ProSoundWeb: For nearly two decades, I’ve been putting wireless microphones on performers at every level of experience in theatre, music, and corporate events, and over that time, I’ve developed a set of best practices to address each application’s unique challenges. In the first of this 2-part series, I’d like to share what I’ve learned.
2 comments:
In my experience, placing a lav is almost an art and the key to a successful run. I sometimes forget that people outside of theatre use lavs and are not as familiar with the process as performers are. This was a super interesting article about the subtleties of lav placement and how to interact with people who are not familiar with lav placement and how what they do affects the sound quality of their event. I wonder if there is a preference for what kind of lavs to use in the corporate market — do they use Sennheiser, Shure, or other kinds of mic brands? Are there specific kinds of needs that sound engineers working in corporate have that differ compared to working in live entertainment? I also sometimes wonder if it would be just easier for everyone in corporate settings to just use hand held mics and if that would save a lot more time and coordination for everyone involved. Even though handhelds are not as sleek as lavs or other kinds of body-mics, I feel like they are a lot easier to explain and use in settings where there are not that many sound needs.
I have spent a lot of time working with lav mics of all kinds. It’s also difficult when the actors are all high schoolers and you have to be extra cautious about boundaries. The “script” I eventually gave my mic techies is “Ask the actor if they are ever falling, being hit, or doing anything that might knock or hit the mic or mic pack. If they are, make sure it's out of the way of any of that. If you are able, run the mic down the back of their shirt and put it in a pocket. If there’s no pockets available, clip to a bra or undershirt. Last resort is on the waistband of their pants or skirt”. As for taping the mic, I tell them to tape it in front of the ear, behind the ear, and at the neck. Before taping the back of the neck, hold the cable in place, and ask the actor to turn their head side to side, and up and down, to see if there is enough slack.
Post a Comment