Some of the items on this list are no-brainers. Nevertheless, a reminder once in a while doesn’t hurt. We thought this was such an important topic that we included a 7th way to improve your wireless as an added bonus.

1- Pick the right wireless mic for each application

One type of wireless mic does not fit all. Make sure you match voice types with microphones that complement them. You also want to make sure that you choose wireless mics with the proper pick-up pattern. That is, unless you don’t mind picking up everything else on your stage including the singer who is holding the mic but doesn’t sing quite loud enough in the first place. Having a mic with the correct pick-up pattern will help eliminate excess noise. For more on this topic check out our article on The Basic Basics of Microphone Basics. It is also important to decide who can benefit from using headset-style wireless mics. You might also consider using wireless in-ear monitor systems for singers and musicians who need the most mobility.

2- Check all your frequencies for compatibility

Large events and programs frequently require more wireless systems than you normally use. You will need to make sure any systems you add to your existing ones are set on different, yet compatible frequencies. Wireless systems that are on the same or incompatible frequencies can cause all kinds of awful noise or not work at all. Most modern wireless systems are in the UHF frequency band and can pick up local TV or other commercial stations. We can help you find frequencies that work with your existing system and that don’t overlap with stations in your area.

3- Make sure volumes are set perfectly

Be sure to set the transmitter input levels and/or receiver output levels for the person using the mic and to match the input of your mixer. Loud singers can overload the level into your mixer. Levels that are too low can cause you to use too much input gain and can increase noise. Don’t assume that the settings from the factory are correct for your application. Call our experts at 1-800-426-8664.

4- Load up on fresh batteries

There is nothing worse than dead or weak batteries to interrupt the flow of a worship service or program. Make sure you have plenty of fresh alkaline batteries on hand – the right types for your various wireless systems. If you use rechargeable batteries, be sure primaries and back-ups are fully charged.

5- EQ your mics carefully

Equalization (EQ) is a useful tool if used judiciously. By choosing good mics with the right characteristics for the application you will be able to faithfully reproduce the voice with little need for tonal adjustment. Properly adjusting the EQ can help reduce some problems and enhance some voices. For instance you can turn down the lows a bit to reduce rumbly handling noise, breath pops & wind noise. Add some highs to brighten mics that are hidden in the hair or under clothes. Sometimes a mid-range adjustment can make speech a little more intelligible. Making small EQ adjustments can make a big difference in the way things sound.

6- Teach the proper use of wireless microphones

Many problems with wireless mics can come from “user error”. One of the most common problems people have is not knowing how to properly turn on and off the mics they are using. Those who aren’t used to using wireless may not know that they need to turn the wireless on and off, or where the switch is. Even regular wireless users can forget to turn on the mic before they start singing or speaking.

Handheld mic transmitters and bodypacks usually have two switches - a power switch and a standby switch. Sometimes turning off the power switch when the receiver is on can cause a noise burst in the sound system. The standby switch allows the mic to be muted without actually turning the wireless link off. Many newer wireless systems have electronics that prevent these kinds of problems. Just be sure your team members know which switches to use and where they are on the mic or bodypack. Everyone needs to be taught how to properly hold and speak or sing into the mic, as well as how to handle mics around live monitors or main speakers.

7- (Bonus) Inspect all your wireless components early

Don’t wait ’til just a few days before the your production or service to get all your wireless stuff out to see if it works. Check all your lapel and headset mic cables two or three weeks before the event so you’re not surprised by a bad mic on the big day.

Make sure you have all the antennae you need for your systems (consider using an antenna combiner with multiple systems). Make sure you have stand clips or holders to set handheld mics in when not in use. You’ll need working tie-clips for lapels and possibly wind screens for outdoor applications. If you find you need to replace some components, CCI Solutions can help you get accessories for many top brands of wireless.

Dynamic Microphones

There are two basic types of dynamic microphones. These are moving-coil dynamic microphones and moving-ribbon dynamic microphones.

Moving-coil Dynamic Microphones

Moving-coil dynamic microphones are versatile and ideal for general-purpose use. They use a simple design with few moving parts. They are relatively sturdy and resilient to rough handling.

They are robust, relatively inexpensive and resistant to moisture, and for these reasons they are widely used on-stage. They are usually better suited to handling high sound pressure, such as from close-up vocals, certain musical instruments, and amplifiers. They generally have no internal amplifier and do not require batteries or external power.

How Moving-coil Dynamic Microphones Work

When wire is moved within a magnetic field a current is generated in the wire. Using this induction principle, the dynamic microphone uses a wire coil, magnet, and a thin diaphragm to capture the audio signal.

The diaphragm is attached to the coil. When the diaphragm vibrates in response to incoming sound waves, the coil moves backwards and forwards past the magnet. This creates an electrical current in the coil, which is channeled from the microphone along wires.

Moving-ribbon Dynamic Microphones

Moving ribbon dynamic microphones are generally more fragile than their moving-coil cousins and usually spend more time in the studio than on stage. (However, many Trion 7000s have been seen on several high-profile tours.) Ribbon microphones have a mellow sound of their own and work well on brass instruments, guitar cabinets, and other aggressive sources.

How Moving-ribbon Dynamic Microphones Work

Like the moving-coil dynamic microphone, the moving-ribbon dynamic microphone utilizes induction. However, instead of a coil of wire, a thin corrugated aluminum ribbon is suspended in the magnetic field. As this ribbon vibrates sympathetically to impinging sound an electrical current is generated in the ribbon.

Condenser Microphones

Condenser is a legacy term meaning capacitor, a device that stores energy in the form of an electrostatic field. Although the term is obsolete in engineering it is still used to describe microphones that use a capacitor to sense acoustical energy.

Condenser microphones tend to be more sensitive and responsive than dynamic microphones, making them useful for capturing subtle nuances and intricate detail. They are not always ideal for high sound pressure work as their high sensitivity can cause overload distortion in some mixers and preamps.

How Condenser Microphones Work

A capacitor consists of two conductive plates near each other. In the condenser mic, one of these plates is made of a very thin, light, flexible material and acts as the diaphragm. The diaphragm vibrates in the presence of sound waves, varying the distance between the plates, which varies the capacitance.

A bias voltage is required across the capacitor to sense this change in capacitance. This voltage can be supplied internally by a fixed electrostatic charge or externally.

As the capacitance changes so does the voltage across the capacitor. This voltage can be sensed by a vacuum tube or a field-effect transistor. In either case, power is needed to run the circuit. This power can be provided by internal batteries, an external power supply, or in the case of some CAD equitek microphones, both.

Phantom Power

Phantom power (labeled as +48 V or P48 on some audio equipment) is a method that sends DC power through microphone cables. It is called “phantom” powering because the supply voltage is effectively invisible to balanced microphones which do not require it, e.g. most dynamic microphones.

It is best known as a common power source for condenser microphones, though many active DI boxes also use it. Stand-alone phantom power supplies are available, but usually they are conveniently integrated into mixers, microphone preamplifiers and similar equipment.

Connectors

The most common connectors used by microphones are:

Male XLR connector on professional microphones
1/4 inch mono phone plug on less expensive consumer microphones
3.5 mm (Commonly referred to as 1/8 inch mini) mono mini phone plug on very inexpensive and computer microphones

Impedance

Microphones have electrical characteristic called impedance, measured in ohms that depend on the design.

Low impedance is considered fewer than 600 ohms.
Medium impedance is considered between 600 ohms and 10k ohms.
High impedance is above 10k ohms.
Most professional microphones are low impedance, about 200 ohms or lower.

Low impedance microphones can drive long cables with less high-frequency loss and are more resistant to ?hum? and radio-frequency interference (RFI).

***Low-impedance microphones are preferred over high-impedance for two reasons: one is that using a high-impedance microphone with a long cable will result in loss of high-frequency signal due to the capacitance of the cable; the other is that long high-impedance cables tend to pick up more hum (and possibly radio-frequency interference (RFI) as well).

Directional Properties

Every microphone has a property known as directionality. This describes the microphone’s sensitivity to sound from various directions. Some microphones pick up sound equally from all directions; others pick up sound only from one direction or a particular combination of directions. The types of directionality are divided into three main categories:

Omnidirectional
Picks up sound evenly from all directions (omni means “all” or “every”).
Unidirectional
Picks up sound predominantly from one direction. This includes cardioid and supercardioid microphones (see below).
Bi-directional or figure-of-eight
Picks up sound from two opposite directions.
***The following graphs are called polar patterns.

Omnidirectional

Uses: Capturing ambient sound; Situations where sound is coming from many directions; Situations where the mic position must remain fixed while the sound source is moving.
Notes: Although omnidirectional mics are very useful in the right situation, picking up sound from every direction is not always desired. Omni sound is very general and unfocused – if you are trying to capture sound from a particular subject or area it is likely to be cluttered by other sources.
Omnidirectional microphones have no proximity effect*.

Cardioid

Cardioid means “heart-shaped”, which is the type of pick-up pattern these mics have. Sound is picked up mostly from the front, to a lesser extent the sides, and minimally from the rear.
Uses: Emphasizing sound from the direction the mic is pointed while leaving some latitude for mic movement and ambient noise. Controlling feedback.
Notes: The cardioid is a very versatile microphone, ideal for general use. Handheld mics are usually cardioids. Cardioid mics have proximity effect.

Supercardioid

This is the cardioid or “heart shaped” pattern that picks up less from the sides at the expense of some sensitivity to the rear.
Uses: When more directionality than the cardioid is desired. Can be more effective against feedback.
Notes: Supercardioids have more proximity effect than cardioids.

Figure-of-Eight

Picks up sound equally from two opposite directions.
Uses: Figure-of-eight microphones have uses in various stereo and ambient techniques. They also work well when capturing two people facing each other (like across a table). The very-low side sensitivitycan be helpful controlling feedback and leakage. The pronounced proximity effect is often used when more ?fattening? is desired (guitar amps and vocals). Notes: Figure-of-eights have more proximity effect than supercardioids.

Variable Pattern

CAD mics: The CAD M179 allows you to adjust the polar pattern continuously from omnidirectional to figure-of-eight by turning a knob on the front of the microphone.
Uses: All Notes: Variable proximity effect!

***Proximity Effect is low frequency (bass) boost that occurs with decreasing sound source distance. It is caused by sound wave curvature.

Information supplied by CAD Audio

The two most important elements in your sound system are your microphones and your loudspeakers. The first determines what sound enters your system; the second determines what sound exits your system. Assuming you have selected the appropriate mics and all that’s in between, everything your system has achieved will be wasted if your loudspeakers are improperly placed.

Feedback is the first sign that your loudspeakers may not be properly located. Reverberating sound bouncing off room walls or dead spots in your coverage area are other symptoms of poorly placed speakers. Speaker placement is always dependent upon a room’s acoustical characteristics, but some basic rules can offer guidance.

1) Loudspeaker output  needs to cover your entire seating area. Speakers are directional devices, that is they emit sound in a specific direction. Every seat in the house needs to receive direct sound from your speakers for every person to hear your message clearly. Each speaker model has a specific coverage pattern (the angle of directionality of sound coming out of the speakers). This pattern is described in the manufacturers specification sheet for each model they make. You will need to choose the appropriate number of speakers and select the coverage patterns that best fit your room or space.

2) Determine if your loudspeakers should be located centrally or on opposite sides of the stage. If your ceiling is high enough, a center cluster may be recommended. If your meeting place has low ceilings or is a temporary location, speakers placed on opposing sides may be the best alternative. Most church sound systems are single channel or mono and not stereo like your home sound system. Running right and left signals to either side of the stage is not usually a good idea. Especially long rooms may require satellite speakers and a digital delay. (Ask your CCI Solutions representative for details if this might apply to you.)

3) Attempt to place your speakers between the first row of the audience and your microphones, not behind the microphones. Speakers emitting sound directly into a microphone will almost always cause feedback.

4) If your loudspeakers are on opposing sides, make sure each speaker covers its own half of the room to avoid phase cancellation. Phase cancellation occurs when the sound waves from two separate speakers cross. The sound waves cancel each other and leave a dead spot in the room with no sound or reduced sound.

5) Raise your speakers to the proper height. Loudspeakers should be high enough for the sound to get over the heads of people in the front row, whether they’re standing or sitting, and reach the back row. Sound (especially high-frequency sound) has a difficult time traveling through solid objects. The less you put in its path, the better. Several methods can be used including stacking speakers (if they are designed for stacking), putting speakers on tripod speaker stands, or suspending speakers from the ceiling (know as flying the speakers).

Other variables will determine the ideal location for your loudspeakers: room acoustics, loudspeaker efficiency, and your sound system’s capabilities. But, these short guidelines will give you a starting point. Always feel free to call your CCI Solutions representative for assistance with your particular sound system’s needs.

So you’ve got that annoying hum in your sound system. You aren’t sure what it is and you may have just accepted that you’ll never be rid of it. Don’t despair! It’s most likely a cabling issue that is allowing noise from the building’s AC power lines into your equipment. Called ground loop hum, it’s caused by a difference in electrical potential at grounding points. But what exactly does that mean? When you have more than one piece of equipment in your sound system connected to a common ground through different paths, like different outlets on the same circuit, you can get a ground loop. As current flows through your system, the ground loop creates a circuit for the current to flow from one unit’s ground to a second unit and back to the first. This current then creates hum when it flows through the audio signal ground. So, now that you know what creates it, let’s talk about how to break that ground loop so you can finally get rid of the hum.

Solutions

The simple, inexpensive way to fix the ground hum is to plug the piece of equipment into a different outlet that is on a different circuit. Once you can identify which piece of equipment is causing the problem, this is the easiest fix. For example, if your keyboard on stage creates a hum when you plug it in, get an extension cord or move the keyboard so that it is not longer on the same circuit.

If changing the outlet isn’t a workable answer, you’ll need to add another piece of equipment to your system. You have some basic choices:

Adding a direct box, like the Rapco DB100, that has a dedicated ground lift on it to your system will break the ground loop and allow your guitarist or keyboard players to send a clean feed to the console without the hum. Or, you can use a product like the one from Ebtech properly named the Hum Eliminator, specifically created to break ground loops. Simply insert the Hum Eliminator between the offending pieces of equipment to break the ground loop and get rid of the hum. Both solutions work to correct ground loop antenna problems that are associated with audio signal cables connected to improperly grounded equipment. They isolate the shield of the cable from the equipment ground which helps to reduce or eliminate hum from the AC power used to run the system or other equipment in the building. We would recommend trying a quality direct box first. But if that doesn’t work, the Hum Eliminator may do the job.

Warning!

Breaking the ground loop is the key to removing hum, but we want to warn you against doing this by cutting the ground wire in your equipment. This may seem like an easy and logical fix, but it’s dangerous and it is not the correct way to solve the ground loop problem.

Hopefully, you’ll be able to solve your hum problems with one of the solutions listed above. If not, or if you want more information, please call our experts at 1-800-462-8664 and we’ll be happy to work with you to find a solution that fits your needs.

Ever wonder why your pastor’s voice doesn’t sound like what you hear from other major ministries? Are you disappointed with the way your vocals sound on recordings and in your sound system? Now you can greatly improve the quality of your most important vocals with voice processors.

Your Mixer is Probably Not Going to get You There!

Your mixer was designed to give you basic level control, routing capabilities and tonal adjustment for your microphones. The sound you get from your mixer is fine for the majority of the mics you use. But if you want the best sound from your most important vocalists like your pastor or worship leader, then you might consider stepping up to a dedicated voice processor like the Presonus Eureka. These devices are like mixer channel strips on steroids. They offer features that will make your most important vocals sound their best.

High Quality Mic Preamps Will!

Good voice processors incorporate high-quality mic preamps that will produce the best sound your mic is capable of without adding the noise you find in lesser quality preamps that you would find in typical mixers.
To make your vocal level’s more consistent and stand out more in the mix, a voice processor will include a built-in compressor designed to work specifically with voices. The compressor will bring up the volume when the voice level is too quiet and bring down the volume when it’s too loud.
Built-in equalizers are designed to give you a full range of control from minute to broader range tonal adjustments to shape the sound of your vocals.

The audio coming out of one of these processors will be superior to anything you could achieve by simply running your mics through the mixer. If you were to buy a mixer with the same features you would spend thousands more than if you only buy one or two processors for the people who need it the most.

Once your vocal has been processed, you’ll have a clear, intelligible vocal sound that you can route to your house mixer, recording system, monitor system, etc.

See the PreSonus Eureka Preamp Here!

Feedback is characterized by a sustained, ringing tone, which can vary from a low rumble to a piercing screech. Echoes and reverberation caused by room acoustics, as well as ground buzz and other extraneous noises, are not the same thing as feedback, and cannot be cured in the same manner.

What causes feedback?

Feedback occurs whenever the sound entering a microphone is reproduced by a loudspeaker, picked up by the microphone, and re-amplified again and again. The familiar howl of feedback is an oscillation that is triggered by sound entering the microphone. The easiest way to create feedback is to point a microphone directly into a loudspeaker. (We don?t recommend you try this!) Placing the microphone too close to the loudspeaker, too far from the sound source, or simply turning the microphone up too loud exacerbates feedback problems. Other contributing factors are too many open microphones, poor room acoustics, and uneven frequency response in either the microphones or loudspeakers.

What can I do about feedback?

The single easiest way to reduce feedback is to move the microphone closer to the desired sound source. Additionally, using a directional microphone (cardioid, supercardioid, etc.) will typically increase the amount of gain before feedback. Reducing the number of open microphones with an automatic mixer will also improve the situation. Try to keep microphones and loudspeakers as far away from each other as possible. Lastly, acoustically treat the room to eliminate hard, reflective surfaces such as glass, marble, and wood.

When all of the above solutions have been exhausted, the next step is to look towards equalizers and automatic feedback reducers. A common technique used by sound engineers is ?ringing out? a sound system by using a graphic equalizer to reduce the level of the frequencies that feedback first. After the techniques described in the above section have been applied, slowly bring up the system level until you begin to hear feedback. Now go to the equalizer and pull down the offending frequency roughly 3 dB. If the feedback is a ?hoot? or ?howl? try cutting in the 250 to 500 Hz range. A ?singing? tone may be around 1 kHz. ?Whistles? and ?screeches? tend to be above 2 kHz. Very rarely does feedback occur below 80 Hz or above 8 kHz. It takes practice to develop an ear for equalizing a sound system, so be patient. After locating the first feedback frequency, begin turning up the system again until the next frequency begins ringing. Repeat the above steps until the desired level is reached, but do not over equalize. Keep in mind the equalizers can only provide a maximum level increase of 3 to 9 dB. Parametric equalizers, though more confusing to the novice user, allow for more precise control of feedback frequencies. A graphic EQ allows the user to cut fixed frequencies with a fixed filter width. A parametric EQ allows the user to isolate specific frequencies and adjust the width and depth of the filter.

Automatic feedback reducers will accomplish the same results as above. They find and cut the frequencies that are feeding back automatically. The same precautions listed above apply to feedback reducers as well as equalizers. Automatic feedback reducers are very helpful in wireless microphone applications. Remember that microphone placement is crucial to eliminating feedback, and the temptation to wander away from the ideal microphone position when using a wireless is great. If the performer gets too close to a loudspeaker, feedback will result; a good feedback reducer will be able to catch and eliminate the feedback faster than a human operator.

Proper implementation of the above techniques will go a long way towards eliminating feedback in your sound system. Do not rely solely on equalizers or feedback reducers, and remember that feedback results from more than just the microphone!

Once again, “How Cool is That”!

Federal Mandate

The Federal Government has mandated that newly constructed or remodeled public buildings comply to the standards of the Americans With Disabilities Act. Depending on how each State has set up its regulations, churches may need to provide hearing assistance systems for people equalling up to 4% of seating capacity. But the issue should not about being forced to comply. Our heart, as churches, should be to pro-actively seek to help all of our members to be able to participate fully. This could also mean helping those who speak a foreign language to be able to hear the message so they can understand.
CCI Solutions has been expertly coaching churches on how to put together hearing assistance and language translation systems for decades, and we provide the best systems and components available. We will guide you step by step on how to make a hearing assistance system work with your sound system, and provide the right accessories for your congregation.

The  Solution

Our go-to system is the Williams Sound PPA-375 wireless listening system. It allows those who need hearing help to listen with personal and discrete receivers that give them freedom to worship and enter in wherever they are in the auditorium.

Experienced Worship Leader John Ubben loves the HS DM1! John was leading worship when the in-ear monitors came into use in worship facilities. John shares his how hard it was to communicate with members of the worship team with his mic live in the main house sound system and everyone wearing earphones. He adds, “I used to wave my hands and hold up a piece of music in hopes someone on my team would see me and know what I was trying to communicate”. This new product from Radial, the HSDM1 solves this problem and it’s so easy to put to use in your world!

The experts from Elation Lighting explain how LED Stage Lights are an excellent choice for architectural uplighting and downlighting. What is uplighting? What is down-lighting? Watch this video and find out.