What do you use for an open stage mic when using IEM's?

[imnotded]

I am slowly convincing my band members to go the IEM route. When it was just me I could read lips well enough to figure out what song was next, but now that more are getting them its getting more difficult. So I need to set up something on stage (small stages so one mic should work) so that we can actually hear each other talking. Is there something that you guys have found that works well, or is just setting up a SM57 going to give close results to anything else?

[witesol]

I imagine any mic would work, but I'm typically putting one or two Earthworks out, especially outside with no walls gigs. I think maybe one of the Behringer(dare I suggest it) omni test mics or the DBX might be a way to go

 

are there no vocal mics open enough to hear the chatter?

[Vito Corleone]

So the plan is to have a mic on a stand that only goes through the IEMs that somebody will use just to talk to the rest of the band between songs?

 

I suppose that could work, but seems a bit awkward. If you're just looking to have an open mic on stage to pick up the ambient chatter of the band, what will another SM57 (or whatever) provide that the open vocal and instrument mics on stage aren't already providing?

[dboomer]

I use an omni mic downstage

[imnotded]

I imagine any mic would work, but I'm typically putting one or two Earthworks out, especially outside with no walls gigs. I think maybe one of the Behringer(dare I suggest it) omni test mics or the DBX might be a way to go

 

are there no vocal mics open enough to hear the chatter?

 

 

 

Only 1 vocal mic and if he is turned around away from it I cant hear a thing.

 

Let me clarify, nobody will be walking up to it to talk through it. I just need one that will pick up ambient sounds, and I know this is pretty common practice so I thought I would see what others are using with good results.

 

Don, do you have a specific preference?

[hfc7713]

I use an old SM58. It works great. I try to position it facing out into the audience next to one stack of speakers on a boom stand but not too obvious for some drunk idiot to grab and scream into. I leave it on the whole night. The musicians on stage love the sound they get …..

[dboomer]

No preference really. I'm using an old AT omni that I have leaving around. You could probably also use one of those cheap "measuring mics". I run it through a channel with the low end cut off at 200 Hz and reverse gated so when the music level comes up it shuts off then comes back on when the song stops.

[Dogoth]

Having an open mic on stage might cause issues with your in ear mix. Why have all of that ambient bleed junk if you don't need it? I HAVE seen people use directional mics pointed at the audience (and far enough away from the mains to not bleed too bad) for requests and audience feedback. FWIW this mic is usually ridden up and down (off during a song) by a monitor guy. Having open ambient mics in the mix might sometimes work but more often than not could be problematic. Here's what I have seen many times to achieve intra-band communication (it works for everyone but drummers and sometimes keyboard players). Use a mic with a SWITCH placed conveniently enough for everyone to get to (routed to your monitors only of course). A simplistic version of what dboomer is doing ( VERY manual gate :-). Sometimes this mic is only routed to the monitor guy in which case it's called a "B (OK I can't type it but think of a female dog :-) mic"

 

I guess if you have really low stage volume and the mic is set at a fairly low level in your ears, it might work. I dunno, it seems like you're just negating some of the benefits of IEMs in doing so.

 

Just my .02

[hfc7713]

Having an open mic on stage might cause issues with your in ear mix. Why have all of that ambient bleed junk if you don't need it? I HAVE seen people use directional mics pointed at the audience (and far enough away from the mains to not bleed too bad) for requests and audience feedback. FWIW this mic is usually ridden up and down (off during a song) by a monitor guy. Having open ambient mics in the mix might sometimes work but more often than not could be problematic. Here's what I have seen many times to achieve intra-band communication (it works for everyone but drummers and sometimes keyboard players). Use a mic with a SWITCH placed conveniently enough for everyone to get to (routed to your monitors only of course). A simplistic version of what dboomer is doing ( VERY manual gate :-). Sometimes this mic is only routed to the monitor guy in which case it's called a "B (OK I can't type it but think of a female dog :-) mic"

 

I guess if you have really low stage volume and the mic is set at a fairly low level in your ears, it might work. I dunno, it seems like you're just negating some of the benefits of IEMs in doing so.

 

Just my .02

I had originally intended to do something more sophisticated - something like dboomer's method but I tried it this way the first time out using the iems , got the thumbs up from the band and didn't want to change something that ain't broke !!

 

[MrKnobs]

I use the little lav mics that Shure gave me, the ones that plug into each receiver belt pack. That seems more natural as you hear what your near, as much or as little as you want, despite having both ear buds in. Before Shure gave me those, I used little Radio Shack lavs with a button cell battery.

 

Terry D.