Members dcastar Posted October 8, 2014 Members Share Posted October 8, 2014 Now that we know the FCC is going to be auctioning off the 600MHz spectrum in 2015... we'll likely be forced out of using our current set of wireless microphones in 2016. That being said, I'm in the market for adding another wireless mic to our rig... I'd prefer to stick with Sennheiser. Any recommendations? My fear is that I'm being pigeon-holed into picking up a system in the 500Mhz range, that's already crowded with TV signals... whereby I'm constantly searching for clean frequencies at every gig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members monthlymixcd Posted October 8, 2014 Members Share Posted October 8, 2014 All of our wireless mics and IEMs are in the 500Mhz range... and we have yet to run into problems. If we did, I'm not sure what I'd do though... since they use three ranges that are adjacent and even overlap slightly so bumping up to Ch.8 on one unit might put it into Ch.1 of the next range and so on. We're not even in a major metropolitan area so I can't even imagine what it'd be like trying to avoid interference in Chicago, etc. :-\ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Scodiddly Posted October 9, 2014 Members Share Posted October 9, 2014 Current word on from the FCC is that there will be some spaces in the 600MHz band for wireless mics. Exactly what frequency ranges, and whether your equipment will tune to those ranges, is a very interesting question. But where I work we do a lot of wireless, and we are still investing a bit in the 600MHz band. This is in Chicago, where the spectrum is fairly busy but it's still possible to fit a decent amount of wireless in. General rule of thumb these days is diversification - have gear available in as many bands as possible, so that you're not fighting yourself for the limited space in any one band. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BillESC Posted October 9, 2014 Members Share Posted October 9, 2014 I'm only selling Audio Technica's I Band which ranges from 487.125 MHz to 506.500 MHz. If more channels are require I then offer the C Band - 541.500 MHz to 566.375 MHz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dboomer Posted October 9, 2014 Members Share Posted October 9, 2014 Looking forward, every band is crowded and getting more crowded. After the 600MHz band is re-allocated the 500MHz band will have to accommodate all the TV stations that will also be shifted so while it will be "legal" to operate there it will still become difficult. And then add in the white space/TVB devices (smartphone style service) into the 500MHz band what are you gonna do? Also remember a good sized chunk of the 500MHz band is currently scheduled to go away by 2021. It's not the band that is the issue ... it is rather wireless technologies that require a clear space to operate in. In the near future there will be no clear space so you'll need a technology that doesn't dump it's signal in one and only frequency. You'll need a system that is sending it's data over multiple frequencies at the same time not simply channel hopping. Currently Line 6 technology is the only one doing this that I know of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dogoth Posted October 12, 2014 Members Share Posted October 12, 2014 Looking forward, every band is crowded and getting more crowded. After the 600MHz band is re-allocated the 500MHz band will have to accommodate all the TV stations that will also be shifted so while it will be "legal" to operate there it will still become difficult. And then add in the white space/TVB devices (smartphone style service) into the 500MHz band what are you gonna do? Also remember a good sized chunk of the 500MHz band is currently scheduled to go away by 2021. It's not the band that is the issue ... it is rather wireless technologies that require a clear space to operate in. In the near future there will be no clear space so you'll need a technology that doesn't dump it's signal in one and only frequency. You'll need a system that is sending it's data over multiple frequencies at the same time not simply channel hopping. Currently Line 6 technology is the only one doing this that I know of. Is that called a spread spectrum transmission? NICE!. Considering they operate in the 2.4 Ghz band (a lot of data can flow through that conduit), is it feasible to have marked packets with re-issue error correction so that even if there is interference, it will only r eproduce the audio packets being sent? I realize that this could cause some latence but what's a couple of milliseconds between friends? :-). Just a thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wesg Posted October 12, 2014 Members Share Posted October 12, 2014 Interesting, Don - that is certainly a great selling point for the Line 6 gear. I keep thinking that we could transmit all mics in a busy spectrum on a single frequency with some kind of code division multiplexing, but I don't know how you'd solve the computational latency issue. Wes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dboomer Posted October 12, 2014 Members Share Posted October 12, 2014 That's the beauty of our system. It is unique. We figured out how to do it in less than 2.9ms and have a patent for it. Everyone trying to do it our way winds up at about 20ms which is totally unusable. So everyone else does data compression with a codec. That means that you basically make an MP3 of your audio because it takes less data transmission. The result is that you again get a compromised signal that slightly warbles the frequencies and is not phase coherent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dogoth Posted October 14, 2014 Members Share Posted October 14, 2014 That's the beauty of our system. It is unique. We figured out how to do it in less than 2.9ms and have a patent for it. Everyone trying to do it our way winds up at about 20ms which is totally unusable. So everyone else does data compression with a codec. That means that you basically make an MP3 of your audio because it takes less data transmission. The result is that you again get a compromised signal that slightly warbles the frequencies and is not phase coherent. Really? They use lossy compression to save bandwidth? Whoa. In my book that's an absolute no-no in the real pro audio world. Sure maybe an occasional backing track or a full mix (if it's no TOO lossy) but I think multiple mics giving you variable degrees of this lossy sound could make for a miserable mix. I'm surprised. Great information, that I never would have guessed. THANKS! I've not used any digital transmission mics yet other than the Line 6 gear (which I think sounds & works REALLY well). Interesting thing is, I like it BETTER than a cable as it sounds identical except that it is QUIETER than a shielded piece of wire in almost every environment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dboomer Posted October 14, 2014 Members Share Posted October 14, 2014 And what do you think will happen to your TV band wireless mics when this gets turned on at your event? http://www.meldtech.com/staging2/f-class.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members StratGuy22 Posted October 16, 2014 Members Share Posted October 16, 2014 I gotta say I love my line6 mics. I have an DX-V70 and an XD-V75. I also have a G50 for my guitar. I DJ weddings and was considering a line6 lav mic setup. It was pointed out that I could buy the lav mic itself, and use it with the G50 body pack. Then using one of the receivers for the handheld, my problem was solved for around $30, instead of buying the whole setup. It pays to stick with a brand in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted October 16, 2014 Members Share Posted October 16, 2014 And what do you think will happen to your TV band wireless mics when this gets turned on at your event? http://www.meldtech.com/staging2/f-class.htm Wow, yeah that will be (another) game changer. Presumably, this will be used along with site specific frequency coordination? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vort Posted October 16, 2014 Members Share Posted October 16, 2014 Don, When will we see the Line 6 Wireless IEM's? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dbMontana Posted October 16, 2014 Members Share Posted October 16, 2014 Don, When will we see the Line 6 Wireless IEM's? My question as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dboomer Posted October 17, 2014 Members Share Posted October 17, 2014 Wow, yeah that will be (another) game changer. Presumably, this will be used along with site specific frequency coordination? Probably ... but that only protects licensed wireless mic users and I assume this kind of device uses some sort of spread spectrum style transmission. So likely it will shoot RF across many, many wireless channels rendering them unusable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dboomer Posted October 17, 2014 Members Share Posted October 17, 2014 Don, When will we see the Line 6 Wireless IEM's? Send me a check now and you can be first in line Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dbMontana Posted October 17, 2014 Members Share Posted October 17, 2014 Send me a check now and you can be first in line How big? Not being able to solo while wandering the venue is the biggest missing piece in my conversion to mixing from tablet. I'm certainly willing to spend for the solution but don't want to invest in known obsolescence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vort Posted October 17, 2014 Members Share Posted October 17, 2014 Agreed. It would also be nice, if moving to wireless, to use one compatible system (company/technology) for mics, instruments, and IEM's. I know that request is nothing new, as people have been requesting IEM's from Line 6 for years now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dogoth Posted October 22, 2014 Members Share Posted October 22, 2014 Don, When will we see the Line 6 Wireless IEM's? Interesting question. About a year ago I was looking for a reliable stereo transmission source because we were doing trax shows in a room where it was very difficult to run a snake and we wanted to wirelessly remote the board (but still run trax from that remote location). One company (I believe it was Full Compass) showed a Line 6 IEM setup (model number and all) but the features link was dead. I went to Line 6's site and found absolutely no information. I've never seen nor heard anything about it since and have always wondered the same thing. They should sound killer. The only drawback that I could see is the limited number of channels (maximum 6 discreet units IF RF conditions are perfect (which they never are)). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.