VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[Tom Test]

In my home studio, I've always much preferred to hang my mics with the capsule pointing downward. The main reason for this is that it gives me a better view of the script, and keeps both the mic and the cable out of my view.

But I have noticed that my (used) AT4047 seemed to sound better when I hung it with the capsule side facing upwards. Was it my imagination? Then I spotted a post by Lance Blair, who said that his TLM-103 sounded better capsule side up (something like it better captured resonance from the chest when oriented that way).

Also, I thought I heard somewhere that when using a tube mic (like my "go-to" Rode NTK), the heat from the tube rises and might possibly overheat the capsule if the mic is positioned capsule up. Anything to this?

So how do you all hang your mics, and why do you do it that way? Have I been doing it "wrong" all these years?
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Best regards,
Tom Test
"The Voice You Trust"
www.tomtest.com

[annavo]

Oooh, this is a great question! Being the owner of a RodeNTK which I use in the capsule pointing downward position, I'd love to hear any expertise y'all have out there. I put the mic facing downward b/c physically, that's the set up that works best with my boom stand and Mic Thing. I never took the heat into consideration, so I'd love to hear insights as well!

Thanks for asking a great question, Tom.

[Lance Blair]

The only two mics I've felt an advantage with an undersling for some reads are the TLM 103 and the AT4040 both of which I find are really sensitive to mic placement and room acoustics.

If you've got a larger room, and warmish mic or preamp I recommend mic placement at eyebrow level otherwise.

Right now, I've tweaked my acoustic panels and plugged my TLM 103 into my ART MPA Gold, so it's at eyebrow level once again.

At my old studio I used to work at we usually had the U89 underslung and tilted away on a 30 degree axis...this is what worked best for that room.
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[imaginator]

i too had been told that over time, using my tube mic upright on a traditional mic stand might result in the diaphram showing some warp from the small but constant amount of heat venting up through the grill.

however, in my small booth, i haven't yet been able to find a boom arrangement that will allow for an overhead application. any suggestions?

also (and pardon if this is a stupid question, i'm sleepy from too many late-night edit sessions at the moment)...do i have it right that you hang the mic so the diaphram casing is just about eyebrow level, and then angle it so the pickup pattern is pointed downward to your mouth?

so much to learn.
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rowell gormon
www.voices2go.com
"Mr. Warm & Friendly Voice...with Character!"
Rowell Gormon's Clogged Blog - http://voices2go.com/blog

[Deirdre]

Man— my mics are more or less sideways these days.
Keeps my glasses from whacking the pop filter or the shock mount and keeps the pops from showing up as best as possible to start with.



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[Gp]

I like that set up Deebs. It has a nice restful vibe to it. Makes it easier to be relaxed and creative. The colors impart a nice energy.

I think each mic has it's own sweet spot. It's just a matter of finding it and what works best for you.

[Tom Test]

Thanks to all who replied. Lance, what do you mean by "underslung?"

Since Lance said his AT4040 was sensitive to placement, perhaps that is what is happening with my AT4047 as well. Sometimes it sounds just great - warm, full, deep without being boomy. Often though, it's just sorta dull. BTW, my small booth is 4 x 4. I do have a bookshelf inside with lots of gear and other reflective crap on it, and I do have 4 Auralex bass traps inside.

Also, I play around with a lot of different mics, and I think I should stick with 1 or 2 and explore them more fully in terms of placement and hear what happens. Might even be fun.
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Best regards,
Tom Test
"The Voice You Trust"
www.tomtest.com

[Living Culture]

[Rob Ellis]

[Ed Gambill]

Rob

That is correct with one more reason. The chest cavity is a big resonator and if the microphone sees that area as well as the mouth it make a BIG difference in the sound quality.

Heat should never be a problem for a well designed microphone.
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[Rob Ellis]

So you mean if the mic capsule is lower, like at mouth or throat level, it picks up too much chest resonance?

[bransom]

Tom,

Thanks for starting this thread. I'm using a Studio Projects C-1 and I'd swear it sounds better when it's facing up rather than hanging down. I thought I was crazy — but I left it upright.

[Bruce]

I trust professional engineers on this most of the time, and in most of the studios I've been in the mics come from above and are hung upside down with the top end pointed away from you at a 45º angle (more or less) so that the diaphragm is several inches away from you and is pointing at your mouth*. And in most of the videos I've seen of the big time studios with big time stars (who drive big time cars) in them, everything's similar but the mics are often 12 or more inches away, and I'm guessing that's because the booths or rooms they're in are very well sound proofed, and that distant placement removes the chance of any unwanted mouth noises and of any proximity effect that will make them sound like boomy voiced announcers.

I think a general rule on mic placement is don't talk directly into the mic. Let the mic's "cone of reception" come to you and intersect with the "cone of sound" coming from your voice (and incidentally your chest).

*There's an exception on the engineers...I've got one who keeps pointing his Sennheiser shotgun mic right at my forehead straight-on from several inches away. I'd like to disagree with him, but he's the expert and I'm not the one paying him.

B
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VO-BB Member #31 Enlisted June, 2005

I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. .

[Frank F]

Up, down, sideways makes little difference with a condenser; a "tube mic" on the other hand is best used with the diaphragm/capsule in the upright position.

Although heat on the capsule is a concern; the main complaint is the frying of those very thin wires which connect part A to part B.

If you have a sensitive microphone like an AKG C-12, Lauten Oceanus, Sony C8000, or a shotgun the "sweet spot" will be some distance (12" to 18") from the capsule. Dynamic microphones like an RE-20 require a more intimate closeness (three to six inches approximately), while tube microphones will vary with gain, specific tube, pre-amp, electronics within the microphone, and other factors.

Proper technique is essential with all microphones.

I use my U87 Gold upside down, the capsule a bit above the nose, 20 degrees off axis, approximately three to five inches from the plane of the side of my face and eye level. This is not for everyone, but for me I like the proximity effect and the smooth feel of sound ACROSS the sweet spot at an angle.

Toodles

F2
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Be thankful for the bad things in life. They opened your eyes to the good things you weren't paying attention to before. email: thevoice@usa.com

[imaginator]

this is great stuff. i'm going to have to find some way of fitting a boom arm into my small mic booth so i can hang my tube mic the way you guys have described it. would make seeing the script easier too!

bruce...was the guy with the weird shotgun placement recording you doing one of those "apply directly to the forehead" commercials, perchance?
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rowell gormon
www.voices2go.com
"Mr. Warm & Friendly Voice...with Character!"
Rowell Gormon's Clogged Blog - http://voices2go.com/blog