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COUNTRYMAN ASSOCIATES INC
ISOMAX 2-H
AUDIENCE AND CHOIR MICROPHONE
The lSOMAX Audience and Choir Microphone is a very small, full response
condenser microphone configured in omnidirectional, cardioid, and
hypercardioid patterns for hanging over choirs, orchestras, stage productions,
audiences, or other groups.
The ISOMAX 2 employs the latest microphone technology for outstanding
transient response and frequency-independent directional patterns. The
hypercardiod pattern picks up a whole choir evenly—that means the front
row of singers doesn’t overpower the back rows, and nobody sounds like a
soloist simply because he or she is closest to the mic. The omnidriectional and
cardioid patterns provide flexibility for ambient miking or isolating groups.
The ISOMAX 2 Audience and Choir Microphone also comes equipped with
a low-profile integrated steel wire that can be bent to allow the mic to point
in any direction and 50 feet of specially constructed, high-stability cable that
keeps the mike in position with variations in temperature and humidity. These
features allow innovative placement techniques that use fewer microphones
and produce more uniform pickup of the entire choir, crowd, or orchestra.
Applications
• Virtually invisible mics for choir,
stage and audience.
• Lightweight and easy to hang
without scaffolding, eliminating the
risk of bulky equipment falling on
performers or the house.
Style
• Sleek, small, lightweight mic
doesn’t distract the instrumentalist
or the house.
Performance
• Unusually uniform pickup over
entire choir or production
• Precision cardioid and
hypercardioid polar patterns are
uniform with frequency for excellent
stereo separation and rejection of
unwanted sounds
• Flat frequency response and high
SNR provide natural, world-class
sound
• Excellent gain before feedback
• Wide dynamic range (> 100 dB),
with only 1% THD at high 130
dBSPL levels
Supplied with windscreen, cable spool, stiffener for
hanging and phantom-powered preamp.
Frequency Response:
40 Hz to 18 kHz
Output Impedance:
350 Ohms
Sensitivity:
-40 dBV/Pa (10.0 mV) 1 kHz open circuit
Maximum SPL:
130 dB @ 1% THD 1 kHz
Equivalent Input Noise:
29 dB SPL (A-Weighted)
Signal to Noise Ratio:
65 dB referred to 94 dB SPL
Dynamic Range:
101 dB
Power Requirements:
Phantom 9 V @ 1 mA to 55 V @ 8 mA
Frequency Response
dB
+10
ISOMAX 2 O
0
-10
ISOMAX 2 C, H
-20
20 50 100 500
measured at 6 inches
1k
5k 10k 20 kHz200 2k
Polar Response
omnidirectional
0°
-10
-20
dB
180°
-10
-20
dB
180°
330°
0
0°
0
210°
330°
210°
300°
240°
300°
240°
270°
270°
500 Hz
1 kHz
10 kHz
30°
60°
90°
120°
150°
180°
-10
-20
dB
30°
60°
90°
120°
150°
cardioid hypercardioid
30°
60°
90°
120°
150°
0°
330°
0
300°
270°
240°
210°
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ISOMAX 2-H Application Guide for Church Installations
Practically every church could benefit from proper installation of high-quality microphones. This application guide details simple,
proven techniques that you can implement.
Choir Microphones
Successfully installing a microphone system for the choir can be difficult and expensive. Countryman Associates has developed
a simple, sure-fire approach—using the Countryman ISOMAX 2-H hypercardioid choir microphone—that does not require
access to the ceiling and results in truly superior performance using the fewest possible microphones.
The solution is twofold:
1) The Countryman ISOMAX 2-H hypercardioid microphone, which weighs only 1/25 ounce, is light enough to hang safely from
a stretched horizontal wire instead of from the ceiling.
2) The directional pattern of the ISOMAX 2-H is so uniform that it allows balance between the front and back of the choir to be
achieved simply by adjusting the angle at which the mics are secured.
Best of all, every item needed to complete the Countryman choir mic installation can be purchased from the local hardware
store. One person following the guidelines below can easily complete this installation in half a day.
Installation
• Begin by rigging a piece of .010” diameter piano wire horizontally across choir’s front row and 11 feet above the feet of the front
row. Rig the wire between two screw hooks with a turn buckle to tension the wire on one end. (See Figures 1 and 2.) Tighten
piano wire until all slack is taken up and the wire makes a “ping” sound when plucked. Do not over-tighten! This placement
should allow banners, flags and other tall items to pass safely under the piano wire.
• Tie the cable of each ISOMAX 2-H microphone to the piano wire spaced 6 feet apart with each mic
hanging 2 feet below the piano wire. The microphone will be 3 feet in front of and 3 feet above the heads
of the front row singers. (See Figures 1, 2 and 3.)
• Placing the microphones in the front provides the best response, but the front rows are picked up more
strongly because they are closer to the mics. The cable of each microphone is wrapped with soft steel
wire that allows you to adjust the direction of the mics. Tilt the mics up approximately 15 degrees from
vertical (see Figure 4). This will reduce the pickup of the front rows by putting them farther around the
side of the pickup pattern until they balance with the back rows.
• After completing the mic cable run a rehearsal to ne-tune the balance of the choir’s various sections. If
you need less gain for the front rows, then increase the angle of the microphones from 15 degrees to 20
degrees. If you wish to raise the level of the front rows, relative to the rest of the choir, then reduce the
angle of the mics from 15 degrees to 10 degrees. All you need is a step stool to adjust the angle and
fine-tune the balance from front to back.
This installation has worked successfully for a wide variety of churches and it can work for you. If you
have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call Countryman Associates at (650) 364-9988. Specification
sheets for these microphones and other Countryman products are available online at countryman.com.
Countryman Associates, Inc. 195 Constitution Drive, Menlo Park, CA 94025
Phone: (800) 669-1422 or (650) 364-9988 Fax: (650) 364-2794 Email: sales@countryman.com Web: www.countryman.com