Last November, Vinny Osborne was on deadline, preparing for Singin’ in the Rain to be performed by the Port Laois Musical Society in Ireland. He had a special need for an earset microphone which could better handle water immersion as well as deliver impeccable audio quality.
The celebrated Irish sound designer—who has been nominated 11 times (winning seven) for Best Technical Award by the Association of Irish Musical Societies—got to work. He did his research, performed rigorous testing, and chose Point Source Audio’s CO-5w waterproof microphone for his lead actor.
“Singin’ in the Rain performed for packed houses and the CO-5w earset never let us down,” Osborne said. “There were three major downpours during the two-and-one-half hour show.”
The CO-5w waterproof mic has an impressive Ingress Protection (IP) rating of 57, making it ideal for vocalists, theater actors and other performers who need to defend against sweat and makeup.
“I would strongly recommend these earset microphones to anyone in a similar circumstance or for any theatrical or broadcast application,” Mr. Osborne stated unequivocally.
The renowned sound designer knows quality: over the past 25 years, he and his Sound and Music Company, based near Dublin, have provided expert engineering for events involving such dignitaries as Queen Elizabeth and a number of U.S. and Irish Presidents. Other clients have included Riverdance the Show, U2, Bryan Adams, Sinead O’Connor and Tiger Woods.
According to Mr. Osborne, “Not only did the mic withstand the rain, it fits really well and sounds crystal clear. It is a very crisp and very live mic with plenty of level. In fact, we had to back the Sennheiser transmitter sensitivity down quite a bit to handle the input.”
Launched by Point Source Audio in April, 2012, the CO-5w is the waterproof version of PSA’S very popular CO-5 omnidirectional earset microphone capable of handling up to 125dB SPL.
Due to the rigorous dance routines of the show, Mr. Osborne selected the CO-5w-KIT dual earset microphone which includes a reversible dual-ear mounting accessory, windscreens and clothing clip.
“Point Source Audio’s staff was also great to deal with helping to meet my tight deadline,” Mr. Osborne added.
