[Dixielandjazz] Microphones at a distance

[tcashwigg at aol.com]

Hi GUS:

Excellent points but remember you are talking to Dixieland Players 
here,  the same Question could be asked about,
Why spend thousands of dollars for a good horn to play $40.00 gigs   
The only guy you are going to impress is the other guy on the bandstand 
making $40.00.  :))   The usual audience does not know the difference 
or even care what kind of horn or mic you use. :))   And at $5.00 to 
$8.00 admission they are not likely to buy you  anything better for a 
long time either.

Oh my oh my what did I say??  Cheaper to go back to the Megaphone and 
save the money

Oh do dee oh do!

Now what I want to know is what is the best Mic for a WASHBOARD ??   
answer ( an underpass)


Tom "Just Play louder or get off the stage" Wiggins




-----Original Message-----
From: Talegatorz at aol.com
To: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
Sent: Mon, 27 Feb 2006 22:14:25 EST
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Microphones at a distance

   Here's my two cents on the microphone thread.
I do agree that the SM 58 and "Beta" sets the standard for economical
microphones.
For well over twenty years I have been using Beyer products and 
although they
are well over twice the price, the sound quality, versatility and 
feedback
resistance are far superior to anything else I've tried and well worth 
the
expense. Each one is fully tested before delivery and the resulting 
frequency
response chart included. They are very rugged, but once after a 
careless drummer

vitually destroyed one, I sent it back to the Beyer USA for a repair. 
They
replaced the body, the guts and windscreen, box and upgraded it to 
current
specs.
Essentially returning a brand new unit all for about half the cost.
The Beyer M69 is an excellent all purpose unit. The M88 is probably the 
best
vocal mic on the market and its also great for lead solos, (I love 
mine).  I
have also owned some M500's which have the characteristics of an ribbon 
mic
without the expected feedback or delicacy. (They may have been 
discontinued or
been superceded by a newer model.) All these have worked well with 
horns, but I
liked the 500 the best for this. However, when playing sax for a loud 
rock
band, I found that the M69 produced far more gain before feedback and 
any extra
sound quality was unnecessary.  tend to Volume is boosted dramatically 
when you
sing with them under your nose, and the response seems flatter and
progressively softer from two to twelve inches away. Its easy to 
control  volume
this
way. They are not usually found in  music stores, but most professional 
sound
companies carry them. Google Beyer USA.
These mics have also worked very well at a distance by placing two in 
front
up high six to ten feet from the band. This method produces a natural 
accoustic
type sound that is just a lot louder louder and well mixed no matter 
which
way the players point their bells. In most rooms, feedback is not a 
problem no
matter how high the gain. Most extraneous noise is just too quiet to be 
heard.
No doubt Shure, EV, AKG, Sennheiser, Audio Technica and other brands of
hyper-cardiod mics would work in a similar fashion. If one wants a 
louder and
more modern "PA" type sound, individual instrument and vocal mics and
attendant mixing is the only way to go. There are also many clip on and 
wireless
mic
systems on the market which would eliminate a lot of the pitfalls of 
stand
mounted types.
WWBW.com and others have  good selections of these to check out.
Although great advances have been made in the last twenty years and in
general there is far more bang for the buck offered now in sound gear, 
a cheap
microphone will be the weakest link and is seldom worth the expense. A 
Shure
SM58
is probably the least worth serious consideration.
Why own an expensive horn and then balk at spending a fraction of that 
on a
mic for reinforcing its sound?

Gus Bloch
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