Microphone Placement by Adrian Bell

Hi again. We're bloggin'. Great to have you back, did you bring any baked goods? No? Well, please remember to do so next time you stop by.

Microphones for professional voice overs vary in cost from cheapies at $150 bucks to precious ones in the thousands. A quick check on eBay for Neumann microphones makes any experienced Voice Talent's heart race. Those old classic Neumann's are just awesome. Beautiful things indeed.

Regardless of what Mic you use, mic placement or 'mic technique' as it's sometimes called, is vital for quality voice work. For this writing let's assume you're not using a splash guard or mic sock. For the uninitiated reading, a mic sock is a soft, foam guard that slips over the microphone. You've seen them on reporter's mics on tv and no doubt the occasional movie. Mic socks or splash guards were designed to assist in the recording process. They dim the sound of 'spritz' hitting the microphone itself. Spritz being the saliva that flies out of your mouth when you're laying down that CLIO winning commercial. The guards also help reduce the sound of hard consonants or P's from popping.

But we're not using a guard here in this example...So how do you stop the extraneous sounds (saliva and P's popping) from getting on your recording?  Simply by gently moving your head ever so slightly away, or to the left or right of the mic when doing your read. For example, let's say you're doing your boogie and in the script comes a big fat letter 'P',...like say "Pampers".

And who wants to mess up the actual brand name like Pampers? Just as you say the word Pampers, you tilt, shift, move you head just a little to avoid the 'P' from popping. Now that burst of air for the 'P', won't hit the mic straight on, so no 'P' popped. Your producer and the client listening in the studio will thank you for it.

Mic technique, it's part of that old adage 'what goes in, is what comes out'. So if you start with a clean read, a voice over with no spittiness and no popped hard consonants, you're a step closer to that coveted CLIO Award.

See ya next time, and remember to bring some butter tarts will ya?

Adrian Bell

Voiceover Toronto