Image courtesy Shure
Having spent the greater portion of my life listening to human voices as translated through various audio systems has afforded me a distinct perspective for what I do in the church market. Understanding the various ways out there to successfully mic my pastor, as well as remaining vigilant to analyze the quality of his spoken words, has set me up to win.
Although my church places a great deal of importance on the music and production value of every event, I don't want anything to diminish the power and authority of the message content as compared to the creative content. When listening to other mixes, oftentimes it feels like no expense was spared in getting the music and creative content across, but very little regard was given to the message portion. A little bit of research to discover the perfect pairing of a microphone with a voice can result in a powerful message portion that delivers maximum impact. A voice that commands respect purely from the presence, richness, and robustness of the audio is something I strive for.
HANDHELD MICROPHONE
One of the most common and simplest microphone styles is the handheld. Regardless of the manufacturer, wired or wireless, or even choice of capsule, putting a handheld microphone in the vicinity of the speaker's mouth usually yields a fairly decent result. Although perhaps the simplest to put into play, there are a few things to be aware of. The proximity effect of the capsule—the dramatic decrease of presence or tone as the mic drifts from the source—can wreak havoc on trying to achieve an accurate and consistent representation of the speaker. Also, plosives—a sudden rush of air while pronouncing certain consonants—can be quite destructive to the quality of the vocal sound. This can usually be controlled using compression, equalization, and high-pass filters, but I try to stay as minimal as possible to avoid losing low-end presence, tone, and warmth.
A perfect example of this is one pastor who favored holding a handheld mic with his right hand. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but due to an old sports injury he has a pin installed in his elbow. The result was a bit of decreased mobility, particularly in how far his arm can bend to bring the mic closer to his face. At best, the mic ends up about 8 to 10 inches away from his mouth, greatly decreasing the quality available for the house mix.
"More than once a properly placed lavalier microphone has made me the hero by picking up an obscure wedding vow, not to mention digging me out of a hold during an onstage live dramatic moment."
I dared pose the question to the pastor about switching to a headset mic. His response, "Will it make me sound better?"
...the amount of presence and low end with a good headset microphone is second to none.
LAVALIER OR LAPEL MICROPHONE
Although I've never been a huge fan of lavalier or lapel-style microphones, they can be quite effective with the right person speaking in the right environment. In most cases, an omni-directional or cardioid element is clipped to a tie or lapel and put as close as possible to the speaker's mouth. In a perfect world, this can provide a very acceptable and generic type of vocal reproduction; hence, most television programs and media outlets use this style. But living in the real world of live audio where the natural laws of physics are in play, I'm usually not able to get the right amount of body and depth to a voice to make me happy. Personal opinion aside, there are many, many instances where a lavalier can be a perfectly acceptable way to get the job done. A lavalier may be the best way to get a vocal microphone close to the point source while staying discreet. More than once a properly placed lavalier microphone has played the hero by picking up an obscure wedding vow, not to mention digging me out of a hole during an onstage live dramatic moment.
PODIUM OR LECTERN MICROPHONE
One of the most well-known mic'ing styles may be the podium or lectern mic. Using a mic mounted on or near a podium can afford a very stable and predictable result.
For most award programs, funerals, commencements, and the like, I've found that almost nothing beats the generic use of a high quality podium mic. You see them used everywhere, including for presidential events, and for good reason—if dialed in properly, they can sound quite natural and just plain good. When using a podium mic, I'll usually try to have some input as to what podium is being used, because the acoustic reflection from the podium's surface can make for a long day. The location and proximity to the PA can also greatly affect the gain level before feedback.
The first time I discovered the potential success of a well-placed podium mic was while freelancing with a local audio company, mixing a commencement program at a large university. The event was in a cavernous, terribly reverberant arena with a sizable line array PA flown above each corner of the stage. As luck would have it, the high-strung (read “somewhat intense”) designer had arranged for the podium to be perched on the front corner of the stage directly underneath the PA. No matter how much corrective equalization I used, there was nothing but feedback when I brought up the fader. After seriously doubting my chosen career path I stumbled upon success by running the mic out of phase and panning it to the far side of the PA as much as I dared before losing intelligibility. Once the room tightened up a bit with people, that podium mic became my hero. Right or wrong, I still use that technique today when I encounter the ornery podium mic.
HEADSET MICROPHONE
My favorite way to mic a pastor or speaker is definitely the headset mic. You rarely see a church anymore not using these in some capacity. It makes perfect sense because you can affix it to one or both ears and rarely deal with the mic losing its position. Most times, the amount of presence and low end that can be achieved with a good headset microphone is second to none. For me, it usually outweighs what I can get out of most handhelds. These days, almost every microphone manufacturer offers a headset mic with different pros and cons, making it easier to find a specific brand with features that suit your particular tastes.
When I started working at Church on the Move in Tulsa, Okla., in 2005, they were quite happy using lapel or handheld microphones almost exclusively. After mixing my first service and realizing the magnitude of what I was getting involved in, I knew there was absolutely no way I could achieve the power and authority out of our pastor's mic to ever match the energy coming from the band segments. The transition from music to message was such a massive volume and quality difference that it almost felt like we were transitioning to an intermission.
After inquiring about why there were no headset microphones being used I was told that our pastor would never go for it—but trying to find someone to confirm if anyone had actually discussed this with him proved equally as elusive. Having noticed how big his voice was in person, I felt that if that could be translated live it would add a great deal of impact to his communication style. So I dared pose the question about switching to a headset mic. His response was simple, “Will it make me sound better?” That's all I needed to hear. The immediate improvement in the mix that following weekend was stunning. That simple change in microphones made a dramatic improvement to the quality, presence, tone, texture, and clarity of his voice.
It's become an interesting challenge for me to find the maximum impact out of all the different microphone methods we use for a speaking or preaching segment. Every technique and microphone has its specific place and use, but understanding the benefits of these different microphones has made a big difference in the quality of our final product.
