Wireless mic with battery powered receiver???

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Proformance said:
I just don't do battery powered gigs, period. I'd rather make 200Ft+ cable runs and know I have solid AC from a generator or local source than spend money on stuff that needs repeated charging and has additional maintenance or disposal costs. When I consider the size of the gig in question compared to the cost, hassle, and limited life of DC storage and maintenance - those gigs combined with the typically small system capabilities just aren't worth it to me.

When everyone has a portable flashlight the value of shining light on things tends to decline as we focus on a whole new market of smaller ideas with equally small challenges and paychecks. I try not to take that bait. A lot of these gigs that lend themselves to a battery solution also have acoustic solutions requiring no sound reinforcement at all. It's very natural today for people to be functionally near-sighted - always looking to their technology rather than common sense.

That's my Debbie Downer comment for today. :(
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I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being conservative about changing from something tried and true. But I disagree with the philosophy of, “I just don't do battery powered gigs, period". Battery power technology has been advancing dramatically and doesn't show any signs of stopping any time soon.

Nothing wrong with preferring a way that's been working for you. But just like some DJ's from years ago who said they'd "never DJ with a computer, period" because it wasn't really DJing.

I hope I never get to a point where I say "I'll never use a new technology, period". Lots of things haven't yet proven they are a benefit to me. But if that changes in the future, I'll be open to adopt it.
 
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Scott Hanna said:
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being conservative about changing from something tried and true. But I disagree with the philosophy of, “I just don't do battery powered gigs, period". Battery power technology has been advancing dramatically and doesn't show any signs of stopping any time soon.

Nothing wrong with preferring a way that's been working for you. But just like some DJ's from years ago who said they'd "never DJ with a computer, period" because it wasn't really DJing.

I hope I never get to a point where I say "I'll never use a new technology, period". Lots of things haven't yet proven they are a benefit to me. But if that changes in the future, I'll be open to adopt it.
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Amen to that. I have both Bose S1 and EV Everse speakers and rarely will bother to plug them into land power. This Phenyx setup looks interesting. I've bought 2 Phenyx wireless rigs. First one was 1hand-held 1 lav. Don't care for the lav but the hand-held is rock solid and sounds terrific. Last week I bought a double hand-held setup and it was flawless for my karaoke gig. I may have to look into the one mentioned in this thread.
 
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Proformance said:
You realize this $34 disposable mic is just a toy?
You aren't seriously charging people money to use that at a wedding, are you?
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I use a GTD audio mic system for people who do toasts at weddings, I have ever since some did a mic drop with one of my senheisers, they sound decent and if one is lost or damaged it’s $30 for a new one, I use professional mics for ceremonies, and other professional functions
 
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tunes4046 said:
I use a GTD audio mic system for people who do toasts at weddings, I have ever since some did a mic drop with one of my senheisers, they sound decent and if one is lost or damaged it’s $30 for a new one, I use professional mics for ceremonies, and other professional functions
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Did you charge them for the mic drop?
 
tunes4046 said:
I use a GTD audio mic system for people who do toasts at weddings, I have ever since some did a mic drop with one of my senheisers, they sound decent and if one is lost or damaged it’s $30 for a new one, I use professional mics for ceremonies, and other professional functions
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I wouldn't do that kind of downgrade for anything except (drunk) karaoke parties where the performances are generally not that good and mic handling will be at it's worst., A talent show, or more performance related karaoke event - I still use the best mics because if they are giving their best - I can certainly do the same,

The decisions we make don't go unnoticed. A wedding toast if often recorded, not just by a videographer but by anyone with a cell phone.

Some years back someone posted a clip here while talking up GTD mics. Even with the online sound compression, et. al, I could tell how much was being sacrificed in tonal quality and dynamic range. The difference between a cheap mic and a good mic - is that during a really good speech - people forget that the good mic is even there. A cheap mic never lets us forget that it's there because the sound is not natural enough for us to be fully immersed when the speech turns emotional.
 
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Proformance said:
I wouldn't do that kind of downgrade for anything except (drunk) karaoke parties where the performances are generally not that good and mic handling will be at the worst, A talent show, or more performance related karaoke event - I still use the best mics because if they are giving their best - I can certainly do the same,

The decisions we make don't go unnoticed. A wedding toast if often recorded, not just by a videographer but by anyone with a cell phone.

Some years back someone posted a clip here while talking up GTD mics. Even with the online sound compression, et. al, I could tell how much was being sacrificed in tonal quality and dynamic range. The difference between a cheap mic and a good mic - is that during a really good speech - people forget that the good mic is even there. A cheap mic never lets us forget that it's there because the sound is not natural enough for us to be fully immersed when the speech turns emotional.
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I own GTD and Phenyx (cheapie) mics. I've also owned and used Sennheiser, Shure, etc. While there are some cheap knock-offs that sound like crap, these two do not. These newer mics sound terrific and are every bit as good (if not better) than their more expensive counterparts. I do still use Sennheiser for a lav mic, but on the hand-helds the cheap mics sound better and have better range. I'm going to use the best tool for the job and if it just so happens to be cheaper, all the better.
 
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rickryan.com said:
I own GTD and Phenyx (cheapie) mics. I've also owned and used Sennheiser, Shure, etc. While there are some cheap knock-offs that sound like crap, these two do not. These newer mics sound terrific and are every bit as good (if not better) than their more expensive counterparts. I do still use Sennheiser for a lav mic, but on the hand-helds the cheap mics sound better and have better range. I'm going to use the best tool for the job and if it just so happens to be cheaper, all the better.
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There is no question that you prefer that sound. But I certainly wouldn't agree that you are using the "best tool" for the job. You are merely using a tool "best priced" for your expectations.

Whether or not future events would change your expectations regarding baseline gear is hard to know. If your target is to always be the budget provider this might seem like part of the recipe. Have you ever done a analysis (time/money/impact) of how often you buy/trade gear (whether for cause or for preference) versus how those same numbers play out had you owned something for 10 years without desire or need to change it?
 
Proformance said:
There is no question that you prefer that sound. But I certainly wouldn't agree that you are using the "best tool" for the job. You are merely using a tool "best priced" for your expectations.

Whether or not future events would change your expectations regarding baseline gear is hard to know. If your target is to always be the budget provider this might seem like part of the recipe. Have you ever done a analysis (time/money/impact) of how often you buy/trade gear (whether for cause or for preference) versus how those same numbers play out had you owned something for 10 years without desire or need to change it?
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No, I have not. The last name brand hand-held I bought was a Sennheiser. 150ft range and the capsule was so-so. The GTDs went to a solid 300ft range and their capsules sounded better. These Phenyx sound even better and the range is great. It's a better tool. It's simply a fortunate coincidence that the cheaper product performs better. Feel free to stick with your gear snobbery.
 
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One thing I do know is occasionally there are times where you don't have to break the bank to get a good quality product. I have 4 Phenyx Pro wireless mics and they do the job for me. I have no complaints so far. They are not top of the line Shure wireless mics but they are not complete junk like the dual wireless mics I bought years ago from GC for $50. I forgot the name brand. I bought them for an emergency. They have been in the garbage many years ago.

Also Bob not every DJ has hundreds of days or even over 1k for a microphone. You've been doing this for a long time and you brag about getting paid top dollar. The money you claim you make at events you have top of the line equipment.
 
Brand name is not the issue, There's really no such thing as a bad mic - just bad planning. These cheap mics will work until they don't - meaning if you didn't have a meaningful set of technical requirements to be satisfied by the equipment you seek then you are essentially operating blind. At some point the limitations are going to show up - and it's usually not at a convenient time or place.

Like a dog with one of those electric shock boundary collars - these mics will be fine as long as you stay in the "yard." They fail you every time you attempt to cross one of their very real technical boundaries (limitations.)

Senheiser, Shure, AKG, etc, all sell affordable budget mic systems. The results we can get ultimately depend on understanding of their capability and limitations and whether or not the conditions we will put them in are compatible. I often respond to service calls with users of microphone systems. The single most common problem is that the only consideration when choosing their mics was price - and ultimately, the demands of the application in which the problems are occurring exceeds the capcity of the mic system being used. '

For Phenyx mics - this bar is very low. A quality mic is probably the single most important input source you have at any event. There is no faster way to look bad at an event than to be experiencing obvious mic problems. If you have an issue with your music playback - the event itself doesn't come to a screeching halt, there are other things to do. But when someone is speaking, and the mics are cutting out - EVERYTHING stands still, and EVERYONE remembers the sound was bad.
 
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Proformance said:
For Phenyx mics - this bar is very low. A quality mic is probably the single most important input source you have at any event.
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What part of "it sounds better" don't you understand? So far, performance has been superior and the capsule sounds terrific.
 
tunes4046 said:
I use a GTD audio mic system for people who do toasts at weddings, I have ever since some did a mic drop with one of my senheisers, they sound decent and if one is lost or damaged it’s $30 for a new one,
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Degrading our service or equipment is not the way to deal with that. ANY cheap mic is a poor decision for a business that has to hand those mics over to a wide variety of users. I also find it hard to believe that DJs themselves never drop a mic, or have one fall off the table, etc. We're not immune to accidents or clumsy moments.

There's a time and place for cheap mics - but I don't think a wedding toast is it unless you are deliberately pursuing the absolute worst clientele you can find. Even then, you should build this replacement cost into your rate rather than engage in what might end up as petty disputes. If you're plan is to create memories - is an invoice for damages the last one you want a customer to have?

I used cheap mics in my former karaoke rentals (cabled, not wireless,) At a wholesale cost of $12 each they were easily replaced, but also easily repaired. Cabled mics also meant that in hosted karaoke shows I didn't have to keep chasing them down from every ego-centric singer who would hold on to them after leaving the stage. If someone did a mic drop I could laugh right along with them - and move along without issue.

Even in that karaoke environment a cheap wireless is a bad idea because it won't survive the abuse and undermines the show flow. We can't be that DJ scolding the audience about how they treat our mics and expect to be taken seriously as a professional. I never use wireless mics for karaoke because the performances largely don't justify that level of tech.
 
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Proformance said:
If you're that desperate save yourself the $50 and plug your headphones into the 1/4" mic jack. You can talk into the earpiece, and it will work just like a microphone. :)
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Reread what I said. That mic system has been in the garage many years ago.
 
Proformance said:
If you're that desperate save yourself the $50 and plug your headphones into the 1/4" mic jack. You can talk into the earpiece, and it will work just like a microphone. :)
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I have done this one time & will never do this again. It sounded like Mix talking on his mic. Not very clear & snoty.
 
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