Worship has gotten louder lately. Not only are there more instruments on stage, but there are more kinds of instruments, particularly acoustic ones, as the folk influences that have infested pop music in recent years have found their way into worship music. But that's OK, because the number of microphones out there has never been greater.
Between the stalwarts like Shure, Sennheiser, Audio-Technica and other major brands, and the growing plethora of boutique marques in the market, there's so much to choose from. And that can be a problem. There are still some basics that every microphone cabinet ought to have, starting with Shure's redoubtable SM57 and SM58, dynamic mics that legend has it can be used to drive nails and then handle anything from a snare drum to a whispery vocal. But some microphones are better suited to certain applications. The broad strokes are these:
Vocals
Vocals tend to pair best with condenser microphones, particularly those with large diaphragms. You'll want a cardioid pickup pattern to maximize gain before feedback and off-axis noise rejection. (For the purposes of this discussion, “noise” is anything—including other instruments and singers—other than what the microphone is aimed at.)
Drums
Anything with a skin generally wants to have a dynamic mic on it. Because the individual drums in the kit are clumped closely together, cardioid and hyper-cardioid pickup patterns are preferred, to keep each drum as isolated from the others as possible. Cymbals and overheads, though, respond well to condenser microphones.
More so than most other instruments, drums and percussion bring the issue of sound-pressure level, or SPL, into the equation.
More so than most other instruments, drums and percussion bring the issue of sound-pressure level, or SPL, into the equation, because of the intensity of the transient signals (i.e., every hit of the snare or kick) that drums produce. The snare requires a mic that can handle a very high SPL, so a dynamic mic is usually the right choice. A kick drum needs a good low-frequency mic, and the EV RE20 is often employed for this application.
Guitar Amps
Guitar amps can generally use either a dynamic or a condenser type, and some FOH engineers and guitarists will use both together.
Use of in-ear monitoring (IEM) has reduced stage volumes such that we’re seeing more sensitive, studio-style and condenser mics in live applications.
Acoustic Guitars
These benefit most from condenser mics, which are better at picking up the nuances of this type of instrument.
Wired or Wireless?
The former offers the security of a physical connection between the microphone and the input to the sound system (through a stage box and onto the mix console) but restricts the mobility of the user. The latter offers plenty of mobility but adds the potential for radio frequency (RF) interference and adds some weight due to the need for a transmitter. Wireless is an area in flux because of ongoing frequency-spectrum reallocations (which we'll address in more depth later).
After these very basic considerations, there's plenty of room for personal preference, and plenty of options. “One thing you can say for sure is that the overall caliber of microphone products in the market today is very, very good,” says Matt Engstrom, category director, wired products at Shure in Niles, Ill. “And expectations are higher—people are expecting good sound, including in the house of worship.” As quality has gone up, prices, on average, have been going down, helped in no small part by the rise of imports from China. You can still spend thousands of dollars on a single microphone if you want to, but what can be achieved sonically for less than $300 to $400 these days is astonishing.
STUDIO TO STAGE
An interesting trend has been the migration of studio-quality microphones from the studio to the stage. Engstrom says that's due in part to how in-ear monitors (IEM) have contributed to lowering the volume on stage, along with the use of direct-input instruments such as electric guitars, electric basses, synthesizers, and electronic drums. “Digital FOH consoles, which offer a lot more outputs, are becoming more common now, and that means more use of IEMs, so we‘re seeing more high-end condenser microphones being used on stage,” he says. “Fewer loud instruments and monitor wedges mean more opportunity to mic the acoustic instruments on stage.”
That interestingly has led to an increased use of audience microphones—mics either hung from the ceiling above the audience or facing it from the edge of the stage. While this type of microphone has been used to add ambience and audience response to live music recordings, it's also increasingly being used to inject ambience into the IEMs of performers on stage, to make the monitor mix sound more natural for them. Shotgun microphones—narrow-focus, small-diaphragm condenser mics with long, slender tubes that excel at picking up sounds in front of them, while rejecting sounds to the sides and rear—are a favorite for this application.
Another enduring trend that's worth noting is the number of ribbon microphones showing up on stages, such as Audio Engineering Associates (AEA) R44 figure-8 ribbon microphone that some artists have embraced for vocals, and Cascade Microphones' X-15 ribbon mic for acoustic keyboards, as well as Fat Head ribbon mics as drum overheads. The trend suggests that at least some boutique manufacturers, facing an increasingly crowded group of companies selling to a studio market with a narrowing top end, are looking to the live sound market for growth and branding opportunities. The trend has even driven the business side of the industry: Shure acquired boutique ribbon microphone manufacturer Crowley and Tripp in 2009 specifically to access that company's high-tensile-strength Roswellite metal ribbon material. “People used to be hesitant to use ribbon mics on high-SPL instruments because the ribbons were often fragile,” says Engstrom. “Now, we've seen people using these ribbon microphones on guitar amps, drums and vocals.”
WIRELESS BLUES
Wireless microphones are a category in turmoil. For the past five years, the UHF spectrum ranges that most professional systems have worked in for decades are being “reallocated”—the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC's) term for the redistribution first of the 700-MHz range in 2010 and next year the auction sale of most of the 600-MHz range. This spectra is being reassigned or purchased by companies like Verizon and Google for use by their consumer mobile devices, which will soon benefit from the same advantages that made them so prized by professional users, such as these frequencies' ability to pass through obstructions like walls and doors. These UHF frequencies also offer a very large number of simultaneous wireless channels, as many as 100 or more.
Experts say no one will know exactly how much of the 600-MHz band will be bought at the auction, which is scheduled to take place in mid-2016 after already having been rescheduled twice. Thus, some spectrum in that range may remain available for pro audio use. With many wireless systems able to be tuned to narrow slices of 24 MHz each, it's possible that many users will still be able to use their current wireless microphone systems for years to come. And even if most or all of that spectrum is sold off, exactly when its buyers will begin using it may take years to be announced, with current users able to still legally access it in the meantime.
However, as a result of the changes taking place in wireless RF's sweet spot, the 2.4-GHz range spectrum is getting more attention. That part of the spectrum is also shared by come cordless phones and Wi-Fi, which can cause interference, and it's also less robust than UHF in terms of distance and propagation power. This band also offers a limited number of simultaneously usable channels, usually closer to six.
On the other hand, 2.4 GHz is well away from the moving target that is the UHF band, meaning it won't experience interference from television or radio transmissions, or from the new consumer wireless devices that are moving into those UHF bands previously occupied by broadcasters and the so-called White Spaces buffer bands between television channels. The 2.4-GHz range still has plenty of competition for space from other devices that operate in it, although digital encryption of signals will help alleviate interference, and for the relatively short-distance needs of most small- to mid-sized churches, 2.4 GHz is likely suitable, as is its lower cost for products compared with professional-grade UHF wireless systems. The good news is that there's more than ever to choose from in the 2.4-GHz category. Cost-effective offerings ($300 or so per channel) include the DMS 70 System from AKG, System 10 from Audio-Technica, the D1 from Sennheiser, and the GLX-D from Shure.
When it comes to microphones, there's a lot to choose from, and the wireless landscape is still going through its regulatory flux. But once you've figured out a few of the basics, mixing and matching microphones is one of the pleasures of pro audio.
[Editor's note: This story was posted in 2015.]
