Category: Audio

One microphone for everything? How to choose the right mic, and how to avoid fakes

Walk into many churches, halls and event venues across Africa and you will see the same microphone doing every job. It is used for the pastor, the lead singer, the choir, the kick drum and the guitar amplifier. Things have improved a lot in recent years, but choosing a microphone is still too often based on what the shop had, not on what the job needs.

In truth there is a microphone, often several, designed for each application. Knowing the basics will save you money, feedback and frustration.

Close-up of a handheld vocal microphone — A handheld vocal microphone is designed for one job. It is not the right tool for every source on the stage.

Dynamic or condenser

Dynamic microphones are robust, handle very loud sources and need no power. They need the source close to the capsule. Typical uses: vocals on a loud stage, drums, guitar amplifiers, speech in noisy places.
Condenser microphones are more sensitive and capture more detail, but they also pick up more of the room. Most need phantom power (48V) from the mixer. Typical uses: lecterns and goosenecks, choirs, acoustic instruments, drum overheads, studio vocals.

Polar pattern: where the microphone listens

The polar pattern shows how sensitive a microphone is from each direction. This is one of the most important specifications, and one of the least understood.

Diagram of omni, cardioid, supercardioid, hypercardioid and figure-8 polar patterns — Polar patterns. The shape shows how much the microphone picks up from each direction.

Omnidirectional: hears all around equally. Good for lavaliers on presenters and some recording, poor on a loud stage because it picks up the speakers too.
Cardioid: hears the front, rejects the back. The most common choice for vocals and speech. Place the stage monitor directly behind it.
Supercardioid and hypercardioid: narrower at the front, with more side rejection and a small pickup lobe at the back. Better gain before feedback on loud stages, but the monitors must be placed at an angle, not directly behind.
Figure-8: hears front and back equally and rejects the sides. Mostly used in studios.

A microphone for each job

Audio-Technica ES925 gooseneck microphone — A gooseneck condenser such as the Audio-Technica ES925 is made for lecterns, pulpits and boardroom tables.

Application	What usually works
Lectern or pulpit	Gooseneck condenser, cardioid or supercardioid
Boardroom table	Gooseneck or boundary microphones, or ceiling microphones with a DSP
Pastor or presenter who moves	Headset microphone for loud rooms, lavalier for TV and quiet rooms
Lead vocal	Handheld cardioid or supercardioid vocal microphone, dynamic or condenser
Choir	Small diaphragm condensers placed above and in front of the choir
Kick drum	Large diaphragm dynamic designed for low frequencies
Snare and toms	Instrument dynamic microphones or clip-on drum microphones
Drum overheads	Pair of condenser microphones
Guitar amplifier	Instrument dynamic microphone close to the speaker
Keyboard and bass	Usually a DI box, not a microphone

The fake microphone problem

Then there is the market. Many people buy a “branded” microphone in town and truly believe it is original. Here is a simple test. A Shure SM58, one of the most copied microphones in the world, sells for around 100 US dollars in the US. If you are offered one in Kampala for 20 dollars, it is not genuine. Not new, and not even used. No official distributor can buy it at that price.

Counterfeiting is organised and large. In one recent case, Shure and other audio brands worked with investigators in China against a network running more than 80 online stores. Nearly 900,000 dollars of the fake sales were Shure products alone. Shure itself warns that fakes often use genuine photos and specifications, and that an unusually low price is a warning sign. Their advice is simple: buy from an authorised dealer.

A fake does not just sound worse. It often fails early, handles feedback badly, and has no warranty. You pay twice.

Is a 1,000 dollar wireless system expensive?

Many clients tell me a wireless system over 1,000 dollars is too expensive. But that is not a Ugandan price, it is the market. One large US retailer lists dozens of Shure wireless systems between 3,000 and 5,000 dollars, and many above that. Professional digital wireless gives you stable signal, encryption, rechargeable batteries, network monitoring and the ability to run many channels together without interference. For a church, a conference centre or a parliament, that is what you are paying for.

Local support, and the frequency trap

Last, and often forgotten: who will support your microphones next year?

Wireless microphones are sold in frequency bands, and the legal bands differ from country to country. Shure states clearly that a wireless system sold in one region may not be legal in another. In Uganda, the radio spectrum is regulated by the Uganda Communications Commission. A system bought in the US is built for US frequencies.

To give a real example, the Audio-Technica 3000 Series is sold in different bands, including DE2 (470 to 530 MHz) and EE1 (530 to 590 MHz). A transmitter from one band will not work with a receiver from the other.

Audio-Technica ATW-3212/C510 wireless handheld system — Audio-Technica 3000 Series handheld system. The transmitter and the receiver must be from the same frequency band.

Now imagine your handheld transmitter is lost, stolen, dropped or dies. If you bought the system locally from the official distributor, in most cases you can buy just that one transmitter, in the right band, and carry on. If you imported it from abroad, you may find the same model, but in a different band, and it will not work with your receiver. Then you are buying a whole new system.

Choose the microphone for the job, not one microphone for all jobs.
Buy from the official distributor or an authorised dealer.
If the price is too good, it is not original.
For wireless, make sure the band is right for Uganda and that spare transmitters, capsules and batteries are available locally.

If you need help choosing microphones for a church, hall, boardroom or stage, Talk to us at PRO AV Africa or message me on WhatsApp.

References

Photo: Unsplash. Product images: Audio-Technica. Diagram: Boaz Shani.

November 5, 2026

Church sound systems in Uganda
This subject has been on my mind for a very long time.
In Uganda, so many churches don’t really have sound systems. They have noise generation systems.
The reason is simply a lack of exposure and education, for both the church administration and the “sound man” or “sound technician”.
I put those titles in quotation marks because about 90% of church “sound men” were never trained by a sound professional. Most of them were trained by a mzee (an older person), who was trained by another mzee, who was never trained by anyone.
The work of a sound man is more than setting up the system and making it work.
- How many sound people in Uganda know the impedance of their speakers and amplifiers?
- How many know what a microphone’s polar pattern is?
- How many can identify a frequency and kill feedback in a second?
- And how many can stand up to their pastor and church administration and say: no, this is wrong?
I will publish an article on each of those questions in future. For now, let’s go back to the main topic: sound systems.
It is sad that in so many churches in Uganda, the sound is not really sound. It is loud noise.
Many churches use speakers that are too big, made for outdoor concerts. Many others are simply fake. When they are bought, nobody looks at the specifications. What frequency range does the speaker cover? How intelligible is it?
What is intelligibility? It is how clear the speaker’s sound is. Yes, it can be measured, and it is very important when you buy speakers.
Think about it: how many times have you simply not understood what came out of the speakers?
In Uganda everyone likes big. People think the bigger, the better. This is wrong!

Speakers from floor to ceiling, in a small church.

If you have visited churches around the world, you will notice that you hardly ever see the speakers. Why? Churches are buildings where acoustics are hard to manage, and one of the best ways to manage them is with many small speakers, so the sound does not come from one main set and bounce all over the room.
As far as I know, people come to church for two things: to listen to the word and to enjoy the gospel music. Not to attend a live concert or a night club.
If you agree with me, why can’t you clearly hear the words of your priest or pastor?
Another problem is that many preachers spent years preaching without a sound system, so when they finally get a microphone they keep shouting into it. That does not help either.
Did you know that most singers, politicians and public speakers are trained to hold and use a microphone and a sound system? I am not sure church sound men know how to train anyone, and if they do, whether they have tried.
The bottom line is this: in church it should not be about how loud the system can get, but how clear and audible it is.
I am not saying it should not be loud, or that there should be no subwoofers. But a church does not need subwoofers the size of two big people (my size). A church can have clear sound that everyone enjoys, where every word is understood.
Some churches have bought good sound systems but struggle to manage and set them up. And remember, a sound system is a system: everything must work together.
If you have great original speakers and amplifiers but your sound man is not great, the sound won’t be great. If you have great original speakers, amplifiers and a good sound man, but the microphones are wrong for the application, or the cables or connectors are fake, there will always be problems during the service.
It is sad that in our local market, the shops that sell speakers and sound systems mostly sell fake or locally assembled speakers. More important to me, nobody in those shops can explain how to choose equipment or what to look for. They just want to sell. The result is that churches keep coming back to buy again, because the gear does not last or does not perform.
Let me ask you this. When you need parts for your car, you look for value, but if a part keeps failing you eventually buy the original. It costs a bit more, but you know it will last.
So why don’t people see yet that cheap is expensive?
When a church buys speakers three or four times a year because they keep blowing or don’t perform, why not invest once? It would surely cost less than going back to the market three times.
Another problem churches face is, sadly, corruption. Yes, even some churches in Uganda. I may come to consult a church, and the next day other “advisors” who know nothing about sound pretend they do, when their main aim is to get something out of the deal.
I think there are only five or so people in Uganda who really know how to design sound systems for churches.
We offer free training to churches, so they have the right tools when they look for a sound system and can compare different systems the right way.
I have seen it many times. People come to me wanting big speakers, or 5,000 watt speakers. After I teach them a few things and give them a demo, they are confused at first, but then they agree that they did not know all this before and that it makes sense.
I hope that in a few years, churches in Uganda will have the right sound systems, and that people will appreciate and demand better sound, not only in churches but everywhere: schools, weddings, parties, night clubs and more.

0.347596 32.582520
May 19, 2019
Speaker watts are not the most important thing in a speaker
In Uganda, and not only here, many people choose speakers by their watts. Some time back a pastor came to my office looking for 25,000 watt speakers. He had 2,000 watt speakers and wanted louder sound, so I assume he expected speakers that were more than ten times louder.
In the local market, shops sell speakers by watts, yet the key word is the one above: louder. Not watts, and not size.
So what should you look for when you buy speakers?
1. How loud it can be.
2. How good its sound is.
Here are the answers.
1. Loudness is measured in decibels (dB), as SPL (sound pressure level). Most manufacturers test and publish a speaker’s sensitivity like this: xx dB at 1 W / 1 m. What does that mean? It means that when the speaker gets 1 watt of power and you measure it 1 metre away, this is how loud it is: xx dB.
To compare apples with apples, check each speaker’s sensitivity measured the same way, at 1 W / 1 m. Some manufacturers confuse buyers by publishing only the maximum SPL and a few other figures, so I recommend you always look for the 1 W / 1 m figure.
For example, one speaker can give 96 dB at 1 W / 1 m, while another with the same or even higher wattage gives only 81 dB at 1 W / 1 m.
Think of energy saving bulbs. A 5 watt bulb can give more light than an old 60 watt bulb. Do you care about the power (watts) or the light? By the way, the brightness of a bulb is measured in lumens, not watts. I will explain that another time.
You should look for the louder speaker, just as you look for the brighter bulb, not the one that consumes more power. And don’t forget: the higher the consumption, the higher your electricity bill, or the bigger the generator you will need.
2. How good the sound is. We learn this from the speaker’s frequency response. What is that? In simple terms, it is the treble and the bass, the range of sound the speaker can reproduce.
Without going too deep into the technical side, you need to know that the wider the frequency range, the better the speaker.
The full range of human hearing is from 20 Hz at the low end to 20,000 Hz at the high end. You can find speakers that cover the full range or only part of it. The lower it goes at the bottom and the higher it goes at the top, the better.
For subwoofers you only need the low frequencies, so the lower the sub goes, the deeper its sound. Then again, it depends on your application and preference. For example, the bass you want for jazz and the bass you need for hip hop are not the same.
These are only the basics of how to select and compare speakers. There are more things to look at, such as impedance, intelligibility and a few more, and I will be writing about those soon.
May 16, 2019