Skin Mic attachment methods:

Hi Guys, it's nearly time for our annual musical - last year Crazy for You and this year Sweeney Todd - and I'd thought I'd ask what the industry/other people use for attaching skin mics to the face.

In the past we have tried elastoplast fabric plasters (the colours kind of match  ) or clear plasters. We also tried surgical strips but they were the worst. What I'm trying to say is that they always seem to fall off on one or two of the (I guess more perspiring) actors, whatever we try. We always clean the cheeks to get rid of oil before we attach but I wondered if there is any stronger stuff that doesn't show up. I'm beginning to think superglue is in order  (although we'd definitely never get the radio mics back after the show that way!)

Any thoughts would be appreciated,



Laurence

I am using the plaster tape that you can get. Skin coloured (ish) and they take makup really well.

Josh

If you search the forum (top right of the page) for either "Blenderm" or "Transpore", you'll find lots of relevant discussion. Let's try and keep the discussion all in one place for future reference.

Well, a few thoughts.

First, I'd recommend that the mic itself isn't in contact with the skin--superglue or otherwise. With an mic with an omni pickup pattern, you'll get a more natural sound if the mic is slightly off the face.

A common way to achieve this is to use "ear loop wire". You can buy lengths of this made up from Canford or find a supplier of florist's wire and make your own.

With the ear loop, take a few closely spaced turns around the mic cable just behind the strain relief, then a few looser turns to, in effect, create a mic boom. Curve the wire around the ear while the mic cable heads off around the back of the neck and down.

Some say they just use the ear loop wire, but I find it works better with a bit of tape as well--I put a length of tape in the "V" at the top of the ear and a small piece on the cheek in front of the ear. My personal favourite is a 3M product called "Blenderm" that most chemists will order in for you. It sticks well and has a matte transparent surface that takes make up. I have to say that I've also had good results with surgical sutures too.

Hope this helps,

Bob

I found the Canford wires too thin and floppy so I bent coat-hangers for our head-worn mics.

Thanks everyone the wire method sounds good!

We have a few weeks so we can mess around with it and see how it works.

Again, thanks for your time,  Laurence

I have found the following method to be quite successful.

1) Capsule over the ear and by the mouth.
2) 2 thin small strips of plaster - the fabric plaster in long rolls with fluff down the middle but just the sticky stuff you want and only 2 small long strips.
3) Attach one of these over the capsule and to the faceand then a second halfway up their cheek
4) Get a small square of medical tape (can't remember the exact stuff but you get it for about 99p in Wilko; it's clear and comes in a little white plastic circular pot) and attach it to the centre of their neck.

If you are having trouble getting the above to stick to their makeup, then I always apply a small amount of spray on plaster before hand, let it set for about 30 seconds and then stick the plasters and tape to this.

Hope this helps!!

I use the same type of medical tape, get mine from superdrug, its great as long as its put on before the make up for 2 reasons, 1 - it sticks better, 2 - the make-up can be applied over it easliy.

like the little tip of using the spray plaster, almost like contact adhesive. must try that out on the sweaty bettys lol

The clear tape from superdrug is zinc oxide tape. There's a roll of it in front of me right now

I like the sond of the spray on plaster. Thanks guys!

na not the zinc oxcide, that doesnt stick or tear too good! just says clear tape!

You're absolutely right
I've got a roll of each - they come in identical cases. Must've put the lids on the wrong way round the last time I used them... The clear stuff is indeed very good - sticks better than micropore and tears very well.

Hi all

I use the following type of loop. I find it better than the canford one and the paper doesnt fall off as much

http://www.crazywireco.co.uk/cgi-bin/site-editor.pl/14/-ecommerce?action=item;item=MW035-BG;eid=1395428

Also I use Meditrans medical tape although thats in irish pharmicists so I dont know the english equivalent. Although the 3M Tape that nurses use is the best stuff by far.

Hope this helps

Regards

Jay

The stuff from Superdrug is the best I've come across!

I tried holding the mic on the forehead and then spraying the whole lot with spray plaster once. Didn't work so well.

I think the spray was meant to be used as a foundation, to prepare the skin and make it more likely that the tape will stick better even with some on who perspires.

NOT to be used soley to fix a mic to the face! you could end up damaging the capsule.

If you look at Gareth's profile I think it may be safe to assume he knows that!

Bob

lol nice Job Gareth

so why then where u trying to stick a mic to a forehead with sprayplaster?

I take it you HAVE the mics, as in you (or your place of education) OWN them. If you're hiring, why not hire some discreet over ear headsets instead, if you're hiring a complete radio mic system or multiples thereof, it shouldn't cost a deal more, if anything.

Gaffer tape seemed too obtrusive

And, though the most effective method I've found, a staple gun seems unpopular with the cast....

Ahh, you clearly haven't tried the surgical variety...

Used Gum works well for hair line attachments

Josh

We hire as many over ear ones as possible however the company don't have enough. We only use the loose wire ones on the less important cast members but it's a pain when they start falling off - especially for the actors who can't concentrate completely on the acting/singing (not professionals!)

Who knows, maybe this year they'll have more. I'll have to wait and see. Thanks for the advice though!

if the hire company doesn't have enough mics, why don't you try another company? (Of course, you could use one hire company for mics and one for other things... mix and match the equipment...)

As a matter of interest does anybody have any pics of their tape / over ear wire setups. I have a client coming in for a one day event , a sketch show with 8 performers. I have advised him to hire in headset mics , but I wouldn't be surprised if he turns up with lavalieres.
I usually do bands or cabaret or dj events so could do with some tips.
Also , am I right in thinking I am unlikely to find an easy hire supply for a one day event of a flesh tone over ear wire system in the London area , it seems most of you guys make up your own systems with capsules from CPC and similar and use them with branded belt packs.

As the price of reasonable quality headsets has fallen to less than £50 inc VAT then it makes no sense at all to start gumming ordinary lavs onto peoples faces anymore, as in most cases, removing them damages them if the gummer has been a bit over enthusiastic. Sending them back with glue on them, or with damaged outer cable means extra costs when the hire company invoice you for replacements. With this in mind, if they cannot supply extras it's a bit poor really. You could always buy a few headsets and keep them?

Whilst the cpc headsets have been mentioned, one application that may have slipped people's attention.......

The single earhook headsets they do basically consist of a boom with a wrap of wire around the ear and then the cable termination. It's very easy to uncoil the ear loop and straighten the thing out, giving you an 8 - 10 inch length of wire that can be bent to shape, with a mic capsule on the end. I've found this extremely useful for making shorter booms (2 wraps round the ear and a bit of tape) and even hairline mics (bend the wire to the contour of the head and secure with hair clips). In the latter example, I'd go for a normal lav in the hairline over this, it's a bit fiddly but got me out of a hole when I had a hairline lav die.
Rather than treating them as an earhook, if you look at it as a length of bendable wire with a mic attached, they have all sorts of useful applications.
Perhaps not a high end product, but I've seen their double ear brothers and sisters being used on some reasonably big local shows.
And for me, attachment method depends entirely on if there is a decent makeup artist available. Most times the answer is no so it has to be a flesh coloured tape. If there is someone good available, zinc oxide tape works nicely.

Yup, PM me your email address and I'll send 'em over... Unless anyone can explain how to upload a photo here?

Add them to Photobucket or similar then link to them here.

Josh

Okay, try this, courtesy of PhotoBucket...

Below we have an example of attaching mics with wire and tape. Not the most elegant of methods...





The mics in question are a Sennhesier MKE2 Gold and a Sennheiser MKE2 Platinum.

Thanks Gareth.

Gareth's photos illustrate something I've been considering posting, so I'll "go for it".

People have been recommending headset mics as a direct replacement for this style of mounting but I see them as two slightly different applications.

The sort of mounting that Gareth has so nicely illustrated it at least attempting to be inconspicuous. I imagine that, from the audience, they are fairly hard to see. In my opinion, this makes them more suitable for shows where you don't want to draw attention to the fact that the cast is wearing microphones and the sound is being amplified.

Headset mics, even flesh coloured ones, are pretty hard to disguise and, due to shadows etc. remain fairly obvious even from the audience. Now, on many shows this really doesn't matter but it might be hard to justify headsets on characters in the French revolution or street vendors in Victorian England.

Obviously, the appearance isn't the only consideration. In loud shows--or school shows where the cast refuse to project--sometimes you need the extra GBF that headset mics give you, whatever the effect on the "design". We've all been there. However, this isn't always the case and I do think that the sound department needs to be aware of the visual impact their microphone choices are going to have on a show.

As a final thought, assuming the sort of show where reinforcement is subtle and over-ear mounts are suitable...I actually prefer the sound of a hairline mic. I find the sound from that position is more natural and needs a lot less EQ to sound good. (As an aside, I once saw somebody's university dissertation on exactly this, "proving" that hairlines are a better place for mics--something to do with resonances in various cavities. I can't find a copy with Google...but I know that to me it sounds better!) Anyway, for obvious reasons this position isn't always suitable (for example, if I was an actor, I'm bald as a billiard ball--hard to hide a mic and nothing to clip to!). However, this position is yet another option to consider.

Bob