singing drummer, mic woes...

nate

nate

Pioneer Member
hiya...

need a little help, i play drums and sing. i hit the drums kinda hardish (not something i'm proud of, just fact) and sometimes i sing quite quiet, and also quite loud I've been working with some good sound people over the last few weeks, and they've all said the same thing, when i sing soft, they can't pick up my vocals, without getting loads (to much) of the drums. I try and sind as close to the mic as possible.

i played a show a little while back and the guy gave me a mic that looked like this i'm not 100% is was this but it looked like it, it seemed to work quite well...

anyone had this problem, how they get around it....anyone use this mic?

BTW i will wont use a headset, IMHO i think they make you look like you work in a call centre....and you get loads of breathing issues....no headsets...

if anyone has any ideas/help that would be great, as it annoying people can't hear the softer stuff.....


thanks
 
You should make sure the mic you use it unidirectional. It only picks up what comes into it from directly in front of it. Mics that are omnidirectional pick up everything from all angles. This should take care of it.
 
Well, the mic that you have in the link is a drum mic and not even a high quality one. That's not intended for vocal use and it doesn't have an internal pop filter.

An SM58 would serve you a great deal better than a PG56 and is pretty cheap. They are great for live vocals. Personally, I prefer the Beta 58A for live vocals. It will cost you a bit more than the SM58 but it's definitely worth it. Hope this helps.
 
JIM_fear said:
Well, the mic that you have in the link is a drum mic and not even a high quality one. That's not intended for vocal use and it doesn't have an internal pop filter.

An SM58 would serve you a great deal better than a PG56 and is pretty cheap. They are great for live vocals. Personally, I prefer the Beta 58A for live vocals. It will cost you a bit more than the SM58 but it's definitely worth it. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...


thanks for the info, i've used a SM58 at most gigs, and the sounguys still find it pretty hard to get my softer vocals, without getting the drums to much (they're v.good sound guys too, 1 does black sabbath, so it's not them). i mic i used looked a lot like that drum mic link i sent, but not that actual mic...
 
Go for a Shure WH30 headset mic. It will cost you a couple of bucks but it will solve all your problems
shure-wh30a.jpg
 
You could use a Shure SM57. Some other mics you could use are:

Shure Beta 58
Sennheiser E945

These ones are very good as well. I think the SM57 and SM58's are pretty much the same mic though, only a different capsule. Could be wrong. But i'm totally with you on the no headset thing. Not only would it pick the breathing and all, but you would look like a major tool.
 
nate said:
thanks, but no thanks, i dont work in a call center, and i dont want people to hear my panting..


c'mon guys...
Click to expand...

If you are worried about your looks then you aren't too serious about getting your vocals heard properly.
 
PureRockFury said:
If you are worried about your looks then you aren't too serious about getting your vocals heard properly.
Click to expand...

bighaibigdrums said:
Couldnt have said it better.
Click to expand...
erm..

i think this is a little unfair.

i've heard drummers use these sets in questions, and you can sometimes hear a lot of breathing. i don't want to hear my breathe over songs. i sing entire songs, not just little bits and want to do as best as possible.

quite the opposite, in fact, the larger mics that use normal stands have a much better range and response than these....

..also as i stated there is a massive dymanic range if my vocals, so i need to be close to mic for quiet vox, back of for the loud ones. how would i achieve this with a head set?


I also think these comments are a little unfair, how many of you would play a pink fluffy kit with orange strips and green neon flashing lights....before some of you answer 'yeah if it sounds great' whatever i think you get my piont...and so what if i don't like the look of these head sets? huh?


trust me, i work very hard for my music, and this post was intended as research for me to improve it further, please dont post comments suggesting i am shallow.
 
Well, clearly, the answer is to be like Mike Portnoy and have a roadie stick a gooseneck mounted mic in front of you at just the right moments. ;-)

My son is a singing drummer--same issues. The solution was a headset mic. They can be had in very high quality, save up for a good one.

Regarding the breathing issue: breathe through your nose. How do you think so many big artists get around the problem, even ones who dance and sing at the same time?

As for dynamics--sing softer in the soft bits. You've already discovered that you can't back off the mic as if you were standing up front, so you have to change your technique anyway.

As for looks--only you can decide which is more important to you, the music or the visuals. Given that you see these things every day now with music acts I don't know what the big deal is.
 
The last band I was in, I sang about 75% of the songs. I used a Shure Beta 58 and IMO, it's one of the best mics I've ever used. I just used to have the stand off to the left side and when I needed to sing, I'd just pull the boom arm over.

I'd suggest either a Beta 58 or 57.

I used to have a Shure headset mic which I didn't care for so I kind of agree with you Nate on using the headset. However, I did have a friend who used a headset mic which didn't look too bad at all (I believe it was made by Crown). I almost considered buying one, but I had the same problem wondering how to maintain dynamics with my vocals, especially with a regular mic you can just back off it.

Here's another suggestion if you were to go with a headset mic or even a regular mic: You can get a "on/off" switchbox for your vocal mic. A soundman I used to work with made one for me because when I wasn't singing, my vocal mic picked up alot of stuff and it was better for the overall mix. I used to just place it right next to my hi hat pedal and when I was ready to sing, I'd just stomp on it and my mic would be on.

Best of luck.
 
You could always go with the classic Jeff Indyke signature mic.
 
nate said:
thanks for the info, i've used a SM58 at most gigs, and the sounguys still find it pretty hard to get my softer vocals, without getting the drums to much (they're v.good sound guys too, 1 does black sabbath, so it's not them). i mic i used looked a lot like that drum mic link i sent, but not that actual mic...
Click to expand...

Then you should definitely go for the Beta 58. It will cost you about $150-160 USD and it's definitely a great live vocal mic and in my experience it picks up better than the SM58 when you are close to the mic. That should solve your problem. As long as the mic isn't pointed towards your kit it won't pick up anything but your voice.
 
I recently covered my headset mic with flesh coloured medical tape. Looks abit NASA close up, but from a distance looks alright. The black wind cover can be covered in a similar colour pantyhose material to complete the job.

Obviously for more inspiration during the love songs, the pantyhose section chosen might want to be taken from somewhere toward the gusset, and unwashed...........
 
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