[Paul Winkler[_2_]]

On Apr 15, 11:10*am, (Scott Dorsey) wrote:
Sadly, very few monitoring systems are good
enough for singers to be able to get a sense of this.

I'm sure this contributes to mic-eating as well.

Speaking not as an engineer or as a "real singer" but only as an
untrained, not very good singer who has done background vocals in
small club gigs: if I can't hear myself well enough to tell if I'm on
pitch, I get closer to the mic.

I don't think I have *ever* had the feeling that I could tell what my
mic actually sounded like. In my context (amateur and semi-pro
bands), "monitoring system" includes not just the gear but also the
lack of time for soundcheck, lack of a dedicated monitor engineer,
lack of space onstage, and lack of decent acoustics for the music.

It's hard, without a lot of experience, to judge your distance from
the mic when you are simultaneously trying to harmonize, remember the
lyrics, and play your instrument. (And depending on the gig and your
role, you may need to care about how you look, too. I mostly wasn't in
that sort of band.) Mic distance is usually the last thing on my
mind, and if I can't tell what effect it has anyway, what can I do?

Finally: You may not be able to see very well. If you're touching the
mic, at least you know where it is, and at least if you're consistent
about it, the engineer can hopefully cope. Inside of 45 minutes we'll
be yanking our gear off the stage as quick as possible and he'll be on
to dealing with the next batch of doofuses.

If it's a lead singer who's not playing an instrument though, well
then, even in an amateur/semipro context, mic technique *is* the
instrument, or at least a large part of it.