Hey all!
I'm not sure that the title correctly portrays what I meant, but I basically wanted to share some low cost moves we've made to clean up not only our stage setup, but also improve our overall sound in the congregation, as well we some tips and things we've learned.
In-Ear Monitors
We currently use Avioms for personal mixers. Up until recently it was only optional for the band and myself ( I play rhythm and sing lead) and the other vocalists would use a stage wedge. The problems persist in a closed room with stage wedge monitors as they can end up competing with and even changing the sound of the house mix if they are too loud. So, we picked up a couple more Avioms from ebay (A16-II) and I bought a 2 channel wireless system for the singers. The Xtuga RW 2080 is a low cost, but great system. It allows for 2 singers to use their own avioms. They use RF, so they are great with non-interference. Setup is simple, and they only use 2 AA batteries, with an RF signal meter and battery level on the interface. For $230 this is a God send - allowing your singers to hear what they need to, but have freedom to move about.
Speaking of moving about...
Wireless Microphones
We moved away from wireless a 15 years ago due to dropouts and poor connectivity issues but things are different now. We got tired of having SO MANY cables spread across the stage, so I started researching some cheap wireless solutions. I found and bought 3 of the xVive U3 and they worked great at first. Better during warmups, but we started having issues during services with dropouts. They have 6 digital channels and plug in easily - but this is where I realized they were digitally connected. The problem was they work on the same frequency as wireless modems, cell phones, and when you added 200 folks in the room, these things struggled. Much research later we ended up going with the Shure BLX24R/SM58. Yes, they are a little more costly, but the range and clarity is WOW - and the setup is SO easy.
Now we have no stage monitors, no monitor cables, no mic cables, no dropouts, and a clean floor. I can't tell you how much better it looks and feels. Now all we have is mic stands, a couple iPad holders and I have my effects pedal. I also use the Xvive U2 for my guitar (between my guitar and pedal) with NO latency and no dropouts. It's sweet because I can have my guitar strapped on, grab my mic stand, walk out off stage during rehearsals and hear the house mix without missing a beat.
My Gear:
Electric Guitar: PRS S2 SemiHollow Single Cut in Whale Blue
Acoustic Guitar: Taylor 414CE
Effects Pedal: Line6 Firehawk FX
Lyric/Music app: OnSong
Hope this helps at least ONE person. God Bless!
WW.
I'm not sure that the title correctly portrays what I meant, but I basically wanted to share some low cost moves we've made to clean up not only our stage setup, but also improve our overall sound in the congregation, as well we some tips and things we've learned.
In-Ear Monitors
We currently use Avioms for personal mixers. Up until recently it was only optional for the band and myself ( I play rhythm and sing lead) and the other vocalists would use a stage wedge. The problems persist in a closed room with stage wedge monitors as they can end up competing with and even changing the sound of the house mix if they are too loud. So, we picked up a couple more Avioms from ebay (A16-II) and I bought a 2 channel wireless system for the singers. The Xtuga RW 2080 is a low cost, but great system. It allows for 2 singers to use their own avioms. They use RF, so they are great with non-interference. Setup is simple, and they only use 2 AA batteries, with an RF signal meter and battery level on the interface. For $230 this is a God send - allowing your singers to hear what they need to, but have freedom to move about.
Speaking of moving about...
Wireless Microphones
We moved away from wireless a 15 years ago due to dropouts and poor connectivity issues but things are different now. We got tired of having SO MANY cables spread across the stage, so I started researching some cheap wireless solutions. I found and bought 3 of the xVive U3 and they worked great at first. Better during warmups, but we started having issues during services with dropouts. They have 6 digital channels and plug in easily - but this is where I realized they were digitally connected. The problem was they work on the same frequency as wireless modems, cell phones, and when you added 200 folks in the room, these things struggled. Much research later we ended up going with the Shure BLX24R/SM58. Yes, they are a little more costly, but the range and clarity is WOW - and the setup is SO easy.
Now we have no stage monitors, no monitor cables, no mic cables, no dropouts, and a clean floor. I can't tell you how much better it looks and feels. Now all we have is mic stands, a couple iPad holders and I have my effects pedal. I also use the Xvive U2 for my guitar (between my guitar and pedal) with NO latency and no dropouts. It's sweet because I can have my guitar strapped on, grab my mic stand, walk out off stage during rehearsals and hear the house mix without missing a beat.
My Gear:
Electric Guitar: PRS S2 SemiHollow Single Cut in Whale Blue
Acoustic Guitar: Taylor 414CE
Effects Pedal: Line6 Firehawk FX
Lyric/Music app: OnSong
Hope this helps at least ONE person. God Bless!
WW.
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