Page 1 of 4 >>
Microphone Round-Up
Should your church standardize on a particular make and model, or train operators how to choose the right mic?
"Find what distance from the mic works well for your voice, how the proximity effect augments it and keep this distance from the mic." Dave Middleton, Audio Director, Bayside Church, Roseville, CA
"When everything else fails, I find pictures of singers like Bono, Sarah McLachlan and Dave Mattnews, etc., where they are right on top of the mic and I explain that this technique will make them sound the best." David Stagl, Audio Director, North Point Community Church, Alpharetta, GA
Probably the mainstay mic in most production-oriented houses of worship is a good hand-held vocal mic. Many models have uses beyond just picking up vocals and often find their way in front of guitar amps, brass, or just about wherever the need arises.
While there's no shortage of types to choose from-dynamic or condenser, cardioid, supercardioid, hypercardioid, etc.-figuring out what's best for your church can be a daunting task. Many churches just opt for the cheapest available whenever the need arises and often wind up with a menagerie of vocal mics of different makes and models. The result is a variety of pick up patterns and frequency response curves can create a challenge for your volunteer audio operators. It is well worth the time to research what's available, and consider specifications, characteristics, the environment, as well as price, before you purchase your next hand-held vocal microphone. Then, once you've decided on what's right for your church, you may want to standardize for consistency and interchangeability within your facility.
We recently interviewed a few church audio directors as well as a professional audio mixer to get their thoughts on what to consider in a hand-held microphone. We've also included a sampling of hand-held vocal mics currently available. Most of the manufacturers offer more models than just the one we've listed here, so be sure to check out their full product lines available on their websites.
But first, here's a quick review of the common pickup or polar patterns and types of vocal mics being used these days.
Cardioid, Hypercardioid and Supercardioid
Vocal mic pickup patterns are generally cardioid or a derivative there of, including hypercardioid and supercardioid. Cardioid earned its name due to its roughly heart-shaped pattern picking up signal best from directly in front of the mic. The pickup tapers off slightly on the sides and eventually at the back of the mic there is a "null" area where pickup drops off significantly as compared to the front. Typically a cardioid pickup pattern is the broadest and the most "forgiving" of poor mic technique. The downside is that the mic also picks up whatever else is making sound in the general vicinity. Hypercardioid mics tend to be more directional, however the mic is not as good as a cardioid at rejecting sound directly from the rear. Supercardioid lies in between the cardioid and hypercardioid in terms of pickup pattern. Cardioid mics (all versions) experience an effect known as Proximity Effect, a boosting of the bass frequencies as the mic is placed closer to the source. Another characteristic to be aware of is "plosives" also known as "P- pops" which are the bursts of air created when vocalizing words with "P's" or "B's." Plosives result in a low-frequency pop or thump sound. Also, many vocal mics feature a "presence peak," a slight rise in the upper-frequency response to help accentuate the vocals, to help them "punch" or cut through when there are a lot of other things going on in the mix.
Page 1 of 4 next page >>
Mark Johnson is an independent technical trainer/writer based in Crockett, Calif., and former editor of Sound & Video Contractor and Church Production magazines. He can be reached at mjohnson6286@sbcglobal.net.
Post a Comment
ADD NEW COMMENT