This past Sunday at church we experienced some nasty feedback issues with the cello. I was in the seats instead of at the board or in the band, so I wasn't able to do anything. Eventually the sound guy found it and stopped it.
Turns out there was a Shure 58 on the cello. When she'd originally set up, whoever put that 58 there had it far enough away that it wasn't feeding back. But then when the cellist got back up after a break she must have been an inch or two closer to the mic.
I sent out an email to the sound team and asked them to use a 57 on the cello (currently all we have are 57s and 58s) in the future.
Meanwhile, I want to find a better solution in terms of mount and mic. If some of you guys with live sound experience could chime in, it would be greatly appreciated. Here are the requirements:
- I'd like something that mounts to the instrument to eliminate the feedback and variations in volume as the cellist moves.
- I'd like something that doesn't bust the bank. Most likely I'll just be buying this personally and donating it to the church. $300 tops? If you tell me that there's nothing good in that price range, I'd rather not waste money on something crappy.
- If I can't afford a proper, dedicated cello mic, how about some advice on how best to set up a 57 for the cello?
Much appreciated!