Today, with changing technology and electronic systems, wireless microphones are getting popular day by day. A wireless microphone is very useful because of its portability, and modern wireless mics have excellent audio output as well. They operate through radio waves and digital signals.
Setting up wireless microphones can be confusing. Thus it is essential to know the whole process of setting the microphone system.
You need to have the perfect equipment to set up a new wireless system. You need the wireless receiver system, a handheld microphone, two full-size antennas, and an XLR cable that helps connect to a mixer. You further need a power supply for the receiver.
Read the article further to understand the setting process in a much better way.
Table of Contents
How To Set Up A Wireless Network for A Microphone System?
A wireless microphone sends radio waves to send audio signals wirelessly from a microphone to a wireless network. Did you know all wireless networks use radio waves to transfer signals? Radio waves are measured with frequency. The lower the frequency of a wave, the farther it will travel.
On the contrary, the wave with a higher frequency travels the shortest. But, when talking about microphones, it operates through ultra-high frequency within a range of 300 to 1000 MHz. The federal communication commission governs the frequency and its range. Further, the FCC selects the ultra-high frequency sub-ranges and provides a certain amount of MHz bands for the unlicensed use of wireless microphones.
Steps To Set Up A Microphone Wireless Network?
- The first step involves setting up the antenna at the back of the receiver in the BNC connection. Make sure the antenna is locked correctly to the receiver.
- Set the antennas at a 45-degree angle for better connection. Some people recommend keeping one antenna up and the other down for better results.
- To get a more reliable connection, you need the plugin to connect the microphone cord to the receiver.
- You need to connect the XLR cable to the receiver and the audio mixer to ensure the cable is at the mic level or the line level. If you want to set the XLR cable into a preamp on a mixer, then set it on mic level.
One important thing to keep in mind is to check the receiver as there can be other units operating near you at other conferences. There can be radio interference if you switch on and off your mic frequently as the receivers can cover a distance of 300 feet and more.
Thus check beforehand if there are other radio waves(receivers) operating in your area. The receivers automatically find this for you, and you can choose a group of channels with less interference from other channels.
How To Pair The Handheld Microphone With The Receiver?
If you have multiple receivers around you, you need to stack them on top of each other. Or you can also use an antenna combination system which will help you get all the antenna connections together.
If you want to use all the antennas separately, then also you can use them. Before pairing your microphone with the receiver, you need to find a reliable channel to connect the two systems. You can connect almost 20 microphones using one receiver system.
The stepwise pairing of microphone and the receiver:-
- When you turn on the microphone in an event, do not switch it off as this will protect the frequency of the radio wave to alter. For example- if another AV tech near you is operating, it can easily see which channel you are tuned in with your microphone. In simple language, if all the receivers are listening to the same frequency as you, if you turn on your microphone, the inbuilt transmitter will automatically transmit the radio signals operating near you.
- When you switch on your mic, there are various groups you can log in to and set the mic on a particular group. Setting the microphone at a group that has less interference is the best. There is a mode button that will help you set a group number and then set the channel. After hitting the mode button, you will see the RF alter between zero to five bars to make sure there are 5 bars for a healthy connection between the mic and the receiver. A green beep at the receiver’s back will help you know that the mic is working well and is correctly connected to the receiver.
- For protecting your microphone to get a peaking sound effect, you need to check the signal. A peaking microphone makes the event unpleasant. Thus, it is always better to add gain at the console.
In short, the things you need to follow are
You need to get the receiver into an undisturbed frequency range and then connect the microphone with the receiver. Check all the receivers and then add all the microphones one by one.
How To Set Up A Lavalier Microphone System?
Before setting up your mic, you need to get your transmitter and the receiver set ready. Switch on the power of both the transmitter and the receiver and pair them together. Either pair them on the same channel or the same frequency.
For example, set both the units on channel 5, and as you do it, the receiver will receive the signal from the transmitter. Tell me to tell you that, in most transmitter systems, there is a button that helps boost the input signal from the mic itself and the receivers to have a button that helps cut the output signal if there is overloading of the signals. You can use these two buttons to get excellent audio levels.
After this, you need to ensure that the audio levels are great, and to check this, you need to plug in your lavalier mic to the camera.
The lava mic comes in three parts, the mic, an alligator clip, and a windshield. A windshield is used when you are using the lava mic outdoors. For using the mic, you need to attach it to the alligator clip and, for maximum effects and clarity without any disturbance tie, a loose knot on the cable. This will prevent any disturbance from reaching the lava mic.
- Clip the mic on the collar and make sure it is on the outside of the fabric and not the inside, rubbing against the shirt or the skin.
- Then you need to attach the bodypack transmitter to the person wearing the mic. You can clip it at the backside of the pants near the waist.
Thus, this is one of the easiest ways to set the lavalier mic.
How To Choose The Right Microphone?
When buying a wireless microphone, there are several options available in the market. You can go for handheld microphones that already have a built transmitter and are very popular today as there are no wires to worry about. Then there are the headset microphones connected to a head through a head frame and prevalent in seminars.
It resembles computer headsets. Another common microphone is the Lavalier. It is attached to the shirt and allows you to give a speech to a smaller audience, and is famous for one-to-one interview sessions.
Choose the one that is the best and solves your purpose.
There are several options to select from, but Shure and Sennheiser EW135 are the two best wireless microphones that are convenient to use and have a good reception strength.
How Radiofrequency Affects A Wireless Microphone?
Radiofrequency is everything related to FM radio, walkie-talkie, and TV frequency, all of which are part of the electromagnetic spectrum. The lower the frequency, the longer the wavelength will be.
The same is what happens with electromagnetic waves. You need to understand there is a physical relationship between the wave’s frequency and the length. Thus, some unwanted sounds interfere via RF waves which are technically called radiofrequency interphase. There is frequency coordination and some intermodulation alliteration of waves that affect the radio frequency and make sounds when the mic is on.
Issues With Wireless Microphones
Wireless microphones have a few common issues: noise, interphase issues, dropouts, and radio frequency issues. These problems can be insane and destroy your event and the systems installed.
The wireless mic can drop out in a live event and spoil the whole show, so you can imagine that the radio frequencies play a vital role with interphase issues and dropouts. It is better to check the antenna system and to check the receiver and its connections. There can be other receivers near you that can receive or connect to your channel. This creates sound issues that can spoil a live event.
We have a couple of useful articles on how wireless microphones work, as well as help connecting a wireless mic to a computer which also makes for good reading.
Conclusion
Setting up a wireless microphone can be tricky, but you need not worry, as I have mentioned some of the simplest ways to set up. For a perfect setting procedure, every component must be correctly connected. The audio output cable, power supply, antennas with the receiver to avoid any accidental disconnection. Set the frequency, switch on the mic, set the channel, and you are all set to use a wireless microphone.