Lights and Sound: Static on Nady headworn mics

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Static on Nady headworn mics

Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Lights and Sound
Forum Discription: Technical discussion
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4655
Printed Date: 5/04/25 at 1:32am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 8.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: Static on Nady headworn mics

Posted By: pused
Subject: Static on Nady headworn mics
Date Posted: 6/04/10 at 9:13pm

I teach musical theater at a public school. I am directing a production of You're a Good Man Charlie Brown. We have had two chances to use our wireless headset mics (just purchased last spring). They seem to work fine on 5 of our 6 performers but every time we turn on the 6th he is "accompanied" by horrible static. We have tried 3 different headsets and packs on him and they all have the same problem. He is playing Schroeder and it is essential that he is mic-ed but the static is too distracting. I know hardly anything about tech but even our sound guy is baffled. Please help!!

we are working with two of these receivers: http://www.nady.com/401xquad.html
and
8 of these headmics: http://www.nady.com/hm3.html

(I know they are bottom of the line, but I have to work with what I have...until a rich benefactor comes along to buy us better ;)!!)

Please help!!

Thanks!!
Gina

Replies:

Posted By: Mr. Lowell
Date Posted: 6/05/10 at 4:13pm

Hi Gina,

Usually static is caused by walking out of range of the receiver. Be sure that all antennas are in direct line-of-sight with the actors.

Try all 6 mikes on him. There is no reason that a wireless mic should work perfectly on other actors yet make static on this actor while standing in the exact same spot. (Except for maybe a one-in-a-billion chance that his body has physiological anomaly such as a rare acid imbalance; electrical field issues due to surviving a lightning strike; or large metal parts in his body from surgery). But I am guessing it is just a coincidence, so try every mic again.

(By the way, make sure he doesn't have a cell phone, Blackberry or other electronic gadget in his pocket...some of these may transmit GPS and time-of-day chatter even when not in active use...and this could possibly interfere with a radio mic in his same pocket).

Good luck with it, and please post your results here when you figure it out. I will be curious to hear what it is...

-Dana

-------------
Mr. Lowell,
Lighting/Set Designer & Tech Director,
for the Linda Sloan Theatre,
in the Davison Center for the Arts,
at Greensboro Day School

Posted By: TimmyP1955
Date Posted: 6/06/10 at 9:27pm

Possibilities:

There's a problem with unit #6.

There's outside interference - something else operating on the same frequency (or very close) as #6.

The frequency of #6 has been poorly chosen with regard to the other units, and thus is being interfered with by some of the other units (an intermodulation problem).

Posted By: pused
Date Posted: 6/11/10 at 1:24pm

We have a tech rehearsal today...we will try all the mics and I will let you know...

We did try 3 out of the 8 mics last time with no difference...

He did have a cell phone in his pocket at one point, but after we got that out it still happened.

I will keep you all posted.

Thanks!!

Posted By: pused
Date Posted: 6/14/10 at 6:41pm

It seems like maybe these inexpensive mics/receivers can only support 5 mics? It seems to be that whomever is on 6,7 & 8 are static-y...help! show in 2 days!! Any way to minimize this?

Posted By: Mr. Lowell
Date Posted: 6/15/10 at 12:59pm

Yikes! That's not good. But I don't understand why this would cause "static". I can understand "cross talk" or other interferance, but not "static".

But, if in fact your mics 6, 7, 8 are conflicting with the first 5 mics, then try to move your two groups of receivers VERY FAR APART. For instance, leave receivers 1 thru 5 in the house near the sound board. And place receivers 6 thru 8 at the proscenium, in the wings or on the catwalk. That way, maybe the signals will be far enough apart to avoid conflict. Of course you will need lots of cable to run to those other receivers from your board.

I use Sennheiser wireless mics, and they have digital tuners that make it easy to dial up different frequencies that don't conflict. On Les Mis I had 16 mics running at once with no conflict at all. But this doesn't help you any...

I wish I were there to help wring out the system for you.

Good luck!

-Dana

-------------
Mr. Lowell,
Lighting/Set Designer & Tech Director,
for the Linda Sloan Theatre,
in the Davison Center for the Arts,
at Greensboro Day School

Posted By: pused
Date Posted: 6/20/10 at 11:45pm

We just had the show. When we got everything hooked up in the theater and took out mic #6 everything was fine, great in fact. Even when we had mic #6 turned off with the battery out of it the receiver was popping. Guess we will need to get that looked at (down to 7 mics).

Thanks for all your help everyone!!

Gina