 Saxophone MicrophonesIt is possible to talk about microphones in obscure technical terms, which, though they make perfect sense to sound engineers, will go straight over the heads of virtually everyone else. While trying to avoid such technicalities here’s an overview of the mikes we have available for your sax. Firstly- a question; Do you want your sax to be attached to its microphone or have it on stand so be able to step away from it? There are some important issues here- a microphone mounted on the bell of the sax will keep you at a constant volume, which has both advantages and drawbacks- you can move round the stage, walk the bar etc (plus microphone positioning is one less thing to think about when you’re playing), however- you’re ‘live’ all the time- no backing off mike to check if you’re in tune, try out a riff- (well- not 100% true- some mikes have mute switches but they’re not an ideal thing to have to use mid-song). Also- distance from a microphone can be an effect in its own right- get close in for soloing, pull back to ‘turn yourself down’. It’s by no means a cut-and-dried choice. The other variation on offer are wireless radio mikes, ideal for those who- as mentioned above- are fans of moving around stage or bar walking (or simply don’t like cables running all over the place). The critical point here is the frequency the radio system operates on. The old joke about picking up taxis on the PA isn’t really much of an issue these days, but two players using the same frequency on the same stage can really mess things up badly. Transmitter/receiver units are either set to work on a single frequency or be multi-channel allowing them to move to another if their default one is in use by someone else. If you are the only person in your band that is using equipment like this then your frequency is not important, however- if you are ever likely to be working with other players using wireless equipment, it is worth checking in advance for possible conflicts. Back to the subject of interference from local taxi firms- as I said, this isn’t really an issue within Europe, but beyond the EU frequencies are licensed out differently so there’s no guarantee these systems will be legal in all countries on your World tour.- Jules@sax.co.uk |
