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Why a Mic?

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Illustration by John Sauer – www.johnsauer.com

Why a mic? The great thing about modern technology is that we do not have to know how to make something to make it work. We do need to know certain properties of the equipment to operate it, but much of what we need to know regarding operation is what not to do. Regarding microphones, the not-to-do list is relatively short and requires more common sense than scientific know-how. Do not drop the mic, do not get the microphone wet and do not unplug a microphone, especially a condenser microphone utilizing phantom power, from a live channel with the audio system on. After that quick common-sense tutorial, we get into the more refined aspects of microphone use, such as which microphone to use for which instrument. We also need to explore microphone placement. Knowing the pickup patterns and the difference between large and small diaphragms is also useful information, but the real discerning factor in microphone choice is how each microphone sounds and reacts when placed on a particular instrument.

A Little History

A (very) truncated history of the microphone goes like this: In 1876 Thomas Edison and Emile Berliner, in order to improve the newly invented telephone, invented a telephone voice transmitter. During the first half of the 20th century, Bell Labs developed the condenser microphone, RCA introduced the first ribbon microphone and, in 1931, Western Electric contributed the first dynamic microphone to the conversation. In 1928, George Neumann produced and marketed the first condenser tube microphone with the onboard tube used for boosting the low-level condenser signal, and in 1939, Shure presented the world with the first single-element dynamic cardioid microphone known as Model 55 that was used by everyone from Elvis Presley to John F. Kennedy.

In the late-1950’s and early-1960’s, the Unidyne III and electret mics were introduced with the Shure Unidyne III 545 being the precursor to the SM57 and SM58 microphones. The 545 was revolutionary due to its top address style rather than the side-address style, which was popular with the Model 55 and other microphones of the day. As a point of interest, an electrical engineer by the name of Raymond A. Litke developed, and later patented, a wireless microphone in 1957, although both Shure and Sennheiser also came up with wireless microphones earlier in the 1950s.

As promised, the two paragraphs above are a short history of microphone development, and for any interested parties that might want to do a more extensive exploration into microphone history and usage, there are a slew of books that are bound to engage and enthrall the reader. While those of us in the live sound business relate microphone usage to concerts, television and entertainment, we must remember that a good portion of microphone development was for radio, recording and military use. Wireless mics, for example, while relatively new to the music business, have been employed by the military, police and intelligence communities since World War II. Of course, we’re not interested in spying, since our current technology makes it impossible to be covert, so the point is moot. In regard to microphones, one thing leads to another, and while the Shure 55 was a good vocal mic during the 1940s and 1950s, one must remember that venues presenting live music were smaller and often acoustically designed, making it possible to use only a small speaker system to amplify just the voice and not the instruments.

The Beatles at Shea Stadium changed everything! The failure to hear the band over the roar of the crowd made it abundantly clear that if large shows were to be produced, then large speaker systems would be required. While the Beatles often used the Shure 545 and 546 dynamic microphones for their vocals, it was the AKG D24 dynamic microphone that the band used for the Shea Stadium show. As it turns out, a microphone is only as good as the speaker system or the preamp to which it’s connected. Rock ‘n’ roll in this live setting presented a different set of audio problems than it did in the studio, and while certain studio techniques were applied to the live environment, it was apparent that trying to clearly replicate sound at 100 dB was a totally different beast than capturing audio in the controlled environment of a studio.

Life has changed and technology has improved in the last 65 years. We now have speaker systems that can reproduce clear and even audio for audiences of over 200,000 people. Handheld wireless mics have become the norm, and most engineers request microphones on their riders based upon their particular likes and needs. Newer companies have developed excellent mics with clever mounting systems. Companies like DPA, Schertler and Earthworks have devised new and innovative ways to capture the sound of the piano. Once known as a very fragile microphone, ribbon mics have made a solid re-entry into the live sound market thanks to the Royer 121, a microphone known for its warmth of sound and great rejection of bleed on all sides of the ribbon.

The Ultimate Live Sound Mic?

For those of us in search of the ultimate live sound microphone, mic choice and placement is a study unto itself. Somewhere in the late 1990s, I was hired to mix Lou Reed in the downstairs room at the old Webster Hall in Manhattan. At the time, I had to bring in a sound system and a stage, since the room had nothing. The stage was 20’ x 12’ and it was Lou on guitar and vocals with drums, bass and another guitarist. Being a bit of an audiophile, Lou stressed to me that I should mic his amplifier with a condenser on the cone of the speaker and a SM57 off axis on the edge of the speaker. Lastly, a U87 mic should be placed 10 feet in front of the speaker.

It was not an odd request, and I was familiar with this microphone configuration from some of the studio work I had done. The SM57 off axis was great for getting the warmth and crunch of the speaker while the condenser on the center captured more of the crisp articulation. When mixing in the U87 as an ambient sound, the sum of the three microphones gives a punchy fat live sound — in the studio — but we were on a small stage in a room holding about 800 people. Placing the U87 10 feet from the amplifier would be putting the mic very close to the edge of the stage, and it would be picking up not only Lou’s amp, but the drums and everything else.

Having worked with Lou for a bit, I felt comfortable expressing my concerns to him. Unfortunately, my concerns were not received well, and Lou told me in no uncertain terms not to argue with his decision since he had worked with some of the best engineers in the world and this is what they had decided was the best way for miking his amp. I stood to gain nothing by arguing with Lou Reed, or some of the best engineers in the world, so I backed down and placed the microphones as instructed. After the show Lou complimented me on the great guitar sound and gave me that “I told you so” look. I thanked him and never mentioned that I left the U87 off for the entire show. Why a mic indeed!