One of the most common mistakes I see in churches is the distance between the mouth and the microphone. Often it is too far. During the rush of gathering up, setting up, and rehearsal, the microphones are lost in the shuffle. As long as they are there and turned on, that’s good enough, right? Probably not. If the distance is more than a few inches, the broadcast voice will sound distant, if at all. The natural reaction is then to turn up the knobs on the sound system, quickly resulting in the dreaded feedback!
The opposite is true as well. If the mouth is positioned too close, many microphones will broadcast a muffled or distorted voice. Although I have not seen this mistake nearly as often.
The ideal distance is 2 to 3 inches for most singing voices. For the passionately fff (“fortississimo”, that is, loud) “Halleluiahs”, several more inches of distance will be required. Also, for the soft, beautiful prayers set to song, the mouth may need to be quite close to the microphone.
So, what to do? How does one make sense of this? Easy. Practice. Take the microphone off the stand and experiment with distances. Gradually move it away while singing, and listen to the effect. At what point does it start to fade? Pull it back in again. What position sounds and feels the best for your voice? Have you noticed this in your music ministry?
Related Links
Which Microphone is Best for You?
Microphone in Music Ministry: Technique of Angle
Unfolding "Testing 1-2-3"
"Is This Thing On?" -- Tossing the Tap
View and Add Comments Labels: Microphone, Microphone technique, Music Ministry, Singers, Sound, Vocalists
Share this:
Comments
0 comments to "Microphone Technique for Church Singers: Cozy Up to the Mic!"
Post a Comment