It's 2012 why are actor's mics still so visible? — Page 2

It varies so much from show to show, and from performer to performer even within the show. Prime example is in How to succeed. The male chorus wears mics over the ear. Ellen Harvey wears hers just bellow her hair line, and Nick Jonas wears his on the front of his dress shirt. (While Daniel wore his just bellow his hair line)

Oh dear. A few things...

HIGH SCHOOLS do not use large, visible headset / headworn mics because the teens have a "look at me, I'm a star" attitude. They use them because they are available and cheap. Many times when those are used, you will see that they are all different types... because it's what they were able to get their hands on.

The headset mics worn in RENT were 1. considerably more primitive than what is used today and 2. designed for CONCERT, not theatrical, use. Therefore, visibility was not a concern in the design on those units. In fact, as the run progressed, the original mics were no longer manufactured and had to be built from scratch, specific for the show.

Headset mics designed for theatrical use are designed to meet the rigors of live theatre and are built to make them as discreet as possible - Countryman and Sanken both have nice headsets and DiCappo's headset isn't shabby either. There are a variety of factors that make them MORE visible... 1.) Whether or not the mic is matched to the actor's skin tone. 2.) Placement - the mic boom should be placed close to the skin to avoid shadows. 3.) Whether or not a windscreen is worn over the mic element. A screen adds quite a bit of size. 4.) Double mic. Many shows double mic there leads, as we know. Rather than conceal the second mic, it is often a standard miniature microphone attached to the boom of the headset mic, more than doubling the size - and visibility - of the original primary microphone. They are attached so that if the sound engineer has to switch to the back up mic, you will not notice a difference in sound quality since they will relate to the voice from the same spot.

It's a catch-22. many headset microphones offer a superior performance in shows with a certain sound or sound level because they bring the mic THAT much closer to the mouth. If the designer hadn't made that choice, many of these some people complaining about a headset mic would complain that the sound wasn't as clear as it should be. Do I want to see a headset mic in Carousel, Oklahoma!, Follies, Camelot, 42nd Street or Guys and Dolls? No, I don't think it would be at all appropriate. But Priscilla, American Idiot, etc? No problem! They also wouldn't bother me in Mamma Mia!, Joseph.. Dreamcoat, Legally Blonde, Spring Awakening, Grease, Footloose, or (depending on the overall design concept) even Hairspray.

Where did Merman wear her mic?

"Where did Merman wear her mic?"

Well actually Mics have been used on Broadway as far back as the 1939 "Dubarry Was A Lady" which starred Ethel Merman. They were of course foot mics strategically placed, rather than body mics, but the show was miked. There is a question of whether or not she was miked in Gypsy, I have heard both but nothing definitive. She also was miked while appearing in "Hello Dolly" in 1970. Though she never "needed" a mic, she was on occasion miked.

--- "Part of the issue, to me, also seems to be the frequent use of the same stable of designers and the union contract and the producers. Certain designers - Scott Lehrer comes to mind - who do a great job, especially in hiding microphones and making the show natural." ---

Not to take away from Scott's work at all but you are probably referring to South Pacific or another show that Scott has done which allowed him to better hide mics due to the more acoustic nature of the show. On a pop musical, an inch of movement of the mic can make a critical difference. On some actors, due to the shape of their hairline, their vocal range, their vocal parts and the level of orchestration, it may be impossible to get intelligibility and audio quality while completely hiding a mic.

--- "However, a LOT of designers who have been around for a while don't always like to delve into newer technologies and stay with what they are comfortable working with... the union contracts for designers also only requires them to speak to a couple of shops to supply the various elements, so they stick with shops they know." ---

Many designers out there have a comfort level with gear that they have used frequently and they don't need or want to change. As I mentioned previously, the technology of the reliable, pro-level wireless microphone gear hasn't changed remarkably over the past 10 years or so and there is a ton of it "on the shelf" at all of the major vendors who rent gear to the Broadway market. Designers do not elect which shop is the vendor for a Broadway show - the General Manager does. Designers may recommend a vendor but that is the extent of it. The choice is driven by price these days. The only union requirement is that the shop is represented by the union in order to provide services to Broadway theatres which are unionized. This is not some sort of handicap and certainly doesn't mean that the shops can get away with not providing adequate or cutting edge gear. At this point in time, the equipment that goes on a show is more about money than anything else. If you are coming into Broadway as a a proven hit then you can dictate that the shop provides all of the latest toys. If the show is unproven or risky, the budget will be small and the equipment will be limited to items that are already owned by the 3 major Broadway sound vendors.

Excellent points about the difference between opera and musical theatre also interesting info about Merman. The truth is that it is no longer about being heard. Nor is it even about being heard over the orchestra because otherwise we wouldn't mic the orchestra (although there will always be a requirement to have audio monitoring for the stage...which would require mics regardless). Sound Design for reinforced musicals has now become much more about artistic vision for the show then it has about simply being heard. Directors and producers and most audience members want to heighten reality and keep the show exciting by lifting the levels and increasing the dynamic range. They also want increased intelligibility for a more "film-like" experience. Film playback has become better and louder and more detailed in the same time frame and I think there is a correlation. The physics behind reinforcing a live theatre event is pretty complex and theatre sound designers have been doing amazing work to manipulate physics and psychoacoustics to make things more transparent and more pleasing. Don't kid yourself, it's very difficult. One thing that can't be defeated is the inverse square law which, when applied to head-worn mics, says that each time you double the distance from a voice to a mic you get half as loud. So very small differences in position can result in very different results. Not to mention the fact that the mic on one performer doesn't discriminate. If one performer is close to another performer both of their mics pick up both of them and the result can be very ugly. Again, the closer you get to the intended performer (lower mic position, booms etc.) the less you pick of unintended performers...and audio monitors...and footfall...and moving light fans...and scenic automation motors....etc.). Add to this the issue of what happens when you put a mic near a hat and the individual quality of each persons voice and resonances and I don't think you're going to see mics disappear any time soon. In my experiences, the best results come from working with a great team that can work to hide the mics and from costume designers who are collaborative and who provide hairstyles that hide mics and hats that are soft, small brimmed and can tilt to one side. Or better yet, keep the hats off the leads when they are speaking or singing and establish period and the look of the show by having members of the ensemble in hats...unless you are doing Oklahoma or Guys and Dolls where hats are a given.

roadmixer,
Yes, I was referring more specifically to his work on shows such as South pacific. My comment in regard to designers, producers and shops was not intended to be sound specific, but rather encompassing all designers and rental and construction shops and what they have available.


Yes, no mics would be a lovely idea, and I am sure many would agree. I also find it offensive when people say the problem is that mics are used because actors can not project. THEY CAN. Yes, it is a great leveler and allows some people who can not project to find work, but that is not why mics are here to stay.
The acoustics of these old houses were not built for certain things... air conditioning being one of the big things. They create a LOT of white noise when they are on. Add to that a number of whisper-silent winches for scenic elements and the whisper-silent motors and fans on a few hundred lighting instruments, you have a VERY high base level of white noise that it is pretty impossible for an actor to project over in a healthy way. That 'white noise' and the sound level needed to cover it is the absolute most quiet sound level you can have during the production.. everything has to be built ABOVE that.
Yes, when an actor wears a mic, they have to produce a full sound, but if the mic suddenly cuts out, they are in a VERY delicate situation and have to react with judgement.. they need to project fully for the audience to hear, but if it is just a minor glitch (the actor can't usually tell from on stage) and the mic comes back, that full projection would be VERY unpleasant for the audience and could possibly ruin part of the very expensive sound system..

Justaguy2,
amen!

Interesting discussion.

One thing that hasn't been touched on is that the further the mike is from the actor's mouth, the harder it is for them to hear themselves. Sound has a way of vanishing into the ether on stage, and it is absolutely startling to rehearse a show in the studio for weeks and then suddenly feel like you're singing into a pillow when you get onstage. There's no "ring" in there, and if you've ever wondered why experienced actors suddenly start blowing their voices when they start previews, that's your answer. It's incredibly diorienting when you can hear the orchestra loud and clear, but not your own dynamics in relation to them, and certainly not anyone else on the stage you're supposed to be singing/ harmonizing with.

This can all be fixed somewhat by putting vocals into the onstage monitors--it's not quite the same as really hearing yourself live, but it helps tremendously, especially in heavily amplified shows or if you're singing upstage of center (where you can't hear the sound bounce back from the house)

As has been pointed out earlier, the headset/boom mikes give you a much better shot at wining the vocals-in-monitors war, because they're so close to your mouth that there's less of a chance you'll end up with reamplification and/ or feedback.

As a Broadway actor concerned about vocal health and strain, I would rather wear headset mikes on both sides of my face than a hairline mike. Unfortunately, most producers care more about the look and less about the safety. I think it should be a big issue at Equity, along the lines of the raked-stage war, but it will only happen if more actors fill out accident reports for vocal strain and fatigue.

PS...many of us do know how to project, but that never enters the conversation, and in today's screaming-pop-music high-belting world, it would probably just be more dangerous.

Updated On: 4/24/12 at 01:44 PM