Rechargeable Battery Solutions for Wireless Microphone Systems
Webinar Description
Tired of throwing away half-used batteries? Wish you knew exactly how much battery life you had left? Worried that rechargeable equals unreliable?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then you must attend this 60-minute webinar. You’ll learn everything you need to know to feel confident about switching from traditional batteries to a leaner, meaner, greener Shure rechargeable solution.

Dates & Times
Monday, June 3, 2013; 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM CDT Register for the 6/3 Webinar

Wednesday, June 5, 2013; 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM CDT Register for the 6/5 Webinar

After you register, you’ll get a confirmation email that’ll tell you how to join the webinar.

System requirements for PC-based attendees: Windows® 7, Vista, XP, or 2003 Server. For Macintosh®-based attendees: Mac OS® X 10.5 or newer required.

Happy learning!

View archives of our webinars at your convenience on shure.com.

Ben Folds mentioned once to me that he loves the SM5B and wanted to see Shure reintroduce it.  Here’s a shot from the recent Ben Folds Five album artwork with Ben’s own SM5B in the studio:

I began thinking about which mic I would like to see reintroduced into our line. The Shure 300 was a beautifully crafted Ribbon microphone. Sleek and elegant with a timeless design, this mic was used in many applications including vocals and instruments.

I think this microphone would be a hit on stage, in music videos, maybe even a USB version for on the road interviews by radio stations or bloggers.  Shure now has the capability with the KSM313 and the KSM353 to make more Ribbon mics and I think this would make an interesting “throwback.”   There could be some subtle design changes but it would bear an instantly recognizable resemblance to its predecessor.

With in ear monitors becoming the norm on tours and even in smaller rooms, having a bi-directional mic on stage is much more possible today.  Like the 55SH and now the Super 55, we are seeing those models all over music videos and on major award shows.

What about you?  What Shure mic or product would you like to see brought back?

Ryan

The week of InfoComm, you’re invited to AV Networking World, a day-long event featuring interactive demonstrations, workshops, and panel discussions of real-world use cases in venues from conference rooms to houses of worship to stadiums. Enjoy a buffet-style lunch compliments of the event.

Vital stats:

AV Networking World
Tuesday, June 11
9 AM – 4 PM (Registration and coffee service begins at 8 AM)
The Rosen Centre Hotel
9840 International Drive
Orlando, Florida

Shure is proud to be a sponsor of this event. Plus, two industry veterans from Shure—Chad Wiggins, Wired Microphone Category Director, and Bob Abraham, Digital Audio Processing Senior Manager—will participate in panel discussions.

Register for AV Networking World

Form Factors – Narrowing the Field

The sound reinforcement requirements of a church are different than those of more typical live performances, so once you’ve decided what type (dynamic or condenser) and polar pattern (omni or uni) you’re going to need for each application – pastor, soloist, choir, worship leader, praise band – there’s the form factor to consider.   This is actually pretty simple because the solutions are fairly straightforward.

We’ll look at them one by one.

Lectern Mic

Lectern

One of the most common microphones used in houses of worship are lectern or podium microphones.  Gooseneck microphones are recommended since they position the mic up high and close to the speaker’s mouth.  These are usually cardioid condenser microphones since they are very small and unobtrusive and also since their greater sensitivity allows the microphone to be positioned 10”-14” and a little off-center from a speaker’s mouth.

One of the reasons that the mic is positioned off-center is the undesirable popping sound of plosives (p’s and t’s).  When the mic is off to the side, the air blast that causes those plosives will go past the microphone rather than right into the microphone.  Using a windscreen also helps.

Tips:

• Make sure you only have one microphone on at the lectern, to minimize comb filtering
• Use a pop filter and a shock mount to minimize unwanted sounds.
• Turn off unused microphones

Boundary Mic

Altar

The altar is another area that you may need to mic.  In that case a gooseneck microphone may not be aesthetically pleasing, so boundary microphones – usually condenser types – are the typical solution.

Tips:

• Try not to place them too close to the edge of the altar since they’re limited to a 60o vertical pick-up angle.   If the microphone isn’t placed deep enough into the altar, you run the risk of the speaker talking over the microphone instead of into it.
• Turn off unused microphones.
• Position speakers within 24”-36” of the mic.

The low profile of boundary mics also subjects them to the risk of having speakers place objects over them and since they’re typically sensitive condenser-type mics, they’re susceptible to noises like page turning.   Still, they’re usually the best choice for altar applications.

Lavalier Mic

Lavalier

One way to make sure that the pastor or worship leader is heard clearly is to use a lavalier microphone where the speaker or singer can move around freely without concerns about being picked up by the mic.    Here’s where you want to think about polar patterns

Tips:

• My choice is the omnidirectional lavalier microphone because you don’t need to be as concerned with placement – you can aim it in any direction and there’s no proximity effect.    There’s minimal pickup of wind or cable noise – and they are less susceptible to plosives. Omni lavaliers sound natural and they’re the easiest to place.
• On the other hand, if you’re experiencing gain before feedback problems, you may need to go with a unidirectional lav microphone, sometimes with a cardioid or even a supercardioid pattern   It will also help to reduce background noise in a nosy environment. Remember that they’re more susceptible to cable noise, plosives, wind noise, proximity effect and other things that will color the sound quality and add more artifacts than you desire.

If you can make the omni work, that’s the way to go.   Placement is usually about 8” below the mouth in the center, because the pickup will be affected if the speaker moves his head from side to side.   That’s a common problem with any lav mic. If possible, it’s also beneficial to use a windscreen.

Tips:

• Secure the cable to the wearer’s clothing to eliminate cable noise.
• If multiple mics are used when the speaker approaches the lectern or alter, remember to turn unused mics off, otherwise comb filtering may result.

Countryman Mic

Headworn (Headset)

The headworn mic is by far preferred over lavaliers in most church applications these days, though some people don’t like to wear anything on their heads. There are some very tiny headworn microphones that hook over one ear and are barely noticeable.

They take care of just about all the problems experienced with lavalier microphones and offer some significant advantages:

• Gain before feedback is much better – the mic is right next to the speaker’s mouth. Since the mic moves with the speaker’s head, the sound level and quality don’t change.
• They are omni condenser mics with multiple color options so skin tone can be matched – with single ear and dual ear options.
• Placement is easy – left or right side doesn’t matter.
• Overall, you’ll experience more consistent sound quality, fewer feedback problems and better gain before feedback.

The Choir and the Praise Band

Here are a few quick tips for miking the choir and members of your praise band. Volumes can be – and have been – written on various techniques for achieving a specific sound, but this overview will get your started.

The Choir

Stand-mounted or hanging mics can be used to pick up the choir. In almost all cases, these are condenser mics.  They have a flatter, natural frequency response and are sensitive enough to work well at a distance.

Try to mic the choir as if it’s an acoustic instrument.  It’s the same way you’d mic an orchestra.   You’re trying to capture the ensemble without coloring it too much.  Most often, these are unidirectional condenser mic.

Tip:

• The 3-to-1 rule applies. Typically you’re going to position the mic 2-3 feet in front of the choir with the most sensitive point of the mic aimed toward the back row of the choir, and adjacent mics about 4 – 6 feet apart from each other.   That helps provide even coverage because the most sensitive point of the mic is aimed at the singers who are furthest and the singers who are closest are positioned at a less sensitive point, so you’ll get nice, even coverage.

Tip:

• If you’re using hanging mics, you need to be careful not to hang the mics over the heads of the singers, rather than 2’-3’ in front of their mouths, aimed at the back row.  Failing to do that will results in a dull, dark sound with very little sound level reaching the microphone. You need to be able to mic their mouths (the sound source) and not the top of their heads.

Tip: 

• It is best to use as few mics as possible and avoid as much overlap as possible.   If you need to use more than one and the first one is 2’ away from the choir at an 130o angle, the way to position it is to follow the 3-to-1 rule and position the next mic 6’ away.   And if that’s not enough, place another microphone 6’ feet away.

The Congregation

Miking the congregation isn’t a musical application but it is something that comes up since adding ambient sound creates a more natural mix for broadcast feeds or recording.    It’s similar to choir miking since you can think of the congregation as a large ensemble.

Tips:

• You will probably want to use some type of unobtrusive unidirectional microphone and only for recording or broadcast purposes where you need to add some ambience.
• Don’t mic the congregation for sound reinforcement purposes.   If you need to hear an individual in the congregation, the best way to do that is with a wireless handheld.

The Praise Band

Here are some basic member-by-member suggestions:

Vocals

• Handheld or headworn mic.
• Unidirectional – dynamic or condenser – depending on the sound quality you’re trying to achieve.

Look for a good shock mount that eliminates some of the handling noise. The SM58, for example, has a very good shock mount. You can tap on the microphone and you won’t hear very much.  A cheap mic can sound like a freight train when you do the same thing.

Electric guitar amp

• Dynamic or condenser
• Make sure the sensitivity of the condenser mic is designed for the application.

Beta 181 is a good choice. You can hang it over the top of the guitar amp in front of the speaker without needing a mic stand.

Drums 

• Dynamic mics for snare and tom-toms, which handle the high SPLs in these applications.
• Condenser mics are useful for overheads and cymbals.
• Percussion mics might be condensers as well for general area miking applications.
• Kick drum: Beta 52A is the Shure mic designed specifically for use as a bass drum mic, but a Beta 91A boundary microphone can also be a good choice for its low-profile design and set-up ease.
• Snare drum: Good choices include SM57 or Beta 57A mics.  Place the boom-mounted mic in front of the kit, a few inches from the snare drum edge, next to and just above the high tom head for a natural sound.
• Toms: Beta 56A or Beta 98AMP mics can be used.  For the best isolation, consider placing a microphone inside each tom-tom.
• Overheads: A Beta 181/C or PG81 mic can be positioned about a foot above the drummer’s head or a matched pair of either model can be used for stereo miking.

Grand or upright piano

• Condenser mics for flatter, more natural frequency response.
• Stand-mounted or boundary mics are also good choices. Boundary mics can actually be taped inside the lid of the piano.
• KSM137 is a good choice for a stand-mounted mic.  It can withstand high sound pressure levels and it’s also available in a stereo kit, making it ideal for X/Y configuration miking preferred by many live sound engineers.
• For mounting inside the piano, you can use a Beta 91A cardioid condenser microphone. This microphone will work for both a grand and upright piano.

It all comes down to this

What’s really important is knowing how the mic sounds, using your ears to chose the right one and then knowing where to place it.  Moving the microphone just a few inches in one direction or another can improve the sound quality dramatically. Time for experimentation is time well spent.

One way to do this at home is to check out the Mic Listening Lab where you can listen to many different types of mics on many different instruments (including vocals) so that you can hear the differences for yourself. You’ll also find an “Audition This Mic” link at the bottom of product pages on the Shure site.

Choose the right mic, put it in the right place, keep it as close to the sound source, use as few mics as possible, turn off unused mics and trust your ears.

ABOUT GINO SIGISMONDI: Gino Sigismondi has been active in the music and audio industry for nearly twenty years. Currently managing the Systems Support department, Gino brings his years of practical experience in professional audio to the product training seminars he conducts for Shure customers, dealers, distribution centers, and internal staff. He is the author of the Shure educational publications “Selection and Operation of Personal Monitors,” “Audio Systems Guide for Music Educators,” and “Selection and Operation of Audio Signal Processors.”

Gino spent several post-college years as a live sound engineer for Chicago-area sound companies, nightclubs, and local acts. He continues to remain active as a musician and sound engineer, expanding his horizons beyond live music to include sound design for modern dance and church sound.

This year, the winners are:

GRAND PRIZE WINNER: Purchase College
Student Team Members: Trevor Fedele, Patrick Linehan, Joshua Pleeter, Brendan Williams, and Joseph Yonkers
Faculty Advisor: Silas Brown
Song Title: “Soviet Union”
Composer: Sean McVerry
View the Project Log (PDF)

RUNNER-UP: University of North Alabama
Student Team Members: Luke Hunter, Donnie Pitts, Ryan Speakman, Pace Collette,and Leo Taylor
Faculty Advisor: Walt Aldridge
Song Title: “Jaded”
Composer: Ashton Mabe
View the Project Log (PDF)

HONORABLE MENTION: Belmont University
Student Team Members: Dan Almond, Brien Pafford, Sean Davidson, Ian Zorbaugh, Tim Reitnouer
Faculty Advisor: Jim Kaiser
Song Title: “Hesitate”
Composer: Judah Akers
View the Project Log (PDF)

We congratulate you on your ingenuity and your skilled execution. (And your Shure gear prizes!)

Grand Prize Winners seated left to right: Joe Yonkers, Brendan Williams, Pat Linehan. Standing left to right: Peter Denenberg (Chair, Studio Production & Studio Composition Depts), Trevor Fedele, Josh Pleeter, Silas Brown (Faculty Advisor)

The seven other competing schools submitted excellent tracks. A high-five goes out to them for their hard work, as well as the pics and video updates that kept me smiling all year long.

• Anderson University
• Appalachian State University (Hayes School of Music)
• Berklee College of Music
• Ex’pression College for Digital Arts
• Peabody Institute of the John Hopkins University
• University of Miami (Frost School of Music)
• University of South Carolina

A huge thank-you to the following recording industry luminaries who judged this year’s competition:

Carlos Alvarez has worked with recording artists including Marc Anthony, Alejandro Sanz, Ricky Martin, Jose Feliciano, Mika, Luis Enrique, and Julio Iglesias.

Steve Churchyard has worked with recording artists including Sheryl Crow, Rascal Flatts, Shakira, Jason Mraz, and Herbie Hancock.

Billy Perez has received credit as an engineer for projects with The Rolling Stones, Wynton Marsalis, John Batiste, Ron Carter, and Alan St. Jon, among others.

Mark Rubel runs the Pogo Studio in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, where he has worked with artists including Alison Krauss, Luther Allison, Adrian Belew, and Captain Rat and the Blind Rivets.

Zoe Thrall runs Studio at the Palms in Las Vegas, where she has worked with artists including Rihanna, The Killers, Katy Perry, Alicia Keys, LMFAO, Maroon 5, and Lady Gaga.

Visit the Contests page on shure.com next fall to learn more about the annual competition, which challenges college students in audio education programs to make the best recording they can using only Shure gear.

Any questions? Pretty random stuff, another cool part of this AR gig.

Rock Out – Cory

Shure has been a sponsor of the East Bay’s Soundwall Music Camp, a non-profit organization that runs two one-week sessions for campers aged 12-17 on the campus of UC-Santa Cruz.  When Music Director (and drummer) John Xepoleas contacted our editorial staff for a gear assist, we were able to come through for the teen campers.

The campers were there to learn.  But did John discover anything?  Here’s his story:

Shure SM27 Multipurpose Microphone

“About a year ago, Shure sent me a box of microphones to use for the recording classes we offer at the Soundwall Rock n’ Roll Summer music camps. I received the mics in April and since the camps don’t take place until July, I was compelled to check out the goods.

The job at hand was to see how well the mics worked for recording a rock drum set.   I was already using a Beta 52 to mic the bass drum, an SM57 to mic the snare and a set of SM81s as overheads. The box contained three SM27 large diaphragm condenser microphones.  I’d never used or even heard of an SM27.

Round One: The first order of business was to use the SM27s as overheads on a basic 5-piece drum set.  I kept the switchable frequency filter flat and placed the mics about 3 feet apart and 18” or so above the cymbals.  (Figure 1)  I put the Beta52®A inside the port-hole of the bass drum facing the bass drum beater and placed an SM57 about 2 fingers distance off the snare head. I put a couple of Beta 98s on the rack toms, the third SM27 on the floor tom and added an SM 81 to the hi-hat.  All pretty basic drum miking techniques.

Figure 1 – Round One

My next order of business was to fire up my Pro Tools® rig and see what these babies sounded like.  I hit the record button, laid down a couple of simple rock grooves, gave the hi-hat and cymbals a workout and played a few fills around the set.  After about 10 minutes of doing what I love most to do – playing the drums – I put down the sticks, turned on the studio monitors and sat back to hear how it sounded.

To start with, I just listened to the SM27 overheads. To my great surprise, everything sounded really good.  I was missing the punch from the bass drum, so I brought up the channel with the Beta 52A into the mix.  At this point I was only listening to three mics and the drums sounded fat, full and crisp.  I wanted a bit more crack from the snare, so I brought up the snare channel.  And that was it!

With only four mics, I had just about everything anyone could want in a drum sound. The cymbals sizzled and I was hearing plenty of hi-hat.  The toms sounded so full that I thought I left the tom tracks on by mistake.  The snare drum had a nice crack and presence and the bass drum had the perfect amount of attack and bottom end.  I couldn’t have been happier.

For the final step, I added a taste of the tom mics into the mix for a bit more clarity and separation plus a little more bottom end on the floor tom. I also added a tiny bit of the hi-hat channel to the mix with a bit of EQ for some extra sizzle.  This worked nicely to polish and refine the really nice sound I was getting with just four mics.  Success.

Round Two: For this round, I swapped the SM27 on the floor tom for a PG56.

I took the SM27 and placed it at the opposite end of the room – about 12 feet away – facing the kit.  I added some compression to the channel.  In fact, I compressed the heck out of it at about 100:1, then I bashed away for another ten minutes.

When I first listened back, the beautiful drum sound I was hearing before now sounded really crappy.  I realized that the room channel was blasting through the mix with its raw, over compressed sound.  I brought it way back in the mix and was able to find a perfect point where it gave the drums a really nice full open sound and a welcome option to the close miking sound I was getting before.  Another success.

Round Three: Now it was time to put the mics to work on a live jazz recording session.   For this session, the group included acoustic bass, guitar, trumpet and drums.

The drums were a classic Gretsch be-bop set with an 18” bass drum, 12” and 14” toms, snare, and a beautiful set of Zildjian Constantinople cymbals and hi-hats.  (Figure 2) Once again, I used the SM27s as overheads, an SM57 on the snare and the Beta 52A on the bass drum.  For this session, I placed the Beta 52A about 4” away from the bass drum facing the right side of the drum. (Figure 3)

Figure 2 – Round Three: Jazz Set Miking

We sound-checked the drums and they sounded great.  In fact, we only ended up using the snare channel for one song where I played brushes.  The cymbals sizzled, the toms cut through and the snare fit perfectly into the mix.  With the mic placement described above, the small jazz bass drum sounded round and full.

Figure 3 – Round Three: Bass Drum Miking

Miking the rest of the group.  We were all recording in the same room at the same time, so we needed some isolation.  We faced the guitar amp away from the drums and miked it using an SM57 facing the speaker.  The trumpet player was on the other side of the room also using a 57.  The bass player played through a small amp using his pick-up. But in addition to that, we used an SM27 placed directly in front of and about six inches from the strings, with the capsule halfway between the bridge and the bottom end of the fingerboard.  The bass sounded great.  Plenty of bottom end yet plenty of articulation.  When mixing, we were able to find a really a nice blend of the pick-up and mic sound.  Later, a seasoned jazz musician friend of mine heard the recordings and was amazed at how good everything sounded. He said, “I’ve recorded in some of the best studios in the world and haven’t heard the drums and bass sound this good”.  I guess the proof is in the pudding.

Round four: A much different type of session.  This time it was a young talented saxophonist playing along with pre-recorded tracks for his college auditions.

I have a few mics that I would normally use on a saxophone, but I thought I would try the SM27. He played for a few minutes, and then we gave it a quick listen.  He absolutely loved the sound of his saxophone.  No EQ, no fuss, no muss, just his tenor and the SM27.   We both agreed that there wasn’t even a need to listen to any other mics.  I’m not saying it was because of the microphone we used, but he did get into the college of his choice.

Final Round: Recording a twenty-piece big band in a concert hall.  Needless to say, I had to use just every microphone I own.  This time I used a couple of SM81s for drum overheads along with the Beta 52A on the bass drum and a Beta 56®A on the snare.  We used a couple of small condensers on the piano, the bass went direct, and we used a ‘57 on the guitar amp.  We used SM57s for the trumpet, trombone and sax soloists.  (They seem to isolate the sound in this type of setting much better than the large diaphragm condensers)  We also placed two large diaphragm condensers about 10 feet in front of the horn section.  For our room mics we place two SM27s on the concert hall’s back wall – about 70 feet from the front of the stage.  Once again, the SM27s did a great job.  When mixed in with the close-miked instruments, they gave the band a full round live sound with plenty of definition.

And there you have it.  In a short period of time the SM27 has gone from a microphone I’d never heard of to my microphone of choice for many different applications.

LEARN MORE ABOUT SOUNDWALL MUSIC CAMPS, right here.

ABOUT JOHN XEPOLEAS: John started performing and teaching in 1970 and has been an active part of the San Francisco Bay Area music scene ever since. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Music Performances in 1978 and published his first book, Studies for the Contemporary Drummer” in 1991.  He also authored “Lessons with the Greats” in 1993 and was appointed Music Director at Soundwall Music Camps in 1995.  Her performs with The Fundamentals and Fundz Jazz and is available for private and Skype lessons.  More about John here.

At The NAB Show, we could barely contain our excitement about previewing our two new camera-mount shotgun mics, the VP83 LensHopper™ Camera-Mount Condenser Microphone and the VP83F LensHopper™ Camera-Mount Condenser Microphone with Integrated Flash Recording.

Both mics caught the eye of industry publications and came away from the show with awards.

Videomaker Magazine‘s write-up about the NAB 2013 Spotlight Award it bestowed on the VP83F gave us all a shiver of pride:

“Among the DSLR-centric products we’ve seen, none have done what Shure does with the VP83F LensHopper™…” Read Full Article

It also was an honor to receive Digital Video Magazine’s 2013 Black Diamond Award for VP83F.

Both LensHopper mics won a ProSoundNetwork NAB 2013 Best of Show Award and a TV Technology Magazine STAR 2013 Award, much to our surprise and delight.

Wondering when you can pick up a VP83 or VP83F? Both should be available this summer. Stay tuned…

NEW PRODUCT OVERVIEW: GLX-D DIGITAL WIRELESS SYSTEMS
Webinar Description
Join us for an in-depth look at the technological innovations that make GLX-D Digital Wireless a breakthrough for anyone needing great sound in a user-friendly, affordable wireless microphone or guitar system. In this 60-minute webinar, we will explore features including automatic frequency management and smart power options, and discuss available configurations.

Dates & Times
Monday, May 6, 2013; 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM CDT Register for the 5/6 Webinar

Wednesday, May 8, 2013; 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM CDT Register for the 5/8 Webinar

HOW TO CHOOSE A SHURE SOUND ISOLATING EARPHONE
Webinar Description
Whether you use them onstage with personal monitor systems or with an MP3 player at the gym, Shure Sound Isolating Earphones deliver professional sound quality and block unwanted outside noise. Join us for a 60-minute webinar that will walk you through the different models and how to choose the right one for your application.

Dates & Times
Monday, May 20, 2013; 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM CDT Register for the 5/20 Webinar

Wednesday, May 22, 2013; 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM CDT Register for the 5/22 Webinar

After you register, you’ll get a confirmation email that’ll tell you how to join the webinar.

System requirements for PC-based attendees: Windows® 7, Vista, XP, or 2003 Server. For Macintosh®-based attendees: Mac OS® X 10.5 or newer required.

Happy learning!

View archives of our webinars at your convenience on shure.com.

The SM7B is my favorite Shure microphone.

Not only is it extremely versatile, but it is inexpensive. It has been used on so many Grammy Award winning recordings and to this day, remains to be a favorite among artists and engineers alike, both live and in the studio. It was originally called SM7 and then some enhancements have been made internally over the years and it has now called the SM7B.

From Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” to Sheryl Crow’s “The Globe Sessions” and so many more in since, engineers and artist have chosen the SM7 over microphones several times its cost.  Why? Plug one in and try it – you will understand why.

Not only is it warm and rich on vocals, it shines on just about anything you put in it on.  Guitar cabinets, Brass instruments, Leslie Low, Bass cabinet, and even as a Hi-hat mic. Just this week, I saw 2 of them on drummer Chris McHugh’s kit – one on the Hi-Hat and one under his ride. In both cases, the windscreens were removed!

Here’s a great video with Sammy Hagar on an SM7B with Chickenfoot in the studio tracking their latest record (about 4:50 in):

John Paul White of The Civil Wars mentions in an interview for us that he used it to track his vocals for their Grammy Award winning album Barton Hollow.  See that interview here (about 7:28 in):

Country Artist Hunter Hayes also uses it to track demo vocals while on the road.  We can thank producer Dan Huff for recommending it to him early on.

Serj Tankian of System of a Down fame and solo work talks about his use of Shure mics including the SM7 for vocals in the studio (about 2:13 in):

___

So why it this going to be an ongoing series?  I constantly run into artists that share my love for this mic and I love hearing about its many uses.  I am also inviting you to send in your pictures and tell your stories if you currently use this mic in any way.  Please join in and tell us how the SM7 has helped your sound! Until then, I leave you with another great Blog post on the story of the SM7B:

http://blog.shure.com/shure-notes/sm57-on-steroids-the-shure-sm7-b-story

Ryan

Different Transducer Types

A transducer is anything that can take one form of energy and convert it to another form of energy. That’s what a microphone does.

A mic measures the variations in air pressure that we recognize as sound waves and changes them into electrical signals that can be manipulated for sound reinforcement, for recording purposes or for broadcast.  The acoustic wave is converted into an analogous electrical signal. All microphones do this, but they do it in different ways.  So a microphone is really just a measurement device – measuring variations in air pressure and providing a corresponding electrical signal.

As the front end of the audio system, the microphone is one of the more important elements in the signal path.   If you don’t capture the sound accurately before it gets into the electrical domain, there really isn’t a great way to fix it later on. The more of that you do on the back end with processors and other tools, the more work is involved and the less natural it will sound.  If you choose the right mic and put it in the right place, everything that follows will be that much better.

Dynamic and condenser mics are most popular types.  There are other types – ribbon mics, crystal mics, control magnetic, and carbon mics, for example – but those are largely historical, so we won’t cover them here.

The most popular is the dynamic mic.  It’s a very simple device – rugged, reliable and in most cases, not very expensive.   Sound waves move a thin, lightweight diaphragm, typically a very thin layer of a Mylar®. The physical energy required to make this diaphragm move is not very great.

Cutaway of a Dynamic Microphone

The diaphragm has a coiled wire attached to it and is suspended in a magnetic field.  A basic property of electricity is that when a wire cuts through a magnetic field, a current is induced in that wire.  As sound waves strike the diaphragm and move it back and forth, the coil also moves back and forth in the magnetic field, inducing current and a corresponding varying voltage in the wire.   Those wires go out to the connector at the bottom of the mic. Some microphones might have an output transformer to step up the impedance and provide a little more signal, some don’t. That’s the basic structure of a dynamic microphone.

It’s a completely passive device, so there’s no additional power needed to get it up and running.  Plug it into your system and you’re good to go.  Because they are such simple devices, they’re not very expensive, they’re very reliable and they’re hard to kill.  Think SM58® and SM57.

There are some limitations, of course.  They’re not very sensitive.  It takes more energy get that mass of the coil that’s attached to the diaphragm moving so they’re better for up-close applications and loud sound sources.  They’re not very good for miking sound sources from far away, like a choir for instance.

They’re nearly impossible to overdrive.  A human being can’t create enough sound pressure level to overdrive a dynamic microphone.  There is no way, for instance, that a singer can destroy an SM58 by singing too loud.  There may be some distortion at the input of the mixer if its gain control is set too high, but the problem is not happening at the microphone.  You’d have to mic the space shuttle for something like that to happen.

Most dynamic mics sound pretty good, but there’s a limitation in frequency response in terms of how much high and low frequency it can pick up.

Cutaway of a Condenser Microphone

Condenser microphones are a little more complicated.

One critical difference is that the diaphragm of a condenser mic does not have the mass of a coil hanging off of it.  The actual diaphragm is metalized, usually gold-layered or gold-sputtered and the diaphragm is tensioned over an air gap above a charged metal backplate.

When the sound wave strikes the diaphragm, it doesn’t have to work as hard to move it because there’s no mass of coil attached to it – and that’s one reason why condenser microphones are more sensitive.   They’re designed for quieter sound sources.

The output of a condenser microphone is much lower and the impedance is much higher, so there are some additional electronics – specifically, a microphone pre-amp – that’s part of the mic design. The pre-amp requires phantom power, supplemental voltage that powers up the electronics of the condenser microphone.  Phantom power is typically supplied by the mixer the microphone is connected to.

If you don’t provide a condenser microphone with phantom power, it simply will not work.   It’s a call we often receive at Shure from people who are accustomed to using a dynamic mic like an SM58 but purchased, for the first time, a $300 condenser mic.   They plug it into their sound system and it doesn’t work.   This leads to a longer discussion of phantom power and a suggestion that they turn on their mixer’s phantom power switch.   It’s an important detail to remember. There are a few condenser microphones that will run off a battery, but this is far less common.

They’re more sensitive to environmental conditions and they’re more expensive than dynamic mics because there are many more internal electronic components in their design.   But on the flip side, they’re more sensitive and offer a wider frequency response so they’re more natural sounding.   However, due to the active electronics that are part of condenser mic design, it is possible to overload or cause distortion in the microphone. Some condenser microphones are equipped with a “pad” that can be engaged to reduce the sensitivity of the microphone when used with loud sound sources.

Frequency Response

This can be divided into two categories – and really, it’s just about how the microphone sounds:

Shaped Response – can take many different forms.

The X-axis in this diagram shows the frequency of human hearing, from 20 Hz to about 20,000 Hz.  The Y-axis shows the output level of the microphone. You can look at the different frequencies to determine how much signal that particular mic is putting out.   You’ll notice at some frequencies, the output of the mic is lower or less sensitive and on others, the output of the mic is higher.   This can provide an advantage in certain scenarios.

For example:  If you’re looking at the 2-6 KHz range, the SM58 mic is more sensitive and has more output.  This is good because this is the range of most human speech where consonants can be heard.  Consonants define speech intelligibility.   In a church application, the message is the most important thing – so it’s important to have a microphone with good sensitivity in this range.

Now, look at response in the range below 100 Hz. The response drops off pretty dramatically.  In the case of the human voice, that’s OK unless you’re trying to mic a bass singer in a gospel quartet. What happens in that range is mostly unwanted noise, wind noise, handling noise, vibration, so if you have a mic that rolls off a lot of that, it’s beneficial for cleaning up the overall sound quality.   Response below 100 Hz is usually unnecessary unless you’re miking a grand piano, bass drums or the occasional bass singer.

Flat Response – is just what it sounds like.  The output of the microphone is pretty much the same across all frequencies.

It will pass everything along, whether or not it’s needed or desired.  It’s a very natural sounding and very uncolored frequency response.   For acoustic instruments, for example, where you don’t want to alter the sound in any way, a flat response mic might be the best choice.

Which response you need really depends on what you’re miking.  A wide-ranging flat response mic will pick up sounds that you don’t necessarily need and it won’t color the sound coming out of it.

Directional Response- This is how the microphone responds to sounds coming at it from different directions.  There are two categories:

Omnidirectional – sound coming from all directions
Uni-directional – sound coming from one direction

Bi-directional is another, less common category that refers to a mic that picks up sound from two directions, but we’ll focus on two that you are most likely to encounter.

Omnidirectional (“omni”) mics are sensitive to sounds coming from all directions.   They have a coverage angle of 360o so it doesn’t matter where the mic is pointed.   The response will be the same. Omnidirectional microphones are good for speech applications, as lavalier or headset microphones. In this case, they offer the most “uncolored” response (see proximity effect below), and since you don’t have to worry about picking up the drum kit, the lack of off-axis rejection isn’t really a concern.

Unidirectional (“uni”) mics take on a couple of different variations, the most popular of which is the cardioid pattern. It has a heart-shaped pickup pattern; that’s where the “cardio” comes from.  When you look at the diagram, you’ll see that there’s very little pickup 180o off the center.

The cardioid pattern is designed to capture the sound source you want to capture and reduce pickup of everything else, since it effectively rejects off-axis sound.  On a stage with a lot of sound sources and a lot of noise, it’s very beneficial compared to an omni which will tend to pick up everything. Since the cardioid mic is less sensitive to other sounds, like the sounds coming out of loudspeakers, it allows you to get more gain before feedback than you would with an omni.

Like everything else in audio, there are some trade-offs.  One of these is proximity effect, something that every unidirectional mic exhibits. That’s the boost in low frequencies as you move closer to the microphone.  Sometimes people like this effect and other times that bass response will muddy things up.   Omni mics don’t product this effect since the frequency response is the same no matter how far the sound source is from the mic itself.   Cardioid mics are also more susceptible to handling, wind noise and vibration.

Supercardioid and hypercardioid are even more directional.  There’s even greater rejection at the sides but a little bit more pickup in the null area (at the back of the microphone).   The overall sensitivity to ambient sound is less than even a cardioid mic.   An experienced vocalist in your church can really benefit from this type of tight polar pattern, but a less experienced singer who moves the mic around in a theatrical fashion will run into problems.

Keep in mind that there’s never a one-size fits-all option.  It all depends on what sounds best for your application.

The Myth of Microphone Reach

One common misconception is that directional microphones reach like a zoom lens on a camera – that you can take your viewfinder and focus on something far away and bring it closer. Microphones don’t work that way.

Sound waves are much longer than light waves and microphones are not able to bend those waves to bring them closer. Microphones don’t have a reach associated with them. What that means is that you need to get the mic as close as possible to the sound source for a couple of reasons:

1. The microphone is not going to go out and isolate a particular sound.
2. Sound waves follow the inverse square law.  That says that the energy of a sound wave drops as it spreads out in space. Every time you double the distance between the sound source and the microphone, you lose 6 dB of signal, which is quite a bit. If I move the microphone one foot away, the drop is sound is noticeable. If I move it from 1 foot to two feet away, that’s a 12 dB drop which will be perceived as more than half as loud.  So be aware that when you’re moving microphones further and further away, you are losing a lot of the direct signal.

What this graphic shows is that there’s a certain amount of noise and reverberation in any given room. That’s a concept known as critical distance which is the distance at which the direct sound of what you’re trying to mic and the ambient noise and reverberation become equal.  When your microphone is beyond that critical distance, you’ll hear all the ambience in the room at a level equal to the direct sound.  It’s the sound that some people describe as being in the ‘bottom of a barrel’ or sounding like a ‘tin can’. Every room will be different and if you don’t want to have to calculate what the critical distance is for every worship space, just try to remember to keep the microphones as close to the sounds sources as you can.

Another phenomenon you may experience is comb filtering which is where the audio signal takes multiple paths to reach the microphone, possibly reflecting off a tabletop or a lectern and having those reflections combined back in the microphone itself.    When that happens, the frequency response graph looks like a comb – that’s where the term comes from.   It has a very hollow, phase-y sound that’s not very natural and can really be distracting at times.   It’s another reason to keep the microphone close to the sound source, so that the direct sound will be much louder than the reflected sound.  It’s also a good argument for longer gooseneck microphones in lectern application because it keeps the mic further away from surfaces and closer to the speaker’s mouth.

You can also experience electronic comb filtering.  This happens when there is more than one microphone picking up the same sound source.  It can easily happen in a choir application.  When the same sound source goes to two different microphones and those mics are combined back in the mixer, you end up with the same comb filtering frequency response effect.

How you deal with electronic comb filtering is by following the 3-to-1 Rule.   It’s a good rule to remember in sound applications where more than one mic is being used.  It states that for every unit of distance from the mic to the sound source, the next microphone should be three times that distance away.

Feedback

It’s a common problem in many sound systems.  But it’s not the fault of the microphone. Feedback results from the interaction of all the components in the sound system.

Here’s what’s happening: the sound source goes into the microphone and the microphone signal goes into an amplifier and then a loudspeaker where it’s made louder. That same sound comes out of the loudspeaker and is picked up by the microphone again – it forms an audio loop that results in the sound or sounds we know as feedback.  You can’t buy a microphone that “doesn’t have any feedback in it”.

Tips for avoiding feedback:

• The way to combat feedback is to keep the microphone as close to the sound source as possible.
• Keep the mics as far away from the loudspeakers as possible.   If you can keep them separated from the loudspeakers, it’s less likely that they will pick up the sound and create a feedback loop.
• Lower the speaker output.
• Move the loudspeaker farther away from the microphone. Each time this distance is doubled, the sound system output can be increased by 6dB.
• Move the loudspeaker closer to the listener. Each time this distance is halved, the sound system output will increase by 6dB.
• Use in-ear monitoring systems in place of floor monitors.
• Acoustically treat the room (if possible) to eliminate hard, reflective surfaces like glass, marble and wood.

Some people think using unidirectional microphones will solve their feedback problems, but it’s actually less effective than many of the suggestions above. EQ can also be used and room acoustics are also a factor, but in most cases, following the first three tips here will go a long way in reducing feedback problems.

ABOUT GINO SIGISMONDI: Gino Sigismondi has been active in the music and audio industry for nearly twenty years. Currently managing the Systems Support department, Gino brings his years of practical experience in professional audio to the product training seminars he conducts for Shure customers, dealers, distribution centers, and internal staff. He is the author of the Shure educational publications “Selection and Operation of Personal Monitors,” “Audio Systems Guide for Music Educators,” and “Selection and Operation of Audio Signal Processors.”

Gino spent several post-college years as a live sound engineer for Chicago-area sound companies, nightclubs, and local acts. He continues to remain active as a musician and sound engineer, expanding his horizons beyond live music to include sound design for modern dance and church sound.

Do you have your set list yet? Do you even know where to go? Allow me to assist you, at least with the where-to-go part:

Find National Open Mic Night Venues + Share Your Pics

Facebook not so much? Check out the venues list on the National Open Mic Night page on shure.com.

For a lot of folks at Shure who play music, open mics are a way of life. You might get up onstage as a new performer just getting your chops down, and next in the lineup might be someone who’s been gigging for decades. You meet, strike up a conversation, and next thing you know, you’re writing music together. And, if you’re acoustic and new to the scene, it might even be your first time using a mic. We’ll have different mics for you to try out at all the venues, so you’ll get a sense of what gear works for you.

Check out this video recap of last year’s event. Two guys in there pretty much sum up what makes open mic culture the great musical institution it is.

So, what are you sitting around watching videos for? Come out and play!