(Ed. Note: We took a bit of a different approach on this one. Having fronted a horn band for more than 20 years, I am well-aware of the difficulty of making a good horn sound right in the system with the mics generally available on your typical house gig. It is why I carry my own horn mics on every gig where I am doing the muso thing. So, for this review, we put the mic in the hands of a top-notch sax player who knows his way around a console and then got some feedback from the sound guys on some of the gigs where he used it. Here is what they had to say.)
The pro audio world needs to know about the WMS 450/C519ML MicroMic system. This wireless combination is, in this sax player/audio guy’s opinion, a new benchmark for quality sound, ease of operation and reliability.
The Gear
I have been a working professional saxophonist and reed player for the past 22 years and I have played every hard-wired as well as wireless micro-phone that has ever been put in front of me on just about every conceivable stage set. As an acoustic instrumentalist, the greatest challenges have been to compete with a stage full of electronic instruments and drums where just about everyone, including vocalists, have a definite edge in sound reinforcement technology. How many microphones and wirelesses exist that are specifically designed for the human voice, or the drum, or the gui-tar? For years horn players had to remain behind fixed mics like the “old catch-alls” in the SM57 or Sennheiser 421 — good mics for horns, decent reproduction and sound guys like ‘em because of their reputation for isolation and feedback rejection, but hardly equipment that was purpose-built for a saxophonist, trumpeter or trombonist.
I discovered the AKG C419 hard-wired horn mic about a decade ago and never have left home without it on a sound-reinforced gig. I chose it over the standard offerings of the day from other manufacturers that were in many ways more widely accepted by audio mixers. I feel that as a horn player, AKG has a keener insight into how my saxophones need to sound.
I had an urgent need to be wireless this year. A new high-energy gig meant it was time to be a Rock Star. Staying fixed to a mic stand or even teth-ered with my excellent C419 was not sufficient. Enter AKG with a purpose-built SR450 receiver, a PT450 transmitter and the new C519ML in-strument mic. The C519 now can plug directly into the transmitter or alternatively into an available phantom-powered XLR cable when you do not need to be wireless, a flexibility that I did not have on the C419. The PT450 bodypack transmitter can even be attached directly onto the micro-phone so you don’t have to worry about routing the cable around yourself.
The Gig
I played this system on a variety of gigs ranging from 300-seat rooms to outdoor gigs for 1,000-plus people and with bands doing rock, funk, jazz, soul and even some classical. Simply put, the mic makes my saxophones sound like saxophones! Depending on the gig, I may play as many as four saxes, and the C519 clips on and off easily, making instrument changes quick and painless. The mic needs very little in the way of equalization. All of the acoustic properties that make the instrument special are well presented in this mic. A simple angle adjustment and distance change of the capsule to the instrument yields predictable acoustic changes that any horn player can easily master in order to customize the “feel” of the mic without being bothersome to the engineer. Horn players around the world should be put on notice that the Wunderkind at AKG are thinking about them.
The C519 mic was used outdoors at the Fremont Street Experience in Las Vegas where I was playing with a Billy Joel tribute band. This is a gig I had done before with my C419. Brian Pomeroy has been mixing this venue for some time so he had a good read on the differences. This is what he had to say.
“The mic sounded great and I had zero problems with the wireless — and wireless can be an issue down here. I had mixed James before on a dif-ferent mic and set him up the way I always have. I ended up having to dial back the high-end a little bit because this C519 just has more sizzle to it. I basically ended up pretty much flat on the EQ. I thought during line check that it might be a little much on the high end even after backing it off, but when he played with the band that extra high-end really made the sax cut through without making it shrill. Oh, and even on a loud stage full of wedges and this being a condenser, we had no feedback issues.
“As a sound guy, I am always a little leery when artists bring in their own mics — especially anything new or unfamiliar. But next time I see this AKG combo, I’ll be a happy engineer. And if you are looking to add to your mic arsenal, this is one to take a real close look at.”
AKG C519ML/WMS450
What It Is: Purpose-built wireless horn mic and frequency-agile UHF wireless system.
Who It’s For: Anyone who regularly needs to reinforce live horns.
Pros: Easy to set-up, solid wireless performance, great sound.
Cons: May have a little more top-end than you are used to.
How Much: WMS 450 Guitar/Instrument System $799.00 MSRP; C519ML $279.00 MSRP.
Web site: www.akg.com
