Wireless/radio mike - How much?

[wirralaccordion]

I would like to buy a wireless ( radio? ) mike for use by myself ( singing whilst playing accordion, speaking between songs ) and so what do others use or what would others recommend? I have no idea of the cost of wireless but have seen as cheap as £50 ( google ) but suppose that at this price there must be a catch!
Would you recommend tie clip. headband or what?

 

[Ventura]

tie clip / lavalier mic's are typically omnipolar, and pick up everything
at all angles

headband / neckband types like the Aerobic instructors use are
unipolar, and will reject sound off axis, which is correct for your use

as it happens, i am in the process of searching for a new system for a student,
and have been studying this particular unit:

Amazon.com

these Samson small PA systems are Pro quality and this is their latest model,
lightweight , Lithium Rechargeable powered or plug in.. many of you are
transitioning to battery powered audio and this one is very competitive

the unique thing is to note the Wireless Reciever is a USB plug in, with an
accompanying USB port on one channel of the PA

this eliminates battery issues with the receiver completely, and is
a new wrinkle in PA systems.. i think this idea might catch on..

battery freedom is a great advantage for wireless in frequent use, while the
transmitter uses 2 AA batteries so you never have to worry about needing
a recharge in the middle of a gig, as AA's are dirt cheap and available everywhere..
many current wireless systems use tiny rechargeable batteries built in instead of
replaceable 9volt or AA alkaline, so i personally do not consider them Professional Level

also, if you look at used or old stock wireless, be advised most countries have re-allocated
Spectrum several times in the last decade or so, and many if not most older
equipment is now illegal to use due to interference issues

the distance you intend to roam from the receiver is also a consideration..
if you are a stroller as i am, you need wireless that will not drop-out regardless
of your distance or physical line-of-sight from your pa setup

 

[wirralaccordion]

tie clip / lavalier mic's are typically omnipolar, and pick up everything
at all angles

headband / neckband types like the Aerobic instructors use are
unipolar, and will reject sound off axis, which is correct for your use

as it happens, i am in the process of searching for a new system for a student,
and have been studying this particular unit:

Amazon.com

these Samson small PA systems are Pro quality and this is their latest model,
lightweight , Lithium Rechargeable powered or plug in.. many of you are
transitioning to battery powered audio and this one is very competitive

the unique thing is to note the Wireless Reciever is a USB plug in, with an
accompanying USB port on one channel of the PA

this eliminates battery issues with the receiver completely, and is
a new wrinkle in PA systems.. i think this idea might catch on..

battery freedom is a great advantage for wireless in frequent use, while the
transmitter uses 2 AA batteries so you never have to worry about needing
a recharge in the middle of a gig, as AA's are dirt cheap and available everywhere..
many current wireless systems use tiny rechargeable batteries built in instead of
replaceable 9volt or AA alkaline, so i personally do not consider them Professional Level

also, if you look at used or old stock wireless, be advised most countries have re-allocated
Spectrum several times in the last decade or so, and many if not most older
equipment is now illegal to use due to interference issues

the distance you intend to roam from the receiver is also a consideration..
if you are a stroller as i am, you need wireless that will not drop-out regardless
of your distance or physical line-of-sight from your pa setup

Hi Ventura,
Thanks for all your advice given here. I note that the complete system costs $600. The cost of the microphone and bits that go with it is just $100 ( all available on Amazon ). My question is: would the mike be compatible with my existing amplifier which is the very popular Roland Cube Street?
Phil

 

[Ventura]

so far it seems the only other devices it would work with is computer or tablet
stuff that has full USB capability.. Samson is unique with their USB built into the mixer..
the audio is processed from the usb like it is on a computer

for the street cube a typical wireless receiver with an audio cable is needed

on my street cube i have a line-6 g-30 wireless (instrument type) and my
solution to the power issue was to velcro an 8 AA battery holder
and an on-off switch to power the receiver off the side of the cube

this has worked comfortably, as that many AA NiCad batteries hold way more
power than one gig can deplete

the G-30 is kinda designed for a guitarists pedalboard so 9 volts was all i needed

if you don't mind plugging into a power outlet you have a wide choice
but if you want to run off of batteries for everything it is harder to do

you can always just use a Mic and micstand plugged into the cube for now

 

[losthobos]

Check this out..
https://uk.line6.com/relay-wireless/g10-g10s/
The mic system on my accordion goes from mic to DI box clipped on my belt, I put the jack plug that would go into the guitar into the mic output on DI box and wireless receiver into amp...Bingo...
My son gave me...just an idea..hope helpful

 

[wirralaccordion]

Hi Ventura,
The item I was looking at is here:

https://www.amazon.com/Headset-Wireless-SWXPD2BDE5-Portable-Dimmable/dp/B099FKRFFL/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1E2XGHDTDR7D8&keywords=samson+xpd1+headset+usb+digital+wireless+system&qid=1666990826&sprefix=XPD1+Headset+USB+Digital+Wireless+System%2Caps%2C145&sr=8-4

As I read it the USB connection can alternatively be a 3.5mm jack ( OK for Roland Street Cube ) or XLR. Am I missing something? Maybe the XPD2 model has added features? I would welcome your comments.

Thanks again, Phil.

 

[Ventura]

oh you are right.. i totally missed that

so alternately, a wire line out mini to 1/4" to the cube mixer input for the audio,
and to avoid plugging it into a wall wart for power, just use a common 5 volt
usb battery pack

Amazon.com

or AA battery holder like this

Amazon.com

velcro to the side of the cube

looks like a good solution with portability and freedom from wires
and power sockets, and the price on that package with the selfie light
is very reasonable

glad you caught my mistake.. i still havn't found a picture with the top
of the receiver showing but that last pic with it plugged into a normal mixer
makes it clear you can cable OR usb the audio

 

[wirralaccordion]

oh you are right.. i totally missed that

so alternately, a wire line out mini to 1/4" to the cube mixer input for the audio,
and to avoid plugging it into a wall wart for power, just use a common 5 volt
usb battery pack

Amazon.com

or AA battery holder like this

Amazon.com

velcro to the side of the cube

looks like a good solution with portability and freedom from wires
and power sockets, and the price on that package with the selfie light
is very reasonable

glad you caught my mistake.. i still havn't found a picture with the top
of the receiver showing but that last pic with it plugged into a normal mixer
makes it clear you can cable OR usb the audio

Yes, the cable options are not shown on the Amazon UK website but they are shown on the Amazon US website and so I will have to order from US and that should guarantee the possible use of cables. And for the extra $21+ shipping charge to UK I will get the selfie light, although I haven't a clue as to what it is used for!

 

[Ventura]

i couldn't tell if they include an audio cable or not, so i downloaded the PDF
and it has more details

like the audio output doubles from being able to drive headphones
to being a pure line out audio feed.

so it is a 1/8 " jack (TRS) stereo, and will mate to the Cube auxiliary line input
which is also 1/8" (TRS) stereo

if you need additional trim the transmitter has a small screwdriver accessed volume control

i will probably buy one after Halloween just to experiment with

 

[JerryPH]

I don't sing, but my wireless mic setup of choice is the Godox Movelink M2



It has a mute switch and come with 2 mics that have either integrated mics or nice wav mics come with it. They sound pretty good and can be used in a stereo or mono setup. I use them to talk in between song a little and also when on ZOOM meetings. I clip it to my shoulder strap of the accordion and it is perfectly accessible and sound quite good too.

 

[Ventura]

and apparently you can use it to lather up for a shave in the morning too !

it looks just like my shaving brush !

actually i personally never got used to a worn mic.. tried a Samson
aerobics ages ago, swapped the element for a Shure after awhile..
just too used to using distance from a Mic as part of my tone
(as Johnny Mathis taught us all to perfection through his example)

so my Vocal mics have been a Shure PE model (predecessor to the Beta 58)
and the Elvis/Ella model (which i added when they re-issued them)
and i don't mind being wired for Vocals..

for awhile i did have a very high end NADY wireless Vocal Mic, but the
spectrum change made it obsolete.. mostly took it when i also needed to let
customers use the PA for an event

thought about picking up one of those XLR transmitters types to try

quality has improved a lot of course, and prices are better now, lots more
choices too.. small and portable and battery powered and bluetoothed
seems to be the area of most innovation now

 

[Tor]

Looking at that Movelink with one of the handheld adapters and adding a directional lav mic as a relatively inexpensive option to record both the accordion and my voice.

Jerry, do you know if, should I connect the receiver to the computer, I could get Audacity to record each mic as a separate channel, for fixing any balance issues? Ideally, of course, I'd get it right to start with, but recording alone….

 

[JerryPH]

Looking at that Movelink with one of the handheld adapters and adding a directional lav mic as a relatively inexpensive option to record both the accordion and my voice.

Jerry, do you know if, should I connect the receiver to the computer, I could get Audacity to record each mic as a separate channel, for fixing any balance issues? Ideally, of course, I'd get it right to start with, but recording alone….

Now, the post was initially on how to add a wireless setup for VOICE at a reasonable cost, but, sure the receiver has a earphone sized STEREO output that can be connected to the LINE IN on computers with that setup (you know that LINE IN is stereo and not just MONO, yes?) So it would work on that end. Each transmitter can send to a mono channel or one side of a stereo channel, so the ability to record voice and accordion IN THEORY is there.

The question is... how well? I'd not want to record my accordion using these units, I don't feel the audio quality would be good enough... but if its just for recording and learning/practicing, I'd rather suggest some small audio interface and a couple of cheap condenser mics. Results would be a lot better and in about the same price range in the end.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[JerryPH]

it looks just like my shaving brush !

It does... lol The nice thing is that it comes off, but as a wind screen it's VERY effective because if that size. I never had a reason to use it. When that situation comes around, I tuck the included LAV mics under the shirt.

 

[Tor]

Thanks, Jerry. I guess that is the direction I should probably go unless I'm ready to spend a lot more.

For separating the audio of singing and accordion in something minimally visible in video or on a stage, I suppose I'd have to go to a directional headworn mic like for actors, but those things are hideously expensive. Maybe in a video I could hang the voice mic just above the frame.