"Walter Harley" wrote in message
Two questions that folks on this group might have good answers for. The
context is that I'm upgrading the sound system for an old church. Budget
is minimal; so, thankfully, are expectations.

1) I need a mic on the piano. It needs to be able to work with lid open
or shut. It needs to be permanently attached - no gaff tape! Less than
$200 would be nice. Any recommendations? (Sorry, I don't subscribe to
Recording - I saw the mention of the article there.)

Nothing is ever going to sound good with the lid shut.

The PZM seems to be the most common choice for this sort of thing... I
don't much like the way it makes the piano sound (we are talking about
a grand, right?), but it is very low profile.

In a pinch, mounting a couple low-profile omni gooseneck mikes in the piano
might do a little better. Not much, though.

This is the exact application that the Helpenstil piano pickup was designed
for. It sounds even worse, though.

2) The mic lines will need to run about 100' through a cold-air return
under the sanctuary. Am I correct that this means I should be using
plenum rated cable, rather than my old standby Belden 9451? Is there a
similarly "standard" plenum rated cable that everyone uses for fixed
installs?

You cannot do this. You _can_ run them on the outside of the cold air
return, though, which will be almost as easy.

You must use plenum-rated cable in any space used as an air return, but
you cannot use it in ducts. There is a cable you _can_ use in ducts
(and Steve Lampen is the guy to ask about it), but it will cost you a
bloody fortune. As it is, the plenum-rated stuff is much more expensive
than the cheap PVC materials. Surely a member of the congregation is
an electrician and can be drafted into pulling some cables.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."