This post coincides with my vlog post on YouTube:
Every performing musician works hard to not only master their particular instrument but, learn what’s needed to make it shine for their audience. The guitarist plays the guitar…but that’s not all. He or she also has decided what amp and/or pedals works best regarding tone and character for each song.
Same thing holds for vocalists. Vocalists must master control of their voice but we often forget that our voices are colored by the environment in which we sing. For those of us singing in rock bands, understanding how our microphone works is essential to getting our message across to our listeners. You can have a lucious timbre, but if you don’t know how to best use your microphone, no one will hear it.
If you’re a singer in a large choir (or in an a cappella group), where you’re not close up on a microphone, there’s probably already somewhat associated with your group who’s helping with sound reinforcement. But, if you’re a live performer in a louder band, and you’re DIY, you’re often at the mercy of the venue PA system and a sound engineer that’s not familiar with your voice.
Here’s the thing, if you’re at a venue, fronting a louder band, you’re going to have to get right up on the mic. And, if you’re using the house mics, as your mother said, “You don’t even know where it’s been!” Or, more importantly when the mic was last cleaned. Ewww!
That’s the first reason you should own your own mic and bring it to shows. While most live venues that providing a PA will have microphones, cables and stands as part of their system, it’s kinda gross to get right up on that mic, when it’s not yours….When you think about who else might have been there before you…Especially if you can see bits of potato chips or cherry lip gloss stains in the screen. After gigging out for a couple of decades, I’ve only witness a sound engineer wiping down a mic screen between bands…once. Way to go Steve!
Of course, were hygiene the only issue, one could always bring handy wipes to clean the grille. That’s reasonable.
But I’d recommend bringing your own mic to shows for more than just good hygiene. I prefer to bring my own mic because I understand the response of my mic to my voice. I know how sensitive it is to things like proximity effect, handling noise, and sudden bursts in volume. The reason I know these things is that I rehearse with that same mic every week. I experiment with how far away I can be and still sound clear. How far of to one side can I be before the volume drops. How boomy does my voice sound if my lips are touching the grille. So, yes, own your own mic. Rehearse with it. Record your rehearsals and hear how output changes with every little thing you change.
Basically, your microphone it your tool of the trade. Learn how to use it to maximum effect for your singing style.
The standard for many local venues that provide PAs is the Shure SM58. It’s a durable mic that sounds great. You could simply bring one of those to a show and it’s not a budget breaker. About $100 at the time of this blog. I use a Shure Beta 58A which will run you $50-60 more than the 58. It’s a dynamic mic that’s just a step up from a Shure SM58. The Beta is purported to be louder and have less issues with proximity effect. I’ve provided links to these two mics below. I’ll probably blog again with more details comparing these two mics.
The upshot is, when you own your own mic you learn how the mic responds to your voice and it’s also clean, so you won’t be picking up all kinds of cold viruses from your fellow rockers. No one wants to cancel a gig due to illness.
One more little tip: When you get to the venue, find the sound engineer and let him or her know, ahead of time, that you’ve brought your own mic. The engineer will likely ask you what kind of mic it is so that, if it requires phantom power, the proper adjustments to the board can be made (the Shure mics I’ve talked about don’t require phantom power).
Also, don’t just walk on stage and pull the XLR cord out of the house mic, it could be live and create a loud popping sound that neither the sound engineer nor audience will appreciate. Check first. You can even just tap the mic to see if it’s on.
Finally, don’t forget to retrieve your might after your set. Again, make sure the mic is muted before your remove the XLR cable. Seriously…take your mic as soon as you’re done. You will get distracted! You don’t want to drag yourself back to the venue the next day to retrieve it!
SM58 link:
Beta58a
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