Gadgets and gizmos

 by: Mantius Cazaubon

Wireless microphones have numerous uses, from amateur to professional, from bars and clubs to educational institutions and churches. A good, reliable wireless microphone system can be an excellent addition to any of the mentioned locations, but it can also be used on stage, during a concert, a prize contest, announcing a play or for karaoke. Radio and TV stations often use such cordless microphones with great success. There are several frequency ranges in which you can get a microphone: VHF, UHF and Giga Hertz. Cordless microphones may also take shapes like hand held wireless microphones or clip-on microphones.

Advantages and potential problems of cordless microphones

When looking for a cordless microphone, one of your main concerns has to address the mobility range that the device will offer. Although the absence of a cord gives the person holding the microphone more freedom, this must also translate in the distance you can use the microphone, in relation with the wireless receiver. A good wireless microphone will allow a club DJ, for example, to leave his mixing desk and walk on the dance floor with the mic in hand, without experiencing any signal loss or quality problems. Also look for battery life specifications – it’s better to get a cordless microphone that has a battery level indicator on it, so as to get early warning and not be surprised by a sudden battery failure in the middle of a speech. In fact, batteries used to be one of the biggest disadvantages of older cordless microphones: they were heavy and had a short life. Today, however, you can expect to get dozens of hours of battery life and most wireless hand held microphones are actually lightweight.

A few popular wireless microphone models

VHF performance gear microphones are the least expensive in the line of semi professional and professional microphones. They work well in a wide area, but you cannot expect extreme recording environments to produce high quality results. Such microphones are, however, suitable for 80% of all sound recording situations. Fixed frequency UHF units are another popular choice for many musicians and even for educational institutions. They come with a series of microphone types, such as cardioid, super cardioid or omni directional. Broadcast quality UHF models are usually used in award shows, TV shows and other high-end locations. They offer agile frequency responses and excellent ambient noise cancellation filters.