Best Mic to use on a parade float

[chaisson21]

Hey this is my first post, so if this belongs in another spot let me know.

Anyways, I play in a Irish group and coming up we're going to be playing in a float in a parade. And when I say float, I actually mean the back of a pickup truck. So, the musicians (guitar, two mandolins, two fiddles, couple drummers, flute/whistle) will all be sitting in a circle facing the center of the bed of the truck. So my thought was to place a mic in the center, and then put two PA speakers facing out toward the crowd on either side.

So I have a couple of mics that I can use, but not being a sound guy at all I don't know what would work the best. I have an Audio Technica AT4050, Shure SM58, Shure SM57 and an MXL 990.

Ultimately my question is two-fold: 1. Which of the above mics would be best? 2. Because I don't know much/hardly anything about live sound...what would be the best theoretical mic to use? Condenser vs. Dynamic? What pattern would work best? Cardiod?

Thanks!

[nosebleedaudio]

I would use a shotgun with a GOOD wind screen...

[rastasean]

what are you using to record into?
A shotgun could work but it would only be mono. Most people like stereo recordings.

[chaisson21]

Originally Posted by rastasean

what are you using to record into?
A shotgun could work but it would only be mono. Most people like stereo recordings.

As of right now we aren't going to be recording, which is why I wasn't sure if I had posted in the right spot. Instead the mic just needs to hit a little portable PA mixer to be broadcast out to the crowd.

Sorry for the confusion, I know it's not a recording question, but I couldn't find a better location to ask it.

[seaneldon]

You'll want to focus on rumble...which will undoubtedly be a problem as big or bigger than wind. Consider taping a couple of those locking foam pad things (help me out here...we use 'em all the time in the Meth Lab and I can never remember what they're actually called!) to the bed of the truck, then sit the mic stand on top of that.

Some mics will have much better capsule suspension/shockmounting than others. This will also play a large role in how much rumble you're dealing with.

Hi-passing the signals will get rid of some rumble as well...you'll lose low end but you probably won't have great low end to begin with because of the rumble!

Wind is another concern.

[rastasean]

Originally Posted by chaisson21

As of right now we aren't going to be recording, which is why I wasn't sure if I had posted in the right spot. Instead the mic just needs to hit a little portable PA mixer to be broadcast out to the crowd.

Sorry for the confusion, I know it's not a recording question, but I couldn't find a better location to ask it.

So you're interested in mic'ing the instruments and singer? use what you have and plug it into your PA. If you still want to record, patch into the PA.

[chaisson21]

Originally Posted by seaneldon

You'll want to focus on rumble...which will undoubtedly be a problem as big or bigger than wind. Consider taping a couple of those locking foam pad things (help me out here...we use 'em all the time in the Meth Lab and I can never remember what they're actually called!) to the bed of the truck, then sit the mic stand on top of that.

Some mics will have much better capsule suspension/shockmounting than others. This will also play a large role in how much rumble you're dealing with.

Hi-passing the signals will get rid of some rumble as well...you'll lose low end but you probably won't have great low end to begin with because of the rumble!

Wind is another concern.

Cool thanks for the tips! locking foam pads eh? Hmm...I'll have to search around for those...maybe my local meth lab ;-)

Any thoughts as to what pattern would work best for people sitting in a circle around a central mic? Forgive the newbish question, but I'm just curious if I should go straight cardioid or if another pattern might work better. Also, do you think a condenser might be too sensitive for such an environment, ie pick up too much wind/rumble/ambient noise? Would I be better off with a dynamic mic?

[chaisson21]

Originally Posted by rastasean

So you're interested in mic'ing the instruments and singer? use what you have and plug it into your PA. If you still want to record, patch into the PA.

Well uh, kind of. As I mentioned in the OP we have space for one mic. There will be 7-8 people sitting in a circle around the mic. What mic would work best?

[Roland]

Originally Posted by chaisson21

Well uh, kind of. As I mentioned in the OP we have space for one mic. There will be 7-8 people sitting in a circle around the mic. What mic would work best?

Ignore all the above advice as it isn't relevant to what you are doing. Wind noise, you will have to use "cock socks" on the mics, rumble of the truck should be minimal and either using the bass filter or bass eq will sort this enough for your use.

Your biggest problem will be getting enough volume (gain before feedback) as parades (carnival procesions) are noise places. I would seriously recommend that you hire a small suitable PA, the violins and mandolin's and guitar should all be fitted with bug pick-up's, tin whistle player should use something like the SM58 and the percussionists could use Shure 57's or Sennheiser 421's. You will need a small mixer and either a pair of powered speakers like Mackie 450's or something better.

Trying to amplify instruments like violin's, mandolin's and guitars, particularly in noisy (street) environment's is a pain, sticking mic's on them is likely to be very tricky, even for an experienced live guy. Condensor mic's (with the possible exception of some of the handheld, vocal condensors types) are unsuitable for this application. I would check with the players as many these days already have bug's fitted.

Regards


Roland

[loujudson]

Can you do a dry run before the parade? I'd use the 4050 on omni, with the low cut on, and some good thick windsock, foam with cloth over it like a real sock. Keep the speakers as far away as possible from the mic facing away from it.

Get as close as you comfortably can to the mic in the center of the circle, and play loud as you can.

If you use separate mics for th instuments someone who can hear the speakers needs toi mix and set the levels in balance, so I recommend trying the single mic.

Or hire a sound guy!

I've worked parades before - in 1986 the SF Gay Men's chorus played tapes (I was inside the truck) really loud and just sang along with them - no problem with gain before feedback, and they had 60 people on tape and 20 in the parade... Maybe you want to lip sync? Just a thought... one way to get real loud.

<L>

[MichaelPatrick]

Roland is right. Close mic everything.

Use a small mixer with EQ on each channel to get instruments o sound right mic'd close, then add some reverb if you want to sweeten and glue it up a bit.

[Remoteness]

What Roland said...

Originally Posted by Roland

Ignore all the above advice as it isn't relevant to what you are doing. Wind noise, you will have to use "cock socks" on the mics, rumble of the truck should be minimal and either using the bass filter or bass eq will sort this enough for your use.

Your biggest problem will be getting enough volume (gain before feedback) as parades (carnival procesions) are noise places. I would seriously recommend that you hire a small suitable PA, the violins and mandolin's and guitar should all be fitted with bug pick-up's, tin whistle player should use something like the SM58 and the percussionists could use Shure 57's or Sennheiser 421's. You will need a small mixer and either a pair of powered speakers like Mackie 450's or something better.

Trying to amplify instruments like violin's, mandolin's and guitars, particularly in noisy (street) environment's is a pain, sticking mic's on them is likely to be very tricky, even for an experienced live guy. Condensor mic's (with the possible exception of some of the handheld, vocal condensors types) are unsuitable for this application. I would check with the players as many these days already have bug's fitted.

Regards


Roland

[Barnabas]

If you can use only one mic, then a cardioid mic (SM58) placed about knee high, pointing straight up in the air would be best. Get all musicians to aim their sound towards it.
But, using one mic will not allow you to get enough sound level in your speakers before feedback to make this worth the time to do it.

Close micing everything is the only way to get a decent amount of sound out of the speakers unless the speakers were on a different vehicle than the one the musicians are playing on.