Best current wireless headset mic for musical theater

[RBIngraham]

Countryman E6 and the DPA (sorry don't know the model number they are way out of my price range in the companies I work for) are the defacto standards used for musical theatre type applications.

I have also used one of the AT models (sorry I don't remember the model number, I only used them because that is what the rental shop had) and they sound pretty decent as well.

They can be tricky to use. But one thing I would note is that you don't want the cardiod units. There will already be enough variation in sound from night to night based on how close the mic is to their mouths without adding the extra variable of being more or less on axis to the element, so not only does the volume level change but also the sound color. Major pain!

Mouth and breath sounds are not big problems for me unless they are put in the wrong spot. At least in the theatre world we don't put them out in front of the actors mouths. It is more of a cheek placement. Just behind the mouth. If it's in front of the mouth or two close to the mouth... you're doing it wrong.

My main issues with using these have been keeping them on in shows with heavy dancing, maintaining the mic placement from night to night relative to the performer's mouth and wind noise when they start to run around the stage. The Countryman units have tiny little wind screens you can put over them to stop the wind noise. But some directors don't like seeing them. Plus they also fall off and get lost easy. So you must have extras!

I have also solved the wind noise by putting a very tiny piece of material cut out from sheer pantyhose and either taping or using very tiny dental rubber bands to hold it on. It can work like a wind screen or more similar to a popper stopper used in a studio.

If you're poor I have also rolled my own headset style mics just using the theatre's stock of B3, B6 or Sennheiser MKE2 units. I do this by using floral wire to make my own earpiece with a small boom (using one gauge of wire for the loop around the ear and a thinner one for the boom) and attach the standard lav mic to it. I sometimes will use a Hellerman tool and sleeves to hold it together and other times I've used heat shrink or if I was in a hurry, just tape.