Upside Down?

andrushkiwt

andrushkiwt

Well-known member
Before anyone writes it, HOLD ON! I WILL! I will just try it and see how it works, ok?!??!?!?

Now that that's out there, can anyone tell me what turning an AT4040 upside down is SUPPOSED to accomplish? I'm just wondering the rationale for doing such a thing. Another big music forum had a posting where someone combated esses and general harshness by turning the thing over. Any truth in the science behind this?

thank you mic gurus
 
andrushkiwt said:
Now that that's out there, can anyone tell me what turning an AT4040 upside down is SUPPOSED to accomplish?
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Presuming you're using the shockmount for the AT4040 (AT8449), give it a try and see how it works out for you :)

Upside down just looks cool :D

.... or if your preamp doesn't have a phase/polariy invert switch, upside down accomplishes the phase inversion :rolleyes:
 
arcaxis said:
Presuming you're using the shockmount for the AT4040 (AT8449), give it a try and see how it works out for you :)

Upside down just looks cool :D

.... or if your preamp doesn't have a phase/polariy invert switch, upside down accomplishes the phase inversion :rolleyes:
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It makes the vocals come out upside down, so you have to stand on your head to understand them.

But yeah, HOW does turning it relieve essing? Even if it works for me, what's happening there?
 
andrushkiwt said:
Before anyone writes it, HOLD ON! I WILL! I will just try it and see how it works, ok?!??!?!?

Now that that's out there, can anyone tell me what turning an AT4040 upside down is SUPPOSED to accomplish? I'm just wondering the rationale for doing such a thing. Another big music forum had a posting where someone combated esses and general harshness by turning the thing over. Any truth in the science behind this?

thank you mic gurus
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I've heard people talk about putting valve mics upside down so that the heat from the valve isn't rising up around the capsule.
With any other mic people are probably just doing it for the look or because it's more convenient in their space or something.
 
I can't see how upside down or right side up would make any difference to what's recorded.

The one advantage of upside down is that it can hang from above and not obscure someone who is reading form music in front of them.
 
De-essing.... I think I've read somewhere that angling the mic downwards (off axis/aimed towards your throat) helps reduce esses. While angling can be done with the mic in an upright position, maybe upside down is easier to position with heavier mics(?)
I usually position my mics (not upside down) at about forehead level so I'm singing up to them with my head tilted back slightly.
 
arcaxis said:
De-essing.... I think I've read somewhere that angling the mic downwards (off axis/aimed towards your throat) helps reduce esses. While angling can be done with the mic in an upright position, maybe upside down is easier to position with heavier mics(?)
I usually position my mics (not upside down) at about forehead level so I'm singing up to them with my head tilted back slightly.
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I see. I'm battling essing and harshness at the moment, so I'm looking for some things to try out and wondering if there's a reason for it. I usually have the mic mouth level and sing slightly down into it. I'll try singing upwards. Thanks
 
This old question again LOL.

I hang the mic upside down when recording vocals so that it is out of the way of the music stand with the lyrics on it. It is also good upside down when recording someone playing guitar while singing as it leaves room for the guitar mic. Sometimes I just like hanging it upside down.

Alan
 
witzendoz said:
This old question again LOL.

I hang the mic upside down when recording vocals so that it is out of the way of the music stand with the lyrics on it. It is also good upside down when recording someone playing guitar while singing as it leaves room for the guitar mic. Sometimes I just like hanging it upside down.

Alan
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Argh, sorry. I hadn't seen it before or come across this. My bad. So nothing with the structure of this mic that makes it less susceptible to upper mids and highs by hanging it that way?

Also, I'm lucky to get an hour a week to do vocals, and when I have that time I need to get right to it. I wish I could do whatever music I wanted on a whim. Sure as hell would get a lot more done that way. ;)
 
andrushkiwt said:
Argh, sorry. I hadn't seen it before or come across this. My bad. So nothing with the structure of this mic that makes it less susceptible to upper mids and highs by hanging it that way?

Also, I'm lucky to get an hour a week to do vocals, and when I have that time I need to get right to it. I wish I could do whatever music I wanted on a whim. Sure as hell would get a lot more done that way. ;)
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Right. You can tilt raise lower for the tone of it -hung either way.
Aside from looking rather cool too : >) .. it does keep it out of the way.
 
witzendoz said:
This old question again LOL.

I hang the mic upside down when recording vocals so that it is out of the way of the music stand with the lyrics on it. It is also good upside down when recording someone playing guitar while singing as it leaves room for the guitar mic. Sometimes I just like hanging it upside down.

Alan
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And the prize for the correct answer goes to witzendoz. That's the biggest reason for an "upside down" mic.

I've yet to detect any technical difference in the sound of the mic. However, a secondary reason to do this sometimes it to encourage vocalists to tilt their heads back slightly (since instinct says sing at the mic) which gives them a better posture for breathing and using their "chest voices".
 
Bobbsy said:
However, a secondary reason to do this sometimes it to encourage vocalists to tilt their heads back slightly (since instinct says sing at the mic) which gives them a better posture for breathing and using their "chest voices".
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Good to know, thank you
 
Correct mic placement either way should give the same result. If it's too low, then the singer bends his/her head forward/down, compressing the vocal cords. If its too far up, its possible the singer will tilt their head up and stretch their vocal cords too much - but if they hold their head level and the mic is a little high, the direct breath wind would not be impacting the capsule directly.
 
Bobbsy said:
However, a secondary reason to do this sometimes it to encourage vocalists to tilt their heads back slightly (since instinct says sing at the mic) which gives them a better posture for breathing and using their "chest voices".
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And then you have the opposite view, that singing slightly down is more comfortable, and that's how some of the greats (Sinatra, Presley...) use to address the mic.

I think it depends on the individual....find where your throat/head/posture is the most comfortable.

I use to have the mic just a bit above my mouth, but now I set the capsule just a tad below, and find that more comfortable. I'm talking 1/2" off the center point...which I find allows for more chest voice, whereas singing up, can put too much stress on the throat, but for certain words/notes, it can help. So it kinda' depends.... :)


AFA minimizing the essing...I'll sing off-axis (left/right)...sorta' the same thing we do with guitar cab mics, 45 degree off axis.
It's gotten so I'll simply turn my head a pinch when I know I have a word coming up that has a lot of ssssss or ppppp in it, otherwise, I'll face more squarely at the mic the rest of the time.

For real extreme cases, I'll double up on the pop filters, with a 1-2" space between them.
 
miroslav said:
AFA minimizing the essing...I'll sing off-axis (left/right)...sorta' the same thing we do with guitar cab mics, 45 degree off axis.
It's gotten so I'll simply turn my head a pinch when I know I have a word coming up that has a lot of ssssss or ppppp in it, otherwise, I'll face more squarely at the mic the rest of the time.

For real extreme cases, I'll double up on the pop filters, with a 1-2" space between them.
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I moved to the left on my latest recording and I think it helped with the esses. Yeah I need to get better at manipulating my voice for recording - recorded vocal performance is not a live vocal performance. It helps to think ahead and plan how to approach some phrases/words

thanks for the insight
 
JefferySmith said:
Rode microphones have to be mounted upside down because the damned factory makes them upside down.
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You know that I resisted the temptation to say that all microphones in Australia are upside down :facepalm:

As it starts that conversation about people in Australia being the correct way up and people in the northern hemisphere are upside down, due to there being no up or down in outer space. One thing I can never work out is why when space ships meet in star track they are the same way up?

Alan.
 
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