Sharyn

Some floor mics do not use a tiny XLR connector at the microphone. The cable is permanently attached so it can be stepped on without damage. Here is an example: http://www.bartlettaudio.com/collections/stage-floor-mics/products/stage-mic-c-1