Vocal Mic Best Practices

There’s a lot more to microphones than holding them and singing into them. Here are two things every vocalist should know about their mic, so you can get the most out of your vocal. After all, we need to hear what you’re singing!

Proximity Effect

The first is the proximity effect. Simply put, different degrees of distance from a mic change the way it picks up your voice, the technical term being frequency response.

The closer you are to the mic capsule - the more volume, boominess or bass and plosives (hard p’s & d’s) are going to be picked up.

The further you are from the mic capsule - less boominess/bass and fewer plosives are picked up, which is great but we can also lose some volume the further you move away.

Now there’s isn’t one single position that’ll make everything better - but understanding the proximity effect allows you to take advantage of both options in a song. For example, in a verse where you’re singing in a lower register - you want to be up close to the mic (1-2 fingers away). That way you can hear yourself, and we capture the fullness of your voice even at low volumes. As we build into a big chorus, try backing off of the mic an additional 3-4 fingers.

Doing so will make your overall vocal level in your monitors more even, meaning less adjustment on a song to song basis.

Doubling the distance, cuts the volume in half. So the further you move away from the mic after a level has been set, means the less you’ll be able to hear yourself.

Mic Handling

Holding a mic is deceptively simple. There are a couple of spots where you don’t want to hold the transmitter.

The first is at the capsule. Cupping the capsule drastically changes what the mic is able to pick up - and can result in your voice sounding thin and nasally.

The second place is at the base. If you’re on a wireless mic, you can be blocking the transmitter - meaning your mic could cut in and out. If you’re on a wired mic, you can move the XLR connection around and interrupt the signal or create noise.