Replacement lapel mic.

Remember this. You get what you pay for. And with a budget of $200 or less your gonna have a hard time finding a quality lapel mic system for that amount. i will however paste the below link. Some swear by this brand, others not so much. https://gtdaudio.com/

Honestly at that price point I'd rent when you have a gig until you save up for something in the $500-$600 range.

Then I'd be looking at a Shure SLX system or maybe find an open box/used Sennheiser G4. If you're buying used just make sure you check what band they are in.

I would guess you can rent for $30-$60 a pop to get you through gigs where you have a need in the short term.

If going Shure, their G50 band is one of the only ones that will successfully work in most of the US.

Buy Shure SLXD or QLXD. Anything less $$ and you will have issues or end up replacing soon after. I own 10 of the QLXDs.

Unfortunately all the prices Shure wireless products have increased quite a bit in the last year.

To be clear, I am referring to Shure products only, not putting other companies like Sennheiser down as they do now (finally) have something that is comparable to the Shure QLXD.

Honestly, just pony up for the good stuff and you won't have to worry. Why would you take a chance at an event? If it cuts out or there are issues, the few hundred you save will mean nothing. A good mic system will last and is generally paid for in one gig.

At that price point you should buy a USED system.
This will allow you to get far better quality than you have been using - at a modest price.

Start looking online (be patient, a good deal takes time) at retired analog systems like Shure ULXS and ULXP as well as similar products by Sennheiser, and even Audio-Technica. These are products that originally sold from $700-$1,200 but have been removed from institutions and productions upgrading to new digital equipment.

There's a lot of fit out there and you need to pay attention to the frequency bands. Only buy gear that is still in an authorized band and has enough available channels for the location you plan to be using it. You should be able to find a receiver, body pack and lapel mic for around $200 when the current supply chain issues with new equipment starts to recede. (Right now used gear prices are skewed higher by the shortfalls in new equipment supply.)

dbstudios said:

I found a used Shure t4v, with a t1 transmitter for $110. According to Shure information, it still meets regulations. Would this be worth it?

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Is this a VHF band mic? Could be in the very active business band - lots of devices operating there.

The T4V is a fixed channel mic. You have one and only one frequency upon which it depends. A band can still be available for public use and full of interference at the same time. If you get interference you won't have the option of using another channel.

These T4 receivers will be more susceptible to noise from adjacent frequencies if the transmitter is turned off and another device in your vicinity is active. Keep the transmitter turned on, or mute the channel when the transmitter is off.

If the T4v system channel is good in your area and the mic still works = then it probably fits the bill based on what you were using prior.

Just for reference - If this T4 was a handheld with an SM58 capsule (rather than bodypack/Lav) that capsule alone would be worth about $79. A used WL185 Lav mic all by itself (sans bodypack) would be worth about the same. So, the trad-off in the T4 could be that while value lies in the transducers - reliability depends on the RF section, and there isn't much in the budget to account for that.

Just buy a really good mic setup so people will be proud of your work. It can get you more work and in the long run it will work great and last a long time.

Never have gotten a written review from one client stating that they where proud of my work for having great mics!

dbstudios said:

Neither have I, but I like to take pride in how my system sounds, including the mics. I did have an issue at a wedding, before covid, where the videographer used my equipment for sound, and the output sounded extremely tinny, which is why I'm looking to replace it with a better one.

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From what output did the videographer acquire your sound? ...or was it just the mic itself that sounded tinny in the system?

A lavalier in general is going to sound thin or tinny in live sound. It's a very small transducer and proximity matters a great deal. It's not the ideal mic for live sound because anywhere other than a theater or sound stage - gain before feedback will be an issue.

I think with your recent purchase you now have a different mic, but not necessarily a better mic. Mic technique is what really matters and that includes choosing the right type of mic for a given application, and knowing the best way to set up each type. For example, you refer to your mic only as a "lavalier" and have not indicated whether it's an omni, cardioid, or super-cardiod element.

dbstudios said:

I use a Behringer 1202FX mixer for my ceremony setup, and he was using the cd/tape out for his sound.

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If he was using the RCA pair to a 3.5mm camera input the maximum cable length for that is 20Ft after which significant low frequency loss will start to appear. It will vary from one quality of cable to another, but small gauge unbalanced cables are not a good choice for any kind of distance. They are typically reserved as patch cables in consumer and home audio gear.

RCA stereo or dual mono pair direct to a balanced XLR camera input would wreck the signal because without a trans-formative device in between the two signal types are not compatible.

Unfortunately, I purchased my mic used, and am unsure what type it is.

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Look up the model number on the very tip edge of the lav mic. If there is no model number - then you can test it for off-axis pickup to determine it's polar or omni-pattern. Without this important information about your mic your results will be hit-or-miss because you don't have a very critical piece of information required to make a proper mic placement. Chances are - your old mic is just fine but the results were spotty whenever you happened to make an improper placement.