MagicSNARE

Yea, the sm57 is a standard do everything mic, but isnt the best mic for the money. I have helped DCI groups as well as WGI indoor lines and we left standard dynamic mics alone and went to the condenser mics. They can cost more but a cheap solution for some groups have been the SAMSON mics. They make a cheap condenser mic set that has 2 mics in a box with shock mount. We also found that micing from the top provides a much truer sound. You do get the battery and horns thru the system but the pay off is huge if your after quality sound. You dont listen to a marimba from the bottom, why would you amplify resonator tone? Just a thought if you care to try. we mount boom arms on the frames of our yamaha keys and hang them over the keys. Check out Infinitypercussion.com for pics. We are an Independent world line pushing 4500 watts of sound. The Samsons sell for about $100 for the pair. Alot ofo groups here in Florida are going to the RODE NT5 as well. More money, but a stronger mic in general. Just make sure your board has Phatom power and you will be set. You may want to research a 31 band EQ as well to help combat Feedback coming from the speakers. but once you start to hit feedback, you are close to the maximum gain you will be able to get with out some give/take on placement and volume.

that book is the bible for front ensembles but as far as audio it is out of date if ever up to speed. SM57's are far from the normal in indoor or the DCI level. Most groups will use a small diaphram condensor microphone such as the RODE NT5. They cost more but the use of these types of mics offers a greater overall sound to a dynamic mic such as the 57. You can by all means get ok results from a 57 but that mic is generally used up close to the intended sound source instead of a few feet above or under the keyboard. As for mixers, Mackie is cheap and decent for your needs. Other budget minded consoles can be found from Samson and Behringer. Make sure they have enough XLR inputs for your needs. The 1402 only has 8 mic inputs I believe, but the 1642 has 16. If you have the cash, then upgrade to a crest, allen & heath or even some small yamaha boards. Most of the Yamaha DCI lines are using the 01v96 digital console which would be overkill for most high school needs. Hope that clears up and answers some question. Dale

how bout some drum love??? 60 brass 20 snare 10 tenors 10 bass 1 pit (DJ playing the pre-recorded midi files) 49 guard to make the drumline happy (all female)