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Original message:198 days 7 hours 3 minutes ago

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Member: eds1275

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Stupid people. It DOES NOT LOOK COOL to cup a mic, makes you sound retarded after the sound man has eq'd your voice to sound full, and causes feeedback like you wouldn't believe. The only time I have seen it used is when cookie monster takes the mic and you can't hear what he's saying anyway, because it sounds overly fake and full of bass - the bad kind that just sounds like mud.

Nicely explaining to people puts them in both defensive mode and "this guy doesn't know what he's talking about" mode. During soundcheck I tell them not to do it, and then they go all stupid.

***note to everyone, do not piss off your soundman. there's me, who do a good job regardless, and then there's people that flip out and will ruin your show.***

Take last Saturday. Everyone is holding guitars, and then I realize one guy can't sing and play at the same time. So he just stops playing while he sings. That's fine. But then partway through a set he puts the guitar down, picks up the mic, cups it and sings an incoherant love song. All the while I'm riding the monitor fader trying to keep it as loud as possible while being feedback free.

Now it's wednesday, and I'm trying to mix the recording and it's pissing me off all over again, because the other 3 singers come out really clear.

Reply:198 days 4 hours 24 minutes ago
Member: Richey

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Can you just cut that guy out? Or re-record his part?

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Reply:198 days 4 hours 8 minutes ago
Member: eds1275

+ 1

629
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It can be re-recorded, but I can't just cut him out because he's singing lead. However it isn't the point... it's horrible mic technique, I've told him before and he chose not to listen. It's frustrating.

I'm not going to allow any re-recording to happen because I have a promotion on right now which is generating me a ton of business, which is me showing up and recording a band rehearsal live, for cheap. I in general hate to record gigs because either I'm in the way of the sound man or I am the sound man and there's already enough going on for me... but I got suckered into this one because I was already doing the sound for it and they asked really nicely. But yeah the deal is live, no overdubs. And that's what they're getting. It's a shame though because the rest of it all turned out nicely.

Reply:198 days 3 hours 33 minutes ago
Member: Danno

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And the worst part of it is that the dude is probably going to try to blame it on YOU. Even though you told him not to do it.

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Cold silence has a tendency to atrophy any sense of compassion--- TooL

Reply:198 days 3 hours 17 minutes ago
Member: eds1275

+ 2

629
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I understand doing it, I really do. You see it everywhere, on TV, rappers do it all the time [but you will notice they spread their fingers open so that sound still reaches the openings on the rear side of the mic, thus making it directional, thus decreasing the chance of feedback since the mic no longer points to the speakers]. But after not only being told, but by having it explained as to how the badness happens and why it does, to do it anyway? I doubt he will blame me for it... he'd have to be really dumb to do that.

However that doesn't make it any better :P

Reply:197 days 14 hours 1 minutes ago
Member: ibzRG

3077
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Make him listen to the recording so that he can hear how bad it actually sucks.

If a mic was put in front of me, the soundman would have more serious issues to deal with than me cupping the mic or not (like pitch issues).

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Reply:197 days 11 hours 50 minutes ago
Member: Xarkzila

+ 3

2876
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It's why I love the studio. You get some latitude... We've gone as far as tying someone's hands behind their backs to keep them from flailing their arms. (Studio mics pick up EVERYTHING! Yes... If you fart it will be on the recording...) Just the air movement will come through as 'swooshy' sounds. It's so much different in the studio as everything is exposed and you'll hear how bad it is as soon as you finish and playback is initiated.

You need a special "wind screen" eds... Something with sharp little spikes. Maybe tipped with a bit of nerve agent so that if they DO try to cup the mic they go into convulsions on the stage. It's all good. The audience is sure to think it's part of the act.

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"The music industry is a cruel and shallow money trench. A long plastic hallway where theives and pimps run free and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side..."
http://www.cleargravy.com

Reply:73 days 18 hours 57 minutes ago
Member: this dying soul

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531
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the other thing is the guys that put their lips all over the mic and slobber on it. you gotta wonder what other things shaped like microphones they do this with...and it also not only sounds horrible, but I pitty the guy that has to use the mic next.

I had a singer that used to do that... we made sure he bought his own mic and he was only allowed to use that. lol

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Reply:57 days 23 hours 36 minutes ago
Member: eds1275

629
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Oh wow this is an old post... so here's what I did to make it all sound similiar in quality: I muffled up the other vocalists so that they had similar characteristics than the "bad" sounding singer, then bussed them all through another channel where I did corrective eq to the best of my ability. Did the other vocalists come out sounding worse than they should have? Yes. Did anyone say anything? No, because they were all consistent and to be honest it didn't sound too bad after my equalization-surgery was complete.

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