can you identify the mic, Martha? thx I agree, if I could find a comfortable good quality headset I prefer hands free.
Laurie~ --- On Fri, 4/24/09, Martha Wild <[email protected]> wrote: From: Martha Wild <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [Callers] Headset mikes To: [email protected] List-Post: [email protected] Date: Friday, April 24, 2009, 3:07 AM Well, I have an entirely different and positive perspective on headset mikes. We have a nice headset mike here in San Diego. I love using it, and our sound engineers set it up nicely so that I have no trouble with feedback. I have to remember to keep it a little ways from my mouth so that it won't pop on Partner and Promenade and any other P sounds, but as long as I do that, it's great. I call up on some steps here because I'm short and like to see the whole hall while I'm calling - and they can see me. I don't usually run around the hall while calling. During the beginner sessions, a handheld mike that is attached to a cable is a nightmare - my voice is not big, and I have a hard time teaching a large group without a mike. Trying to demo a ladies chain with a cable following you around is a recipe for disaster, and I hate having to use one when I'm calling elsewhere. During walkthroughs here I am no longer tethered to the stage, and can hop down to demonstrate a move, though I often just ask regulars to do it. I can move down once a dance gets going and briefly consult with the musicians without worry (I usually just move the mike away a little and then back, and don't worry about the mute). I can keep calling even if I need to quickly flip through my cards as I realize that the next dance might be too difficult or too easy and another would be better. I find that a handheld mike hurts my hand if I hold it all night. It's just too darned heavy and a real inconvenience. When I call in places that set up a mike in a stand, I find that I often stand in such a way in front of it that I'll end up with a backache or my feet or legs aching by the end of the night. Not fun. As far as connecting with the dancers, I really don't see how juggling a stupid mike in one hand or being constrained by a mike in a stand in front of you, inhibiting your ability to look around you at the dancers or at the musicians while calling, is in any way helpful. Those of you who enjoy having your hands cramp up and tripping over cords can keep doing it, but for anyone who hasn't been thrilled with the experience, I recommend you get a good "Madonna mike", as we call it, and free yourself from the tyranny of a tether. Enjoy! Martha Wild On Apr 23, 2009, at 9:00 AM, [email protected] wrote: > Send Callers mailing list submissions to > [email protected] > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > [email protected] > > You can reach the person managing the list at > [email protected] > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Callers digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: Earset microphone recommendations ([email protected]) > 2. First Dance Weekend (David Millstone) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2009 09:30:15 -0700 > From: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [Callers] Earset microphone recommendations > To: Caller's discussion list <[email protected]> > Message-ID: <[email protected]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed > > > Will wrote: >> I am in the process of buying a Shure PGX1/PGX4 transmitter/receiver system >> with the intention of using it with an earset microphone, the small, nearly >> invisible 'rice grain' style. > > Well, now that you mention it, here is another perspective on this > technology. Before making the investment you might want to consider > all of the implications. > > Regards, > Greg McKenzie > > ************ > > Un-tethered from Reality: Some Thoughts on Wireless Microphones > > I have tried using a wireless headset microphone and found the > experience wanting. I owned one for several years and used it > regularly. I abandoned it for several reasons. Not primarily > because of the increased instances of feedback--something I find > devastating to the sense of safety and community spirit in the > hall. And not because of the monetary and environmental cost of > batteries, the extra trouble of setting up the mike and receiver, the > complications of switching the mike off and on again to make "off > mike" comments, or the feeling of being wired and walking around with > an electronic device attached to my head. My decision was also not > primarily based on concerns about exposing myself and others to > high-frequency electromagnetic radiation--though I recognize that > some people are very sensitive to the idea of such exposure. > > My primary reason for giving up on the wireless headset was because I > saw that it was interfering with my ability to connect with the > dancers, musicians, and others in the hall. > > Any speaker at a public event needs to be in a position where the > entire audience can see them. This is a very basic > principle. People naturally prefer to watch someone who is speaking > to them. When someone hears a voice hailing them the most natural > reaction is to turn one's head toward the source of the sound. It > can be disconcerting to look toward the sound source and see an empty > stage. The natural reaction is to feel a little bit silly, and to > look around to try to find the source of the voice. This is a > relative small matter but keep in mind that there are probably dozens > of people going through this reaction whenever a speaker is not in > the spot where the audience is accustomed to seeing them. That means > that for at least a few seconds a big part of your audience is > feeling silly and disconnected. Those people are not feeling > confident or relaxed. They cannot listen carefully to what the > speaker is saying. > > As an aside here I would point out that an "off-stage mike" is > commonly used in theatre and stagecraft. Please note, however, that > the purpose of the "off-stage mike" is always to build suspense and > tension. Something that I, personally, try to avoid when calling > because I want people to feel relaxed and sociable. The off-stage > mike is, therefore, usually accompanied with a visual cue (such as a > spotlight at the edge of the stage during an introduction) to direct > the audience's attention in the absence of a physical speaker they can see. > > I have attended dances where the caller has used a wireless headset > mike off-stage freely during the evening. I always found it > disconcerting to have to look for the caller in the room. It also > seemed a bit creepy to think of a live microphone moving around the > hall without warning. Callers sometimes use these mikes while > speaking to individuals or small groups of dancers who are > confused. This is unprofessional because it draws the entire hall's > attention to the confused dancers and exacerbates the situation by > creating even more tension. > > I quickly learned that when using a wireless headset it is the > speaker's duty to alert the audience whenever they change > locations--particularly if they move off stage. I would say > something like: "Ladies and gentlemen. Please direct your attention > to the center of the hall," before stepping off the stage. This is > the courteous thing for a speaker to do. This helped a lot, but it > also complicated the process of moving away from my regular > location. Ultimately I found that the headset mike was more trouble > than it was worth. > > I can see that these headset or "earset" mikes are very appropriate > for entertainers who dance or move while singing or speaking and, in > particular, when they have a spotlight to keep the audience cued as > to their location. They also work well for instructors who must > gesture or handle props while talking, such as in demonstrations. I > think such mikes are of particular use to exercise instructors such > as Jazzercise leaders who generally remain in the same location while teaching. > > At calling gigs the sound engineer will often offer me a wireless > mike to use. My response is that I am happy to use any mike that > delivers a good range of high-frequency sounds so that my voice can > be clearly understood. Wireless mikes are acceptable, as long as > they are securely fastened to a mike stand where I will leave them > during the entire dance. > > ######## > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: 23 Apr 2009 09:59:59 -0400 > From: [email protected] (David Millstone) > Subject: [Callers] First Dance Weekend > To: [email protected] > Message-ID: <[email protected]> > Content-Type: text/plain > > Jack Mitchell wrote: "I've gotten to the point in my calling that calling for a > weekend in the next few years is something that I'd like to set as a goal for > myself, but don't have a good idea of how to go about it." > > Lynn Ackerson followed with many excellent suggestions. I'd like to add one > other: Diversify. > > Many years ago, I was in the position that Jack is in. I looked around at folks > being hired for prestigious dance camps and wondered, "Why not me?" I took a > harder look-- I remember sitting down and drawing up a list of every caller I > could see listed at a camp advertised in the CDSS news. I soon realized that > just about everybody on that list could offer more than simply calling contra > dances. Some taught tango, or waltz, or swing. Some had honed their ability to > teach a special dance that would appeal to avid dancers; "Dutch Crossing" is one > popular example. Some were crackerjack square dance callers. Some had lots of > experience leading caller workshops, or had written many themselves and had led > sessions on how to write dances. Some had lots of experience teaching children > or novice dancers. Virtually everyone had something to offer a programmer in > addition to their ability to call contras. > > I already had lots of experience with kids-- decades as an elementary school > teacher, including teaching longsword, morris, and country dance, and I had lots > of family dances on my resume. But I decided that I would hone my skills as an > English country dance caller; I already enjoyed dancing ECD and was eager to > share that dance form with others. Looking around, these seemed to be relatively > few callers who taught both American and English. (That's still the case, though > the numbers have grown in the past 15 years.) > > Today, my gigs are pretty evenly split, with about one third of my jobs being > English country dance, one third contras and squares for the hard-core dance > crowd, and one third family dances. I've also developed presentations on dance > history, something that relatively few others offer. Each of these items have > been helpful at special dance events, whether weekends or weeklong camps. > > Good luck! > > David Millstone > Lebanon, NH > > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > [email protected] > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > > > End of Callers Digest, Vol 56, Issue 8 > ************************************** _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list [email protected] http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers
