For the last two decades, I’ve been mixing at churches and installing house of worship sound systems (among other audio adventures). During this time, I’ve seen — and heard — a continuous evolution in the microphones that ministers prefer and use. For years, I would typically be asked to set up a stationary wired mic at a podium or — if the pastor/preacher went wireless — they might use a lavalier model.
The lav mic would allow the preacher the freedom to move about the platform and use both hands, but generally the sound of a lav is less desirable compared to a handheld. As a result, many of the pastors I worked with began using wireless handheld mics (some still use them today). The disadvantage of handhelds is that while holding the mic, it’s difficult to also hold a Bible and speak to the congregation while looking for a particular passage. As a result, houses of worship have become an ideal environment for the emergence of wireless headset and earset mics.
Enter the Mogan Elite
For this review, I was sent the beige-colored Mogan Elite mic and windscreen. It’s also offered in an all-black style as well. The Elite model has an MSRP of $400, although a “Standard” version is also available at half that price. Mogan built the Elite mic with a 2.5 mm (that’s small) omnidirectional condenser element. The earpiece is easily adjusted to the right or left ear and is very comfortable — I’m wearing it right now, as I write. The boom extends about 3.75 inches from the earpiece (including windscreen) and can be adjusted to accommodate the user’s facial shape and/or jaw line. The mic capsule is moisture resistant and the earpiece is hypoallergenic.
The mic is designed to work with a variety of wireless transmitters. I tested the review sample with an AKG beltpack. The Mogan Elite comes in a nice little zippered case with a Kevlar-reinforced cable, a half dozen windscreens and a cable clip. The case also included a test graph that showed the mic’s response to be nicely flat, from about 50 Hz to 20 kHz.
In Use
I do a lot of house of worship sound work, so I figured I would find a nice sanctuary environment where I could test the mic. However, it’s kind of difficult to walk into a church and tell (or ask) the pastor to start preaching using a new piece of gear he’s never used before. Fortunately, the pastor at my church is also my friend and a flexible individual. He has also never worked with an earset or headset microphone. Wireless handheld mics, or wired podium mics, have been the standard at my church.
That said, I decided to try out the wireless mic on a Wednesday night rather than diving in on a Sunday morning. Wednesdays at my church are typically more informal and a little looser. Anyway, I arrived at the church early that evening, told the house sound tech (also my friend) that I would be mixing and that I was testing a wireless earset mic. I then plugged my AKG receiver into the mixing console, connected the Mogan to the beltpack and put it on my left ear. From the Front of House position, I spoke into the mic. That’s not the ideal area to test from, but it did give me an idea of the sensitivity of the mic and a sense of its tonal quality.
After a few minutes with the Mogan, I presented it to my pastor. He put it on his right ear and we did a quick soundcheck. The service began, and we were on our way. I think what I liked the most about this microphone is that it picked up the resonance in the pastor’s voice in a very real, very authentic way. That’s a big thing with an earset (or headset) microphone. To capture a voice with this quality lets the congregation hear the preacher’s real voice. I had no problems with feedback, but I did have to make some minor EQ adjustments. Nothing crazy — I simply pulled back a little at 100 Hz and 2k Hz. Every voice is different, you know. If I didn’t have to make any EQ adjustments, Mogan would have to change the name from Elite Series to Miracle Series.
The Verdict
Anyway, the entire Wednesday service went very well. Besides giving his sermon, the pastor also came down off the platform and walked out among the congregation — all the while speaking through the earset mic. I made a few more adjustments during his time in front of the main speakers, but all feedback was avoided.
The pastor seemed very comfortable wearing the Mogan and it did seem to give him a little more confidence. Perhaps this was because he could hold his Bible while he was walking about the platform and into the audience. I might be just imagining the “increased confidence” part, but he mentioned that he really liked the microphone. He said that, after a few minutes, he didn’t even know he was wearing it. And that can definitely add to a more authentic delivery.
More information at www.moganmicrophones.com.
