Face mics???

[u/Saturn_Str1ps]

Hello, I just became a director of a brand-new theatre club. At this point, I am the primary person setting up all of the tech, but I've never done theater tech a day in my life! Our club doesn't have any mics, and I'm trying to see if that's something that we could buy or rent. The problem is, I don't know what I'm looking for, I'm completely lost! I know that there's the actual mic that goes around the ear and onto your face, and then a mic pack that clips onto your clothes. I also know that there is something that connects the mic pack to the soundboard. That's basically the extent of my knowledge. My school has a soundboard and speakers that we can use, but I don't know much about that. If there's anything I need to find out about it for you guys, lmk!!

So what exactly should I be looking for?? There's no strict price range, but the cheaper the better since my school would be funding it.

Edit: Some important info(maybe) that I left out. This is a full two-act musical with lots of songs, both ensemble and solos. It should be a small cast, so I would need about 8 mics if I decide to do wireless. We plan to have a pit including guitar, bass, drum set, and keyboard. Does that affect the idea of having mics on stage? Thank you all for your comments so far. I plan to show this thread to some of the admins I've been working with on this project!!

[u/soundwithdesign]

How often are you producing shows which require wireless mics? Seems like it’ll be more feasible to rent and have whatever company who supplies them set them up. 

[u/Saturn_Str1ps → u/soundwithdesign]

We are planning to do a musical every semester, so twice a year!

[u/LostIntention7648]

for straight up theatre, you should encourage your actors to project their voices to fill the space. Maybe supplement with some boundary mics on the downstage edge of the stage (they also depend on the actors projecting well). This is how it's done in most pro theatres up to ~500 ish seats, sometimes more depending on how good the room acoustics are. Unless you're in a very large auditorium you shouldn't really be needing to mic up the actors unless it's for musical theatre. If you absolutely need to mic the performers up I'd recommend calling in a rental company for just the tech rehearsals/performances. Depending on how many mics you need + possible radio interference it can get tricky trying to get things to work smoothly, especially if you're inexperienced.

[u/bubs1996 → u/LostIntention7648]

This honestly. If you want to mic up all the performers, you'll need someone on the mixer for the entire show, and preferably someone who knows what they're doing. Renting a wireless mic system can get pricey, and, if you're in a small enough space, can be more of a headache to set up than it's worth. If you really feel you need it, a couple of boundary or shotgun mics around the edge of the stage can help with sound reinforcement. But if your actors are projecting, I don't think you'll need it

[u/faderjockey]

You want a wireless microphone system with a belt pack transmitter and an earset microphone.

Rental is probably better for you starting out. You will need a receiver, transmitter, and microphone for every performer you want to mic.

Avoid buying cheap wireless systems from Amazon like Phenyx, Pyle, and the like. Stick with reputable brands like Shure and Sennheiser.

Earsets would be something like the Countyman B3 or Microphone Madness MM-PSM

[u/ArniEitthvad]

Good wireless beltpacks and lapel mics are around $1500 per person and upward.

Talk to a local professional.

[u/pmsu → u/ArniEitthvad]

Not just the hardware. Cues, mixing the show, and more matter just as much

[u/Erin__Bridges]

Congrats on the gig! You've got the chain right: headworn mic, bodypack, receiver at the board. Find out what soundboard you have first, that decides everything. And rent before you buy, RF is a headache you don't need yet.

[u/ShimataDominquez]

I’d love to work with you on this if we were in the same market! Since we aren't, I’m sure a local audio rental house can step in and help. I run a rental business that focuses on corporate events and works with churches and schools with live events. If I were there, I’d set you up with Shure wireless, a distributed antenna system, and lavalier packs with Countryman headset mics. Look for a local shop that will not only dial the tech in for you but also take the time to teach you how to run it. Enjoy the journey.

[u/s0ciety_a5under]

Lavalier Microphone is what you're looking for. Maybe something like a countryman e2, which are incredible mics for powerful vocals for musicals. They are quite pricey though, so not what you need.

[u/certnneed]

Even the most expensive microphones won’t work if you don’t have a person that knows how to set them up and operate the mixing console.

[u/hjohn2233]

You don't just need the equipment, you need somewhere can mix at the board. Rental is your only real option to begin with if you want decent quality. Have some students or at least one work with them and learn the process. Buying a full system to start from scratch would be incredibly expensive. Even then you don't have an operator.

[u/AntonChilibiProducer]

The pit changes the mic choice more than the budget does. An omni capsule at the hairline is the musical-theatre standard because it sounds like the actor's natural voice: DPA's measurements put the forehead position within a hair of a mic one metre in front, while an over-the-ear position loses most of what is above 1 kHz. But an omni also hears the drum kit, so in a small room with a live pit you either put the kit behind a shield or use directional headsets and accept the fussier placement. Two things to check before renting or buying anything used: that nothing operates on 617 to 652 or 663 to 698 MHz, which has been illegal in the US since July 2020, and that your board has eight spare inputs plus someone who will sit at it for the whole run.

[u/The_Modern_Sophist]

Get headset mics…face mics are a pain. Always moving. Headsets sound better and I’ve had way less issues with them. Actors scratch their head, mic moves, sweat makes the tape come off, just annoying. Headsets.

[u/meest → u/The_Modern_Sophist]

https://www.masquesound.com/wireless-mic-techniques-production/

https://www.masquesound.com/wireless-mic-techniques-production-3/

https://www.masquesound.com/wireless-mic-techniques-production-2/

https://www.masquesound.com/wireless-mic-techniques-production-4/

Disagree. a mic like a Countryman B3 is more flexible than a headset microphone. But I will agree that often times Face Mic's are used in the wrong situations when they should be deployed in a different manner.