Microphone Technique

Every sound engineer's worst nightmare - people on stage who refuse to speak up. They think that as soon as they get a microphone put on them, they start speaking like they are only talking to someone right beside them. WRONG!!!!!  A microphone is not your voice, it is there to support it.  People on stage giving talks need to project if the microphone is going to do its job properly.

It is impossible to mix sound properly if the you don't speak up.  Why?  The quieter you speak, the more we have to turn the microphone up through the PA system, meaning more chance of feedback.

Feedback is that ringing sound you hear in the sound system.  It can be quite painful.  It is caused when the signal picked up by a microphone, is amplified and put out through a speaker, which is picked up by the microphone and amplified and put out through the speaker, which is picked up by the microphone and amplified and put out through the speaker, which is......

The best way to avoid feedback is by not turning the microphone up so much.  So if the person on stage talked louder, you wouldn't need to turn the microphone up so much, so you wouldn't get feedback.  Simple.

So if you ever have cause to be in front of a microphone please project your voice and the sound engineer will love you a lot.