Holding microphones in front of your chest

[Johnno]

There is a tendency among our teachers when using a microphone to address the huddling masses of assemblies and parents' evenings that they hold it vertically just in front of their chests despite my exhortations to keep it horizontal and near to their mouths.

 

The results with our ancient (1990-ish) TOA WM3220 handheld radiomic are quite variable- it works for some and is poor for others. I assume this is because the mic is a cardioid and they're sometimes just a little to far away and too off-axis for acceptable pick-up.

 

Would I be likely to get better reults for the same behaviour if I got them an omnidirectional mic, since crowd and background noise is rarely a problem in assemblies? I'm thinking one might be a better bet than a directional mic whose "beam" they keep missing because of the way they hold it.

 

Most of our teachers are reluctant to use mics when not at the lectern. It's amazing how many believe they are always intelligible in our 50x60x20ft hall. The worst offender was the French French teacher. She's small, quiet and er... French! and has a lovely southern France accent to prove it. So not only could you not hear her but if you did you couldn't tell a word she was saying and you couldn't see her either 'cos like all our teachers she prefers to stand on the hall floor rather than the stage. Luckily she's been responsive to my pleading and will now use a mic, but there are many I'm still having to work on. She turned down the offer of stilts, though.

[Jivemaster]

That mic technique works but only for powerful voices, see a picture of a concert with three? tenors and Diana Ross. The tenors did the chest level hols and Diana Ross did the lipstick grater hold.

 

My favourite technique is the rule of thumb. Hold the mic with the fingers and put your thimb on your chin!

 

Or use a decent stand mic.

 

Get a simple mic and recorder, put it at the back of the venue and let the staff listen to the different techniques and their sound and clarity.

[Johnno]

Stand mic is a possibility, but would you then use cardioid or omni? Is omni more forgiving of the speaker's movement?

[WooferHound]

Yeah the problem with people is that they aren't used to using a microphone, and inexperienced people think they are too loud if they can hear themselfs when it is properly adjusted to be loud enough. It's natural shyness and takes a few coaching sessions before they can get over it.

 

I like the mic on a boomstand idea as they are forced to use the mic in the proper position. make sure to wrap or tape the cord on the stand so they can't remove it and hold it stupidly. Of course then you have the short person tall person problem.

 

In the end, there is nothing you can do about it so just do the best you can . . .

[DrummerJonny]

My favourite technique is the rule of thumb. Hold the mic with the fingers and put your thimb on your chin!

 

I did not know that. that is genius.

 

way better than "a couple of inches away from your mouth please", which usually either ends up on their front teeth or 3 feet away...

[pisquee]

My favourite technique is the rule of thumb. Hold the mic with the fingers and put your thimb on your chin!

 

This can lead to cupping the mic head though.

 

Also, where you have a problem with people not using a mic correctly, speaking too quietly, and also being in front of the speakers (not wanting to stand on the stage) then an omni mic is not something you really want to be gaining up.

[paulears]

Just for info, omnis in rooms where there is a volume problem rarely work. At the moment, a vertically held cardioid is 'kind of' half omni, from the polar diagram point of view, held like this, and feedback is the consequence of the pattern extending towards the audience and loudspeakers. Replacing the cardioid with an omni won't make any improvement. In my experience, if the talent on-stage insist on ignoring advice, and won't use the equipment properly, then wash your hands of it and walk away - constant feedback and complaints can then be directed at somebody else, and then maybe after the same thing happens again, they may look elsewhere to award blame?

[DrummerJonny]

...or alternatively you'll get blamed anyway even though it isnt your fault... and they'll look elsewhere for a sound engineer?

 

E2A - I realise now that this is pretty much what you were suggesting. Slow morning eyes...

[swampman]

I would suggest get them to use a good single lecturn mic (the 18" Shure's come to mind) with a (hyper)cardiod pickup. The distance will be physically set and if they are to speak they will know where they should be. You can also use a 31band eqlz to kill feedback from the one place and therefore get a better gain. The only problem may then be mic. fidllers (push it up and down) and bangers (the ones that thump it to see if it is working) - inventive solutions can be imagined but then Health and Safety might not be happy with you zapping the Principal. Altenatively: buy a cheap omnidirectional let a student stage crew get a filthy reputaion for incompetence with feedback and give the staff the jitters. Good luck with the learning ground.

[david.elsbury]

Altenatively: buy a cheap omnidirectional let a student stage crew get a filthy reputaion for incompetence with feedback and give the staff the jitters

Sounds incredibly unprofessional to me. :)