Hanging Mics Problem

[Ed Dixon]

At our church we have 4 mics hung from the ceiling for the choir area. These were installed many years ago and we're having problems getting them to sound good.

I cannot yet tell the exact model yet, because of height, but they are white, very small, and appear similar to some Audio Technicia condenser mics I have used for other churches in the past. The Audio Technicia I used in the past worked great, but these clearly do not.

When the mics are enabled, the sound that results sounds very distant with a high white noise-like sound. Almost as if they are picking up air conditioning sounds as air passes by. When we use other tube condenser mics on a boom stand, in about the same location, they sound fine.

The choir area is about 50’ wide about 15” deep and perhaps 40’ tall. The side walls are hard and the back wall is covered with sound panels.

The boom mic condensers are working OK, but the setup is a pain as things have to be moved for each service. Buying new mics may not be in the cards due to cost. Just wondering if others have ideas of what might make the hanging mics work better?

Ed

[Marik]

Ed,

There might be two possibilities.
1) The hanging mics are not good quality ones, or are damaged.
2) If they are omnies, they pick very nicely all the noises in the room. Usually, omnies should be placed closer to sound source, otherwise you get this 'distant' sound.

It is hard to say something without knowing what model of the mics you have. Also, they might be dynamics, so they have much less sensitivity.

[Ed Dixon]

I think the mics are OK, as the sound from each is identical. I turned each one on separately and each sounds exactly the same.

My guess is that they are Omni-directional sound pattern based, which may be the source of the problem. I think the tube condensors used now are cardioid, which is a more focused sound acceptance pattern.

I play to find a ladder tonight and find out exactly what model and make they are.

Ed

[Richard Monroe]

Did the mics sound good before? If they did, and all of them are affected, it may be that high humidity has caused condensation on the diaphragms, which can cause the result you are describing. First, take them down, so you can see them up close and personal. Then put a 100 watt light bulb about a foot from one of them for a couple of hours and see if it helps. Mics weren't really meant to be hung up for years.-Richie