> Date: Thu, 7 Mar 2013 13:47:24 -0500 > From: Jeff Kaufman <[email protected]> > To: A list for dance organizers <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [Organizers] Soundsystem question for community band > On Thu, Mar 7, 2013 at 1:20 PM, Emily Addison <[email protected]> wrote: >> we have tested and would like to purchase a soundsystem >> that mic's kind of like a choir (pencil mics etc). > > A choir has a quiet audience while a dance band has a noisy one. Most > singers in a choir are about the same volume (and where they're not > that's a problem for the choir director to fix) while some dance > instruments are much louder or quieter than others. So while a choir > can do well with mics that are far away from the singers ("area mics") > that often doesn't work well for dance bands. > > Approaches I've seen work are, in descending order of difficulty, > effort, and expense: > > 1) Mic no one. Hard on the caller to be loud enough. > 2) Mic only the caller. > 3) Also mic a couple anchor instruments like piano and fiddle. > 4) Also mic some quiet instruments like mandolin or jaw harp. > 5) Individual mics for everyone. > > I think #2 and #3 are a good choice for a lot of situations. > > Jeff
To me the basic three musts for sound are: 1) can you hear the caller? 2) can you hear the beat and phrases? without these dances may fall apart 3) are the musicians happy? happy musicians play better Thus I recommend 3) or 4) - depending on musician style.
