i need some help..with live sound

Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2005 4:09 am

i was curious.....does the mic and the sound equipment change the quality of a person voice? like does the mic quality change the sound of the person voice for better? also does the equipment quality do the same? i am using a 30 dollar computer headset mic rite now recording it on the computer while playing the piano for practice lol its not doing a good job but when i perform live its gonna be good equipment wit awesome mic...will i sound better on those?<its a school program>

currently when i bring my mic close to my mouth it makes scatrchy noises cause of the freq i think....but then when i bring it away from my mouth it doesnt capture the passion of the song..like it sounds boring or maybe thats just my bad singing skills? i dunno am sooo confused rite now...soemone explain it to me throughtoutly

thanx and GREAT SITE....

Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2005 7:17 am

Yes, good gear sounds better than bad gear.

No, it won't make up for an inability to sing.. I think you knew that already! Wink

As far as live sound is concerned you would do well do develop some mic technique. Basically this means you adjust your distance from the mic as you sing to keep the volume level from changing dramatically: soft low intimate crooning should be done with the mic almost touching your lips, while high screaming parts might need to be sung a foot or more back.. this takes practise however, so if possible: get hold of a Shure SM58 before the gig, ideally with a small vocal PA system (but I suppose you could record yourself and listen back to judge how close you were), and get used to it on your own before you try it in front of an audience Smile

Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2005 8:37 am

IIRS nailed it. At the very least, you need to ditch that headset mic and learn to work an SM58. You don't need "awesome" gear. $125.00 will buy you a 58 and a boom stand...buy new on this one-you have no idea where that used 58 has been. Then get a used Mackie 1202 VLZ (ca $200.00, mint). This will get you started. it will afford you enough inputs to handle keyboards, CDs, etc to rehearse with at home, and you can take it on a gig to plug into whatever cheesey sound system is thrown at you. And the headphone amp in it is decent, to boot. DON'T get cheap and buy a Behringer/Samson/Spirit/Peavey "toy". That Mackie will do you better over time than any of those cheap knock-offs. Good luck!

Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2005 9:25 am

my voice is pretty nice ...so am told.....but i was wonder if it would sound diff and better wit better equipment..and with reverb...okay thanx guys....now my only problem left is SINGING WIT PASSION !!!! the hardest part of singing MAN!...maybe if i put my mouth on the mic then maybe i get mor eof the edge and the "passion" will be captured...cause people tell me idont sing louyd enuff but its cause my mic freakn sucks and if i try to sing louder ..it gets all nasty

Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2005 10:44 am

no no no!!! Rolling Eyes

The "passion" of the performance is subjective to say the least, but it comes from your ability (or otherwise) to inject emotion into your singing, not from getting closer to the mic.

However.. a "passionate" performance will often have a wide dynamic range ie: a big difference in volume level between the quiet gentle bits and the loud climaxes. An experienced singer will sing the quiet bits closer to the mic than the louder bits, so that the quiet bits sound "louyd enuff" but the loud bits don't get "all nasty"

Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2005 10:51 am

I'm not sure I agree with moonbaby about buying second hand 58's though: that grill can be unscrewed and cleaned Wink

and they are almost indestructible!

Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2005 11:31 am

Yes, I am aware that the ball can be easily replaced....been there, done that! The problem is that there are folks selling them after they have been abused and then the ball was replaced, rendering a "like new" appearance. The internal cartridge CAN be damaged- more often it is shifted out of position- yielding an "out-of-phase", nasally sound. I learned this the hard way last month, after Maintiger here warned of the possibility of that happening. As tough as that mic is, it can be damaged sonically (beer and spit can affect the cartridge,too). IMHO, it isn't worth the $20-40 savings to chance it....

Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2005 11:50 am

Perhaps I've just been lucky then.. I did once buy a pair of used Beyer M88s, only to discover that one of them had no bass response at all. Confused

Fortunately the guy took that one back and refunded half my cash.. actually the one good one would have been worth the price I paid for both anyway Very Happy

But new SM58s are much cheaper than new M88s, so maybe you are right.

Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2005 3:46 pm

Yeah. I have been there with the Beyers. M69s, 88s, and, Sad

my beloved M500s. I totally was addicted to their "sound", just not their inability to handle, well....handling! One dropped Beyer= one dead/tinny Beyer. Live and learn...

Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2005 8:31 pm

Here everybody is exactly right. Regarding your headset microphone, if it is the same cheap little headset microphones everybody uses on their personal computer, your software mixer may have a switch for " microphone boost", in which case turned that off. Then adjust the software mixer so that your loudest level won't clip the microphone preamplifiers, which is incredibly easy with cheap sound cards. Most cheap sound cards have simply awful microphone inputs and so that is why most everybody here recommends an inexpensive microphone preamp/mixer to plug into the cheap sound cards line input.

The Shure SM 58 can't be beat! Used ones, you should be skeptical of because if they were OK, they probably wouldn't be selling them. And yes, learning how to " work" a microphone is simply making a " human compressor" while handholding the microphone. You know, pull it further away as you get louder, push it into your mouth when you get softer. A very complicated mathematical equation indeed! And you can use that better SM 58 with your lousy soundcard. HOWEVER! THE CHEAP MICROPHONE INPUT on your sound card also contains a DC voltage that makes the cheap condenser microphone on your headset work. That small DC current can also destroy your SM 58! So a simple patch cord from XLR balance 3 pin connector to 1/8" mini phone plug is a bad thing. Best to get a matching transformer from your local music store or from Radio Shaft that would allow your SM 58 output through a transformer to most likely a 1/4" male plug and then that plugs into another adapter to take it down to 1/8" male plug. Now that small DC voltage will get to your microphone only to the transformer. That could still damage that transformer but it is less costly than the microphone. If you just get an inexpensive preamplifier you can plug that directly into the cheap sound cards line input, which would be much better. Much!

Remy Ann David

Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2005 12:16 am

i watched all the live performances by chris martin i see what u mean ...he moves away when he gets loud but just alittle bit.....its a good thing that song doesnt have much loud only like little bit

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