Wireless mic (senny g2) issues

[John Knight]

I've been using iRiver's with Giant Squid mics for some time and like the sound. I don't however like the Giant Squid mics which have a nasty cheap alligator clip that makes the mic stick out from the lapel.

I bought a Yamaha c24 and an Azden EX-503 lapel mic. The iRiver is definately a lot cleaner sounding than the Yamaha so was a little disappointed.

Best results for Yamaha I found after a LOT of testing was:
Input volume at 34, auto off, high sensitivity, high pass off, peak limiter on (3secs)

Can anyone recommend a different lapel mic instead of the Azden EX-503? Maybe that's my problem. It has a nice clip, but the permanent foam windshield is a tad too big.

[Jeff Harper]

I use a Rode lapel mic, but it's pricey at $249. It's warm, natural sounding. It does come with a nice furry FWIW.

[Peter Riding]

The dimensions of the Zoom H1 compared to the Yamaha C24 are misleading because of the bulbous nature on the onboard mic end of the H1. In reality it is rather smaller than would appear.

The C24 is 38mm x 113mm x 21mm (deep)

The H1 is 44mm x 136mm x 31mm (deep)

But the main body of the H1 is only 34mm wide x 22mm deep compared to the C24 at 38mm x 21mm deep.

I prefer the H1 for the very big and important reason that it has a standard 1/4x20 tripod socket in the back and this enables you to use any number of friction arms etc to attach it to nearby furniture and fittings or place it on a mini table tripod instead of going the trouser pocket route, whereas the C24 relies on a proprietary holder.

The H1 is longer than the C24 but it still fits easily into a trouser pocket. Jacket pocket OK depending on the cut of the jacket. You can of course use a suitable pouch with a belt loop. search for mobile phone pouches.

I have the Senny G3 but in practice I seldom use it and I seldom put a lav on the groom direct into an H1 either.

This is because I dislike the mismatch you get between the crystal clear (and non ambient-inclusive) audio you get from the groom compared to the bride who is of course around a metre away and unlikely to be wearing her own lav. And if the celebrant is wearing a lav all well and good but if they will not do so then they are often 2 metres away from the grooms lav so its an even greater mismatch. My prefered solution is to place an H1 in the flower arrangement which is often on the table in between the bride and groom and the celebrant in civil ceremonies; this is an equal distance between all three and at the same time sufficiently close to obtain decent (though not perfect) audio. It also picks up readers who take up position near the celebrants place during the ceremony. Other hiding places are often available but you can of course hide a lav in a suitable place maybe using black heavy duty blutac feeding by wire to a hidden H1 / C24.

Pete