Mics for weddings

[Mike Scoboria]

Hi Everybodyk,

I'm shooting a wedding soon and need some info about a good, wireless setup.
Could anybody pass on some help?

I am shooting with one Canon XL1.

For the ceremony, how many microphones should be used? One for each the bride and groom? One for both? What brand and model would you suggest using and if you are in the NYC area where could I rent the equipment.

Thank you very much,

Mike

[Nathan Gifford]

Sennehiser Evolution 100 systems are quite nice, especially the new ones they have now.

You can get by with one mic on bride/groom. I usually mount it on the groom since he is wearing black and that makes it easier to hide. Instruct the bride and groom to speak somewhat towards the mic, which is usually not problem since they are spending a lot of time looking at each other anyway.

Additional mic will help and make your life easier.

[Mike Rehmus]

I use a Senn on the groom and a MD recorder on the officiant as a backup.

[Jeff Smallwood]

Many wedding videographers go with the Senn Evolution 100 or 500 systems, they work well and hold up over time, too. Or the new Senn G2 which just came out (package with xlr plug in isn't quite out yet) should be another excellent choice.

[David Phillips]

Hi Mike
It seems that we all use the Sen 100. It's a great mic.
Sometimes you find that it's possible to mike-up the bride, which is sometimes a better option as they tend to speak quieter than the groom.
The Sen 100 will give you an excellent recording of the bride and groom and the person performing the ceremony.
Don't forget, that you may have guests that want to do a reading and the Sen wont be much use there, as they'll be a bit too far away from the bride and groom.

[Robin Davies-Rollinson]

A recordist pal of mine always mics up the minister (if the guy's happy about that) since his reasoning is that no-one speaks accross each other and that the bride and groom are facing him anyway...

Robin.

[Mike Rehmus]

As soon as you depend on only one microphone, the bride and groom will do something like walk away to give their parents flowers. Or walk away and do something where they speak. Frequently without doing this during the rehersal (which I always attend ).

I normally try to use three microphones in all. One on the groom, one on the officiant and another somewhere just as a backup. Frequently that's the build-in microphone on my PC110 which I use as an alter cam. Put it up high with the LCD screen facing forward, tell the bride to align the three main folks in the LCD panel if they want some unique video. They ALWAYS do this.

At other times I'll place a shotgun someplace and point it at the 3 main folks. That has saved me a couple of times.

[Tim Borek]

I apologize if this post is slightly off topic, but according the the post title, it's a good fit.

I need to find a good stereo condenser microphone that doesn't distort when under loud low frequencies, such as when a pipe organ in a church is being played. I've been using a cheap Audio-Technica ART-25 (which, aside from this, is a great mic) connected to my backup cam to record ambient audio. Lately I've noticed in post that the mic distorts a lot when the organist kicks into high-gear. Can you recommend a battery-powered condenser mic that records in stereo for under $200? Are those little Sonys any good? I know Audio-Technica sells a non-shotgun stereo model for around $250. It looks like a handheld mike but with a wider head for the two capsules. Any opinions of that mic or a similar one are greatly appreciated!

[Dave Perry]

Tim,

I use the ATR-25 on stage at live rock shows with no distortion. I would think this is considered louder than the church pipe organ.

Does your cam have adjustable audio input levels? If so, try bringing them down.

Here's a sample:
http://www.indecisionthemovie.com/me...e_050704.shtml

[Bobby Abernathy]

I see most mic the groom rather than the bride or the officiant. Why is that, since the officiant is doing the majority of the talking anyways? I think he's the best bet, especially since he's between the B&G and there's more of a chance to get audio from the B&G if he's wearing an omni. I suppose ideally you'd mic both the groom and officiant, but I'm just using one Senn. 100 kit, so micing the officiant to me seems like the most sense. Just curious.

[Mike Rehmus]

<<<-- Originally posted by Dave Perry : Tim,

I use the ATR-25 on stage at live rock shows with no distortion. I would think this is considered louder than the church pipe organ.

I think pipe organs pump out more energy and at lower frequencies where the microphone is probably failing.

Something like a Shure SM81 is a good bet for this type of use but it costs more like $375 at discount. Might also look at one of the AT large diaphram microphones. Mine will handle a lot of pressure before it distorts.

Does your cam have adjustable audio input levels? If so, try bringing them down.

Here's a sample:
http://www.indecisionthemovie.com/me...e_050704.shtml -->>>

[Don Bloom]

Bobby,
in answer to your question about mic'ing the officiant, most don't for a couple of reasons.

1)many if not most officiants WON'T wear it as they don't want to be bothered.

2)they are generally wired to the churches PA system anyway and the sound at most churches in my area is pretty good, so I go for the shotgun. PLUS in my style of edit, I don't really do a lot of the officant.

I used to try to mic the officiant but it got to be too much of a hassle so now it's the groom and 1 more on the readers podium mic. just as an insurance mic for the readers. That one goes to my 2nd camera.

Don B

[Waldemar Winkler]

When the cameras are rolling I monitor from the camera's headphone jack. During set-up and testing I monitor from the audio mixer. My mixer of choice has the following features:
1) Choice of XLR or 1/" input on each mic channel.
2) Low freq. cut-off speech filter at 80Hz.
3) Gain sensitivity on each channel from +10 db to -60 db.
4) High, mid-band sweep, 7 low parametric EQ on each channel.
5) Pan control on each channel.
6) Mute/solo switch on each channel.
7) Sensitive faders on each channel.
8) Main out and headphone/control room out master faders.
9) Choice of XLR and 1/4" main outs.
10) Choice of seinding either low or high impedance signals through the main outs.

Incoming signals are routed as follows: Ch 1 - Officiant. Ch 2 - Groom. Channel 3 - Bride or Family/friend commentary floor mic. Ch 4 - Live music. Ch 5 - Ambient mic for general room sounds or MD.

Mixer is set up as follows:
1. Master fader set at 12:00 position...about 60% of total gain.
2. Individual mic channel gain set at same level as master.
3. Test Ch 1 by adjusting incoming gain sensitivity while watching LED output meters. This is all done without the camera connected to the system. Peak signals are to remain green. No yellow or red, as digital recordings are not as forgiving as analog. Repeat for each channel, then open all channels and listen for problems.
4. Connect camera to mixer and set in record/pause to monitor audio.
5. Adjust Camera's mic sensitivity to incoming signal. Reduce mixer's master fader if necessary.

Incoming signals should be XLR for best quality. Long cable runs from MD's or ny other mic are OK with XLR. Can be a bit fussy with 1/4" or RCA. Insure all cables used are shielded.

I send all signals to all cameras via cable. A short stereo mini-plug to the closes camera and an XLR cable to the others. Using a RF mic system to send the signal to Camera 2 can work as well, but be sure the transmitter can handle the signal strength coming from the mixer. My lapel transmitter have sensitivity switches specifically for this purpose.

I never use my on-camera mic for ambient because to activate it means unplugging from my mixer and it is simply too close to me and will pick up the sounds of my movement, regardless how quiet I try to be.
G5 1.8. Final Cut/QT Pro/iMovie/Still Life. GL1

[Bob Harotunian]

Don's post about officiants is absolutely true...they don't want to be wired and I don't bother asking them anymore. Best setup for us this year has been with dual wireless systems, one for groom and one at the podium. Never, ever think about putting one on the bride.

MDs are only good for insurance and we'll generally only use ours to capture distant music especially at outdoor weddings. We're using Samson UM32s with Sony EM44 and 55 lavs.
Bob

[Tony Zubrowski]

I have a pair of Sony UWP C1's and they are great. One on the groom and one on the official. They are true diversity UHF. The only thing I don't like is the mount to the cam, but I've worked around it. The price is right at B&H. I got them for $499 with a $100 gift card = net cost $399.

As far as mic'ing the official. I've never had a problem. They all agree without complaint or concern. I guess it just depends on the area you are from and what they are accustomed to.