Mic on the bride

Matt Trubac · March 3rd, 2006, 11:25 AM

I would not mic the bride either.

Here is a short clip of the vows from a wedding I did last summer. There was one omni wireless lav on the groom. It picked up the groom, officiant, and the bride. Sounds alright... You do still pick up some coughing, etc... but I think it works pretty good. Put the mic on the groom a little lower than normal to balance the distance between the grooms mouth and the mic, and the brides mouth and the mic.

Vows With 1 Wireless Mic

Travis Cossel · March 3rd, 2006, 12:20 PM

A shotgun would have been much more visible than the little omni lapel I used. Also, I don't have a shotgun that I can hook up to my wireless system.

Tony Goodman · March 3rd, 2006, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Allen Rosenberger

dude...youre a crack up too! so youre gonna rely on a bridesmaid to do something that could significantly affect your audio, yeah man!.....and it is NOT ok to plave a wireless setup on a bride...you KNOW NOTHING about women obviously!, its because your are not capable of making it happen otherwise, thats why you would do something like that......but keep up your work, guys like you make me look that much better. i have to get out of this forum.....your wack ideas and advice to newbies drives me crazy....

Chris

Is this acceptable?

Tony

Patrick Pike · March 3rd, 2006, 12:25 PM

If there is room, I try to plant a wired shotgun mic aimed at a podium or lecturn (used for readings, quotes, etc.) or point it towards the bride and groom. I have a little table stand mic mount that works great of this purpose. I can hide a shotgun behind flowers for example, and have great audio. Plus, I like the sound qualities of a shotgun over a wireless when done properly.

Gene Brockhoff · March 3rd, 2006, 12:34 PM

This is a nice lively discussion on a common problem. I do agree that the last thing a bride want's is another detail to think about, and some hardened black wireless transmitter to strap under her ethreal glowing white gown. The thing about not coiling the wire and letting it dangle (down his leg) would feel kinda weird for the groom, although I'm sure I could have it taped onto the pant leg or something. So I think double micing the groom will be option one. Double micing the officiant is option 2. Thanks to all for the great advice.

Vincent Croce · March 3rd, 2006, 12:41 PM

Wow, it's not very often I read a thread here that lowers itself to name-calling and berating others, Joe. I would think you could have disagreed strongly with Peter and Waldemar without resorting to that crap...I happen to agree with you to not mic the bride, but c'mon, lighten up, man!

Peter Costello · March 3rd, 2006, 01:01 PM

"How does one Mic the bride if she is wearing a gown that won't allow a mic. The vows will be exchanged on a moat so cables are not a possibility, and we do have two wireless Senn's"

I gave the ACE bandage idea to address the issue of micing the bride. I do not recommend it, however, it is an option. You can use some MOLE SKIN, to mount the mic to her body as well. A miniature transmitter that works well can be found at Lectrosonics.http://www.lectrosonics.com/wireless/400/mm400b.htm

Travis Cossel · March 3rd, 2006, 01:21 PM

That's why I said it was an ingenius idea, but I just don't think it would work in practice. I have yet to see a bride in a dress that would be loose enough to comfortably conceal a transmitter under, unless you're going to strap it to her thigh (good luck with that). So, that leaves mounting a transmitter on the outside of her dress where it will be visible to everyone. I just don't really see a situation where a bride is going to go for any of this.

Maybe some of you work with a completely different type of bride than me, because I can't think of a single bride I've worked with that would go for wearing a mic.

Unless the bride and groom are standing 20 feet apart, there should be a better way to get the bride's audio I think.

Peter Jefferson · March 5th, 2006, 08:45 PM

"How does one Mic the bride if she is wearing a gown that won't allow a mic."

You dont...
you mic either the groom or the official, or both... then u monitor remotely and adjust levels as needed.

however for stage shows, due to costuming etc, i run varying coloured mic heads if needed, in he extremes, I get in touch with the Hair and Makeup people and arrange a hair mic (sounds wierd, but this is VERY common for theatre)

but for weddings, there is no need to touch the bride..

Marcus Marchesseault · March 6th, 2006, 05:59 AM

Matt, thanks for that clip. I think you are the only one to point out the reason why micing the groom works for all three. The mic near the groom's pocket or flower keeps it far enough from his mouth that it reduces overmodulation. The bride is usually shorter and facing directly toward the mic. This keeps her levels fairly high. The officiants are accustomed to speaking before a crowd. They may almost be too loud all the way over at the groom's lapel. Any mic that is more than 6 inches from a person's mouth will pick up other people in the room coughing, so you really can't work around the sick and the dying (that's what it seems like sometimes). Why can't people go hack up a loogy outside?

Peter Jefferson · March 6th, 2006, 06:26 AM

Hahahaha

oh hey heres a loogy for ya...

shot a wedding last weekend at this upclass eastern suburbs church and ive NEVER had interferance with my mics EVER... From shooting on cruiseliner through to boats and military bases where radio interferance should run wild, i am yet to have a mic drop out... by the way im using a G1 Sennheiser for weddings and use the G2 as a backup.

now the system they had was also UHF and pretty decent, but they stuffed up.. instead of adjusting the volume from the PA system, they adjusted the "volume" from the mics line input...
needless to say when they boosted the volume up a little, feedback rang through the church, they all turned to me thinking it was our system (which it wasnt) either way i turned off the grooms transmitter and the feedback continued for about 5 minutes until they turned off the PA... <if it was my system, it should have stopped as soon as i killed the transmitter and reciever>

the point here is that irrespective of how good a wireless sytem u have, or how ingenous you can be with planting a microphone, if the venue is run by morons who havent a clue, then be prepared for the worst... and be prepared to accept that maybe your system COULD be the one at fault and be prepared to sacrifice it if you have to. If just to shut them up about their "concerns" which are uneducated.. we might KNOW that its not our systems, but theres really no time to argue, so do what they say, and when THEIR system continues to fail, then youve saved face anyway...
then advise the couple of the actual problem.
In my case i took the details of the PA people who set up this particular sound system and forwarded them to my client. At least this way, If they want compensation, im not liable for the venues stuff up which caused me to disable my own audio equipment....

you gotta cover your arse...

Matt Trubac · March 6th, 2006, 07:37 AM

I did a wedding in a large church over the summer (one of those churches with all the latest greatest technology). Anyway, the church was micing everyone and had their "sound guy" running the board. He wanted us to just record a stereo feed from his board, he would be mixing, turning mics on/off as needed etc. I told him that it is nothing personal I just would rather not rely on him, and the churches stuff for audio.

My company usually mics everything and then records to an 8-track ADAT for mixing in post. This guy from the church assured me that he has been doing this for a long time, and that everything would be fine. He does this every weekend. What do you know... the ceremony started and forgot to un mute the officiants mic. It took about 10 seconds for the mic to switch on, and it would've been longer if it weren't for my audio guy in the booth with him saying I don't have a signal!!

Luckily I had a camera about 10 feet away with a shotgun... so was able to cover with that... but it was noticeable in the video, especially when I was able to switch over to the house sound.

You can't ever trust anybody.

Steve House · March 6th, 2006, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gene Brockhoff

How does one Mic the bride if she is wearing a gown that won't allow a mic. The vows will be exchanged on a moat so cables are not a possibility, and we do have two wireless Senn's. If I just mic the groom, the sound will be too soft to pick up the bride. There may be a podium to place a wireless and turn up the sesitivity but I don't know the logistics of that. I'm stumped.

You (or a female partner) would need to approach her with a lot of tact, but one location that is used in a lot of film and TV productions is centered inside the bra between her breasts where her cleavage leaves a space, especially if her gown has a low neckline.

Nick Weeks · March 6th, 2006, 11:33 AM

That just goes back to the saying if you want it done right do it yourself. ThHe people that work in churches, schools, etc. might be able to run the stuff fine, but they just don't have the experience. The problem is they think they're experts at what they do because they do it once a week/month or whatever. I wish they would just leave it to the pros...

Matt Trubac · March 6th, 2006, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick Weeks

That just goes back to the saying if you want it done right do it yourself. ThHe people that work in churches, schools, etc. might be able to run the stuff fine, but they just don't have the experience. The problem is they think they're experts at what they do because they do it once a week/month or whatever. I wish they would just leave it to the pros...

Very Much Agreed.

We bought XLR splitter boxes and if the church is running their own sound, we can usually arrange to split the mic signal just before it goes into their sound board, allowing us to record each mic seperately, without any concern of what the guy running the churches board might do.

March 3rd, 2006, 11:25 AM	#31
Matt Trubac Major Player Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Grand Rapids, MI Posts: 286	I would not mic the bride either. Here is a short clip of the vows from a wedding I did last summer. There was one omni wireless lav on the groom. It picked up the groom, officiant, and the bride. Sounds alright... You do still pick up some coughing, etc... but I think it works pretty good. Put the mic on the groom a little lower than normal to balance the distance between the grooms mouth and the mic, and the brides mouth and the mic. Vows With 1 Wireless Mic __________________ Matt Trubac

March 3rd, 2006, 12:20 PM	#32
Travis Cossel Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 2,933	A shotgun would have been much more visible than the little omni lapel I used. Also, I don't have a shotgun that I can hook up to my wireless system. __________________ Black Label Films www.blacklabelweddingfilms.com

March 3rd, 2006, 12:34 PM	#35
Gene Brockhoff Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Oakland CA Posts: 46	This is a nice lively discussion on a common problem. I do agree that the last thing a bride want's is another detail to think about, and some hardened black wireless transmitter to strap under her ethreal glowing white gown. The thing about not coiling the wire and letting it dangle (down his leg) would feel kinda weird for the groom, although I'm sure I could have it taped onto the pant leg or something. So I think double micing the groom will be option one. Double micing the officiant is option 2. Thanks to all for the great advice. __________________ "We are basically free, but who we think we are is not" Ram Dass

March 3rd, 2006, 12:41 PM	#36
Vincent Croce Major Player Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Fort Myers, FL Posts: 263	too much coffee? Wow, it's not very often I read a thread here that lowers itself to name-calling and berating others, Joe. I would think you could have disagreed strongly with Peter and Waldemar without resorting to that crap...I happen to agree with you to not mic the bride, but c'mon, lighten up, man! Last edited by Vincent Croce; March 4th, 2006 at 10:09 AM.

March 3rd, 2006, 01:01 PM	#37
Peter Costello Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 29	Easy Joe "How does one Mic the bride if she is wearing a gown that won't allow a mic. The vows will be exchanged on a moat so cables are not a possibility, and we do have two wireless Senn's" I gave the ACE bandage idea to address the issue of micing the bride. I do not recommend it, however, it is an option. You can use some MOLE SKIN, to mount the mic to her body as well. A miniature transmitter that works well can be found at Lectrosonics.http://www.lectrosonics.com/wireless/400/mm400b.htm

March 3rd, 2006, 12:25 PM	#34
Patrick Pike Major Player Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Mariposa, CA Posts: 200	If there is room, I try to plant a wired shotgun mic aimed at a podium or lecturn (used for readings, quotes, etc.) or point it towards the bride and groom. I have a little table stand mic mount that works great of this purpose. I can hide a shotgun behind flowers for example, and have great audio. Plus, I like the sound qualities of a shotgun over a wireless when done properly.

March 3rd, 2006, 01:21 PM	#38
Travis Cossel Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 2,933	That's why I said it was an ingenius idea, but I just don't think it would work in practice. I have yet to see a bride in a dress that would be loose enough to comfortably conceal a transmitter under, unless you're going to strap it to her thigh (good luck with that). So, that leaves mounting a transmitter on the outside of her dress where it will be visible to everyone. I just don't really see a situation where a bride is going to go for any of this. Maybe some of you work with a completely different type of bride than me, because I can't think of a single bride I've worked with that would go for wearing a mic. Unless the bride and groom are standing 20 feet apart, there should be a better way to get the bride's audio I think. __________________ Black Label Films www.blacklabelweddingfilms.com

March 5th, 2006, 08:45 PM	#39
Peter Jefferson Inner Circle Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Aus Posts: 3,884	"How does one Mic the bride if she is wearing a gown that won't allow a mic." You dont... you mic either the groom or the official, or both... then u monitor remotely and adjust levels as needed. however for stage shows, due to costuming etc, i run varying coloured mic heads if needed, in he extremes, I get in touch with the Hair and Makeup people and arrange a hair mic (sounds wierd, but this is VERY common for theatre) but for weddings, there is no need to touch the bride..

March 6th, 2006, 05:59 AM	#40
Marcus Marchesseault Trustee Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 1,961	Matt, thanks for that clip. I think you are the only one to point out the reason why micing the groom works for all three. The mic near the groom's pocket or flower keeps it far enough from his mouth that it reduces overmodulation. The bride is usually shorter and facing directly toward the mic. This keeps her levels fairly high. The officiants are accustomed to speaking before a crowd. They may almost be too loud all the way over at the groom's lapel. Any mic that is more than 6 inches from a person's mouth will pick up other people in the room coughing, so you really can't work around the sick and the dying (that's what it seems like sometimes). Why can't people go hack up a loogy outside?

March 6th, 2006, 06:26 AM	#41
Peter Jefferson Inner Circle Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Aus Posts: 3,884	Hahahaha oh hey heres a loogy for ya... shot a wedding last weekend at this upclass eastern suburbs church and ive NEVER had interferance with my mics EVER... From shooting on cruiseliner through to boats and military bases where radio interferance should run wild, i am yet to have a mic drop out... by the way im using a G1 Sennheiser for weddings and use the G2 as a backup. now the system they had was also UHF and pretty decent, but they stuffed up.. instead of adjusting the volume from the PA system, they adjusted the "volume" from the mics line input... needless to say when they boosted the volume up a little, feedback rang through the church, they all turned to me thinking it was our system (which it wasnt) either way i turned off the grooms transmitter and the feedback continued for about 5 minutes until they turned off the PA... <if it was my system, it should have stopped as soon as i killed the transmitter and reciever> the point here is that irrespective of how good a wireless sytem u have, or how ingenous you can be with planting a microphone, if the venue is run by morons who havent a clue, then be prepared for the worst... and be prepared to accept that maybe your system COULD be the one at fault and be prepared to sacrifice it if you have to. If just to shut them up about their "concerns" which are uneducated.. we might KNOW that its not our systems, but theres really no time to argue, so do what they say, and when THEIR system continues to fail, then youve saved face anyway... then advise the couple of the actual problem. In my case i took the details of the PA people who set up this particular sound system and forwarded them to my client. At least this way, If they want compensation, im not liable for the venues stuff up which caused me to disable my own audio equipment.... you gotta cover your arse...

March 6th, 2006, 07:37 AM	#42
Matt Trubac Major Player Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Grand Rapids, MI Posts: 286	I did a wedding in a large church over the summer (one of those churches with all the latest greatest technology). Anyway, the church was micing everyone and had their "sound guy" running the board. He wanted us to just record a stereo feed from his board, he would be mixing, turning mics on/off as needed etc. I told him that it is nothing personal I just would rather not rely on him, and the churches stuff for audio. My company usually mics everything and then records to an 8-track ADAT for mixing in post. This guy from the church assured me that he has been doing this for a long time, and that everything would be fine. He does this every weekend. What do you know... the ceremony started and forgot to un mute the officiants mic. It took about 10 seconds for the mic to switch on, and it would've been longer if it weren't for my audio guy in the booth with him saying I don't have a signal!! Luckily I had a camera about 10 feet away with a shotgun... so was able to cover with that... but it was noticeable in the video, especially when I was able to switch over to the house sound. You can't ever trust anybody. __________________ Matt Trubac

March 6th, 2006, 11:33 AM	#44
Nick Weeks Major Player Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Birmingham, AL USA Posts: 722	That just goes back to the saying if you want it done right do it yourself. ThHe people that work in churches, schools, etc. might be able to run the stuff fine, but they just don't have the experience. The problem is they think they're experts at what they do because they do it once a week/month or whatever. I wish they would just leave it to the pros...