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Sunday Edition


31
Jan
2003
Sound of Southern Gospel - Feb 2003


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In the Beginning….

In the beginning of southern gospel music there was at the most two microphones and a piano. So what happened? The fans came along and filled up bigger places and technology advanced for better sound. However, when running sound, remember it all starts with your purchasing of the equipment.

Though I can't tell you through this article what to buy, I can give you an idea of what to look for. Keep in mind those two simple microphones. They only used them for reinforcement. So for this month let's focus on microphones for vocalists. Most groups use all the same microphone for everybody in the group. As convenient as this is and as often as it works, it may not be what is needed. Everybody has a different vocal quality and sound to their voice. That's what makes different singers, different. Here comes the technical stuff. For most male singers you could use the same microphone in most instances. However, don't rule out having different microphones for each person of the group. Different microphones have different frequency responses. Failure to pay attention to this when choosing a mic usually results in certain frequencies on certain vocalists to be piercing. These frequencies are usually the ones that hurt peoples' ears and make it sound "loud."

I promised to translate…go to a store or schedule a meeting with your favorite company's representative and listen to your voice through a microphone with NO,NONE, ZIP, ZILCH, EQ on it. This is very important to pick the right mic. Don't sing into them as a group. Listen to each other on different microphones and crank it up. If when the person hits a certain note it sort of hurts, ask for a microphone that has dip at that frequency. If they don't know what you're talking about, you're probably in the wrong place. You want your voice to sound as natural as possible without any effects. No microphone will have a dip in every frequency you need. Find the one that matches the best and EQ the rest of your annoyances out.

Please feel free to email me with questions at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Josh Hoevelmann

Reader Comments

Is not better to use same mics, when it comes to feedback? If you have all different mics it may give you problems in setting room eq. I would think that your channel eq, if you have a nice board would solve the problem of hot freq. on paticular singers? Just a thought, would love to have a response back!


Commented by On 02/04/2003
From a singer's point of view: USING THE SAME MIC FOR THE TOP THREE VOCAL IN A QUARTET, i.e. SM 94 SHURE WITH WINDSCREEN OR GOOD DYNAMIC MIC i.e. E 835 SENNHEISER OR EQUAL, WITH CHANNEL EQ AT FLAT POSITION MAKES THESE VOICES
SOUND NATURAL IN MOST CASES. BASS SINGERS AS A RULE USE A CONDENSOR i.e.( SM 81 SHURE W/ WINDSCREEN)MIC FOR VOLUME & PUNCH
BACKING OFF THE LO EQ ON THE CHANNEL WILL CLEAN UP ANY MUD IF
BASS VOICE IS REAL HEAVY. THANKS FOR LETTING ME VOICE AN OPINION


Commented by On 02/04/2003
Some of the biggest problems that I have seen in live settings are the improper use of the boards. Most people think that you turn up the trim or gain input as high as possible and then run the faders up to increase the volume. The proper procedure is almost reverse of that. Every board should have a 0 zero or unity gain position for the faders. The trim/input (usually the top knob on a board) should be turned to the lowest setting. With the fader at the unity gain/zero position you then slowly turn the trim/input knob until you are on the edge of feedback. Then back it up a little. You will still have headroom on your individual faders as you move the entire sound up with the master fader. EQ and mic selection then become personal choice instead of trying to fix a simple problem with a high cost solution. This simple procedure could have saved many a concert that I have attended. High Frequencies from overdriven mic pres will drive any one crazy.


Commented by On 02/21/2003
I AM AN ARTIST/SONGWRITER TRAVELING NATIONALLY LIFTING UP JESUS IN SONG AND TESTIMONY.PLEASE KEEP ME IN YOUR PRAYERS.








Commented by On 03/28/2003
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