Optogate automatic microphone switches - References from professionals

References - Optogate Users

Optogates have been used by many professional musicians, engineers and companies. Their support and suggestions help continually improve the products. We look forward to seeing your name on the list soon.

Engineers

Randy Meullier
Jörg Siemer
Terry Nelson
Mark Tirabassi
Torben Ibs
Kevin Marshall
Andy Craig
Eddie Mapp
Jochen Maeding
Willems Raf (The Reverend)

Companies

Chrystal Sound (Germany)
Sound Service Jörg Siemer (Germany)
Norddeutscher Rundfunk (Germany)
Hands on Sound Co. (California)
Janus Media Support (Netherlands)
Juberts Sound and Light (Philippines)
Western Audio Engineering (New Zealand)
KS Audio (Sweden)

Artists

Doobie Brothers
Alice Cooper
Guns N´ Roses
Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Frank Itt
Matchbox Twenty
Rasmus
Neil Young
Meatloaf
Lake
Kettcar
Zakk
Torfrock
City-Sound
El Guapo Stunt Team, Belgium

"Road Test" - Front of House Magazine USA, April 2005

Mic-Mute Automatic Microphone Switch by Jamie Rio

Here´s the scenario: you´ve got a loud guitar player who also sings backups on your stage. When he is in front of his mic, your mix is perfect. As soon as he steps away from his mic, you pick up a lot of extra guitar in your mix and it all turns to crap. Or you have a drummer who sings, and his always on, hot vocal mic is making the drum mix sound like snot. The thought of muting these mics at the appropriate time is daunting´especially if you have never mixed the band before and you are shooting from the hip as it is.

Well, here´s the solution. It´s a small device (about the size of a cigarette lighter) that plugs in between your mic and mic cable. It incorporates an electronic eye that controls an automatic mute switch. When the eye sees your smiling face the switch turns on. When it doesn´t, the switch turns off. It´s simple and amazingly effective. The distance that the eye sees is adjustable and the on/off effect is noiseless.

I used it with a loud guitar player and with a drummer. With the drummer it was great, as he never really varies the distance from his pie-hole to the mic. With minimal adjustment for distance, I got what I needed: vocals when he was singing and dead air when he wasn´t. It worked okay with the guitarist, but he has a tendency to work the mic pulling back when he is really pushing for a high note. This generally works well and I don´t have to overly compress the vocal because he actually has mic technique. But the Mic-Mute does not take technique into account and the mute kicked in a few times when he pulled back. A little adjustment of the distance control should have helped, but I wasn´t getting it.

Bottom line is that for singers who are right up on the mic all the time, the Mic-Mute works wonders for cleaning up the mix. It also works on phantom power, so don´t worry about batteries. This is a great little tool. Everybody should have a couple in their toolbox. Manufactured in Germany.

What it is: Small individual mic mute

Who it´s for: Sound guys and bands who want more control over their mixes

Pros: It turns a mic on and off when you want

Cons: Doesn´t always work with mic technique. Either on or off (no subtleties)

What Optogate Users Say...

...It works great. I will be trying to get all my bands to use then in the future. Thanks a million.

Tony Sabato, USA - Monitor Engineer for Live, Blondie, Hanson, Ozzfest, ZZ-Top, Joan Osborne, Staind

...Over the summer I worked with Evanescence on their European tour. Their Sound Engineer Eddie Mapp and I used the Optogate PB-05 and I loved it.

Tim Pfeffer, Pittsburgh, Sound Engineer for Richard Marx, Vertical Horizon

...The past few weeks we had several festivals and we worked almost everytime with the Optogate and it was a succes! Even the guest mixers who didn´t know it, liked it and were very pleased with it! We liked it also very much. Sometimes it needs some time to get tuned good, but when it´s done it works absolutely fine!

Maarten Deboes, Belgium

I've been using a modified version - for In Ear Monitoring - of the Optogate with pop, rock and metal bands for quite some time now and made great experiences with this device. Even with musicians kicking their mic stands around, and mic and Optogate getting dropped on stage, my little helpers are still getting their job done as they were new.
The Optogates' infrared sensor works very well and keeps the input channel- and finally the whole mix cleaner, plus, it's very reliable on tour, from club- to stadium shows.

Andy Ebert, USA / Germany, Monitor Engineer for Red Hot Chili Peppers, Maroon 5, Guns N´Roses

...I just wanted to let you know how happy I am with the Optogate. The band has extreme stage volume and the backline sits on the stage set shooting right into the vocal mics. Using the Optogates has cleaned up the mix considerably...

Randy Meullier, Sound Engineer for Alice Cooper

...I just tried out the PB-05 this weekend at a show in Austin Texas with the Doobie Brothers and the consensus was that myself and Pat (one of the principials who used it) and Dave really liked it!

Terry Nelson, Doobie Brothers Production Manager / Band Engineer

...I finally got my hands on a pair of your beauties (PB-05) and I´m addicted to them. They haven´t let me down and I´m sure they won´t.

Willems Raf, FOH & Monitor engineer for El Guapo Stunt Team, Belgium