This mic is necessary to me but I find it a little awkward to use for two reasons. The way it clips onto the barrel of the clarinet is limiting as the cables must then be clipped onto my belt and I must be careful how I move. As I often play multiple instruments in a show I must be careful about how I move in order to avoid getting tangled. Also, the microphone is super sensitive and can easily cause feedback. As it does not have a volume control I need to tell the sound engineer each time I am putting down the clarinet so that they can mute it. The when I want to go back o clarinet I need to signal them to turn it on again. So an independent mute would be very useful. Furthermore, the way in which the mic clips on to the clarinet makes it difficult to place on a stand without bumping it off the ground. I think I could get a different type of stand to alleviate this problem of course. These are minor complaints but they could be the difference. If I was a very busy gigging musician, which I am not at present, I would probably look at other options. Functionally however this mic is superb and offers a terrific sound, true to the instrument, which is very nice indeed.