How to hold a microphone - yes, your vocalist really needs to see this!

[Loren Littlejohn]

I still laugh at the bass player finding a ball to bounce. Holy shit

 

[drew_drummer]

The humour made the science easier to handle.

 

[LokiFoki]

So, getting close will increase bass because of the proximity effect of directional microphones.

and... covering the capsule with your hands will basicly turn the mic into an omnidirectional mic.

...but omnidirectional mics don't have a proximity effect!

Checkmate mister! Where is your science now?

 

[Glenn Fricker]

.... and makes you susceptible to feedback. It also kills the top end as demonstrated. The science is sound. Ignore at your own risk.

 

[TheWinterSnow]

So, getting close will increase bass because of the proximity effect of directional microphones.

and... covering the capsule with your hands will basicly turn the mic into an omnidirectional mic.

...but omnidirectional mics don't have a proximity effect!

Checkmate mister! Where is your science now?

When you cup your hand around the mic you loose the proximity effect, sort of, cupping a cardiac isn't a true omni, but its close.

You should have said check, because this was the CHECKMATE!

I should also note that having your face too close to the mic will cause feedback because just like cupping it changes the flow and direction of air pressure, including ambient pressure. Don't believe me, take a mic plugged into a monitor that is just loud enough to get controllable feedback and flatten your hand, decreasing the distance of the palm of your hand to the mic, eventually it will start to feedback. Same thing will happen if you just completely cup the mic without even saying anything into it.

The same thing happens with guitar pickups, at loud volumes and high gain, if you move your hand closer to the pickup you will get feedback, though the cause of that is a change of inductance in the magnetic field due to your hand, but the concept is the same.

Was very well done. The humour made the science easier to handle.

If you find the Math and Sciences so boring that you can't learn to science behind how a microphone works, you are probably too brain dead (like bassists) to be anywhere near a mic...ever...or a studio for that matter...or a musical instrument...fuck it, sell all your gear on eBay.

Oh and you spelled "humor" wrong ya limey bastard!

/sacrasm

 

[MotherEel]

If you find the Math and Sciences so boring that you can't learn to science behind how a microphone works, you are probably too brain dead (like bassists) to be anywhere near a mic...ever...or a studio for that matter...or a musical instrument...fuck it, sell all your gear on eBay.

Oh and you spelled "humor" wrong ya limey bastard!

/sacrasm

Awesome. Spelled it how my country and the originators of the language spell it.

 

[TheWinterSnow]

Awesome. Spelled it how my country and the originators of the language spell it.

Hence the sarcasm, I was bustin' your balls since I was already on a roll.

 

[Eddy]

I thought besides being educational it was funny as fuck too.

Also, a quote comes to mind:
“It's now very common to hear people say, 'I'm rather offended by that.' As if that gives them certain rights. It's actually nothing more... than a whine. 'I find that offensive.' It has no meaning; it has no purpose; it has no reason to be respected as a phrase. 'I am offended by that.' Well, so fucking what."

[I saw hate in a graveyard -- Stephen Fry, The Guardian, 5 June 2005]”