Distracting Mikes on Performers

[Alivis]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 7:02am

I've noticed in more shows recently (Jekyl & Hyde,Spring Awakening)that the performers are wearing mikes on their cheeks. I started going to the theater in the late 60's and although shows were miked you never saw them. Mikes were hidden in wigs or bosoms or somewhere in the costume. What is the thinking behind this new trend? To me it's very distracting and not necessary.

[broadway guy]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 7:10am

Rent used side mics and it always pissed me off. I'd rather not see them.

Updated On: 5/1/13 at 07:10 AM

[broadway guy]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 7:26am

Honey it's "mic" instead of "Mike". I would fix it before you get attacked by bitter queens on here.

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 7:49am

I prefer the one that are buried in hair on top of the performers head. You can barely see those at all. They are still used a lot = not sure why some shows choice whatever option over another.

Mics on the side of the face make me think = concert = not theater.

[justoldbill]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 7:55am

The mics are distracting, yes, but even more so is the dearth of proper vocal training.

[shobizpro]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 9:06am

"To me it's very distracting and not necessary."

"Rent used side mics and it always pissed me off. I'd rather not see them. "

How "distracted/pissed off" would you be if you were not be able to hear the dialogue/ lyrics?


Or, as a highly regarded and multi-Tony nominated sound designer once said to me, "Stop trying to hide their mics. I want the audience listening to the show, not trying to guess if they're mic-ed or where their mic is hidden." Updated On: 5/1/13 at 09:06 AM

[broadway guy]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 9:11am

Why wouldn't i be able to hear them? They could just put them on the top of their heads. No Problem

[shobizpro]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 9:22am

Lots of physics involved. 90% of performers sound great with their mics at their hairline. That's location that the frequency response of the mics were engineered for.
The other 10%? Not so much. For a variety of reasons from lack of hair, extremely high hairlines, to dense bone structure.

From what I understand from Rent, it was a design choice. Other times its simple logistics. The last show I did 5 of the featured actors changed wigs 4 times during the show. No way to deal with that other tape their mics to theirs cheeks or wear an ear clip, other than hiring a specific stagehand to deal with each actor on each costume change, and risk a 75% likelihood that they're going to go onstage with a working mic.

"Why wouldn't i be able to hear them? They could just put them on THE TOP OF THEIR HEADS. No Problem."

As I've told many a performer on numerous occasions, "The mic picks up what you sound like, not what you think you sound like." I.e. it needs to be pointed at their mouth to sound best.

Actually, the lavalier mics used in theater are specifically engineered to sound best pointed at the mouth laying on top of a sinus the same way an acoustic guitar pickup is engineered to be placed on the top of the body facing the strings. If you put it anywhere else, you need to compensate with EQ which is, in most instances, a losing proposition.

(The headset mics like used in Rent, obviously, have a different frequency response more fitting with their close proximity to the mouth.) Updated On: 5/1/13 at 09:22 AM

[broadway guy]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 9:26am

I guess that makes sense. Thank you for opening my mind.

[jetts7]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 9:33am

When I saw The Wizard of Oz in London, the Witch's mic was down in between her two eyebrows. SUPER DISTRACTING! lol

[shobizpro]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 9:50am

"When I saw The Wizard of Oz in London, the Witch's mic was down in between her two eyebrows. SUPER DISTRACTING! lol"

FWIW, that is actually THE best location in terms of audio quality. I wasn't there, so I can't really speak to what the rationale was. Perhaps the performer was vocally challenged (sick/tired, etc) or perhaps, as bill eluded to, not so good at projecting (few young actors are anymore). Many times, costumes, wigs, or makeup will allow you that choice and we jump on it. On of the best things about The Lion King is that the masks worn by the performers necessitate placing their mics there, and it makes the mixers job that much easier.

[behindthescenes2]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 9:56am

considering that mics have now allowed the less talented to be on broadway, the mic on many really should be in their throat - and it is hard to force the "suspension of disbelief" when a mic in so clearly visible. the sound industry is behind in technological advances to use mics that don't need to be next to the mic - it is another union on broadway that does not necessarily have the best qualified in the positions - my brother-in-law just graduated from high school - he needs a job, my wife's nephew has been out of work for 2 years can you find a place for him...just like every other union

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 10:27am

I'm confused about what the switch to electronic instruments and the resulting need for performers to wear mics has to do with people in your family not being able to find jobs.

[shobizpro]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 10:31am

"considering that mics have now allowed the less talented to be on broadway, the mic on many really should be in their throat."

I've long held the opinion that every Equity contract should have a clause allowing the surgical implantation of mics in performers who required them.



"can you find a place for him...just like every other union."

Sounds to me like the time you spend posting would be better served by taking your blow dryer out and trying to get the "I heart Scott Walker" and "Mitt is IT" stickers off your bumper. Might make you seem a tad less bitter and ill-informed as well.

" it is hard to force the "suspension of disbelief" when a mic in so clearly visible."

In case no one has had the heart to break it to you yet, Santa Claus isn't real nor is the WWF really wrestling.




Updated On: 5/1/13 at 10:31 AM

[StageStruckLad]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 10:34am

I hate the side mics too. But even the head mics can be distracting. In the Harold Prince Showboat revival, the actress playing Queenie had a close-cropped hairdo, and the wire for her mic traveled over the top of her head and ended with a big mic in the top of her forehead. I did not remotely understand why she could not have worn a kerchief over her head, just the way Hattie McDaniel did in the 1930s Showboat movie.

[Ham3]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 10:41am

"Honey it's "mic" instead of "Mike". I would fix it before you get attacked by bitter queens on here."

As in the number from Call Me Madam:

They lic Ic
And Ic is good on a mic
...

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 10:45am

The character of Javert typically had a mic on his cheek in Les Miserables.

[shobizpro]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 10:47am

"I hate the side mics too. But even the head mics can be distracting. In the Harold Prince Showboat revival, the actress playing Queenie had a close-cropped hairdo, and the wire for her mic traveled over the top of her head and ended with a big mic in the top of her forehead. I did not remotely understand why she could not have worn a kerchief over her head, just the way Hattie McDaniel did in the 1930s Showboat movie."

Now you're getting into the clash of egos between Hair/Makeup, Costume, and Sound designers from the sound of it.

OTOH, it's not unheard of for a performer to stroll in with a totally new, unauthorized do that throws a wrench in the works. Most contracts forbid it, but it happens.

[shobizpro]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 10:50am

"The character of Javert typically had a mic on his cheek in Les Miserables."

He had big "muttonchop" sideburns and wore different hats, yes?

[oasisjeff]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 10:53am

Well, I figure noticing this is part of the cost of having nice orchestra seats. If mics distract you, mezzanine seating will allow you to maintain your illusions without compromise...

You already have people sitting in a room where two walls often don't exist, furniture slides around like it's possessed, and actors look out above the audience and claim to see stuff no one but them can see. So, it sounds like you pick and choose what reminds you that you aren't watching something real happening.

[behindthescenes2]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 10:57am

I touched a big nerve..I am not bitter, just stating the truth.. and it would be nice to see what credentials many of the "sound" people have to afford them to have that position, just as how many hair people have a state-regulated hair license and how many wardrobe people know how to sew, etc. In some cases on these shows, you need every bit of help to believe what is being presented on the stage and an ugly mic on the face that looks like a mole or swollen vein doesn't help. And of course, a sound designer, would want people to see the mic as evidence that they have done their job, gee it would be that the sound design is....bad, or muddled, or nonexistent and be able to blame the audience for not hearing it correctly...please a true sound designer would not have that question in the audience's mind if they did their job...I don't like mics and i never have - okay in Rock of Ages, Tommy, Momma Mia they are needed - i enjoyed these shows but do i have to see a mole on the face as well?

[rorschach37]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 10:59am

I don't really mind it for rock musicals like Rent, Rock of Ages, American Idiot, etc. I didn't really mind it in the current Jekyll & Hyde, to be honest.

[shobizpro]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 11:18am

"i enjoyed these shows but do i have to see a mole on the face as well?"


Sounds like you would really enjoy...

The Opera.




FWIW, if you're really interested in the qualifications of the designers, they are usually listed under "Creative Team" on each and every show's website. Trust me, having worked with all of this year's Tony-nominated Sound Designers save one, "accomplished" doesn't begin to describe their careers. As for the mixers, next time you see a show approach one, most are happy to discuss anything a patron cares to, precluding the fact that they have to pee like a racehorse after a long act and a cup of coffee.
Knowing many of them personally I can assure you they are very personable, and accomplished.

[behindthescenes2]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 11:39am

"Sounds like you would really enjoy... The Opera." If that was an attempt to insult me or categorize me, it didn't work. I enjoy work that must use a mic just as much as those that don't, but the mic has become a crutch - a way for lesser talent to inflict their "talents" upon us. That being said, opera is no better or worse than broadway as far as a genre or discipline - plenty of bad "waste my time" opera to be sure. But you must admit that it took real powerhouse talent to do broadway before mics were used. Many performers now could not be heard past the orchestra much less the first row and composers have now composed work on broadway knowing they have the mic crutch for back up and uninspired music and lyrics. There are professionals in every field well qualified, but that doesn't mean that the day-to-day staff is capable of what a designer is and I don't think the designers work every show. You have your points and are far and away looking to a bright new "electronic" world but electronics do not replace real talent - born with not manufactured :)

[Wynbish]

Posted: 5/1/13 at 11:52am

Many performers now could not be heard past the orchestra much less the first row

Audra McDonald could