Headset Microphones for High School Theatre

J

Jessie Wallace

Freshman
Jan 9, 2016
1
0
0
Alabama, USA
I am a college student who helps out with the after-school Drama program at my former high school (assistant director/stage manager and have ran the sound and lighting before, so I've some experience). We have lapel mics, but would really like to have some headset mics because the lapels have a tendency to stop working, loose their clips, don't pick up well at times, and (being clipped onto the costumes) pick up the rustling of rubbing against fabric and long hair.

We have a very limited budget and are beginning preparations for our spring musical, so we need good mics at an affordable price.

We've rented mics before, but last year the money order wasn't approved in time and we weren't able to reserve them, and having our own would keep this from happening again.

Would like to get about 8-9 mics, 6 at the least. Any suggestions?
 
Re: Headset Microphones for High School Theatre

The double ear model from microphone madness.

I had our theater department buy a bunch and they are a great value.

Sent from my XT1254
 
Re: Headset Microphones for High School Theatre

The Microphone Madness ones are OK. We don't like them and rarely spec them anymore, but haven't found anything good yet to replace them. They tend to feedback easier than they should, and need a lot of EQ.

The Pyle Pro model was mentioned in other threads, around $15-20 each, but it only has a few termination options.
 
Re: Headset Microphones for High School Theatre

Jessie Wallace said:
I am a college student who helps out with the after-school Drama program at my former high school (assistant director/stage manager and have ran the sound and lighting before, so I've some experience). We have lapel mics, but would really like to have some headset mics because the lapels have a tendency to stop working, loose their clips, don't pick up well at times, and (being clipped onto the costumes) pick up the rustling of rubbing against fabric and long hair.

We have a very limited budget and are beginning preparations for our spring musical, so we need good mics at an affordable price.

We've rented mics before, but last year the money order wasn't approved in time and we weren't able to reserve them, and having our own would keep this from happening again.

Would like to get about 8-9 mics, 6 at the least. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...


When you say “We have a very limited budget and are beginning preparations for our spring musical, so we need good mics at an affordable price.” I have no idea what kind of price is affordable to you. But I will suggest that whatever you wind up getting, make sure that the mic isn’t so long that it ends up too close to the mouth. They need to be at least an inch back from the mouth unless you want to pick up a lot of breath sounds. Even if it isn’t too close to the mouth you may still pickup wind noise as the person moves too quickly thru a scene. The type that go on both ears will require less taping to keep it in place.

I have never used the Microphone Madness mics but I have really wanted to try them. I have touched them at one location where I was helping with their system. I just never used them for a show. They were a bit too flexible for my taste but I understand that there is a version where the boom part is made of a stiffer material. I would get those. They have told me they will make the mic any size that you want.
 
Last edited:
Re: Headset Microphones for High School Theatre

What model of wireless system are you using?
Here's what I found when looking "student friendly" budget mics.

The Pyle mics are not so bad, far better than their price would suggest, but as far as I know there only available with Shure connectors. The drawback on the Pyle's is that the headband is not adjustable for different size heads.
Just looked on Amazon and there now only $11 each!

http://www.amazon.com/Pyle-Pro-PMHM...d=1452430304&sr=8-2&keywords=pyle+headset+mic


Here's an Ebay link to some mics I found that work well for a good price. The mic boom length is adjustable as well as the head band. Look at the sellers Ebay store for different models and cable terminations.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/171080914348


Here's another Ebay special I also have, these are a little more robust all around but do not have an adjustable headband, the mic boom is actually like a mini goose neck so it will take some more bending than a solid one.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mini-Sweat-...788552?hash=item2a2b391888:g:X~4AAOxyrjZRt3rc
 
Re: Headset Microphones for High School Theatre

I have several of the Pyle mics, both the single and double ear models. I had one arrive DOA, otherwise I haven't experienced a failure. They don't get used very often, and the use they do get isn't extreme. I'll be using them again in February for a theatre thing that might be a little more intense, so I guess that'll be a better test.

In any case, the Pyle mics sound OK. Actually, they sound great for the price. I had a show recently where we used some Pyle headsets to supplement some DPA headsets, so I was able to get a direct comparison between the least and most expensive headsets you can buy. Everyone was surprised by the Pyle mics. It was obvious that the DPA was better, but the Pyle wasn't that much worse, and they're 1/50th the cost. I can literally buy 50 Pyle mics for the price of 1 DPA.

They're not quite as "clean" sounding as the DPA, but that didn't surprise me. They don't need a ton of EQ, and feedback resistance is better than I expected. If you have Shure packs, it would be a small investment to give a couple of the Pyle mics a try. I guarantee you can't find a better sounding headset mic for under $11. ;)
 
Re: Headset Microphones for High School Theatre

Brian Adams said:
I guarantee you can't find a better sounding headset mic for under $11. ;)
Click to expand...

How does their sensitivity compare with more pro models? I've tried various cheapies (under $100) in the past, and I found most of them are optimised for spoken word and simply don't have the headroom for (say) musical theatre. If you move them back from the mouth to compensate, they (a) ring too much, and (b) look stupid, because you've bent the stiff boom so much.
 
Re: Headset Microphones for High School Theatre

Simon Eves said:
How does their sensitivity compare with more pro models? I've tried various cheapies (under $100) in the past, and I found most of them are optimised for spoken word and simply don't have the headroom for (say) musical theatre. If you move them back from the mouth to compensate, they (a) ring too much, and (b) look stupid, because you've bent the stiff boom so much.
Click to expand...

The Pyle mic booms are adjustable, they slide back and forth so you can adjust their position in relation to the persons mouth.
The dual earpiece headband is not adjustable.
You may need to adjust the gain on your wireless transmitter.
If you'r using Shure wireless systems it's worth getting a couple to try.
 
Top Bottom