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Home: Video University Forums: Wedding & Event Videography:
Dual Microphones for Toasts?

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ryan koral
Novice

Mar 5, 2008, 11:31 AM

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Dual Microphones for Toasts?	Can't Post

Hey, VU gang... I have a question regarding audio capture at events...

I'm sure we've all worked at an event where the only available source of audio was coming from the house speakers - and there is just no way to tie into a sound board... so - how do you still get great audio when there are multiple people giving toasts or whatever?

Someone told me (I can't remember who....) that they secure a second microphone to the one that is being used - (kind of weird picturing this in my mind... but great results I assume when it comes time to use audio for voiceovers...)

Placing a mic next to a speaker is probably a good option, too - if the speaker(s) aren't suspended from a really high ceiling or something...

Any ideas?

Ryan Koral
http://www.epicmotion.com

Darrell Aubert
Veteran

Mar 5, 2008, 11:38 AM

Post #2 of 28 (750 views)
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In Reply To

Placing a mic next to a speaker is probably a good option, too - if the speaker(s) aren't suspended from a really high ceiling or something...

This is what I do in these situations. I have a shotgun that I can attach to a tripod or light stand. It's not the best source of audio but it works.

Darrell Aubert
Ron Paul for President
Greed is good, greed is right, greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.

Daniel
Veteran

Mar 5, 2008, 11:52 AM

Post #3 of 28 (742 views)
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Re: [ryan koral] Dual Microphones for Toasts? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hey Ryan..another (which i currently employ) is using a Sennheiser Drum mic and attaching it to a speaker stand and micing the PA stack.

If you do a search for e604 in VU archives it will uncover a goldmine of info.

Smile

"Happiness is beating your good friend by one stroke with a birdie on the 18th hole" Me

Brackish
Veteran

Mar 5, 2008, 12:18 PM

Post #4 of 28 (725 views)
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Re: [ryan koral] Dual Microphones for Toasts? [In reply to]	Can't Post

I believe you are asking how to handle it when there is
no speaker stack, correct?

----------------------------------------------
"We'll always show up at the wedding with a gift bag for the bride. Inside we have these incredible fuzzy slippers in the teal of our branding."

Ezra
User

Mar 5, 2008, 12:51 PM

Post #5 of 28 (713 views)
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Re: [Brackish] Dual Microphones for Toasts? [In reply to]	Can't Post

I have used this in the past. Works well.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/...icrophone_Clamp.html

Ezra

MLiebergot
Veteran

Mar 5, 2008, 1:09 PM

Post #6 of 28 (708 views)
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Normally when I mic a venue, I place a digital audio recorder, as well as my handheld wireless on a mic stand. There are no cables to run, so I can pickup and move it where ever it needs to be, been up to a head table for toasts.

Normally it is setup to record the PA stack, but it could be moved to where the speaker is, at a moments notice.

I normally don't have a major issue, as I am right up front of whoever is speaking (usually sitting in a chair up front so I'm not in the way of guests).

Here is what my setup looks like: These are older pics, as I currently use a Zoom H2 (or Marantz PMD620, Edirol R09) instead of the H4 which is in the picture. If I use the H2 in this setup, there is no need for the attached clamp tot he mic stand, as the H2 is meant to mount like a standing old style microphone.

http://www.lvproductions.net/Mic%20Set1.jpg
http://www.lvproductions.net/Mic%20Set3.jpg
http://www.lvproductions.net/Mic%20Set4.jpg

Michael

Cameras: I do use them.
Audio: Yes, it does come with audio if you like.
Software: I am learning...
Support: I need all that i can get.
Computer: MAC BABY!

Brackish
Veteran

Mar 5, 2008, 1:59 PM

Post #7 of 28 (682 views)
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Re: [Ezra] Dual Microphones for Toasts? [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

I have used this in the past. Works well.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/...icrophone_Clamp.html

Ezra

Ezra,

That works well even if they handhold the mics as they are making
the speech?

----------------------------------------------
"We'll always show up at the wedding with a gift bag for the bride. Inside we have these incredible fuzzy slippers in the teal of our branding."

ryan koral
Novice

Mar 5, 2008, 10:25 PM

Post #8 of 28 (641 views)
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Re: [MLiebergot] Dual Microphones for Toasts? [In reply to]	Can't Post

you guys rock... thanks for the tips!

Ryan Koral
http://www.epicmotion.com

DGates
Veteran

Mar 5, 2008, 11:14 PM

Post #9 of 28 (631 views)
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In Reply To

Someone told me (I can't remember who....) that they secure a second microphone to the one that is being used - kind of weird picturing this in my mind...

Nothing weird about it. From my image archives, here's the simple set up:

ryan koral
Novice

Mar 5, 2008, 11:21 PM

Post #10 of 28 (626 views)
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Re: [DGates] Dual Microphones for Toasts? [In reply to]	Can't Post

ahhhhh --- HAHAHAHA... LOVE IT!

Ryan Koral
http://www.epicmotion.com

RustyB
Veteran

Mar 6, 2008, 12:17 AM

Post #11 of 28 (617 views)
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Check out this post:

http://www.videouniversity.com/..._string=e604;#326357

the People's Video Collective blog
wedding video and the means of production

Howard Neill
Veteran

Mar 6, 2008, 12:24 AM

Post #12 of 28 (614 views)
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Re: [ryan koral] Dual Microphones for Toasts? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hi Ryan

We used to piggyback our mic onto the house mic - if it was on a stand. That worked well. Now, we have two cameras on the speaker and two iRivers in front of one of the DJ's speakers - closer to the treble than the bass.

Cheers

.
Howard

Cape Video
Don't trash the dress. Plant a tree instead.
Cape Town, South Africa - "Where two oceans meet"

Coleman
Veteran

Mar 6, 2008, 5:52 PM

Post #13 of 28 (556 views)
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Re: [RustyB] Dual Microphones for Toasts? [In reply to]	Can't Post

I want to use my Iriver with the Senneiser E604 mic. What inputs does the mic have? B and H says XLR-3M type. What does that mean?
LINK

Coleman

RustyB
Veteran

Mar 6, 2008, 6:18 PM

Post #14 of 28 (545 views)
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In Reply To

I want to use my Iriver with the Senneiser E604 mic. What inputs does the mic have? B and H says XLR-3M type. What does that mean?
LINK

It just means it's a 3-pin Male XLR. I don't see why you couldn't just plug it into an iRiver mic jack, but I'm no expert on iRivers. Mark would know! Cool

Of course, the success I personally have with using the e604 comes entirely from the auto-gain feature of Sony cameras. For me, using manual to try and mic a DJ with WILDLY varying levels of audio, is impossible. In fact, I use auto for all of my audio on a wedding day...it yields WAY more consistent results. It's not like I can just hire a sound guy to go with me. Laugh

the People's Video Collective blog
wedding video and the means of production

DGates
Veteran

Mar 6, 2008, 7:10 PM

Post #15 of 28 (529 views)
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Re: [Coleman] Dual Microphones for Toasts? [In reply to]	Can't Post

You'd need one of these to go between your Senn and the recorder, as the iRiver has a mini-jack connector for external mics.

Coleman
Veteran

Mar 6, 2008, 9:21 PM

Post #16 of 28 (513 views)
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Re: [DGates] Dual Microphones for Toasts? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Is that a regular sized XLR connector in the picture? If yes I already have one!

Coleman

DGates
Veteran

Mar 6, 2008, 9:37 PM

Post #17 of 28 (510 views)
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Re: [Coleman] Dual Microphones for Toasts? [In reply to]	Can't Post

I dunno, just grabbed what I found on the net. Maybe you just need a mini XLR-to-regular XLR adapter then to use with the cable you have. Check with Mark.

johngoolsby
User

Mar 7, 2008, 2:30 AM

Post #18 of 28 (481 views)
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Usually the house system is a microphone plugged into the wall with an XLR cable. I use a mic splitter and plug in my wireless transmitter.

John Goolsby
www.WeddingVideoCoach.com
John@JohnGoolsby.com

RustyB
Veteran

Mar 7, 2008, 1:38 PM

Post #19 of 28 (435 views)
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Is that a regular sized XLR connector in the picture? If yes I already have one!

Actually, the one in the picture is XLR MALE, like the mic, so you'll need that cable in the "FEMALE" version.

Good luck!

the People's Video Collective blog
wedding video and the means of production

RustyB
Veteran

Mar 7, 2008, 1:40 PM

Post #20 of 28 (433 views)
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Usually the house system is a microphone plugged into the wall with an XLR cable. I use a mic splitter and plug in my wireless transmitter.

John Goolsby
www.WeddingVideoCoach.com

Wall? Where exactly do you shoot weddings? Tongue

the People's Video Collective blog
wedding video and the means of production

johngoolsby
User

Mar 7, 2008, 2:13 PM

Post #21 of 28 (419 views)
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Re: [RustyB] Dual Microphones for Toasts? [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

Usually the house system is a microphone plugged into the wall with an XLR cable. I use a mic splitter and plug in my wireless transmitter.

John Goolsby
www.WeddingVideoCoach.com

Wall? Where exactly do you shoot weddings? Tongue

I have worked my share of Trailer Park Community Rooms. Wink

The situation where I use my mic splitter is when the person doing the toast is using a microphone provided by the facility and it is not running through the DJ or band. which I have already taken a feed. What I often find is a microphone plugged into a XLR input either in the wall or floor of the facility which then feeds the house sound. I am able to plug that cable into a mic splitter which has two outputs. I run one cable back to the house and plug my wireless transmitter into the other output on the splitter.

John Goolsby
www.AmericanVideographer.com
John@JohnGoolsby.com

RustyB
Veteran

Mar 7, 2008, 2:31 PM

Post #22 of 28 (414 views)
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In Reply To

Usually the house system is a microphone plugged into the wall with an XLR cable. I use a mic splitter and plug in my wireless transmitter.

John Goolsby
www.WeddingVideoCoach.com

Wall? Where exactly do you shoot weddings? Tongue

I have worked my share of Trailer Park Community Rooms. Wink

Hey, when you charge $699 for a wedding video, you're lucky if the venue has electricity!

I think I've only been to one wedding reception where they used the "house" mic...in a massive hotel convention room, where they had no DJ, no band, just a podium and about 1000 guests. (Asian wedding, so there were LOTS of LONG toasts.)

It's probably a cultural difference, but 99.999% of the weddings I do, the DJ or band provides the mic, and the toasts are done standing in front of the DJ table. Maybe it's along the same lines as people on VU that ask,"what's a groom's cake?" Laugh

Actually, I've done like you, and put a splitter at the XLR wall plug at some non-wedding events in hotel ballrooms in the past, and ran it to the cam wireless or wired to a stationary camera and it worked great. (I was just being a smartass. Cool

) I tried once to put a splitter on the DJ's mic system....big lesson learned there. Never again. Laugh

the People's Video Collective blog
wedding video and the means of production

fr0gm@n
Veteran

Mar 7, 2008, 3:52 PM

Post #23 of 28 (399 views)
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Quote

It's probably a cultural difference, but 99.999% of the weddings I do, the DJ or band provides the mic, and the toasts are done standing in front of the DJ table. Maybe it's along the same lines as people on VU that ask,"what's a groom's cake?" Laugh

Man, I wish they did that here. Would make the job so much easier. Our scenario is almost identical to John Goolsby's. I often don't have time to find the house mic and split it off and if that is the case we do the best we can and hope the guests aren't too noisy. When we do that we will frequently point our shotgun cam mic up at the ceiling where the sound is coming from....at least it kills a little ambient noise due to the shotgun directional pickup pattern. Not the best but is what we go with 50% of the time.

Why does a gorilla have big nostrils.......cause it has big fingers.

frog blog

Brackish
Veteran

Mar 7, 2008, 6:22 PM

Post #24 of 28 (381 views)
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I think I've only been to one wedding reception where they used the "house" mic...

Almost all of mine use the house mic instead of a band or DJ mic. Sometimes it's a wired mic (like what Mr. Goolsby mentioned) but wireless is very common, too - about 1/3 to 1/2 the time the house mic is wireless. A "groom's cake"?? Smile

I think I've seen that twice.

----------------------------------------------
"We'll always show up at the wedding with a gift bag for the bride. Inside we have these incredible fuzzy slippers in the teal of our branding."

(This post was edited by Brackish on Mar 7, 2008, 6:55 PM)

DGates
Veteran

Mar 7, 2008, 6:35 PM

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A "groom's cake"??

Very big in the south. Haven't seen one yet in the all the weddings I've done in CA.

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