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[email protected] watchdogx29@gmail.com is offline
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Default Decent quality wireless lapel mic system (used OK) $200???

I realize I'm broaching a very broad subject in wireless mic systems. Since I have very little experience with such, I'm hoping to gain some insight and warnings about mines to avoid. Here is the quick summary of my situation....

I needed a wireless lavalier/lapel mic system in a hurry and found a used PylePro WDM4400 system on a reliable audio site for $100. The reviews were in agreement - the lapel mics have no pick-up to them, but the rest of the unit w/ the headsets is solid. I experienced the same. So I am seeing three budget-minded options to consider pursuing:

1) Keep the system and find good lapel mics to replace the stock ones. (How much money would I need to spend on each mic to get great pick-up and good sound quality, and compatible with the transmitter?)

2) Return the system and shop for another turnkey system w/ better stock mics. (Having trouble finding anything below $200 with strong positive reviews. Would I be naive for thinking it's possible?)

3) Go piece-by-piece to compile a nice system. Biggest concern with this approach is interoperability of the various components. Granted I'm new to this arena of audio, but I get the feeling mics-transmitters-receivers from different manufacturers are rarely going to work together. So I'd probably have to settle on a brand with budget-friendly quality that makes components that play nice together. Any suggestions??? 8/

Budget quality. If I'm trying to find a unicorn, feel free to tell me that too. No point in wasting time if the odds of my finding what I need are infinitesimally small.

Thanks,
- DK
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[email protected] makolber@yahoo.com is offline
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Default Decent quality wireless lapel mic system (used OK) $200???

On Tuesday, May 1, 2018 at 11:07:36 PM UTC-4, wrote:
I realize I'm broaching a very broad subject in wireless mic systems. Since I have very little experience with such, I'm hoping to gain some insight and warnings about mines to avoid.



if you are in the US, do not buy anything in the 700 MHz range, they are or will be illegal.

The 600 MHz range has some legal and some illegal bands.

What do you mean "has no pickup"

Can you turn up the gain on your amplifier?
Some mic packs have an internal gain control you may need to adjust.

Do not try to mix and match receivers and transmitters from different manufacturers. It can be done but is tricky.

If you are happy with the range you get between the receiver and transmitter then i would keep the system you have and investigate other mics.


If your mic attaches to the body pack Tx with a plug (not hardwired) then you can try other mics. Sometimes the pin out of the connector is different.

But the first question is, what do you mean by no pickup ,,,why can't you turn up the gain?


Mark



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Default Decent quality wireless lapel mic system (used OK) $200???

On Wednesday, May 2, 2018 at 8:56:59 AM UTC-4, wrote:
On Tuesday, May 1, 2018 at 11:07:36 PM UTC-4, wrote:
I realize I'm broaching a very broad subject in wireless mic systems. Since I have very little experience with such, I'm hoping to gain some insight and warnings about mines to avoid.



if you are in the US, do not buy anything in the 700 MHz range, they are or will be illegal.

The 600 MHz range has some legal and some illegal bands.

What do you mean "has no pickup"

Can you turn up the gain on your amplifier?
Some mic packs have an internal gain control you may need to adjust.

Do not try to mix and match receivers and transmitters from different manufacturers. It can be done but is tricky.

If you are happy with the range you get between the receiver and transmitter then i would keep the system you have and investigate other mics.


If your mic attaches to the body pack Tx with a plug (not hardwired) then you can try other mics. Sometimes the pin out of the connector is different.

But the first question is, what do you mean by no pickup ,,,why can't you turn up the gain?


Mark


Hi Mark, thanks for your post. When I tried the system out in an empty medium-sized hall (200' x 200' roughly) I clipped the lapel mic 3-4 inches below my mouth. With the attenuation switch on the Tx OFF and levels turned up the whole way on the receiver and amp I could barely hear myself. When I uncliped it and held it like a handheld mic it had acceptable pickup. When I tried out the headset mics, they had excellent pickup and I could back the levels down to normal. So I'm happy with the Rx and Txs, just need better mics. I will research what is compatible with those transmitters to find out what options, if any, exist in the affordability range.

- DK
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Mike Rivers Mike Rivers is offline
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Default Decent quality wireless lapel mic system (used OK) $200???

On 5/2/2018 10:25 AM, wrote:
When I tried the system out in an empty medium-sized hall (200' x 200' roughly) I clipped the lapel mic 3-4 inches below my mouth. With the attenuation switch on the Tx OFF and levels turned up the whole way on the receiver and amp I could barely hear myself. When I uncliped it and held it like a handheld mic it had acceptable pickup. When I tried out the headset mics, they had excellent pickup and I could back the levels down to normal. So I'm happy with the Rx and Txs, just need better mics. I will research what is compatible with those transmitters to find out what options, if any, exist in the affordability range.




Are you sure that the lav mic that you got with the used system is the correct one for the transmitter? The manual for your wireless system is pretty lame, but I'm pretty sure that the official mic is a condenser mic that gets power from the belt pack. It's not phantom power, it's what's called "plug-in power" and it's usually around 3 volts. It's a standard so any small condenser mic that's meant for use with consumer-type equipment and has a miniature phone plug should work with the belt pack. The fact that the headset mic works OK suggests that the power exists.

Just as a point of reference, when you hold the lav mic in the same position as the headset mic, do you get about the same volume for the same settings? Or, vice versa, if you hold the headset 3-4 inches away from your mouth, do you still get a usable volume? Could be that there's just not a lot of gain/sensitivity for $100.


--

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http://mikeriversaudio.wordpress.com
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[email protected] makolber@yahoo.com is offline
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Default Decent quality wireless lapel mic system (used OK) $200???

I will research what is compatible with those transmitters to find out what options, if any, exist in the affordability range.

- DK


is the wireless receiver separate from your amplifier?

if so, did you connect the receiver to a mic input or a line input of your amplifier.

if you are using a line input, try using a mic input.

mark




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Mat Nieuwenhoven Mat Nieuwenhoven is offline
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Default Decent quality wireless lapel mic system (used OK) $200???

On Tue, 1 May 2018 20:07:33 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

I realize I'm broaching a very broad subject in wireless mic systems. Since I have very little experience with such, I'm hoping to gain some insight and warnings about mines to avoid. Here is the quick summary of my situation....

I needed a wireless lavalier/lapel mic system in a hurry and found a used PylePro WDM4400 system on a reliable audio site for $100. The reviews were in agreement - the lapel mics have no pick-up to them, but the rest of the unit w/ the headsets is solid. I experienced the same. So I am seeing three budget-minded options to consider pursuing:

1) Keep the system and find good lapel mics to replace the stock ones. (How much money would I need to spend on each mic to get great pick-up and good sound quality, and compatible with the transmitter?)

2) Return the system and shop for another turnkey system w/ better stock mics. (Having trouble finding anything below $200 with strong positive reviews. Would I be naive for thinking it's possible?)

3) Go piece-by-piece to compile a nice system. Biggest concern with this approach is interoperability of the various components. Granted I'm new to this arena of audio, but I get the feeling mics-transmitters-receivers from different manufacturers are rarely going to work together. So I'd probably have to settle on a brand with budget-friendly quality that makes components that play nice together. Any suggestions??? 8/

Budget quality. If I'm trying to find a unicorn, feel free to tell me that too. No point in wasting time if the odds of my finding what I need are infinitesimally small.


Recently I chatted with an audio engineer of a local non-profit
station, which is always short on budget. Their reporters don't use
dedicated equipment, they use everybody's own smartphone with a
cardioid mike plugged in. I forgot to ask which types of mike, he did
say that most people preferred a handheld because it gives them
something to hold/hide behind.
He said he never had such good audio; somehow multiple smartphones
were combined into one network, must be a specific app or group chat
or so. I don't know what the latency was in their setups.
Anyway, it was cheap (=budget friendly).

That said, for the specific outside event where I talked to him,
non-station people were handling the mike, and he used a standard
Sennheiser wireless handheld mike+receiver.

Mat Nieuwenhoven


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Mike Rivers[_2_] Mike Rivers[_2_] is offline
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Default Decent quality wireless lapel mic system (used OK) $200???

On 5/3/2018 6:06 AM, Mat Nieuwenhoven wrote:
Recently I chatted with an audio engineer of a local non-profit
station, which is always short on budget. Their reporters don't use
dedicated equipment, they use everybody's own smartphone with a
cardioid mike plugged in. I forgot to ask which types of mike, he did
say that most people preferred a handheld because it gives them
something to hold/hide behind.


That's fine if you're recording, but if you need a live mic, that won't
work. Watchdog hasn't told us what he's using this wireless system for,
so we don't know if recording for later playback is an option. I
suspect, however, that if he wants to use a clip-on mic rather than the
head worn mic he has (that works), recording isn't his primary application.

--

For a good time, call http://mikeriversaudio.wordpress.com
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[email protected] watchdogx29@gmail.com is offline
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Default Decent quality wireless lapel mic system (used OK) $200???

On Wednesday, May 2, 2018 at 12:45:36 PM UTC-4, Mike Rivers wrote:
On 5/2/2018 10:25 AM, wrote:
When I tried the system out in an empty medium-sized hall (200' x 200' roughly) I clipped the lapel mic 3-4 inches below my mouth. With the attenuation switch on the Tx OFF and levels turned up the whole way on the receiver and amp I could barely hear myself. When I uncliped it and held it like a handheld mic it had acceptable pickup. When I tried out the headset mics, they had excellent pickup and I could back the levels down to normal. So I'm happy with the Rx and Txs, just need better mics. I will research what is compatible with those transmitters to find out what options, if any, exist in the affordability range.




Are you sure that the lav mic that you got with the used system is the correct one for the transmitter? The manual for your wireless system is pretty lame, but I'm pretty sure that the official mic is a condenser mic that gets power from the belt pack. It's not phantom power, it's what's called "plug-in power" and it's usually around 3 volts. It's a standard so any small condenser mic that's meant for use with consumer-type equipment and has a miniature phone plug should work with the belt pack. The fact that the headset mic works OK suggests that the power exists.

Just as a point of reference, when you hold the lav mic in the same position as the headset mic, do you get about the same volume for the same settings? Or, vice versa, if you hold the headset 3-4 inches away from your mouth, do you still get a usable volume? Could be that there's just not a lot of gain/sensitivity for $100.


--

For a good time, call
http://mikeriversaudio.wordpress.com


I can't say 100% for certain that the lavs were OEM for the system. I packed the system up for return, but I've changed my mind on that temporarily at least. Your question about equality gave me an idea on how to do a more accurate comparison. This weekend I will unpack the gear and test with the headset, and with the lav held on the headset's mic with a twist-tie or something. I also ordered three lav mics from Amazon to arrive tomorrow:

1. JK MIC-J 044 ($26)
2. onlineservice-usa ($17.50)
3. Nady Lavalier/lapel omni-directional microphone ($16)

All have a 3.5mm TS plug, like the OEM lavs. If any of them work decent, it will be worth the price considering how cheaply I got the wireless system. Will post my results then. Thanks again for the various ideas, suggestions, comments.

- DK
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Mat Nieuwenhoven Mat Nieuwenhoven is offline
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Default Decent quality wireless lapel mic system (used OK) $200???

On Thu, 3 May 2018 06:45:58 -0400, Mike Rivers wrote:

On 5/3/2018 6:06 AM, Mat Nieuwenhoven wrote:
Recently I chatted with an audio engineer of a local non-profit
station, which is always short on budget. Their reporters don't use
dedicated equipment, they use everybody's own smartphone with a
cardioid mike plugged in. I forgot to ask which types of mike, he did
say that most people preferred a handheld because it gives them
something to hold/hide behind.


That's fine if you're recording, but if you need a live mic, that won't
work. Watchdog hasn't told us what he's using this wireless system for,
so we don't know if recording for later playback is an option. I
suspect, however, that if he wants to use a clip-on mic rather than the
head worn mic he has (that works), recording isn't his primary application.


I'm fairly sure this was about live, because they used it instead of
expensive reporter sets which had an antenne on them. You wouldn't
need antennas if the reporter recorded the sound.

Mat Nieuwenhoven




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[email protected] watchdogx29@gmail.com is offline
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Default Decent quality wireless lapel mic system (used OK) $200???

On Wednesday, May 2, 2018 at 1:29:25 PM UTC-4, wrote:
I will research what is compatible with those transmitters to find out what options, if any, exist in the affordability range.

- DK


is the wireless receiver separate from your amplifier?

if so, did you connect the receiver to a mic input or a line input of your amplifier.

if you are using a line input, try using a mic input.

mark


Hi Mark,

Yes, Rx and amp are two different components. The Rx only outputs line-level signals. They were connected via line-input.

Thanks,
- DK

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Default Decent quality wireless lapel mic system (used OK) $200???

On Thursday, May 3, 2018 at 6:45:57 AM UTC-4, Mike Rivers wrote:
On 5/3/2018 6:06 AM, Mat Nieuwenhoven wrote:
Recently I chatted with an audio engineer of a local non-profit
station, which is always short on budget. Their reporters don't use
dedicated equipment, they use everybody's own smartphone with a
cardioid mike plugged in. I forgot to ask which types of mike, he did
say that most people preferred a handheld because it gives them
something to hold/hide behind.


That's fine if you're recording, but if you need a live mic, that won't
work. Watchdog hasn't told us what he's using this wireless system for,
so we don't know if recording for later playback is an option. I
suspect, however, that if he wants to use a clip-on mic rather than the
head worn mic he has (that works), recording isn't his primary application.

--

For a good time, call http://mikeriversaudio.wordpress.com


Mike,

Correct, was using this with a PA system for a live public forum. I did record the event on my phone as video+audio, but no direct audio feed.

- DK
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