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3 quick Tips on how to make proper use of microphone for singers and speakers

This is for Singers, Pastors, Motivational speakers and anyone that uses the Microphone at events, churches, seminars etc. We'll be talking about microphone usage. You will agree with me that when the mics you use are not functioning properly your perfomance is highly frustrated.

this few tips of mine will help you know how to make proper usage of mics.
1. Make sure you use the right microphone. Different mics are designed to pickup differently. Some you have to hold it close to your mouth like about 5cm-10cm before it picks well (cardiod pickup pattern), others pick up perfectly even when you hold it far from your mouth (omnidirectional pickup pattern) etc. Let me save you all the technical extras you may not understand. What you need to know and insist on using before your LIVE performance is to ask for a dynamic microphone. Your sound engineer if well trained will understand.

2. Always make sure when holding the microphone, you don't use your hand to cover the head of the microphone. This can add coloration to the sound of your voice in a bad way and causes feedback.

3. For Singers Always control your mic went you want to sing loud. This combines 2 law of Proximity effect When you are singing a low pitch song, hold the mic close to your mouth and when you scream, move the microphone away from your mouth about 20cm-25cm. Watch professional singers videos, how they control their mic while singing loud or on high pitch.

This is necessary for your audience to enjoy your performance. If preacher, speaker does it when talking how much more you has a singer. Be professional. let your audience see the professionalism in your performance.

A question from an Audio Masterclass reader...

"Hi David, today I have a question to ask. If a person needs to pan instruments what rule do you use?"

I'm inclined to say that there should be no rules. I find panning in modern music totally, absolutely, mind-numbingly boring. I much prefer the interesting ways pan was used before the so-called 'rules' were invented.

But if you want to earn a living from your music, you have to work within the bounds of what is commercially acceptable. In effect, you have to follow the rules, or starve.

So here are the rules of pan (so you know what to break, if you want)...

1. Always pan the lead vocal center__
This is something of a no-brainer. When is the last time you heard a lead vocal that was not panned center? Not in this decade, nor the last one, nor the one before that, and not even the one before that. Just pan it center and don't bother thinking about it.

2. Always pan the bass center__
There is a reason behind this. If the bass comes from both stereo speakers, it can be louder than if it only comes from one. Also, in the days of vinyl records, there could be problems with mistracking on playback if the bass was panned all the way to one side. Loud bass frequencies panned hard left or right can cause the groove to become shallow, and the stylus may jump out.

3. Balance the channels equally__
A mix can sound odd if one channel seems to have a greater weight of sound than the other. In general, the channels will sound balanced if both left and right meters are mostly at the same level. This doesn't always apply however, so balance should be judged subjectively.

4. If you have two similar-sounding instruments, pan one left and the other right__
If you have two guitars strumming away throughout the course of a song, then if they are panned to the same location in the stereo image they will sound confused, almost as though just one instrument is playing. And any lack of synchronicity might make it sound as though the instrument is being played badly. Panning half-left and half-right is often a good solution. Bear in mind however that you should always check that a mix sounds good in mono.

5. A stereo pair of microphones should be panned hard left and hard right__
If you have used any of the common stereo microphone configurations where the microphones are balanced across the stereo sound stage, then they should normally be panned hard left and hard right.

6. Check your pans on headphones__
What sounds good on loudspeakers doesn't always sound good on headphones or earbuds, particularly hard pans. There is no reason why you shouldn't ever hard pan, but do check it on headphones.

7. Pan individual drum mics so that each drum matches its location in the overheads__
You don't have to do this, but if you don't consider it then you are not mixing drums properly. The low rack tom for instance might be half-left in the stereo image of the overhead. It normally wouldn't make sense to pan the individual mic on that drum to any other position.

8. Don't make a single instrument three meters wide__
This can easily happen with asymmetric miking. For example, if you aim two microphones from different positions at an acoustic guitar, one towards the fingerboard and the other towards the belly, then pan hard left and right, the result can often span the entire width between the speakers. In some cases, it can sound like two guitars are playing in exact synchronicity. It is completely different to anything you could possibly hear in real life.

9. After you pan an instrument, reconsider its level__
This is connected with the 'law' of your pan control. A pan control can be designed so that when a mix is played in mono, the positions of the pans are irrelevant. You can turn any pan control and the level of that instrument will not change. OR... it can be designed so that wherever you position the pan, the level of the instrument in the stereo mix stays the same. OR... the pan law can be a compromise between these two options. So unless your pan law is correct for stereo mixing, the level will change when you pan.

But it's a subjective thing too. If say you have several instruments panned center, then you pan one mid-left, it will suddenly stand out more in the mix. You might therefore want to lower its level.

10. If you want to fit in with the audio community, follow these rules__

But if you want to stand out, then BREAK THEM, BREAK THEM, BREAK THEM!

GUIDE TO PROFESSIONAL AUDIO ENGINEERING PRACTICES: PREVENTION OF SOUND FEEDBACK FAST

Sequel to the earlier article on 3 STEPS TO STOP CHURCH SOUND FEEDBACK FAST
Now that we have stopped the oppressive ringing in the sound system, lets move on to prevention.

Stop Feedback at the Source

There are two important rules to follow if you want to prevent feedback:

1 Don’t place a microphone in front of a loudspeaker.
2 Place the microphone as close to the source as possible.

There are some common instances where rule #1 is violated. Pastor/Presenter walks out in front of the main loudspeakers.

An acoustic guitar player bends down in front of the stage monitor.

A microphone is passed around the congregation/audience for announcements or testimony. Etc…

If at all possible, keep active microphones behind and pointed away from loudspeakers.

If that isn’t always possible, or you’re still having trouble with feedback, explore rule #2.

Keep microphones close to the source.

This is normally pretty easy for vocals. Miking instruments and choirs can sometimes make this a challenge though.

Let’s go into a little more detail with this one.

Microphone tips for preventing feedback

Your first job is to select the right microphone.

Pay attention to the “pattern” of the microphone.

Microphones are available in different directional pickup patterns. Omni-directional microphones pick up sound 360° around the microphone. Cardioid pattern microphones pick up sound mostly in front and around the sides of the microphone. And super-cardioid microphones have an even narrower pickup pattern.

Cardioid microphones are probably the most popular and effective choice for your average live sound applications.

As I mentioned earlier, one of the biggest challenges in church sound can be controlling feedback from the pastor’s mic.

If moving a clip-on style lavaliere mic closer to the mouth doesn’t work (6-8”), you may need to use one of the increasingly popular low-profile ear-worn or headset microphones available. (For more pastor’s mic tips and recommendations, check out my post on How To Fix The Pastor’s Mic.

Since we’re talking about vocal mics, here’s another effective mix tip: engage the low-cut or high-pass filter on your console for vocal mic channels. This cuts off frequencies below 100Hz that can cause unnecessary rumble and low-end feedback.

For choir and instrument miking, you may find super-cardioid microphones useful to capture a really tight pattern of sound at a distance. This can keep monitor noise and stage volume from entering the mic from the sides.

And speaking of stage volume…

VOLUME!!!

A discussion about feedback would be incomplete if we didn’t talk about volume. Namely, stage volume.

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve encountered a feedback problem where the best solution was to simply turn it down – just a little bit!

The audio source present at the microphone must be louder than the background noise from the speakers. If we can decrease the volume in the speakers just a tiny bit, perhaps that vocalist can be louder in the microphone than their stage monitor.

Keep a handle on your stage monitor volume. Some churches use personal monitor systems to help with this. Just remember that you always have the option of turning it down!

Go forth and practice!

So, those are some quick tips and rules to follow for stopping feedback before it starts.

There are ways to bend those rules, IF you use certain microphones, loudspeakers, EQ, and other mixing techniques. But you’ll always be safe if you abide by the fundamentals mentioned here.

Experiment with microphone placement, using different microphones, and controlling your stage volume. Move on to more advanced techniques like EQ if you still can’t get the sound your after.

Thanks Guys and always remember to keep the creativity perfected.

SMI: INSPIRING CREATIVE MINDS THROUGH LEARNING.