When I arrived, Buddy’s crew had just finished setting the stage for his soundcheck.  I had brought along one of our yet to be released GLXD guitar pedal wireless system to show to crew and hopefully have someone demo. Everyone who has tried this system so far has been very impressed with it’s sound and features.

After Buddy’s soundcheck, Jonny’s band showed up and began to set his stage.  After a 30-40 minute check, I went up on stage to say “Hi” to Jonny and show him the system.  As usual, he was impressed with the features and said “Let’s give it a try.”  After a 15-20 minute trial, he was definitely interested and wants to try it again once it’s available.  He mentioned that he hasn’t used wireless in quite a while and he would love not to be dealing with a trailing cable again.

Jonny took the stage first and immediately the room started heating up.  Jonny has been singing on the KSM9 for quite a while now and he’s got a KSM313 Ribbon on one amp and the KSM32 on another. He’s been performing for so long and it’s incredible to see how much emotion pours out of him in performance.  He’s such an approachable person and music just flows out of him.

Buddy Guy is legendary!  You are hooked right when he walks on stage.  He has been through so much and never seems to stop performing, even in between recordings, he’s still out there.  Buddy Guy has been a Shure Artist for well over 20 years.  He commands the stage through is KSM9HS yet can be as subtle as a kitten on guitar.  Your attention is quickly drawn in when he starts out a song with a guitar lick at almost at an imperceivable level.  Every show I’ve seen with both of these artists is a treat and I will always make it out to their shows when I can.

Who are some artists that you will not miss when they come to your town?

Ryan

Buddy's KSM9HS

Buddy Guy's amps - KSM313's

Jonny's KSM9

Jonny tries GLXD

Jonny Lang

Buddy Guy On Stage

KSM9HS (H for hypercardioid and S for subcardioid)

Back in 2005, Shure introduced the KSM9 vocal condenser microphone.  What made this microphone unique was its flip-of-a-switch ability to change from cardioid to supercardioid. Originally, a component in Shure’s premium UR24S/KSM9 wireless system, the mic found an enthusiastic audience that warranted its standalone status.

Live sound guys loved it.  Take John Mills, for instance: “This is a solid microphone with sound rivaling some of the best studio mics. If you’re serious about vocals, this is certainly a mic to try out. On second thought, just go get one and save some time and frustration with your vocal sounds.”

And Pro Audio Review said:  “This mic sounds like what you have always wanted a live mic to sound like. That is to say you have the brilliant clarity of a large diaphragm studio microphone in a durable live application. It is crisp without sounding too harsh, but warm and natural for a true reproduction of the human voice.”

The pros were on board and so were Erykah Badu, James Taylor, Buddy Guy and a bunch of other important people.  But back at Shure HQs, the engineers decided to take the KSM9 not only higher and higher, but lower, too. So back there, in Shure’s top secret Technology Annex, the question was, “What if the KSM9 came with switchable hypercardioid and subcardioid patterns?”

“What if …?” is here.  On October 26, 2012 Shure announced the KSM9HS vocal condenser microphone.  To get the Shure perspective (since all the reviews aren’t yet in), we went straight to Shure’s Soren Pedersen. He’s a Product Specialist and in true Shure Associate form, he’s also connected to the music business as a sometimes-recording engineer (rumor has it that one in five Shure Associates are weekend warriors of one stripe or another).  We asked him to tell us what’s so great about this mic.

This is a sibling of the KSM9 vocal condenser microphone.   How is the KSM9HS different?

The two share many design elements like the dual diaphragm cartridge, premium circuitry, and top notch shock mounting. The main difference is their polar pattern selections. Both mics offer two selectable polar patterns; the KSM9 switches cardioid and supercardioid, while the KSM9HS switches to subcardioid (also known as wide cardioid) and hypercardioid patterns.

That seems like a pretty nuanced difference.  What led to its development?

At Shure we’re on a never-ending quest for customer input. From talking to KSM9 users, we found out that there were a couple of features they wanted:

1) a mic with even less proximity effect, and

2) a mic with even more rejection for improved gain before feedback.

Working with our mic lab we found that we could create a version of the KSM9 with two new patterns providing a solution to both customer issues. The subcardioid pattern has greatly reduced proximity effect due to it being very close to an omnidirectional pattern, and the hypercardioid pattern has unbelievable side and off-axis rejection, even more than supercardioid. That helps to isolate the vocal and reduce the risk of feedback.

Has Shure ever produced a hypercardioid or a subcardioid mic?

This is Shure’s first handheld mic that features either of these patterns. We do have one hypercardioid headworn mic in our catalog (WCM16), which is a head worn mic also used for vocals.

Seems like most mics have a niche in either live sound or recording.  Where does this one fit?

Both KSM9 and KSM9HS were designed for stage use and live performances. But they’re also great studio vocal mics for artists who like to hold the mic while recording.

The original KSM9 has switchable polar patterns – from cardioid to supercardioid. But the KSM9HS is on both sides of that – from sub-cardioid to hypercardioid. Can you talk about the specific applications for the HS version?

With the grille removed, a flip of the switch changes the polar pattern.

The applications for the two patterns are quite different from each other, which makes the HS a more versatile vocal mic than most.

The hypercardioid side has amazing isolation and a big warm sound. You’ll really benefit from the off-axis rejection in especially loud environments where you may have stage monitors, guitar amps, or drums all pointing towards the mic which leads to a washy, unfocused vocal sound. On many hypercardioid mics, there’s a concern about too much proximity effect (the buildup of low frequencies as you get closer to the mic).

What’s unique about the KSM9 cartridge design is that it uses a dual diaphragm element. Having two diaphragms helps control proximity effect and results in a very smooth low-end response. Better than many other hypercardioid mics out there.

When switched to subcardioid (sometimes referred to as ‘wide cardioid’), it has more detail and will pick up more ambience, so it’s useful on stages with lower volume levels or if in-ear monitors are being used. Because subcardioids aren’t very vulnerable to the proximity effect, adding in the dual diaphragm to the equation means an exceptionally natural sounding low end. The wider pickup pattern is very “open” sounding and makes a great mic for interviews, Q&A, studio work or capturing multiple singers.

Around the halls of Shure, this is considered a ‘problem-solving’ mic. What are some of the problems it can solve?

The biggest problem it solves is related to feedback and bleed. Condensers are sensitive microphones that provide more detail than dynamic mics, but as the volume on stage goes up, the risk of feedback increases.

The KSM9HS set to hypercardioid has a tremendous amount of rejection so it can really help keep unwanted sounds out of the mic. For bands that use in-ear monitors, feedback is much less of an issue but the KSM9HS can still deliver a benefit.  The isolation it provides will reduce the pickup of unwanted sounds like drums and loud guitar amps and that results in a cleaner and overall better-sounding in-ear mix.

Ambience can be controlled using ambience mics instead of the band’s vocal mics so the engineer has better control on the in-ear mix.

There were undoubtedly some Beta tests out in the field.  Who was using them and what did they think?

That’s Kenny Chesney and the KSM9HS

Our Beta testers were absolutely thrilled with the mic. Some of the artists we tested with included Kenny Chesney, Cage the Elephant, Drive by Truckers, and Mastodon. Most of them having extremely loud stage volumes.  They were all fans of the KSM9, but they wanted more isolation. After evaluating the KSM9HS in hypercardioid, they noticed the improvement right away.

Kenny Chesney used it on his massive summer stadium tour and had some unique challenges that the KSM9 solved for his crew. He sings a song out in the crowd in front of a giant PA during the show and there weren’t any feedback issues at all because the KSM9HS rejects amazingly when set to hypercardioid. Kenny also likes to sing with his hand cupped around the mic, which can typically lead to big challenges in keeping a stable pattern and frequency response, but the KSM9HS is so directional that the response is very consistent regardless of the artist’s mic technique. The sound crew also used a KSM9HS set to subcardioid for guest vocal appearances.

Editor’s Note:  John Mills (yeah, the same John Mills who loved the KSM9 six years ago) was the Audio Systems Crew Chief for the 23-city Kenny Chesney/Tim McGraw “Brothers of the Sun” tour that Soren referred to. Mills said this: “One of the biggest problems with Kenny is finding a microphone that sounds consistent in any situation. You can cup it, then take your hand away, and the sound barely changes. It still sounds like a KSM9. And there’s also way less crowd noise coming in through the PA than there has ever been.”

It’s a condenser mic and it’s also two mics in one. How does it compare to the KSM9 in price?

The KSM9 and the KSM9HS are priced exactly the same ($699) and they are both available as wired mics or replacement wireless heads for use with Shure wireless transmitters.

Who should buy this mic?

Bands, artists, vocalists, and engineers looking to elevate their vocal mic both in sound quality, and pattern flexibility. If you have a loud stage, set it to hypercardioid, and if you like to “work the mic” at a coffee shop, set it to subcardioid.

For more information about the amazing KSM9HS, check out this video.

About SOREN PEDERSEN:

A member of the Product Management team at Shure, he attended Columbia College in Chicago, studying audio arts and acoustics.  Like many of his co-workers, he is a musician (drums and guitar) and still finds time to record local bands, using “all Shure mics, of course”. 

We all loaded up in our vehicle and traveled Northwest about 35 minutes to get to the venue.  Earlier, it had rained at the venue and they were expecting another round before the end of the evening.  Well, that round came in a bit more than halfway through Gary’s set.  We got drenched!  It was refreshing though as we have been hitting heat records all last week.

We did get to catch Corey Smith and hear his great new, fast rising single “The Baseball Song.”  Corey has been singing on a KSM9 for a while now and still enjoying the PSM900 ear systems.

Gary Allan had spent a good part of the day doing meet and greets for all his Nashville based friends.  Just before he hit the stage, we caught a few minutes with him. My son William loves his single “Watching Airplanes”  and “Smoke Ring in the Dark” is a favorite in our family.  Gary is still using a UR2/SM58 wireless and is still one of the most recognizable, interesting voices in Country music.

While we would have loved to have stuck around for the rest of Gary’s set but the rain sent us running for our vehicle.  We were drenched, laughing, and had a great time.  Life is good.

Ryan

OK, enough with the commercial announcement- back to Ben.

What’s that you say? You are not FAMILIAR with Ben Sollee?  We did introduce you to him a few blogs back.  You remember.  That cool cello player who rides to some towns via bicycle that used a bunch of Shure mics  to record his latest live album that you can now pick up which comes with 2 copies: one for you and one for your friend, which is super cool idea…(deeeep inhale)…yeah, that guy!

It was great to finally meet Ben as well as his band since our discussions had previously happened via email.  The record turned out great, I received a copy and then a week later, I noticed he was playing in Nashville.  We immediately got into discussions about the road and the antics the guy play on each other to keep things fun.  When someone has a leftover hotel room key, the have to try to pawn it off on someone else, who unknowingly accepts it and keeps the game going.  Once, a card made it into Alex’s (FOH Engineer) hands via a waitress.  I’m sure these guys will come up with other interesting ways to prank each other because isn’t that what life on the road is truly about ?   (RRRRRiiiiiiighht!)  Alex took me outside and introduced me Tammy, their recently acquired new ride who, since being named, has behaved and treated them very nicely.

Ben was asked to perform on the show last week and was a fitting closer for the evening.  Joined by band mate and friend Drummer Jordan Ellis, Ben commanded the stage singing through a KSM9 while Jordan complimented Ben’s unique cello stylings.  There were solo’s, dynamics, laughs, and most importantly standing ovations.  The crowd loved it and I was happy to be among them.  Please take the time to visit Ben’s site and find out more about this creative artist and all around interesting guy.

Walking into the Metro is always a nostalgic treat, so many great rock shows took place there and it is the epitomy of the term “rock club.” I made my way up the stairs and caught the band setting up and preparing for a sound check. Jeff Neuberger, the band’s monitor engineer greeted me and walked me around the stage, pointing out all of the Shure gear responsible for Cults’ sound. On vocals, KSM9 was the favorite. Guitar cabinets were captured with SM57s. The drum kit featured Beta 52A and Beta 91A on kick and SM57 and Beta 181/C on snare. A Beta 52A was also the complement to the bass cabinet. Finally, the band took a mix from Jeff in monitor world through the PSM 900 personal monitor systems.

As the band ran through a few tunes and the lighting tech set the mood, I ran down to the legendary green room to set up for my interview with the band. In about an hour or so, the venue went quiet, letting me know that it would soon be time to sit down with Brian and Madeline and learn a little more about Cults. Looking back on it now, it was a pretty good conversation. We’ll be posting this soon, so stay tuned.

Leaving the band to their own devices, I met up with legendary photographer Paul Natkin for some dinner at Uncommon Ground, one of the sites for our National Open Mic Night. This place is always packed, but Paul knows everyone, so the 10 -15 minute wait turned into, “Please follow this gentlemen to your table.” This is a great place if you ever make it to Chicago, very organic and green-minded. The acoustic music that takes place there is pretty incredible, too. I have to make a note to show up in mid-November for the Jeff Buckley Tribute Show. I’m a big fan, but never got around to going. After listening to Paul talk about it, I’m making my plans already.

After milking our dinner time for every minute we could, we made our way back to the venue… two hours to show time and nothing to do but check out the opener and people watch.

Finally, 11 PM rolled around and Cults took the stage to a screaming crowd. It’s always interesting to see how a band is going to pull off certain elements of songs from their album, and I have to say, they pulled it off effortlessly. The sound on stage was a little more aggressive than the album, making it a little more lively for an onlooking crowd. All in all, a great show and a great band. I can’t wait to see what comes next from Cults. This evening also ended with a stop at White Castle.

-Cory

A series of shows was being recorded during a residency at Grocery on Home in Atlanta, GA… audio in a small venue is always a challenge. Ben and company reached out to us and put us up to the challenge of capturing Ben’s vocals, cello and overall vibe of the room. Sounded like a job for the KSM9 on vocals and Beta 181 on cello and ultimate room vibe. The Beta 98AMP made an appearance on the toms and snare, KSM32 was on overheads duty and employed to mic the big bass drum, Beta 91A in the cajon, KSM9 on the box and the standard SM57 on amp. The captivating results are evident on Ben’s latest recording, Live At The Grocery On Home. Ben Sollee was joined by fellow musicians Casey Driessen (fiddle and mandocaster) and Jordon Ellis (drums, cajon and samples) and the vibe is certainly captured, it feels like you’re there, really. Here’s a link to the CNN story… http://bit.ly/xJToh3

Ben will be coming to Chicago soon and I will definitely be there. In the meantime, I will keep this CD on repeat, picking up on every nuance our trusty Shure microphones captured. Thanks to Grayson Hunter for the great photos and thanks to Mr. Ben Sollee for making us a part of this very cool project.

- Cory

Vince’s Front of House engineer Hugh Johnson used tons of Shure on stage in addition to what the Ryman already had.  I’ve included a shot of his input list below.  I can’t remember the last time I saw 7 KSM9′s used up front for vocals!

Some of Vince’s guests included Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, John Anderson, Beka Bramlett, and an incredible swing drummer named Duffy Jackson (look him up when you get a moment).  The Time Jumpers served as the back up band for the evening.

This was Vince’s 3rd benefit this week and he had 3 more to do before the end of the week.  He always loves giving back. More than that,  he just loves playing. It shows!

I’ve been very fortunate to have attended some wonderful concert events over the years.   There have been memorable moments at cool venues and so many great artists.  When I heard about Bluegrass Underground here in Tennessee, I was certainly intrigued.  It was time to go see this for myself.

I set out from my house in La Vergne on February 25 and drove about an hour to the same exit that Bonaroo is held each year.  From there, it was winding roads most of the way till I ended up at Cumberland Caverns.  I parked and walked through the gift shop to the entrance of the cave where a TV production truck was camped out.  They were in the middle of capturing 13 bands over 3 days, each band playing under an hour. The Civil Wars performed their set the night before and tonight, Vince Gill was headlining.

I worked my way down into the cave and in about 3 minutes was in the Volcano Room.  The room is big enough to hold an audience of about 500.  I had arrived just in time to catch a group that Vince has been a part of for a while called The Time Jumpers.  Great traditional Western Swing but new songs.

After a quick changeover, Vince Gill and band were up.  Vince has been singing on a KSM9 since its introduction many years ago.  FOH Engineer Hugh Johnson has mentioned many times that it’s the first mic he has found where he can leave Vince’s vocal channel as close to flat as possible, not having to add much or take away much in frequencies.    Vince performed a string of favorites for the crowd and told a few humorous stories.  He is such a genuine artist and a pleasure to know.

I am not sure when the next tapings will take place for this series (which the first season is now on PBS) but if you visit the Bluegrass Underground Website, they may post the next time they will.  It’s a cool experience in a great setting.

Ryan

Even before the tape was rolling she was talking about how her KSM9 had been her solid go-to since she got it nearly a year ago. She mentioned that, while she likes the character of each room she visits, the character of the KSM9 was what she felt brought forth the truest representation of her voice. It’s a voice that ought to be heard in its truest timbre.

Be on the lookout for her interview on our YouTube channel soon!

Richard

There are so many elements that contribute to putting on an awards show like the GRAMMYs.  To list every aspect would take too long so we’re going to focus on our side of this trip.

As everything usually comes together at the last minute for this show, we sent out a nice compliment of Shure mics to supplement what sound company ATK Audiotek already had in stock. Appearing for the first time on this show was the Beta 181/C condenser mic. We sent 20 of those and saw several get used on tympani (The Beach Boys) and occasionally on drum overheads. We also sent a few of the KSM313 ribbon mics, one of which prominently appeared on John Paul White’s guitar amp during The Civil Wars short but very effective performance in the show.

We were also very pleased to learn early on that the PSM1000 ear monitor systems would be the exclusive system for the show this year. There were plenty of bodypacks on hand for the performers and many of the crew people made a point to let us know how well the system was working for them.

Watching the rehearsal and then the performances over the course of 4 days, there were many highlights for us that sounded amazing in the house, thanks to both Jeff Peterson who finely tuned the PA and Ron Reeves who mixes the acts so well.  The Beach Boys segment featuring Maroon 5 and Foster The People was quite a thrill to hear live in the house. Each group nailed the original harmonies, it was one of the highlights of the evening. The other was seeing The Civil Wars perform on this broadcast. They have quickly become a respected group that continues to impress well-established artists like Adele, Taylor Swift and now Coldplay, who Tweeted that they are now fans of the group.

The Glen Campbell tribute featured newly signed artists The Band Perry who sang “Gentle On My Mind.” It was great to see Glen having so much fun on stage in light of his ongoing battle with Alzheimer’s.

It was especially gratifying to have the industry standard SM58 open this years’ show in front of Bruce Springsteen and then have Sir Paul McCartney close the show on a wired Beta 58A. You can’t get more Rock and Roll than that!

Seeing the same crew that has been doing this successfully for so many years is always a wonderful part of this trip. Maintaining those relationships and letting them know we are there for support is a vital part of attending this show as well as talking with them about our products. There were a lot of people who have not had the opportunity to try the PSM1000’s out. Thanks to ATK Audiotek and the monitor engineers for this show, Mike Parker and Tom Pesa, over 20 acts were exposed to the new standard in monitoring.

Special thanks go out to Michael Abbott who is the audio coordinator for the show, John  Harris and Joel Singer with Music Mix Moblie, who take care of the music mix that goes out to television and Eric Schilling who shares music mix duties with John Harris. This years’ show was monumental in size and every year, it just keeps getting better and better!

- Ryan, Cory and Jenn

Upon arriving to the Congress Theatre on a cold Saturday in late January for the Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival, I encountered the Drive-By Truckers and their faithful crew, all set-up and ready to try out a few “special” KSM9 microphones I brought specifically for their live stage. Once I opened the case of mics I brought along, it was like that scene in Pulp Fiction, when Vincent and Jules open Mr. Wallace’s briefcase and the characters are captivated by what’s inside and giving off a soft, angelic, golden glow. Soon Colin (monitor engineer) and Matt (front-of-house engineer), were asking what I had for guitar cabinets, pedal steel, cymbals, overheads… Shure mics were soon everywhere on stage and ready for critique by the band and the engineers. KSM9s were on the vocals, KSM313, KSM32, SM7B and SM57s were on guitar cabinets, Beta 181C on pedal steel, KSM141 on cymbals, Beta 98AMP/C on toms, and VP88 on overheads.

I proceeded to the front of the stage and listened as the band ran through a few tunes. I could tell the focus was very heavily focused on guitars and vocals as Matt and Colin made their adjustments. Once everything seemed finely blended and at an ample decibel level, I made my way back to the stage to get some initial feedback on the recent microphone placements. Colin was completely floored by the “special” KSM9s I brought along, pointing out the frequency response and rejection. Matt kept it simple and said, “I like it.” When asked which one, he replied, “All of it!” This could have gone a completely different way, it’s not often that a band will change that many mics in one soundcheck and use those same mics for a show later that evening. There was certainly an element of trust; in me and moreover in Shure’s product line.

Once the Truckers made their way back to tour bus world, Dawes showed up for load-in, traveling light as this was a fly date for the quartet from LA. Yours truly was on microphone duty for this visit as well, but Wes Delk (front of house engineer) and I sorted through the mics and where they would end up on stage weeks prior to this show. I handed out a few mics to Wes and soon enough the guys were ready for soundcheck as well. Watching the guys run through a few tunes, some gawkers on the side of the stage started to marvel a bit and made a note to check out the Dawes set later that evening.

So with everything in its right place, there wasn’t much left to do besides have dinner and maybe catch a few bands on the extensive bill. There was certainly a lot of down time and this is where life on the road gets a little mundane. Somehow, we found ways to make the time pass and soon enough Dawes was making their way to the stage.

This whole “festival” started at around 4 pm that day. There were bands in the lobby of the venue, in the balcony of the venue and bands sharing the main stage as well. At around 10 pm, Dawes launched into their first tune. Again, as I mentioned in my earlier post about Dawes, this is a band you have to check out and get to a live show the next time they’re in own. There’s something there that a lot of us feel will be there for quite some time.

With Dawes off the stage and their dressing room filling with fans new and old, the stage is readied for the Drive-By Truckers set. It was now about 11 pm and the Congress Theatre was still filled with eager fans. Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley and company proceeded to play for the next two and a half hours. They certainly have the musical catalog to support more than that, but a strict curfew made them complete their set by 1:30 am… making it officially Sunday morning. They sounded fantastic that night, maybe it was that microphone selection from earlier that day? Of course, Shure can’t take all the credit, the Truckers are a great live band; masters of life on the road.

As I packed up my last mic, letting Colin keep the vocal mics for their next gig (he wasn’t gonna let me leave with them anyway), I made my way back to the southside. Of course, no late night venture for a southsider is complete without a trip to White Castle, and at around 2:30 am, that’s where I officially ended my evening. Love this life.

 -Cory

Bill Gibson has spent the last 30 years writing, recording, producing and teaching music. He is well known for his production, performance and teaching.

Bill is Developmental Editor for Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group, President of Northwest Recording, serves on the National Advisory Board for the P&E Wing of the Recording Academy, is an instructor for Berklee College of Music and the Art Institute of Seattle. He has authored over 30 books, including his most recent book with Quincy Jones (Q on Producing) and his upcoming work with the legendary Bruce Swedien (The Bruce Swedien Recording Method).

1. Does the directional characteristic make a difference in the sound of the mic?

Absolutely!

Omnidirectional Mics hear equally from all directions, not rejecting sound from anywhere in the 360-degree sphere around the capsule. They have an open and natural sound and they’re used frequently in the studio when the engineer wants to include the sound of the room in the recording.

The danger in using an omnidirectional mic is that any room sound (ambience) that is recorded is there to stay. For most people it’s safer to record with a more directional microphone (cardioid or hypercardioid) and add any ambient sound artificially during mixdown. However, in a controlled and well-tuned acoustical environment, an omnidirectional mic is frequently the way to go because the close-miked vocal sound it captures is more open and less cluttered in the low and low-mid bands than a cardioid mic used in the same way. A singer who moves in very close to the omnidirectional mic sounds very intimate while retaining a more natural and clear tone.

Cardioid Mics directional characteristic prefer the front of the microphone (on-axis) and they reject sounds coming from behind the mic (off-axis). Microphones with cardioid polar patterns, such as the Beta 58 or SM58®, are typically better suited to close- than distant-miking applications. These mics exhibit frequency response characteristics that roll off in the low band to compensate for their susceptibility to the proximity effect—the boomy, bass-heavy sound we hear when a voice or instrument is extremely close to the mic (within less than a couple inches or so). Because they prefer the on-axis sounds, they help reduce the relative levels of room ambience and other sounds that are off-axis.

Bidirectional Mics are most sensitive to sounds in the front and back of the mic but they exhibit almost complete reject of sounds that come from the sides. Some large-diaphragm condenser mics, such as the KSM44, can be set to bidirectional configuration and ribbon mics, such as the KSM353 and KSM313, are naturally bidirectional. These mics are well suited to miking solo instruments or voice, but they also provide an efficient and convenient way to close-mike two vocalists—or other instruments—at the same time. Bidirectional mics exhibit the most extreme proximity effect, in comparison with cardioid and omnidirectional mics. Therefore, the close-miked sound they provide is sometimes too boomy and full to be useful. From a more distant perspective, however, bidirectional mics provide a very nice, full tone, which includes a little more acoustical ambience than a similar cardioid mic.

In a live sound reinforcement application, omnidirectional mics are the most prone to feedback. They don’t reject sound from any directional and are inappropriate for most applications. Also, keep in mind that floor and stand monitor positions are usually different depending on the mic choice. When using a cardioid pattern, there is usually less feedback with the monitor directly in front of the vocalist. When using a hypercardioid pattern, the monitor should be placed slightly to one side or the other in front of the vocalist for minimal feedback. If you look at the polar response graph for the specific mic, you’ll notice exactly where the mic is least sensitive—that’s the right spot for the monitor.

A mic like the KSM9 is a great choice for vocals in a live setting. It sounds like a studio condenser mic and it offers pattern selection between cardioid and hypercardioid.  The flexibility provided by selectable patterns makes a mic that would already be exceptional, even better.

Keep in mind that every singer is different. If you have a choice of mics and directional characteristics, simply select the pattern that sounds best for the vocalist or choose the pattern that provides the best feedback rejection. In the studio, a mic like the KSM44 is an excellent choice because the selectable pickup patterns let the engineer choose the texture, tone, and feel of the vocal track by simply changing between any of these directional characteristics.

2. Is handling noise really an issue? Aren’t all mics about the same?

Yes. Handling noise is an important issue, especially in a live setting.

Many studio mics aren’t designed to be handheld. They’re placed in specially designed shock mounts that protect them from vibrations, bumps, and thumps. However, mics that are used in a live handheld environment must contain ample internal shock mounts and vibration control.

If you line up ten different mics on stands, you’re likely to notice dramatic differences in the sound caused by simply removing each mic from its clip. Some mics even rumble in normal handheld use. They don’t sound good although they don’t sound terrible, but the amount of handling noise they produce makes them completely unusable. Just shifting the mic in your hand causes a dramatic rumble—the sound of putting them in and out of the clip is unacceptable.

Mics that exhibit excessive handling noise also pick up excess amounts of noise from anything that moves on, or vibrates, the stage, such as footsteps, the kick drum, the bass cabinet, dancing, and so on. One of the reasons for the popularity of the SM and Beta series mics from Shure is excellent design of their internal shock mounting systems and their minimal handling noise.

3. How close should the lead vocalist be to the mic?

This question is usually borne out of the frustration that the sound operator feels when working with a singer who has bad mic technique.

It’s common for an inexperienced sound operator to tell the singers to just stay close to the mic (within an inch or less). That’s definitely not the best approach, but it puts control in the hands of the sound operator.

Vocalists must learn to move closer to the mic when they are quiet and farther away when they’re loud—the actual distances depend on exactly how quiet and how loud. In addition, speaking too close to the mic can decrease intelligibility and clarity. The overall volume of the house mix, the size of the audience, and the acoustics in the room are also considerations in mic technique.

Work with each singer to determine the mic technique that works the best for him or her. Determine three ranges of mic distances for three separate purposes:

The “I’m singing background” distance—usually 1.5 to 3 inches (2 fingers to 4 fingers).

The “I’m singing a quiet, intimate lyric” distance—usually 1 inch or less (1 finger or less).

The “I’m really belting it out and I don’t want to hurt someone’s hearing” distance—usually 6 inches to arm’s length, depending on the singer, the song, the instrumentation in the band, and the size of the room.

4. Our lead singer gets lost in the mix and yet there are times when she’s way too loud. How can I get a smooth and even vocal sound, like the sound I hear on professionally produced recordings?

Considering that your singer has good mic technique and you’re riding the vocal levels to help with global differences between levels for speaking and belting, the sound you’re looking for is probably a result of compression. A compressor is an automatic volume control that responds to the strength of the incoming signal. The sound operator sets a threshold level. When the signal strength exceeds that threshold, a built-in amplifying circuit—typically a VCA (voltage controlled amplifier)—turns the signal down.

A compressor is essentially an automatic sound operator. Like you, it turns the signal down when it’s too loud and then back up to where it started when it’s not too loud. The attack time, release time, and ratio controls let you determine whether the compressor acts like a Masserati or the giant in Jack and the Beanstalk.

Compressors only turn the signal down—they don’t boost levels. However, the effect of compression is to enable the nuance in the vocals to be heard better. Because the loud parts are turned down, the entire channel can be turned up. The gain reduction meter indicates the amount of gain reduction. If it shows that the channel is being turned down by 6 dB at the loudest parts of the performance, then the entire channel can be boosted at the channel fader or at the “Makeup Gain/Output” control on the compressor. This results in the loud passages being the same volume as they would have been but the softer passages, vocal nuance, and emotional inflections have been turned up by 6 dB—they are, therefore, more audible to the audience.

Setting up a compressor is really pretty simple:

1. Set the ratio control to determine how extreme the action is—typically between 4:1 and 7:1 for vocals. If the ratio is x:1, for every x dB that exceeds the threshold, the VCA will only let 1 dB through.
2. Set the attack time—typically between 5 and 10 milliseconds.
3. Set the release time—typically about 1/2 second.
4. Adjust the threshold so that there are times when there is no gain reduction and times when there are about 6 dB of gain reduction.
5. Boost the Makeup Gain/Output control to makeup for the gain reduction.

Often, recordings are extremely compressed. In a live setting, be aware that if the compressor is reducing the gain substantially during a performance, once the performance is over, the VCA will let the signal return to its original level—this can easily cause massive feedback. The amount of compression you use in a live performance is dependent of the amount of gain before feedback in your system. In a live application, it’s usually best to compress by 6 dB or less.

5. Should I always buy a mic with a flat frequency response curve?

No. Part of the reason for differences in response curves is the intended application. If you use a mic with a flat frequency response on a live, close-miked vocalist, the sound will be thick and muddy because of the proximity effect. If you use a mic that’s designed for close-miking, for instance, a distant mic on an acoustic ensemble, the sound will be far too thin and weak.

The SM58® or Beta 58 have frequency response curves that roll off in the low end with a presence peak in the high end. This fact doesn’t make it a lower quality mic than a mic like the KSM32 or KSM141 that exhibits a flat frequency response—it just makes them better suited to close miking than distant miking.

When a handheld vocal mic is close to the singer’s lips—within a few inches—the proximity effect rounds out the lows so they are essentially flat. Low frequency response is determined by mic distance. The built-in presence peak helps provide a clear and understandable vocal range. Notice that these presence peaks are typically between 4 and 7 kHz—strategically positioned in the range of vocal sibilance and intelligibility.

Mics with a flat frequency response curve are best suited to distant-miking applications in which the mic is a foot or more from the source, and yet a full sound is desired. Many condenser mics exhibit a very flat frequency response; however, they often provide a low frequency roll-off switch to compensate for the proximity effect when used in a close-miking application.

6. What’s the difference between miking a vocalist in a live performance and miking a vocalist in the studio?

The difference is really much less than it used to be before the KSM9.

In a live setting, we use vocal microphones designed for close-miking. They have historically been moving-coil mics because of their dependability, ruggedness, and simplicity; however, moving-coil mics don’t capture the fine transient detail as accurately as condenser mics.

In the studio we have historically used large–diaphragm condenser mics for vocals. Since the acoustics are controlled in a studio and leakage isn’t a consideration, most studio vocals are recorded from a distance of 6 to 12 inches. Sometimes, the singer moves closer, but the mic might be set to an omnidirectional configuration so the sound isn’t too thick and muddy or the low-frequency roll-off might be applied to compensate.

The vocal sound is adjusted by moving the mic across a much greater distance range than in a live setting. In addition, many professional studios have excellent acoustics—the sound of the room blends very well with the vocal to provide a desirable character and personality.

The KSM9 utilizes a studio-quality condenser capsule that provides the type detail that’s expected in a studio sound. It is housed in a body that feels good in the hand and the capsule sits in a well-designed shock mount system—it sounds great and rejects handling noises and vibrations very efficiently.

New for 2012: Bill’s “The Ultimate Live Sound Operator’s Handbook: 2nd Edition,” a 428-page book, including a DVD full of excellent audio and video examples.

In addition, Bill recently released “Q on Producing,” the first of three books he’s writing with the legendary Quincy Jones.