Inexpensive Mic recomendations?

Uncle Dirtnap

Active Member
I couldn't find a recent thread with this topic, so I'll just ask fresh. Small community theatre doing a musical, and all but 1 of our microphones for our Shure SLX1 wireless transmitters is busted. Are there any reasonably priced lavs you can use in the hair that anyone would recommend? $150 a mic is going to take a chunk out of the budget.

Thanks!

-RJ
 
I remember a company in Florida that sold headset lavs for $99 ... can't find them now.

But here's something I just found on Amazon:


Read the reviews, not all bad. If I were in your shoes and there was a version of these that fit my Tx, I'd probably buy one or two to try them out ...

Good luck! Please post your findings :)

-- John
 
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$150 a mic is going to take a chunk out of the budget.
$150/mic is a budget priced mic.
I remember a company in Florida
Microphone Madness: https://www.microphonemadness.com/lapel-hair-microphones-micro-miniature.html. I believe the $50 upcharge for the bullet proof build is worth it.
all but 1 of our microphones for our Shure SLX1 wireless transmitters is busted.
I fear if you try to go too cheap you will be posting the exact same post next season.
 
With the amount of busted $$$$$ shure microphone I have I assume I will regardless. :) (mostly wire breaks - hold/wiggle them right and you get a signal until you exhale)
If this is the case, it sound like you might have more transmitter issues. The antenna and TA4M connectors are not too difficult to repair on the SLX transmitters. The antenna are $3 each and just 1 solder point. The mic jack is attached to a small BCB, so it plugs in to the larger PCB. It is more of a headache to screw it all back together than to replace those. Just something to consider if you are looking to do a deeper dive. Also, proper freequency coordination cannot be mentioned enough among your transmitters.

If you find that things are getting damaged frequently, a better procedure is in order. Wireless belt pouches for the transmitters and a sound crew person supervising check in and out of them can go a long way. I have 16 SLX that are 14 years old and still going strong.

~Dave
 
Wireless elements are consumables, just like gel. Some last longer, but in the end the sweat, make up and actors forgetting they are wearing them kills them. If you are hair micing Shure's own WL93 elements are $83 at Sweetwater WL-93 . I used them for years and they work well, are easy to clean and sound fine.
 
I remember a company in Florida that sold headset lavs for $99 ... can't find them now.

But here's something I just found on Amazon:


Read the reviews, not all bad. If I were in your shoes and there was a version of these that fit my Tx, I'd probably buy one or two to try them out ...

Good luck! Please post your findings :)

-- John
At that price it's worth it to order one, put it on the vocal teacher and audition it. 30 day refund if you don't like it enough to keep it.

In general, earset mics need some love and care in placement and I find myself getting a bit fiddly with input strip EQ... but if the destructive handling means replacing mics every other show... these are your alternatives.
 
Are the cables getting wrapped around the beltpack when the actors take them off? That kills cables very quickly.
 
I wish I knew what killed them. This is a community theatre without a long institutional memory. This is my first time running sound for them - they weren't even sure they HAD wireless equiptment and had rented for the last 3 or 4 musicals. All I know is that most of the bad ones I have found in various vinyl envelopes are Shure MX153C and they all seemed to have failed in the strain relief at the bottom of the nodule. Design flaw, perhaps?

These probably failed over many years. The people here may not know the best way to care for the mics, but they certainly wouldn't be careless about them-
 
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I wish I knew what killed them. This is a community theatre without a long institutional memory. This is my first time running sound for them - they weren't even sure they HAD wireless equiptment and had rented for the last 3 or 4 musicals. All I know is that most of the bad ones I have found in various vinyl envelopes are Shure MX153C and they all seemed to have failed in the strain relief at the bottom of the nodule. Design flaw, perhaps?

These probably failed over many years. The people here may not know the best way to care for the mics, but they certainly wouldn't be careless about them-
A failure in that location is either a design weakness, or the result of using the ear-set without clipping the cable to the actor's collar.
 
I second the Bodymics.com
He's a good guy with appropriately priced products IMO.

It's where I pickup my personal elements
I also think Countryman B6's are about 150$ if I recall
 
I have clipped and re soldered many a mic for our community theatre.. a little tricky because most of the mic cable has some kevlar fiber woven right in with the copper... at least on the sennheisers.
I just checked and you can get the Shure connectors for about 12 bucks apiece.. I would even wonder if some digging might not find you a tech with a side gig to repair them for about 25 bucks.

Have not done shure myself but we do have some. I also stopped soldering when we came into better funding and just made it an ongoing expense.. But hate to throw a good mic head out.
Even if you get new.. having some repaired ones in a baggie and labeled "good" would give you some depth on the bench .

 
Another Bodymics.com recommendation from me.

On the subject of re-terminating mics, especially for Shure transmitters, you will need to add the recommended resistor based on the model of mic you're working with. If you are reusing the connector it should be easy as the resistor should already be there (body mics have a small board with surface mount components); but if you are replacing the connector you'll need to add one. I'd recommend using 1/8W resistors due to the connector sizes involved. Also I will often use the Neutrik/Rean version of the TiniQ connector over the Switchcraft original. A lot less fussy to work with and can be used for a much wider range of cable sizes.

Dan
 
I've used the Microphone Madness mics in HS musical environments and they seemed durable - no failures noted.
 
Last ditch choice, try these.
There they are.

I worked at an auction network about 10 years ago, and the owner/licensed auctioneer had a Countryman E6... and all the other air talent had this exact mic, then $25.

It was not my first rodeo working sound even then, and I couldn't hear an appreciable amount of difference from the E6 to the $25 mics, honestly. Don't recall having to replace more than one of them, either...

Parts Express has them, too, even cheaper, still with a TA4F (or you can get them with Senny plugs, too)

 

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