Admit it - do you always raise the microphone up and point it down?

Earlier discussion on this topic...

Devon, Vienna, Austria

To John and Anthony, boom mics on a film or video set are pointed downward from overhead not for any sonic advantage, but simply to keep the mic out of frame. So there is one good reason for doing it even though it may not be the first choice sonically. Drum overheads are up high enough not to get bashed by a stick, and it is the best vantage to get the whole kit most evenly. Vocals should be recorded from slightly above ( just a few inches) but pointed downward at the mouth, NOT to force the singer in the correct position (shelter Studios) but originally to let the wind blasts shoot below the mic instead of into the grill causing "pops" and other problems. A windscreen stops the pops of course, but in exchange for a tiny shade of high end air. Though sometimes a windsceen is used to intentionally subtract a bit up there, so nothings a no no. Still, that slight angle from just above the mouth has an added advantage of keeping the nasal sinus sound to a minimum and also aims a bit more toward the body where there is some useful resonance. Interestingly I got a better snare sound miking from the side, but toms (and snare for many) are miked from above to get the drum tone at a close distance. However distance miking may sound indeed better at ear level. We all (except for drummers) hear the kit from the front and not from overhead. So, some are exceptions to the rule, some have sonic and mechanichal advantages (singers) and some just plain gotta be out of the way, dammning the sonic implications. So a rule is a good start, and the artist in you should know when they need to be broken.
Monday October 31, 2011

John, Texas, USA

Actualy, there is a logic for raising the mic and pointing it downwards. I have worked in many auditoriums where ignorant HVAC contractors have placed vents over or near the stage. A cardoid mic pointed down, while the stand is raised can help to reduce the vent noises to a degree. Of coarse you need to use good noise reduction software in post.
Tuesday February 22, 2011

Nurredin, Las Vegas, USA

I do the opposite. I lower it and point it up! Am I wrong? it works for me!
Tuesday February 22, 2011

Girlfish

The same thing happens with the piano, people place the mics inside the piano, next to the strings. I don't get it, that doesn't sound natural. The mic should go a little bit far from it, I want to listen to the pianist fingers and feet, that's the real sound. I've tried it, nothing beats the natural takes and placing the mic always as it is a person works.
Wednesday May 12, 2010

Shelter Studios, Schaffhausen, Switzerland

The original reason for applying this technique was to force a singer to hold their head in such a way as to allow a relaxed and optimum operation of the Larynx. Of course most "experts" have misunderstood the intent, attributing it to reflections, moon phases etc. The reason for boom mics on film and video sets is that it is aesthetically displeasing to have a microphone in view on the film and usually difficult to account for i.e. in the middle of films like Gladiator. The boom operator will always take dialogue from above since that delivers the best results for the centre channel delivery in the cinema and prevents the actors and film crew from treading on the mic. Rarely the mic will be placed below the shot but that is not the norm.
Wednesday April 14, 2010

Anthony Linden Jones, Kurrajong, Nsw, Australia

I think (John) the intention is to capture the same sound that arrives at your ears, and there is a lot of validity to that. However, if we take this to be a new formulaic approach to replace an old formulaic approach the results won't always be perfect. As John articulates, there will be circumstances where a better sound might be arrived at from a higher mic position. The best place to put the microphone in any recording situation is where it sounds good to your ear. You can't hope to pick up a good sound with the mic in a 'bad' place, but what sounds good or bad depends on the instrument/voice, the player, the style, and personal taste.
Monday April 05, 2010

John, Portsmouth, Va, U.s.a.

In spaces of less than acoustic perfection, aiming the mic down helps to reduce outside noise on the recording (providing the floor is not acousticaly reflective). Have you ever seen a mic boom in a video studio. The unidirectional mic is held over the actor to prevent noise from outside the microphones pick up radius. A listener doesn't really need to be in line with the mic. The listener will never even see the mic. Speaker placement would be logical in line with the listener's ears. If you place the mic up side down, the music will not be upside down. Ultimately, mic placement depends on the proximity to floor and ceiling and walls, the instrument, and the musician.
Monday March 29, 2010