About this lectern microphone- Countryman- noise cancelling:
We tested every lectern microphone we could get our hands on and found this to be the best by far.
Like noise-cancelling headphones, but in a microphone. This means you don’t need a shock mount. You need phantom power on your sound desk or amplifier.
More about this lectern microphone:
They are made in the USA.
We are the main purchaser of this type of microphone in Australia, so we get them at a great price. We sell them at the price we get them for (they are normally $700).
The problem with our Arc2 lectern with mic mounts, is that there is no room for a shock mount- we tried it and they are so big that they all look ridiculous. The way to solve this problem is the countryman microphone. It works like noise cancelling headphones- it recognises noise coming from below and cancels it out.
The noise cancelling reduces surface noises- for example the speaker tapping the top with their hand, or tapping the base with their foot. We have tested these microphones here at our factory. Like a shock mount it only reduces these noises however. Deliberate sounds like hand clapping still come through the mic.
How good is the noise cancelling? Our experience is that a shock mount is slightly better (but a shock mount is big and ugly).
You really only need one microphone- the extra socket on the lectern is for back up. According to Grant our sound guy- if you were to have 2 microphones connected at the same time, they will cause each other feedback. The reason you see 2 microphones on lecterns on tv etc, is that one is back up. If one microphone were to fail, the sound guy would quickly switch from one to the other.
This microphone needs phantom power. Phantom power is a small amount of power provided by a sound desk or amplifier to a microphone- so that it can operate. Some microphones need phantom power, others do not. This one does. If your amplifier or sound desk does not have phantom power, you can buy a small box that will plug in between the amplifier and the microphone cable. This normally costs around $50.
This microphone is 18" long. This is a standard height for a podium microphone. It means that you can bend it to suit where you are standing. It also helps to adjust for taller and shorter people.
The exact model number is:
AI-M4HP5RF18EB- Goose Neck, black, hyper, 18-inLectern Microphone- Countryman- noise cancelling