Sennheiser XSW-D hiss

[rjbeardsley]

Hi everyone!
I've recently been recording a series of podcasts with SM58s and a Zoom F6. I've typically had to have the gain set between 55db and 60db which I thought was pretty normal, the talents aren't overly loud and it's with dynamic mics. I've been happy with the results and they're aren't any issues when using cables at all.
I recently decided to purchase a few sets of the XSW-D wireless transmitters, a lav set and an xlr set to plug into the SM58s to tidy things up. The lav sets work perfectly but when plugging the XLR transmitter into the SM58 the hiss is extremely prominent at 55db. It's exactly the same with the mic is disconnected too. This is the same across all the XLR sets I have but it's basically unusable. Has anyone else experienced this?

[Mike Stranks]

I have a couple of XSW-D sets - one lav and one XLR-link.

I was using both last weekend in conjunction with a Rode-link and wasn't aware of any obtrusive hiss. My use is direct into a camcorder through a splitter arrangement.

A few of thoughts...

Is that particular receiver plugged directly into your mixer? Have you tried moving the receiver away from the mixer - perhaps on the end of an XLR cable?

Are your two receivers adjacent to each other? Does it help if you separate them? (Same solution as my first thought really...)

Is your gain-staging OK?

Do you have wifi routers or other wifi devices or things that utilise 2.4GHz in the vicinity?

On a further read of your post it appears that you have multiple XSW-D sets... how many do you have/use at the same time? Is there any difference if you just use one set - all other radio systems switched-off.

I like the XSW-D's for their simplicity and size. I get acceptable (for video for me) results from them. But they're not in the same league as the Rode-link...

Yet again I'm reminded that the use of radio mics can often enter the realms of a black art rather than science!

[Mike Stranks]

Further comment...

I can understand why you've used wireless... trailing cables and all that...

But many years of using radio-microphones has helped me realise that it's probably best only to use them when there is no alternative.

A few weeks ago I was called into an install I did a couple of years ago because the radio mics "were unusable". They were right; very significant dropout issues because of dead-spots. So the receivers were repositioned and extensive testing in the previous dead-spots revealed all was well. Subsequent use also revealed the problems had disappeared.

I happened to be at the venue last weekend and noticed some micro dropouts when the mic was in a previous dead-spot - which had been absolute fine during my testing...