Open Forum

My middle school group of eight 14 year olds is putting on a musical, and I am using the opportunity to purchase a wireless mic system instead of renting. I've come across Bodymics' analog system which is (less than) half the cost of anything else I can find which claims to be appropriate for live musical performance:

• CA.81-BB Creative Audio 8 ch Wireless Microphone System - 1u receiver-8x bodypack  with 8 hairline / lav microphones for $2400.
  

I will be pairing the wireless system with this mixer

• Soundcraft EPM12 for $410.
  

The theater we will be performing in has its own quality sound system (amps/speakers), but we only have the week before to practice with it. So, this mixer should give me what I need to get through two months of rehearsals.

I am aware these are all low budget items - but they seem to be "best value" for the price range - which is the only range I can purchase in. I am also aware that the mixer doesn't leave much room for expansion, but this is not really an issue. 
Before I pull the trigger, what I am hoping for feedback wise is anyone's experience with this system and if it will be decent enough for a middle or high school musical. I am open to other possibilities, but with a $3k budget, it seems my choices are either to rent or apply that money to something budget which might give us a few years of use.

Thanks in advance.


------------------------------
Michael
------------------------------

This exact system was just recommended to me by my sound guy and we'll be getting a set of them. Bodymics is a good company - I think the owner is in this community. My sound guy said they are cheaper not because they are inferior but because you're not paying for a brand name.

------------------------------
Ken Buswell
Drama Teacher
Peachtree City, GA
http://mcintoshtheater.org/

Theater kills ignorance
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 02-10-2022 21:03
From: Michael S
Subject: Feedback on Proposed Wireless Mic System for Middle School Musical

My middle school group of eight 14 year olds is putting on a musical, and I am using the opportunity to purchase a wireless mic system instead of renting. I've come across Bodymics' analog system which is (less than) half the cost of anything else I can find which claims to be appropriate for live musical performance:

• CA.81-BB Creative Audio 8 ch Wireless Microphone System - 1u receiver-8x bodypack  with 8 hairline / lav microphones for $2400.
  

I will be pairing the wireless system with this mixer

• Soundcraft EPM12 for $410.
  

The theater we will be performing in has its own quality sound system (amps/speakers), but we only have the week before to practice with it. So, this mixer should give me what I need to get through two months of rehearsals.

I am aware these are all low budget items - but they seem to be "best value" for the price range - which is the only range I can purchase in. I am also aware that the mixer doesn't leave much room for expansion, but this is not really an issue. 
Before I pull the trigger, what I am hoping for feedback wise is anyone's experience with this system and if it will be decent enough for a middle or high school musical. I am open to other possibilities, but with a $3k budget, it seems my choices are either to rent or apply that money to something budget which might give us a few years of use.

Thanks in advance.


------------------------------
Michael
------------------------------

I am indeed a member of this community.  I apologize if the following is outside the forum's guidelines.

Ken, please thank your sound guy - we have put around 50 sets in schools so far - way fewer than we had hoped, but it is hard to overcome Brand loyalty.

Michael - thank you for the order and I am glad we were able to save you 5% on the mixer too!  Folks please don't buy on Amazon if I or you local dealer can get the product for you at  the same or better price.  I usually take 5% off Amazon's prices and still ship free.  There are times I make zero $$ but at least the cashflow helps and my suppliers see I am still a viable partner.

The Creative Audio CA.81
We designed the Creative Audio CA.81 to be a cost effective alternative to the mainstream brands for those with tight budgets.  The design parameters was to equal the audio and RF performance of the Shure SLX series (now discontinued).  We believe we achieved that goal.  The CA.81 is available in 2 frequency bands (490-530MHz and 530-580 Mz) and easily allows for 16 channels to play nicely together.  Originally we could get 32 channels working together but the re-stacked TV stations has crimped our success a little - now with 2 in g and 2 in H the most we can get in most ares is 26, with 2 in G and 1 in H, outside of the crazy busy RF cities (think large metro cities) we can usually get 22-24 channels.  We are no longer recommending more than 16 channels using one of each.  Try getting 16 channels out of any of the entry level offerings from Shure or Sennheiser or AT at more than twice the price.

In addition to the CA.81, we have a 2 channel version (CA.21) and are working on a 4 channel version (CA.41).  We also manufacture our CA.D25 dual 5 way (4 way plus cascade) 470-900MHz antenna distributor with DC outputs (with metering) and working on the CA.D29 dual 9 way (8 way plus cascade).  For really big systems we have our CA.D224 (ADU.24) dual 24 way 1u distributor with dual 13A 12v DC power supplies.

School Discounts:
For schools that have created accounts with us we offer a 15% discount of our published prices on all Creative Audio, RFdevices and Bodymics microphone elements.  If you don't have an account use the code EDTA at checkout and the system should apply the 15% discount. 

If I can be of any help please feel free to contact me - phone or text 908-899-1277, email - rod@bodymics.com, or via this forum


------------------------------
Rod Reilly
Owner, Bodymics
908-899-1277
Somerset NJ
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 02-11-2022 09:26
From: Ken Buswell
Subject: Feedback on Proposed Wireless Mic System for Middle School Musical

This exact system was just recommended to me by my sound guy and we'll be getting a set of them. Bodymics is a good company - I think the owner is in this community. My sound guy said they are cheaper not because they are inferior but because you're not paying for a brand name.

------------------------------
Ken Buswell
Drama Teacher
Peachtree City, GA
http://mcintoshtheater.org/

Theater kills ignorance

Original Message:
Sent: 02-10-2022 21:03
From: Michael S
Subject: Feedback on Proposed Wireless Mic System for Middle School Musical

My middle school group of eight 14 year olds is putting on a musical, and I am using the opportunity to purchase a wireless mic system instead of renting. I've come across Bodymics' analog system which is (less than) half the cost of anything else I can find which claims to be appropriate for live musical performance:

• CA.81-BB Creative Audio 8 ch Wireless Microphone System - 1u receiver-8x bodypack  with 8 hairline / lav microphones for $2400.
  

I will be pairing the wireless system with this mixer

• Soundcraft EPM12 for $410.
  

The theater we will be performing in has its own quality sound system (amps/speakers), but we only have the week before to practice with it. So, this mixer should give me what I need to get through two months of rehearsals.

I am aware these are all low budget items - but they seem to be "best value" for the price range - which is the only range I can purchase in. I am also aware that the mixer doesn't leave much room for expansion, but this is not really an issue. 
Before I pull the trigger, what I am hoping for feedback wise is anyone's experience with this system and if it will be decent enough for a middle or high school musical. I am open to other possibilities, but with a $3k budget, it seems my choices are either to rent or apply that money to something budget which might give us a few years of use.

Thanks in advance.


------------------------------
Michael
------------------------------

Thank you for this post.  Our school's Theater Arts program is young -- three years -- and we just got our first budget: $350!  The first thing I thought of was wireless mics.  I will be following and looking for inspiration (and possible grant help).

--K. Dooley
kjd9171@lausd.net
Theater is to be experienced!

------------------------------
Kevin Dooley
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 02-10-2022 21:03
From: Michael S
Subject: Feedback on Proposed Wireless Mic System for Middle School Musical

My middle school group of eight 14 year olds is putting on a musical, and I am using the opportunity to purchase a wireless mic system instead of renting. I've come across Bodymics' analog system which is (less than) half the cost of anything else I can find which claims to be appropriate for live musical performance:

• CA.81-BB Creative Audio 8 ch Wireless Microphone System - 1u receiver-8x bodypack  with 8 hairline / lav microphones for $2400.
  

I will be pairing the wireless system with this mixer

• Soundcraft EPM12 for $410.
  

The theater we will be performing in has its own quality sound system (amps/speakers), but we only have the week before to practice with it. So, this mixer should give me what I need to get through two months of rehearsals.

I am aware these are all low budget items - but they seem to be "best value" for the price range - which is the only range I can purchase in. I am also aware that the mixer doesn't leave much room for expansion, but this is not really an issue. 
Before I pull the trigger, what I am hoping for feedback wise is anyone's experience with this system and if it will be decent enough for a middle or high school musical. I am open to other possibilities, but with a $3k budget, it seems my choices are either to rent or apply that money to something budget which might give us a few years of use.

Thanks in advance.


------------------------------
Michael
------------------------------

I wanted to follow up with my Wireless Mic experience for anyone who stumbles upon this thread in the future. We went with BodyMic's (Rod Reilly's) system as described in the original post. First off, Rod was incredibly responsive through all phases of the inquiry, ordering, & delivery. Shipping was as fast as possible. Prices were excellent (including the discount on the mixer) and I really appreciated their/his educational discounts beyond the quoted prices. We ordered 3 extra lav mics (11 total) plus one extra body pack (9 total). We had eight mics / bodypacks in use for the rehearsals and performance.

We used the system consistently for about five weeks. The first two weeks were light use - two hours per day. During the last three weeks, the mics and receiver were used about 4 hours a day for five days a week. They worked flawlessly except for the following:

The last week, we started to hear a crackling in the system. We narrowed it down to one body pack which we changed out and it solved the problem. The odd thing is that we were never able to duplicate the problem with that body pack again. Later in rehearsals and during one of the performances, we heard crackling noises again. We discovered two mics had their wires bent at almost 90 degrees where they plug in to the bodypack (images attached) . There was also one mic where the wire ended up in a knot. I replaced a couple of mics during one of the performances (as part of troubleshooting) and things were fine otherwise. A few of the antennas on the bodypacks were also bent a bit, but not extremely. I am not positive the wires (or bodypack) were the issue. I am new to this and not familiar with how durable this kind of equipment is. Certainly, with having bodypacks and mics under costumes, the wires and antennas are going to see some bending. These are also 14 year-olds and there is no way to know just how much additional stress they added to the situation beyond normal.

This was and will be my only performance with this equipment, so I probably won't be able to report back on its durability. All in all, I am extremely happy with it. The equipment performed as expected and I would recommend it highly for this use case. We had no issues with distortion and feedback once we got the EQ set properly on the system.  The performance was in a 450 seat theater and the sound booth was all the way in the back above the balcony level - maybe 200 feet away from the stage. The reception was never an issue. The Soundcraft EPM12 was also a great choice for what we needed.

Thank you Rod!

------------------------------
Michael
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 02-10-2022 21:03
From: Michael S
Subject: Feedback on Proposed Wireless Mic System for Middle School Musical

My middle school group of eight 14 year olds is putting on a musical, and I am using the opportunity to purchase a wireless mic system instead of renting. I've come across Bodymics' analog system which is (less than) half the cost of anything else I can find which claims to be appropriate for live musical performance:

• CA.81-BB Creative Audio 8 ch Wireless Microphone System - 1u receiver-8x bodypack  with 8 hairline / lav microphones for $2400.
  

I will be pairing the wireless system with this mixer

• Soundcraft EPM12 for $410.
  

The theater we will be performing in has its own quality sound system (amps/speakers), but we only have the week before to practice with it. So, this mixer should give me what I need to get through two months of rehearsals.

I am aware these are all low budget items - but they seem to be "best value" for the price range - which is the only range I can purchase in. I am also aware that the mixer doesn't leave much room for expansion, but this is not really an issue. 
Before I pull the trigger, what I am hoping for feedback wise is anyone's experience with this system and if it will be decent enough for a middle or high school musical. I am open to other possibilities, but with a $3k budget, it seems my choices are either to rent or apply that money to something budget which might give us a few years of use.

Thanks in advance.


------------------------------
Michael
------------------------------

Michael

Thanks for the shoutout.

If you read my website or met me at an Educational Theatre event you would note that we are big on
"NEVER EVER EVER wrap the mic cable around the bodypack" - 

Our recommended protocol after a rehearsal or performance:

• carefully remove the mic from the actor 
• disconnect from body pack
• clean the cable - use "cold cream" and if that doesn't get rid of stubborn residues use isopropyl alcohol or orange based goo removers, then clean that stuff off with cold cream and / or warm soapy water
• carefully coil the cable around 3-4 fingers and secure with a hair band or similar - not tight just so itr doesn't unravel - we use 1" diameter hair bands (sell 'em too)
• return the mic to a plastic bag or the plastic wallet/zippered pouch it came with or store it together with the transmitter in a zippered vinyl pencil case or similar

The crackling is almost certainly a mic cable issue - especially if it is intermittent. 

Was glad to be of service!

------------------------------
Rod Reilly
Owner, Bodymics
908-899-1277
NJ and NY offices
rod@bodymics.com
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-13-2022 17:17
From: Michael S
Subject: Feedback on Proposed Wireless Mic System for Middle School Musical

I wanted to follow up with my Wireless Mic experience for anyone who stumbles upon this thread in the future. We went with BodyMic's (Rod Reilly's) system as described in the original post. First off, Rod was incredibly responsive through all phases of the inquiry, ordering, & delivery. Shipping was as fast as possible. Prices were excellent (including the discount on the mixer) and I really appreciated their/his educational discounts beyond the quoted prices. We ordered 3 extra lav mics (11 total) plus one extra body pack (9 total). We had eight mics / bodypacks in use for the rehearsals and performance.

We used the system consistently for about five weeks. The first two weeks were light use - two hours per day. During the last three weeks, the mics and receiver were used about 4 hours a day for five days a week. They worked flawlessly except for the following:

The last week, we started to hear a crackling in the system. We narrowed it down to one body pack which we changed out and it solved the problem. The odd thing is that we were never able to duplicate the problem with that body pack again. Later in rehearsals and during one of the performances, we heard crackling noises again. We discovered two mics had their wires bent at almost 90 degrees where they plug in to the bodypack (images attached) . There was also one mic where the wire ended up in a knot. I replaced a couple of mics during one of the performances (as part of troubleshooting) and things were fine otherwise. A few of the antennas on the bodypacks were also bent a bit, but not extremely. I am not positive the wires (or bodypack) were the issue. I am new to this and not familiar with how durable this kind of equipment is. Certainly, with having bodypacks and mics under costumes, the wires and antennas are going to see some bending. These are also 14 year-olds and there is no way to know just how much additional stress they added to the situation beyond normal.

This was and will be my only performance with this equipment, so I probably won't be able to report back on its durability. All in all, I am extremely happy with it. The equipment performed as expected and I would recommend it highly for this use case. We had no issues with distortion and feedback once we got the EQ set properly on the system.  The performance was in a 450 seat theater and the sound booth was all the way in the back above the balcony level - maybe 200 feet away from the stage. The reception was never an issue. The Soundcraft EPM12 was also a great choice for what we needed.

Thank you Rod!

------------------------------
Michael

Original Message:
Sent: 02-10-2022 21:03
From: Michael S
Subject: Feedback on Proposed Wireless Mic System for Middle School Musical

My middle school group of eight 14 year olds is putting on a musical, and I am using the opportunity to purchase a wireless mic system instead of renting. I've come across Bodymics' analog system which is (less than) half the cost of anything else I can find which claims to be appropriate for live musical performance:

• CA.81-BB Creative Audio 8 ch Wireless Microphone System - 1u receiver-8x bodypack  with 8 hairline / lav microphones for $2400.
  

I will be pairing the wireless system with this mixer

• Soundcraft EPM12 for $410.
  

The theater we will be performing in has its own quality sound system (amps/speakers), but we only have the week before to practice with it. So, this mixer should give me what I need to get through two months of rehearsals.

I am aware these are all low budget items - but they seem to be "best value" for the price range - which is the only range I can purchase in. I am also aware that the mixer doesn't leave much room for expansion, but this is not really an issue. 
Before I pull the trigger, what I am hoping for feedback wise is anyone's experience with this system and if it will be decent enough for a middle or high school musical. I am open to other possibilities, but with a $3k budget, it seems my choices are either to rent or apply that money to something budget which might give us a few years of use.

Thanks in advance.


------------------------------
Michael
------------------------------