Looking at wireless mic options, I may have stumbled on a double fix.
Dynamic mics are well serviced with wireless options, but they have other issues with boom use.
Dynamic mics do not need a power supply (called phantom power), they are tough and handle well (“drop the mic” is a dynamic mic thing, you do not want to drop a more sensitive condenser), can withstand high sound levels, close proximities, tend to have good basic wind/pop protection and are cheap for their quality. As little as $100au can get you a good one.
They are generally considered poor for boom work though, because they are less sensitive and tend to have a wide polar pattern, meaning they need to be quite close for best results. If you can get them close though, they are perfect for voices.
The sE V7 got a run today as a wireless option, with booming as a possibility. The V7 is not my most sensitive dynamic mic, the TT1 Prodipe is better, but it was decent enough into a H5 (the H8 and possibly AMS-24 may be better). The TT1 has already handled a “round table” panel situation with all speakers over a foot and a half from the mic, which was beyond all expectations.
The big suprise is wind handling. My fan test on the base unit produced a low, even hum, but when I stretched another foam pop cover over the top, it basically disappeared! This will also help with the original intent of the filter, removing ‘plosives from too-close speakers.
Being a stage mic, handling is not an issue, but weight potentially is. It is much heavier than a shotgun, but is well balanced and not a great strain (no cabling is a nice mitigation). If I drop it, I have no fear of damaging the mic, maybe what it lands on though.
The polar pattern in supercardioid, not the tightest, but not totally unusable. Even Cardioid, which I s basically “all forward” is acceptable depending on surrounding sounds.
More focussed Hyper cardioid is preferred, or even tighter.
Lobar or shotgun patterns are very tight, which allows for high rejection of off-axis sounds, but for this application, controlled booming for interviews and podcasts, it may be fine (I have shotguns). This pattern can also be problematic in poorly treated spaces as the rejection can cause out of phase echos.
The big advantage though is, dynamic mics are reliable options for wireless adaptation with cheap units like the 5.8 Ghz Lekato kit ($125au). These are solid, reliable and rugged. Every option for shotguns, Lav’s or condensers, seemed expensive, messy, twitchy and fragile by comparison as well as usually being based on 2.4 Ghz signal, which is much more crowded air space.
Plenty of reviews later and I am happy with this versatile and cost effective option.
They will plug into anything XLR, have four channels and are low profile. I could set up four of my vocal mics with these. Even if the boom thing is a stretch, I will have an interview, performance or presentation option.
All good.
Best thing is they are making my least used mics more useful.
I will get another (or maybe more) if they work out.
The nearest contenders were the ECM-3 Zoom adapter cable, same price, but cabled and limited, the Comica MV30 wireless shotgun, which is expensive ($300au) and not probably a better mic than the Zoom SSH-6 I have, or finally the MKE-600 ($350au), which is still cabled and not a huge upgrade over the MKE-400 other than better rejection and maybe a slightly longer range (talking feet not meters). The AMS-24 interface that just arrived could problem solve easily enough, but is still messy.