I would pull the mic away on the transient of the louder syllable instead of gradually pulling it away as the note decays. If anything you would pull it sharply away upon "striking" the louder syllable and then slowly bring it closer rather than slowly pulling it away. Just my 2 cents
Same principle. Just pull your head back a bit. You can also turn your head to the side a little but only slightly as you don't want your neck to be in a straining position. This technique works whether you're standing or sitting down, playing an instrument while singing or hands free. I'd advise that you turn your head only if you're using a Cardioid microphone (that just means it picks up the most sound at the front where you sing into, rejects some noise from the left and right of the microphone and rejects the most noise from the back of the microphone) as it has a much wider polar pattern than a Supercardioid microphone. If you're a singer who likes to move your head and/or your body a lot, you want to be using a microphone with a CARDIOID polar pattern as it's more forgiving for that kind of thing (like turning your head a little for the higher, more powerful notes). With a Supercardioid microphone, your mic technique has to be pretty disciplined. There is very little to no room to veer away from the microphone because this polar pattern is a lot narrower. So you'd need to keep your mouth on axis (in line with) to the microphone at all times. So you won't be free to move about much at all. However, a Supercardioid microphone is great for if you play with a very loud band. It will reject a lot of the noise from the left and right of the microphone, from the other instruments that can bleed into your mix and cause issues. Basically, though, if you're a performer who doesn't like to be glued to the microphone, and you want to be free to move a bit while you sing, a Cardioid mic is DEFINITELY the way to go. Hope this helps.
Excellent tutorial and tips my friend! Hope I can remember and use them when on stage... cheers
Hi, Abram
I would pull the mic away on the transient of the louder syllable instead of gradually pulling it away as the note decays. If anything you would pull it sharply away upon "striking" the louder syllable and then slowly bring it closer rather than slowly pulling it away. Just my 2 cents
How do I do this if it’s on a stand. Do I turn my head slightly to the side?
Same principle. Just pull your head back a bit. You can also turn your head to the side a little but only slightly as you don't want your neck to be in a straining position. This technique works whether you're standing or sitting down, playing an instrument while singing or hands free. I'd advise that you turn your head only if you're using a Cardioid microphone (that just means it picks up the most sound at the front where you sing into, rejects some noise from the left and right of the microphone and rejects the most noise from the back of the microphone) as it has a much wider polar pattern than a Supercardioid microphone. If you're a singer who likes to move your head and/or your body a lot, you want to be using a microphone with a CARDIOID polar pattern as it's more forgiving for that kind of thing (like turning your head a little for the higher, more powerful notes).
With a Supercardioid microphone, your mic technique has to be pretty disciplined. There is very little to no room to veer away from the microphone because this polar pattern is a lot narrower. So you'd need to keep your mouth on axis (in line with) to the microphone at all times. So you won't be free to move about much at all. However, a Supercardioid microphone is great for if you play with a very loud band. It will reject a lot of the noise from the left and right of the microphone, from the other instruments that can bleed into your mix and cause issues.
Basically, though, if you're a performer who doesn't like to be glued to the microphone, and you want to be free to move a bit while you sing, a Cardioid mic is DEFINITELY the way to go. Hope this helps.