upside down mic position question

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bhooks

New member
I have seen in a lot of studio photos that a LDC is hung upside down. Is there some advantage to mounting a mic this way?:confused:
 
I've done this before, but that was only because it was the only way my mic stand could get the Mic low enough to record where I wanted it.
 
If you are recording voices, having the mic 'above' forces the singer to stretch the neck (and vocal cords) slightly while looking up at it, which gives a better vocal sound.
 
bhooks said:
I have seen in a lot of studio photos that a LDC is hung upside down. Is there some advantage to mounting a mic this way?:confused:
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Tube mics are usually placed upside-down so that the heat rising from the tube doesn't hit the mic's capsule, thereby warming it and altering it's shape/size, and response....but people do it with other mics too, 'cuz it's sometimes easier to place it that way or because it just looks cool. :)

mjbphotos said:
If you are recording voices, having the mic 'above' forces the singer to stretch the neck (and vocal cords) slightly while looking up at it, which gives a better vocal sound.
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That isn't always a good thing to do.
Trying singing and stretching your neck up...then centered...then a little down.
It's actually the most comfortable just a bit *down*...not up. The air passage is most relaxed and open that way.
People like to sing "up" 'cuz they try to stretch/reach for difficult notes by throwing up their heads....but it doesn't really work.
They main reason to keep your head straight-up is for vocal projection in a live, non-miked environment (like a choir)..otherwise the old "crooner" head position of singing slightly down at the mic is actually the most relaxed way to sing.
 
a) tube mics should be like that
b) a mic that is above the mouth and aimed slightly downward to it can pick up better tone and less sibilance on some singers.
c) this is more important imho: the side effect on some singers is that when they're singing mellow parts they're off the mic a bit (drooping head/jaw) and when belting they sing upwards getting a more head on sound, more in your face. mic being up there works really well in this case. now mind you, while singing loudly on mic and softly off mic is the opposite of good mic LIVE technique, in the studio it works great cuz compression and fader riding can solve the level issues while retaining the differences in tone that make the performance exciting.
 
I often set up that way for vocals because I prefer to have vocalists use a lyric sheet and i can place the music stand underneath.
 
 
It can also help a vocalist project their voice better and make them stand upright with correct posture.
 
I found this to be the best solution.


From
PhilGood

I prefer to leave the mic right side up and have the singer stand on their head. More entertaining that way.
 
I have two mics hung upside down on one stand. I can lower the stand so that the mic diaphragm is just above the vocalist mouth (nose level). The mic stand is high enough that words can be clipped to the stand with a heavy duty paper clip. Space is limited so I can eliminate a music stand with this method. I also have a small battery operated clip on led light attached between the mics.
 
bassbrad said:
I often set up that way for vocals because I prefer to have vocalists use a lyric sheet and i can place the music stand underneath.
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have to say that it's harder/impossible to read music/lyrics when teh mic is in front of my eyes compared to in front of my mouth. that's the only thing about upside down vocal micing that I actually DISLIKE - you CAN'T read lyrics/music that way.
 
I've posted this before. Not so much to do with the current style and benefits of hanging a tube mic upside down, but the original reason happened because if the Telefunken U47. The M7 capsule in that mic was made from poured PVC, which basically started drying out from the moment it was poured. After long term drying out, the diaphragms become brittle and crack like a spider web, causing the mic to lose all low end or even cut out entirely. In the U47 two sources of heat (the VF14 tube and a huge wire-wound resistor) caused so much heat that in the right-side-up position engineers were worried it would accelerate the process, so they turned the mic over to keep the capsule from drying out faster than normal. It was a misunderstood usage and caught on as a trend for hanging mics upside down.
 
Fair enough, but you'll avoid confusion by calling it a "Neumann U47," even though the same mic wore both Neumann and Telefunken badges.
 
Quick question, does keeping the mic attached upside down(when not in use) help to prevent dust from getting into the microphone? I usually keep it upside down to record, but then flip it back right side up afterwards, and keep something over top of it to prevent dust(Seems like a quick solution to the tedious effort of putting the mic back in it's proper case when not recording). Or does it not matter if I even keep it covered at all, when right side up?
 
Just found an other reason tonight to have a microphone upside down.

I have a LDC that the microphone cable doesn't set right and will crackle if the cable is moved slightly but when the microphone is upside down there are no noises from the connection being broken between the cord and the microphone.
 
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