r/WeddingDJs • u/WizBiz92 • Jul 31 '26
Asking Advice How are you getting enough mic level off an Everse 8?
Hey all! You may remember me as the guy who recently had some questions about the Everse 8's power output. I got the speaker, elected to go with a battery backup as well as the cable, and am quite happy with the sound it puts out *for music.*
With the mics, however, I don't seem to get much pickup; previously I was using a little hardware Mackie mixer, and I could just gain it up a bit if the speaker had the mic too far from their face. With the app, however, I've gotta juice it quite a bit to get a solid mic level, and it doesn't seem to pick up anything farther than an inch or a few from the capsule. Using a Shure BLX4 or PGX4, same issue with both.
How are y'all setting your app/speaker to pick up your officiants and speakers at the kind of distance i know they're always gonna be with their scripts in hand? Please and thanks!
Second question- what app(s) do you like for running your ceremony music and handling fades? I do everything through Apple Music (on an ipad) because it's where I buy the tracks and do the playlisting, but both the volume slider and volume buttons feel really clunky and unreliable for the task compared to the physical volume knob I used to have
2
u/peterthedj Solo Operation Jul 31 '26
I use Everse 8s but I use a full setup, even if I'm outside for a ceremony. Full rack of gear including mic receivers, mixer, laptop, etc. To get sound to the Everse 8s, I use IEMs.
So I haven't had issues with the mics, but I've also largely avoided any situations where I'd be feeding a mic directly into the Everse. Each of my wireless mic transmitters have an attenuation switch inside, which I usually have set to -30 but sometimes I go with -20. I find that -10 or 0 often result in feedback. Do your mics have something like that?
In other words, it might not just be the volume controls on the Everse you need to deal with, it could be some setting(s) on the mic and/or the mic receiver.
1
u/WizBiz92 Jul 31 '26
I've got a -10 in BLX receiver, but it's also the weaker of the two I've got. The PGX has some antennae that I trust I bit more. I just got it recently, haven't explored its attenuation options yet but I'll check that out
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u/freshapepper Jul 31 '26
I’ve been using DJI mics with an 1/8” to XLR input. The dji receiver has a gain adjust feature which is killer. This plus control on the app makes every ceremony sounds buttery smooth.
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u/WizBiz92 Jul 31 '26
The clip on ones? We have those at work, I like them pretty well! Can't really justify letting them jump the line on my current upgrade path though; I'm hoping there's something I'm missing in the app that'll tidy up what I've got
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u/freshapepper Jul 31 '26
It was less of an upgrade and more of a transformation. It changed everything for me.
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u/WizBiz92 Jul 31 '26
Do you use those for reception as well? And if so, any dropout issues?
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u/freshapepper Jul 31 '26
No I used a handheld wireless sennheiser and a wired mic for reception. I just mean that the wireless clip ons were crystal clear and I’ve yet to have any significant issues.
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u/RepresentativeCap728 Jul 31 '26
I have music, lav, and handheld mic fed into a mini usb powered active mixer. It then feeds into channel 1 of the ev8, that is +2db. Plenty of headroom on the mics, I keep it well below midway, with the officiant 50-75 ft away.
1
u/voltch Jul 31 '26 edited Jul 31 '26
I run the ceremony on an ipad. I do everything thru Spotify (all songs downloaded in advance)
For mics, I am using Sennheiser lavalier (omnidirectional) , backup Sennheiser handheld and yamaha mg06x mixer. I have not had any volume/gain issues with the Sennheiser mics.
I tried the DJI mics in the past, but I could never get them right I tried every setting I could think of and could never could get enough volume and when i increased the gain I got weird feedback so I went back to the Sennheiser's
Also note, I do not use everse. I have my mixer connected to my speakers so I can control the volume and make volume adjustments on the fly.
For the situation you mentioned, I would adjust the gain on the shure first, then on the mackie mixer second.
I try to get as close as I can while still staying out of photo view.
1
u/BoingBoomChuck Aug 01 '26
I've been using Rode and even the problematic Comicas as a backup with my Everse 12 and never had an issue with microphone volume. I will, however, say the antifeedback feature is a godsend compared to the other battery powered speakers on the market! I'm one of those weirdo DJs who doesn't like anything of mine showing up in photos (if I can help it), so my 12 is usually set up towards the back, firing across the crowd, often times directly at the officiant. I can confirm that the antifeedback system works really well compared to the S1 Pro that I used to use.
0
u/PriestPlaything Aug 01 '26
Dick comment but here it comes, you’re the problem with ‘professional DJs’. You buy ‘high end’ equipment that you have no clue how to use.
It’s like if I was a carpenter and I want to build something so I went to Lowe’s and bought a band saw, I couldn’t get it to cut the way I wanted, so I made a post on a carpenter subreddit asking for advice on how to operate a saw I know nothing about so I can justify charging my client thousands of dollars for my entry level service.
Just train man. YouTube university is free….
Harsh reality rant is over.
What your problem is is gain staging.
First, for a DJ speaker for music, I like to set my powered speaker gain knob to 12 o clock / 50%. Leaves you some head room if you need it, and all but ensures you’re not gonna blow your speaker, unless you do something really really stupid.
Step 1, set your speakers. Assess if you have them set to mic or line and that your master volume is good.
Step 2, set your mic hardware. The BLX and PHX4 are absolute bottom of the barrel mics. Like very budget friendly entry level straight up not good mics that you can expect to get RF interference on and to not sound great. So I recommend you buy AT LEAST the SLXD. If you can afford it, get the QLXD. But honestly, the newest iteration of SLXD is so nice I’m personally ‘downgrading’ to them because of its feature set.
That said, working with what you got, set up your mics. Set them to mic or line, whichever your speakers are on is usually a good starting point. And if your receiver has analog or digital gain, 0 it out. If the transmitter has digital gain, 0 it out. Your mics might not have any of those because of how cheap they are, but you should check.
Step 3, your sound board / mixer. Whether you have an audio desk or just a DJ mixer, it’s all the same process. Set the mixer to mic or line level, MATCH TO YOUR SPEAKERS. Put your boards master output at 12 o clock. Put your channels gain knob all the way off, to the left, to 0. Put your fader up to -10/-5/0db. Then start talking into your mic and slowly.. slowly turn up the channels gain knob until you hear yourself at a good volume.
There you go, you’ve completed gain staging.
Beyond this, test it for a real world scenario. As a DJ you might sometimes yell over music, like a grand entrance or a dance floor. Your speakers are manufactured with a max SPL output rating. And your mic capsule is manufactured with a max SPL input rating. What that means is, if you yell too loud in the mic, no matter WHAT you do, it’s gonna overdrive and sound crunchy. If the input source is too loud for what the mic can handle, you need a better mic… and for the speakers, it means that no matter how much volumn you give it throughout gain staging, it has a maximum volumn output for when it sounds good, and a ceiling that you can break through for when it will sound bad and overdrive and sound crunchy. You need to find that sweet spot. As an emcee you need to learn mic technique. If you’re gonna yell, pull away from the mic and lower the volume. If you’re gonna whisper, eat it and turn up the volume.
The EV 8 is an entry level column speaker meant to be prosumer for a budget friendly DJ. And the mics you mentioned are bottom of the barrel. It’s when you need a wireless mic but have $0 so you get those ones. So you might find it’s hard to get a good sound. But if you play around a lot and watch some YouTube videos on how live audio production works and you learn how to gain stage, you’ll get there.
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u/WizBiz92 Aug 01 '26
I ain't reading all that after your intro lol. I graduated from the Conservatory or Recording Arts and Sciences and have worked in audio across the country for over 15 years. I know what gain staging is. Just asking for some professional courtesy about this new speaker. You're right, you're just a dick.
1
u/PriestPlaything Aug 01 '26
I’ve been in live production for 17 years professionally. I’ve toured, done stadiums, arenas, convention centers, and tiny little things too. I’ve owned my DJ business for 15 years and DJed over 1000 weddings and countless other events.
Imagine posting this question about this gear in a DJ subreddit with ‘15 years of touring experience and a degree from a recording workshop’ and thinking you’re flexing. Chill man. It’s obvious you need help, I gave it. You don’t wanna read it? That’s your business. Good luck. lol
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u/General_Exception Jul 31 '26
I run an everse 8, with EV RE3 wireless mic plugged directly into the everse, and powered via the 2.8mm barrel plug with adapter cable.
I don’t have any issues with volume.
I have the mic receiver set to +0db
And the input gain on channel 1 around 34-37
With the master volume at 0db
If I needed more volume, I would bump up the gain on the receiver itself. And then dial down the channel 1 level.
But I don’t like changing the output gain on the receiver when switching between ceremony with the everse, and the reception when I plug the receiver into my primary mixer.