Vocal Course Lesson 14

Overview"what this lesson is about"

Microphone Technique

The technique you will use with microphones in the studio or live is the same. You want to avoid popping the microphone with a blast of air from a “P” or a “B” sound. These little air blasts are called plosives, and you can avoid them in a few ways: How to Avoid Plosives; Working with Dynamics.

Watch The Video

How to Avoid Plosives

If you hold your hand in front of your face and say “P”, you can feel the plosive blast. Try pointing your lips to direct the blast up or down. In the same way, you may need to “point” your “P” away from the microphone to avoid popping it. If you’re in the recording studio, you can use a wind screen, a small bit of wire mesh that will disrupt the plosive without losing sound quality.

Working with Dynamics

Dynamics, or change in volume, are very important in singing. But sometimes you may bring the volume up too much for the microphone causing distortion. Use distance between you and the microphone to keep your volume within the boundaries your amplification system can tolerate. Pull the microphone away for the loud notes, and bring it up close for the softer notes.

While you may work the microphone for purposes of dynamics, it’s important to stay consistent with your placement in front of the microphone to avoid fluctuations in volume.

Practice Routine

Practice Time : 7 days, 15 – 30 minutes

Warm up with Scale 9 with all these sounds, recording your voice with a microphone. Practice singing at different volumes and working the microphone to keep the sound from distorting.

• No
• Goo
• Me
• Nah
• May

Practice singing Song 1 and Song 2 and record your voice. Work on having good dynamics and keeping the optimal distance from the microphone.