We have a solid sound system (for a middle school), that is in good shape. Transmitters/receivers all doing fine (we have 24). But we do need to replace a few microphones that have suffered wear and tear (and breakage).
The ones we have are Shure MX153 Subminiature Earset Microphones. They were purchased by the local cable company for town use, as part of an arrangement that has since changed (so, such a big budget purchase is definitely out of the question now).
Overall we are pretty happy with them, though the average middle schooler has trouble remembering not to touch them. And getting the placement right for every actor can be challenging. And they are a tad delicate. Not insurmountable challenges. And they are expensive, which is a more significant problem.
We could budget for 2 or 3 to be replaced each year. But before I go with that option, I wanted to check if anyone has good success with less expensive mini XLR compatible mics.
I'm also very curious to hear any thoughts on the possibility of forehead placed mics (instead of taped to the cheek). We've never done this, so I have zero experience with it.
We used to have 2 staff who knew a lot about sound, but neither of them are in our district any more ... so all advice is gratefully received!
Thanks!
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Kristin Hall
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Drama Director
Lincoln MA
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