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Microphones & DI

Microphones use their diaphragm to pick up on sound pressure waves coming from the source. They convert this to electrical signals, sent down an XLR, to be processed by a sound desk. DI boxes are like microphones for electrical instruments. They connect keyboards, guitars, bass guitars, and synths to a sound desk. The mics and DI's tech crew own range in cost from around £30 to £300 each, and we aim to charge 2% of RRP for hires (before any additional discounts).

Dynamic Microphones​

This is probably the most common and most versatile type of microphone. We use dynamic microphones for singers, presenters, and most instruments.

  • Shure SM58, iconic and ideal for vocals, "worlds most popular microphone".
  • Shure SM57, standard instrument mic. Tech crew own five Thomann MB75, which is thomann's affordable version of the SM57 (its four times cheaper!).
  • Sure Beta 52A, for the low-frequencies of kick drums.
  • Sennheiser e835, another nice vocal mic alternative to the SM58, with a switch (good for a DSM)!

Condenser Microphones​

Condenser Microphones are more specialised than dynamic mics, and are more sensitive. They are used for when the sound source has to be further away from the microphone. Condensers are used for drum overhead mics, or for picking up crowd ambiance. They can also be used in plays to amplify the cast as a whole without having to individually mic each performer. Note condensers need phantom power to work!

  • AKG P170, condenser tech crew own.
  • t.bone SC140, condenser microphone pair that we own.
  • AKG SE300 with CK8 or CK9 shotgun capsules (WAC owns these)

Lav Microphones​

These mics are most often used with our radiomic packs for musicals, because they are small and lightweight. They are also the type of mic you see on TV in talk shows, or in university lectures.

Lavalier/Lav/Lapel microphones are clip-on mics that can either be taped to the face, clipped on the costume, or attached in the hairline of the performer. Lav mics have drawbacks of: tape falling off the face mid performance, the taping process being intrusive for the performer, and the mic taping being time consuming. However, the lav mics we own are very high quality so should sound very good and be durable.

  • Sennheiser MKE2, very fancy omni-directional clip-on lavalier microphone for musicals (~£300 each).
  • Sennheiser MKE essential, cheaper version of the MKE2 (~£200) but still very good for our purposes

Headset Microphones​

The other lightweight mic option is headset microphones. They clip around the performers ears and extend on a boom. Headset mics have the benefits of: being quick to put on, very secure on the face, and maintaining a constant distance from the mouth. However the headset mics Tech Crew own are cheaper, so may produce lower sound quality than the lav capsules.

For me, an ideal world would look like putting the MKE2 capsules in the headset mic form factor. But I encourage you to test the different types yourself, see if you can tell the difference, and form your own opinion!

DI Boxes​

Direct Injection boxes (DI Boxes) converts the high-impedance, unbalanced signal from the instrument into a low-impedance, balanced signal that can travel longer distances without noise or signal loss. They come in two flavours: mono DI boxes and stereo DI's, depending on the number of channels (one or two) they output. We use stereo DI's for keys (one channel holds lower frequencies, the other holds higher), and we use mono DI boxes for bass and electric guitars. Note DI's need phantom power!!

Phantom power​

Importantly, condenser mics and DI boxes require +48v Phantom power to work! Phantom power is a way of providing power to microphones without using a battery. When phantom power is enabled for a channel, the sound desk sends a small amount of voltage (usually 48 volts) through the microphone cable for the mic/DI to use. Condensers have a built in capacitor which requires this electricity to operate. DI boxes also need this power to work, however DI boxes sometimes come with the option to use battery power.