Sing UP into the mic!

[ribbongirl]

Ok, so, i keep seeing pictures of famous singers singing UP UP UP into an old tube mic (like a u67 or u47) hung in front of them (but over the top of their head). I have also read advice in books that says you should do this too, however, it never quite explains why in detail.

Sometimes the mic is tilted so that the singer's mouth is parallel with the mic capsule -- although sometimes the mic is vertical and the singer's head is tilted.

Why do people do this and what are the advantages to this?

It seems like if the mouth was parallel to the mic capsule, how would that be different than just hanging the mic out in front of the singer at mouth level?

This has bugged me for a while, so i had to ask...can anyone give me the real story on this?


thanks,
-rachel

[NewYorkDave]

Why do people do this and what are the advantages to this?

Because Lemmy from Motorhead does it, and everybody wants to be like Lemmy.

If I had to guess, tilting one's head back while singing might encourage better "technique", e.g., projecting from the diaphragm. I've tried it, but it doesn't seem to do anything for me but give me a sore neck. I'm not much of a singer, though.

Audiochick, is that you?

[Randall]

it has more to do with not wantig to get spit and or a"pop" into the diaphram of an expensive to replace or repair microphone,,you will notice that whena singer is singing directly into a mike there is usually a popscreen in between

[percussion boy]

Makes it easier to hit the high notes with a full tone.

[raygun]

its the same principal as micing any instrument, different placements create different tones and character. put the mic where it sounds good for the specific singer.

[tbstudios]

I typically place the mic height at aprox. the singers nose when they are looking straight ahead. It causes the singer to raise their head slightly which encourages better vocals. Vocalist can become lazy after many takes and this position helps to overcome that.

As far as changing the mic position for different tones, that can also be a possibility. I don't find myself changing the mic position for vocals much but it can help in certain situations.

-Tim P.

Tour Bus Studios

[Al]

Apart from all that's been mentioned, Large diaphram mics are usually suspended upside down to keep wind blasts from coming into contact with the body of the mic as well!!...i do this all the time when i'm recording vocals,it lets you get the capsule into a good position too!

[24Farrington]

One reason may be sibilance. Sibilance tends to lie directly in front of a singers mouth. By moving the mic away from the mic (up), you can reduce the sibilance. I've found that mic'ing a vocalist from the side (45 degree angle with the diaphram at the mouth) yields less sibilance. This can be akward for the singer, however, so it's a good idea to have a dummy mic in front of them to sing towards. TRY IT!

[Randall]

I always thought the idea behind having a condensor upside down was because heat rises and we want to keep the heat from tubes away from the condemsor

[Al]

Various reasons!

[soundguy]

hanging a mic upside down is for heat disapation.

have you recorded a vocalist with a mic above? Try it, it will answer your quesiton. It sounds different and performances are different. I definitely do not have a go to spot where I place a singers mic, its different for everyone and I find the spot by having the singer move around in front of the mic. sometimes its way above, sometimes directly on axis, occasionally below, whatever makes the best sound come out of the speaker.

dave

[djslayerissick]

"If I had to guess, tilting one's head back while singing might encourage better "technique", e.g., projecting from the diaphragm."

absolutely not. singing with your head tilted up like that is not "proper technique". proper technique is more with the chin and neck creating a 90 degree angle. when you lift your head up like that, it reduces the ease of the flow of air through your throat - a no no for technique.

it would be much better to bend backwards more in the abdomen to put tension on the diaphragm. tiltiing the neck does nothing to help technique.

[ciminosound]

Because Lemmy from Motorhead does it, and everybody wants to be like Lemmy.

LEMMY!!

Large diaphram mics are usually suspended upside down to keep wind blasts from coming into contact with the body of the mic as well!!

I've heard that reason before. Maybe the singers I work with can't belt it out like Aretha and Frank.

One reason may be sibilance

I hear that one most often.

I always thought the idea behind having a condensor upside down was because heat rises and we want to keep the heat from tubes away from the condemsor

I've heard that AND the opposite. I wish I could remember where I read it but someone claimed that the heat rising helped keep the diaphram dry!

dave is right with his "sound different" comment. Temperature and humidity affect the way sound travels. Having heat and moisture build up inside the grille has to affect it. The grille acts as a heat sink really.

On the other hand there are plenty of photos of The Beatles singing into upright U47s...

[stillafool]

In a book I recently read, the author recommended singing up into the mic because he believed your muscles are less contracted that way. He also recommended lying down and singing up into the mic if you have a problem relaxing. I've tried singing straight, down, up -- it doesn't seem to make much difference in timbre (my voice still sounds like shit). Another reason, pointing your mic up helps is it prevents the mic from picking up reflections from the floor, which can cause phase problems (but that's not much of a problem if your standing up and relatively close to the mic). I always turn my mic up when micing a guitar amp to avoid reflections from the floor.

[I'm Painting Again]

everybody knows that singing up into the mic is to avoid singers drueling onto the capsule when they are on horse tranquilizers..