Unfiltered Thoughts

2022.06.09 – 0525 – Finding The ‘Sweet Spot’Having said that, a greater mic-to-mouth distance will give your voice a lighter pitch, with more treble, a thinness to the sound and more of the room acoustics, especially if you turn up the recording level. Conversely, standing away from the mic and raising the voice can make it sound as though you are speaking live on location – useful for giving a lift to studio commentary over outdoor scenes or sound effects. But somewhere in between will be a ‘sweet spot of sound’ where the mic will enhance the deeper bass tones in your voice. With the help of a studio sound engineer if you have one, try various mics and positions according to you and your surroundings to find that the ‘Goldilocks’ position of the mic (not too close, not too distant, but just right). Another consideration is not to speak directly into the mic, but across it or from one side. Again, this will depend on your personal preference of mic location (within the parameters of it still working well!), and the kind of mic it is (different designs of mic pick up sounds from different areas around the head: its ‘pick-up pattern’). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.06.08 – 0524 – How To Get The ‘Barry White’ Effect VOICE BOXMoving the mic slightly towards or away from you raises other issues to do with what’s called The Proximity effect. This is a phenomenon that leads to an increase in low frequency response, the shorter the distance is between mic and mouth. This can create problems, but at the same time it opens up ways to shape the sound. Close mic work – the pros·        Your voice (especially those which are naturally lower to start with) can sound bigger, fatter and ‘sexier’. Late night radio presenters use the close-mike technique to make their voices sound as sexy and intimate as someone whispering sweet nothings into your ear. Where a voice is naturally lacking in richness, close mic work can sometimes help compensate.·        Close mic work may encourage you to talk more softly Close mic work – the cons·        Your voice can sound thick, muddy and muffled if you get too close or misuse the ‘Effect’·        It has little change on voices of a naturally higher pitch ·        Close mic technique may make it more likely that your breaths and mouth clicks are picked up·        It’s more likely that ‘plosives’ – the short burst of air heard ion words that start with ‘b’ and ‘p’ sounds – are exaggerated·        There’s a greater chance of distorted recordings (‘overmodding’), so make sure you turn down the recording level when you get closer to the mic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.06.07 – 0523 – Why Six Inches Is A Great LengthSo, what is “the right mic-to-mouth position”? It’s usually about 6-8 inches’ distance. Indeed, a good rule of thumb is the literal rule of thumb, the distance between the ‘noise creator’ of your mouth and the ‘noise receiver’, the mic, should be around about the same as the span between splayed tip-of-thumb to tip-of-small-finger, or a bit longer than a pen. Wearing headphones (we’ll come to more about headphones later), you will get to realise the exact best distance depending on:

• The type of mic
• Your volume
• Your closeness-comfort to the mic – some people simply do not like the mic too close to their mouth or face.

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2022.06.06 – 0522 – Microphone HeadsetsSome radio presenters as well as podcasters and YouTubers use microphone headsets in which the mic is incorporated into the headphones, similar to the ones you might imagine an air traffic controller wearing. The mics on these are obviously smaller than a desk mic, but shop around and you can find good quality ones. The advantage is that you are never off-mic and you don’t bend your head to speak into mic on a desk stand. Also, it means that you can gesture without the worry of knocking a microphone. The disadvantages are that popping is more likely as the mic is so near your mouth, and you can look a little ‘unusual’… (What is ‘popping’? We’ll come to that in a bit…) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.06.05 – 0521 – Reading Scripts From A Screen
In 2020, I started to read radio news bulletins from a screen. Before that, scripts were always printed out and reading them on air often meant that your head was nodded down to look at sheet on the desk in front of you. That of course cause a ‘kink’ in the throat and a subsequent reduction in the quality of presentation. Now, off-screen reading means that my head is naturally held up, allowing a better flow of air, and (hopefully!) better presentation. That’s not the case in every studio of course: some have screens sunk into the desk to allow for a better view of the presenter on in-studio cameras set up for social media livestreams. If you can’t read off screen for some reason (perhaps you are recording a podcast with a colleague and the video link is on your screen instead), then either:·        firmly hold each sheet up, to cause you to lift your head up·        prop your script against the screen of your laptop, so you can still see your video and your own camera is not obscured. This will also mean that when you glance to one side to read, or adlib from your script, your eyes are not far from the lens so you will still appear ‘connected’ with your audiencehave your script on a second electronic device perhaps on an adjustable arm or goose-neck, or printed out and on script rest or even (if you are standing) a music stand. Having it at head height will save you bending your neck and so restrict your airflow and vocal quality.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.06.04 – 0520 – The Mic-To-Mouth PositionMic positionLook back at earlier in the book when we discovered how to sit and breath better. Hopefully you are still using that ‘home balanced-breathing position’ (from which you can vary slightly), to enable a good flow of air to and from your lungs.  In a TV studio it is sometimes ‘natural’ urge to lean in to the camera, but doing so squashes the abdomen. In the audio studio, try not to lean into the microphone to read as this will alter your ‘home position’ and disrupt the good work that you have achieved. Instead move the microphone towards you.  If you are podcasting or radio broadcasting, ensure that the microphone is at the right position for you. That’s easy if it’s on an adjustable ‘Anglepoise’ or ‘scissor arm’ holder, as you can sit up and hold your head up for airflow, and have the mic at mouth-height. If you can, move the mic to you: leaning towards it will create skeletal and therefore, vocal, tension.But what if the mic is on a desk stand? It may be that you have to crick your neck down to talk into it, or even hunch over. Both of these actions will reduce your ability to practice affective breathing and breath control. In fact, if, when presenting for radio or a podcast, you act as though you are on camera and being beamed into living rooms, you may naturally sit up and be more alert than you would be, alone in a radio booth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.06.03 – 0519 – Mic Stands, Arms and MountsMic stands, arms and mountsIt makes sense that desk mics are those on a stand, on a desk. And touch of the base of the stand, or a knock of the desk itself, may likely be heard through the microphone. That’s why many studios have the main mic held in an Anglepoise-type arm, which can often be adjustable inasmuch as you can alter the height or distance from you, to get that Goldilocks position that you are comfortable with. However, it’s a sad fact that some professionally-designed studios have the arm clamped to the desk in such a way that either the arm or the mic itself partly obscures the screen that you are reading from.  Other studios have mics suspended from the ceiling in a carefully balanced combination of wires, which are less easy to alter for height or distance. Whether on an arm or from the ceiling, the mics are unlikely to be simply clipped into a clamp, but held in place in a ‘cats cradle’ of taught elastic. These are often called ‘shock mounts’[1].  Studio microphones are deliberately designed to pick up low frequencies but that means they are also very sensitive to rumble and vibrations (properly called “structure borne noise” or “impact noise”). But you can only make use of the ability to record bass frequencies if they aren’t drowned in rumble noises. Hence, the elastic suspension. Such a mount also helps protect the recording from accidental bumps on the mic stand, because they dampen the impact noise before it even reaches the mic. Such mounts are delicate and intricate, so don’t go moving them without knowing just what you are doing! In fact, don’t go touching the mic at all unless you know that it is OK to do so. Certainly, don’t tap or blow in to it to “check it works”, or even touch or tap the base or stand. [1] Hear sound samples with and without shock mounts: https://www.neumann.com/homestudio/en/do-i-really-need-a-shock-mount Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.06.02 – 0518 – Types Of MicsTypes of micsMost microphones in audio studios are on table stands or arms fixed to the desk which are height and/or distance-adjustable. TV presenters use either fixed, direction mics out of shot on the studio ceiling or, more likely small lapel mics powered by a battery/transmitter pack attached to their belt or (under a skirt or trousers) to their leg, or in a pocket. Handheld mics, or those on a pole (a ‘boom’) are used outside and are usually with an inbuilt battery and transmitter, or are cabled.
Different microphones have different pick-up patterns[1], meaning they ‘hear’ sound from different directions around their head. Therefore, if you know you are going to be in a noisy situation, you can use a mic which will pick up more of your voice and less of, say, the sound of a crowd. That’s why sports commentators use close-use lip-mics in noisy stadiums, and sound recording engineers filming outdoors on the set of a TV drama will use unseen but highly-directional shotgun mics which will pick up the actor’s voices, but not the sound of other people or traffic. These, like the AT-875R, may also be useful in a home recording booth as they help pick up the voice, but not extraneous sounds from your family, the neighbours or the street.
How to pick the right mic: https://www.voices.com/blog/how_to_pick_the_right_microphone/ Remember: A great mic and poor studio will just give a great recording of an awful sound. Everything has to work together to get an optimum, quality recording of your newly-discovered great voice.

[1] Hear sound samples of different kinds of microphones and their pick-up patterns, here: https://www.neumann.com/homestudio/en/what-is-a-dynamic-microphone and https://www.neumann.com/homestudio/en/what-is-a-condenser-microphone and https://www.neumann.com/homestudio/en/cardioid-omni-figure-8-why-do-microphones-have-different-pickup-patterns and https://www.neumann.com/homestudio/en/difference-between-large-and-small-diaphragm-microphones Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.06.01 – 0517 – What You Need To Know About How Mics Affect Your VoiceOK now we are in the studio, the next important piece of kit to make the most of your voice is of course, the mic. Speaking with a microphone is different from speaking with another human being. And there are various ‘mic environments’ each of which will make your presentation and voice projection a little different:

• Using a microphone to amplify your voice – for example in an auditorium where there are hundreds of real live people
• Using a microphone to transmit your voice – for example in a radio studio where there are thousands of people listening, but they are not with you and cannot see you
• Using a microphone to transmit your voice – for example in a radio studio where there are thousands of people listening, but they are not with you and cannot see you, but where there are also people in the studio with you and you are talking to them as you might do as though you were not on air.
• Using a microphone to transmit your voice – for example in a TV studio where there are thousands of people watching who can see you and your body language.
• Using a microphone to record your voice – for example for a podcast which is a much more intimate experience as people tend to listen alone and with headphones or buds directly in their ears, rather than radio which is consumed in a more communal setting such as a kitchen or car.
• Using a microphone to record your voice – for example for a video, where people can also see you and your body language.

 As far as we are concerned with this book/podcast, we need to be aware of how ‘everything to do with mics’ can affect your voice, from their pick up patterns, the stands they sit on, how near or far they are from you, how you speak in to them, what you wear when you are near them… …as well of course as the type of mic, which we’ll look at tomorrow… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.05.31 – 0516 – The Clap Test For A Better VoiceThe Clap TestAs you are treating your room, check the acoustic changes you have made by carrying out the ‘clap test’: stand in the middle of your space and make a single sharp clap. How does the sound, well, sound? It should sound crisp and clear, with no other echoes, thinness or muffles. The technical term is that is should sound ‘dead’ (with few reflections of sound), rather than ‘live’. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.