| | 1 | = Vocal Solo Notes |
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| | 3 | These are Oleg's observations and suggestions to vocal soloists based on past concerts. I could be mishearing or misunderstanding something, therefore I don't claim that everything listed below is absolute truth or requirement, but rather this is my best narration and explanation of what I am hearing at concerts. |
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| | 5 | == Stable Mic Distance |
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| | 7 | It is my opinion that all soloists at TSC, right now, should hold microphones at about the same distance from their mouth for the duration of the song. I observed a singer in a restaurant varying mic distance with excellent results, but I haven't observed this at TSC (maybe this happened and I haven't noticed it), and I think partially this is due simply to not having the right solo monitor mix. I believe presently the best results at TSC are achieved by vocalists that hold the mic in the same position the entire time. |
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| | 9 | == Proximity Effect |
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| | 11 | The closer the microphone is to the singer's mouth, the more low frequencies the microphone is picking up. Holding a microphone about 4" away produces a thin sound that can easily become tinny or shrieking. |
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| | 13 | If you are a bass singing low notes, keeping the microphone about 1" away from your mouth will likely help produce a full, weighty sound. |
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| | 15 | If you are a tenor, holding the microphone 4" away from your mouth can make you sound somewhat like a soprano. |
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| | 17 | == Mic Distance |
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| | 19 | My mic distance recommendation is 1-2" from mouth: 1" for quieter singers, 2" for louder singers. If nobody told you you are a loud singer you are most likely a quiet singer. |
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| | 21 | All solo vocals are compressed, therefore generally you cannot be too loud (the compressor takes care of excessive volume). On the contrary, if you are too far away from the mic, it may be not possible to make you louder in the mix (due to feedback or simply running out of fader adjustment) for you to be intelligible to the audience or, in extreme cases, even audible. |
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| | 23 | If your song involves the rhythm section (brass or drums), it's a loud song and you generally need to be loud. If you haven't been told you are a loud singer you need to hold the mic close (i.e. 1" away from mouth). |
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| | 25 | Between 3-4" away from the mic you will be audible but with a loss of low frequencies, further than 4" away from the mic you generally will be inaudible to the audience unless it's an a cappella song. |
