[Dixielandjazz] Microphones at a distance

[tcashwigg at aol.com]

Ahh  comon'  Rob & folks  See what you started??

Aska bout a horn mike and somebody wants to mike a durn Banjo,  now 
after all the years it has taken to try and eliminate a banjo why would 
you possibly want to mic it ?  :))   Simply defeats the purpose of 
having one doesn't it, if you can't hear him complaining and whining 
 from the back behind the kick drum how would you know he was even on 
the gig ?  :))

For gosh sakes don't encourage them  they will make a comeback :))


LOL   Cheers,

Tom  "Mamma don't allow no banjo playin' round here"  Wiggins



-----Original Message-----
From: jsbarque at netscape.net
To: Talegatorz at aol.com; dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
Sent: Tue, 28 Feb 2006 00:18:33 -0500
Subject: RE: [Dixielandjazz] Microphones at a distance

    I picked up a mic in LA in 1980, a Shure model PE50 SP. It is 
identical to the
SM58 except it has a switch and lead which enables it to plug into high 
and low
impedance inputs through cannon or phone jack. It is good for both 
banjo and
vocal and still works perfectly. The SM57 instrument mic is a bit too 
sensitive
in the higher frequencies and tends to exaggerate the harmonics which 
make the
banjo sound stringy, more like the blurgrass sound, or accoustic guitar.

I always carry mic and folding stand with an 18" gooseneck around in 
the car
boot in case needed. Too often when sound is provided, the banjo mic is 
  set up
on a low stand which brings the mic up to knee height when playing 
standing up
or otherwise, it is on a worn out boom which keeps on sinking. Ask for 
a higher
stand and the usual response is "the last bloke was sitting there 
playing his
guitar and didn't complain". or - "that's what was ordered" etc. As 
long as they
have found the right mic for the kick drum, nothing else matters.

I have also used Beyer microphones and couldn't agree more with the 
opinion that
they are top performers.

 cheers
Tony Orr



Talegatorz at aol.com wrote:

>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
Talegatorz at aol.com wrote:

>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
>_______________________________________________
>Dixielandjazz mailing list
>Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
>http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz
>

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