Will AKG CK91 work well as a wireless transmitted hand mic? at DVinfo.net

Lonnie Bell · March 15th, 2008, 02:40 AM

I have the AKG ck91 (omni) and ck93(hypercardoid) and was wondering how you experts thought one of them might work as a handlheld mic. I was going to put the wireless transmitter plug on the end via the Evolution series. Also, was thinking the omni seemed to make more sense - that way mic direction wouldn't be so crucial with a newbie interviewer...

Environment will be a busy loud restaurant environment (corporate banquets).

Will probably be supplemented with a 416 shotgun on the camera for backup.

Your thoughts please... and thanks in advance,
Lonnie

Jimmy Tuffrey · March 15th, 2008, 05:08 AM

ck91 is cardiod I thought....?

Is it the 500 series butt plug? The one that has four AA's and gives phantom?

Will work if it is

Steve House · March 15th, 2008, 05:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lonnie Bell

I have the AKG ck91 (omni) and ck93(hypercardoid) and was wondering how you experts thought one of them might work as a handlheld mic. I was going to put the wireless transmitter plug on the end via the Evolution series. Also, was thinking the omni seemed to make more sense - that way mic direction wouldn't be so crucial with a newbie interviewer...

Environment will be a busy loud restaurant environment (corporate banquets).

Will probably be supplemented with a 416 shotgun on the camera for backup.

Your thoughts please... and thanks in advance,
Lonnie

An omni in a loud environment would pickup lots of the background noise. The cardioid and hyper caps would be sensistive to handling noise. You need to make sure your buttplug provides phantom if you're going to use the AKG mic.

The 416 on the camera is likely to be virtually useless unless you're sticking the camera right up the subject's nose.

Why not spring for a couple of hundred bucks and get a proper interview mic like the Electrovoice RE50 or the Senneheiser MD46? Cardioid pattern to improve noise rejection, dynamic element to eliminate worries over having a source of phantom, internal pop filter and shock mount, longer shank to make it more comfortable to stay on-mic while hand-holding, and inexpensive - both mics mentioned are under $200.

Lonnie Bell · March 15th, 2008, 07:56 AM

Jimmy - you are correct - I have a cardoid and a hypercardoid.

Steven - that's why I come here!

Which do you prefer: the specs on both look ideal in size, and perfect for handheld situations - insensitive to shock and p-pops...

And will this work well the Sennheiser Evolution G2 100 Series plug in transmitter/receiver?

Thank you kindly...
Lonnie

Wayne Brissette · March 15th, 2008, 08:12 AM

I'm currently doing a lot of MOS (man on the street) things for South-by-Southwest right now. We use wireless handhelds, plus a boom. For the wireless, we use the EV RE50, and one has the Zaxcom TRX700 plug, the other the Lecro UH400 plug. It's not so much the plugs (both work and sound great), but the mics that will make the difference. You want to use a mic that has some sort of internal shock resistance built-in otherwise you'll end up with a lot of handling noise. The RE50 mics are pretty bulletproof, and aren't all that expensive. There are other handhelds that are even less than $100. I would say you really want to look at a real handheld mic and stay away from the AKG as a handheld.

Wayne

Lonnie Bell · March 15th, 2008, 08:18 AM

Thanks Wayne,
I will be doing a lot of corporate work in Las Vegas, and most of the time a non-pro will be handling/speaking into the mic - so bulletproof and resistant to noise with a great pick up is what the doctor orders...

Yeah $200 and under for a quality mic - that's a no brainer! The G2 is very affordable as well, I saw them used at NAB, and heard pretty good feedback from them (the good kind of feedback).

Any advantage to using the Senny mic and Senny G2 combo over the EV and the Senny G2 combo?

Thanks

Steve House · March 15th, 2008, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lonnie Bell

...
Any advantage to using the Senny mic and Senny G2 combo over the EV and the Senny G2 combo?

Thanks

Either combo should work well - take your pick.

Marco Leavitt · March 15th, 2008, 07:11 PM

The Bluelines are notorious for being finicky about the power source. With SoundDevices mixers for instance, you pretty much have to use 48v and have the low cut enabled, even though the mic is rated for 12v to 48v. So, I wouldn't be surprised if a standard plug on transmitter would have problems, but I have never tried it so I wouldn't know. It does have a reduced sensitivity switch though, which ought to be helpful if you are using it handheld. (I actually have used it hardwired as a handheld mic and it worked pretty well.) Still, since as Wayne points out quality dynamic mics are really cheap, I don't know why you'd want to use the Blueline as a wireless mic.

Lonnie Bell · March 15th, 2008, 09:45 PM

Because I own only two mics - the 416 and the ck91 and ck93(only one se300b)... so I thought if I could use it as an interview mic - why not...

However, nothings ever that easy so that's why I asked - and now I stand enlightened. I will get either the EV50 or the Senny to go with the G2.

Thanks all,
Lonnie

Marco Leavitt · March 15th, 2008, 10:39 PM

Well, the reason I used it handheld was because I didn't have another mic handy. As long as you're committed to buying the plug in transmitter anyway, and already have the Blueline, why not try it? Let us all know if it works.

Lonnie Bell · March 15th, 2008, 10:59 PM

Well, I will go with one of the suggested combos for quality assurances. However, when the G2 wireless arrives I will test it out with the AKG combo for you and update you Marco...

Not ordering until late next week.

Lonnie

Ross Jones · March 16th, 2008, 05:33 PM

If the ck91 requires phantom power, I didn't think that the plug in transmitter in the G2 kit supplied phantom..
Please correct me if I'm wrong...
Rgds, Ross
-------------

Lonnie Bell · March 16th, 2008, 09:09 PM

Doh! Glad I decided to go the other way. Forgot about the condenser mic needing Phantom. That's probably another reason the others recommended dynamic mics...

Nice catch Ross.

March 15th, 2008, 02:40 AM	#1
Lonnie Bell Major Player Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Las Vegas, NV United States Posts: 361	Will AKG CK91 work well as a wireless transmitted hand mic? I have the AKG ck91 (omni) and ck93(hypercardoid) and was wondering how you experts thought one of them might work as a handlheld mic. I was going to put the wireless transmitter plug on the end via the Evolution series. Also, was thinking the omni seemed to make more sense - that way mic direction wouldn't be so crucial with a newbie interviewer... Environment will be a busy loud restaurant environment (corporate banquets). Will probably be supplemented with a 416 shotgun on the camera for backup. Your thoughts please... and thanks in advance, Lonnie __________________ Lonnie Bell mamas boy productions Las Vegas, NV

March 15th, 2008, 07:56 AM	#4
Lonnie Bell Major Player Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Las Vegas, NV United States Posts: 361	Jimmy - you are correct - I have a cardoid and a hypercardoid. Steven - that's why I come here! Which do you prefer: the specs on both look ideal in size, and perfect for handheld situations - insensitive to shock and p-pops... And will this work well the Sennheiser Evolution G2 100 Series plug in transmitter/receiver? Thank you kindly... Lonnie __________________ Lonnie Bell mamas boy productions Las Vegas, NV

March 15th, 2008, 08:12 AM	#5
Wayne Brissette Major Player Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 383	I'm currently doing a lot of MOS (man on the street) things for South-by-Southwest right now. We use wireless handhelds, plus a boom. For the wireless, we use the EV RE50, and one has the Zaxcom TRX700 plug, the other the Lecro UH400 plug. It's not so much the plugs (both work and sound great), but the mics that will make the difference. You want to use a mic that has some sort of internal shock resistance built-in otherwise you'll end up with a lot of handling noise. The RE50 mics are pretty bulletproof, and aren't all that expensive. There are other handhelds that are even less than $100. I would say you really want to look at a real handheld mic and stay away from the AKG as a handheld. Wayne __________________ Mics: KMR 82 i, NTG-1, MKH418S, MKH8040, SR77, QTC1, QTC40, SR30 Recorder: Zaxcom Deva 5.8 & MIX-12. Wireless: TRX900 stereo, Lectro 411

March 15th, 2008, 08:18 AM	#6
Lonnie Bell Major Player Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Las Vegas, NV United States Posts: 361	Thanks Wayne, I will be doing a lot of corporate work in Las Vegas, and most of the time a non-pro will be handling/speaking into the mic - so bulletproof and resistant to noise with a great pick up is what the doctor orders... Yeah $200 and under for a quality mic - that's a no brainer! The G2 is very affordable as well, I saw them used at NAB, and heard pretty good feedback from them (the good kind of feedback). Any advantage to using the Senny mic and Senny G2 combo over the EV and the Senny G2 combo? Thanks __________________ Lonnie Bell mamas boy productions Las Vegas, NV

March 15th, 2008, 09:45 PM	#9
Lonnie Bell Major Player Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Las Vegas, NV United States Posts: 361	Because I own only two mics - the 416 and the ck91 and ck93(only one se300b)... so I thought if I could use it as an interview mic - why not... However, nothings ever that easy so that's why I asked - and now I stand enlightened. I will get either the EV50 or the Senny to go with the G2. Thanks all, Lonnie __________________ Lonnie Bell mamas boy productions Las Vegas, NV

March 15th, 2008, 05:08 AM	#2
Jimmy Tuffrey Major Player Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Bristol U.K. Posts: 244	ck91 is cardiod I thought....? Is it the 500 series butt plug? The one that has four AA's and gives phantom? Will work if it is

March 15th, 2008, 07:11 PM	#8
Marco Leavitt Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Albany, NY 12210 Posts: 2,652	The Bluelines are notorious for being finicky about the power source. With SoundDevices mixers for instance, you pretty much have to use 48v and have the low cut enabled, even though the mic is rated for 12v to 48v. So, I wouldn't be surprised if a standard plug on transmitter would have problems, but I have never tried it so I wouldn't know. It does have a reduced sensitivity switch though, which ought to be helpful if you are using it handheld. (I actually have used it hardwired as a handheld mic and it worked pretty well.) Still, since as Wayne points out quality dynamic mics are really cheap, I don't know why you'd want to use the Blueline as a wireless mic.

March 15th, 2008, 10:39 PM	#10
Marco Leavitt Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Albany, NY 12210 Posts: 2,652	Well, the reason I used it handheld was because I didn't have another mic handy. As long as you're committed to buying the plug in transmitter anyway, and already have the Blueline, why not try it? Let us all know if it works.

March 15th, 2008, 10:59 PM	#11
Lonnie Bell Major Player Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Las Vegas, NV United States Posts: 361	Well, I will go with one of the suggested combos for quality assurances. However, when the G2 wireless arrives I will test it out with the AKG combo for you and update you Marco... Not ordering until late next week. Lonnie __________________ Lonnie Bell mamas boy productions Las Vegas, NV

March 16th, 2008, 05:33 PM	#12
Ross Jones Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Harvard, MA Posts: 155	If the ck91 requires phantom power, I didn't think that the plug in transmitter in the G2 kit supplied phantom.. Please correct me if I'm wrong... Rgds, Ross -------------

March 16th, 2008, 09:09 PM	#13
Lonnie Bell Major Player Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Las Vegas, NV United States Posts: 361	Doh! Glad I decided to go the other way. Forgot about the condenser mic needing Phantom. That's probably another reason the others recommended dynamic mics... Nice catch Ross. __________________ Lonnie Bell mamas boy productions Las Vegas, NV