Microphones Shotgun Mics

Rosie

Member
I'm interested in purchasing two shotgun mics to place on either side of our proscenium arch to aid in picking up the ensemble in high school productions hosted at my facility. Any specific suggestions?
Thanks in advance!
 
I own 2 Beyer MCE86, and they have served me well over the years. I would also recommend some boundry mics like PCC's.

~Dave
 
Thank you, Dave! We do have a few PCCs that I usually mount near the apron but they don't seem to pick up the kids that well. Part of the problem is that their blocking tends to be further upstage. (That is, most of the time until the choreographer moves them all downstage for a number and they stomp all over them...)
I've also tried hanging choral mics but that brings a host of other issues.
Would you suggest Beyer over Sennheiser or Shure?
 
Also, is there any difference between the shotgun mics being sold for film/camera use and those used on stage?
Thanks!
 
In general terms, all shotgun mics are developed for Film / ENG use, and not sound reinforcement use. Both Sennheiser and Shure make great shotgun mics, as does Rode and Audio Technica, so do not exclude them. I was just offering a recomendation of a mic that I have had great personal success with, that has a reasonale price.

In genreal, the longer the interfearance tube of the mic, the narrower the optimal pick up angle of the mic. This is probably the most important factor in deciding which mic is best suited to your needs.


~Dave
 
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I swear by my Shure MX202 Choral Mics. The have good response, and a small profile cable. We retrofitted permanent hang points into our shell this summer for them.
These are the choral mics I have as well, but there always seems to be issues with them getting caught up on scenery, having feedback issues, and being too far upstage when the students move past the hang location (just upstage of our first electric). They've been fantastic for our choir events though! :)
 
I love the rode NTG-1s, but for that use I would hang some pro 45s, cheap with a good pick up. We have 9 mics over stage, including shotguns and pencil, but the pro 45 always comes to the front of the pack.
 
Just installed AKG CK47 Hypercardioid capsules on my existing HM1000 's today. Compared to the the cardioid CK31 we were using, I was surprised how big a difference it made. I can't wait to hear them in our musical this year! I haven't used other shotguns, but these are amazing for my needs in large middle school productions.

I do wonder about your intended placement - I would try to avoid a cross-pattern from the sides for a number of reasons. I my book, it would be far easier to get a good gain off live mics facing the stage from the front. Our 3 are hanging spaced roughly quarters from the inside of the open traveler. With 2 mics, I would try thirds.
 
These are the choral mics I have as well, but there always seems to be issues with them getting caught up on scenery, having feedback issues, and being too far upstage when the students move past the hang location (just upstage of our first electric). They've been fantastic for our choir events though! :)
Yeah, I only use them for Choral stuff. For Theatre I used to do a mix of Crown PCC's and few cleverly hidden MX202's and SM81's. Our wireless package has grown to the point that if I need mic support for drama, I'm ready to go wireless. Last spring we did Sarah Tuft's "110 Stories" which is about 911, and had a HUGE sound design. Entire cast of 22 ended up being miced up.

For choral support, I see a sweet spot for the 202's that's about 6-8 from performers. I use of an array of 5 downstage, and three upstage to cover my stage.
 

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