Just A Little Respect...Please

[Dani Pace]

I don't have any problem whatsoever keeping my hands off the instruments of others, especialy cheap guitars or trashcan lid cymbals, but the clowns who have that kind of gear don't seem to mind knocking over my mics. It's like they don't consider mics to be pieces of "real" equipment.
I've spent as much for mics as some bands have in all their gear combined.
How can I get others to understand that mics are not toys!!!??? I'm just wondering if anyone else has this problem and how do they deal with it.
Yeah, I've seen the videos with singers slinging mics around (cringe when I see them) and as long as they are paying for the mics i don't care, but don't try that stunt with my mics. I don't kick over their guitars, why do they have to be so clumsy and kick over my mics?
This has bothered me for a long time, just felt like it was time someone said something about it.

[mx_mx]

Tell them they'll get charged an extra $50 for every mic that gets knocked

[zbert]

When I did/do a rental gig the clients need to know up front. You break you bought it. I don't do rock bands anymore because too many rock stars. That's why when you go to a retail store to rent they take your credit card number. When I get younger guys in the studio I still tell them you are near very expensive equipment. Treat it better than if it was your own.
Whenever I hear a story like yours all I can think of is the video footage of Axel Rose getting pissed off and slaming the mic as hard as he could into the stage and storming off. Yeah, big rock star. lol

[cpl_crud]

I find that the type of people that don't hold the proper respect for microphones are the ones that wouldn't notice if you did a crappy tracking session...

Whilst we're on teh topic of stage mics, I was running monitors for James Brown on his australian tour.
Now, we usually tour w/ Beta 58s as our standard vox mics, however "Mr Brown" (as his manager kept on calling him) will only sing into a SM58...

So we just took the blue rubber band off it and put the markup tape across the "beta" markings...

Yeah. I've been looking for an exucse to share that one, and now I have. I feel better now.

[mx_mx]

Originally Posted by cpl_crud

I find that the type of people that don't hold the proper respect for microphones are the ones that wouldn't notice if you did a crappy tracking session...

Whilst we're on teh topic of stage mics, I was running monitors for James Brown on his australian tour.
Now, we usually tour w/ Beta 58s as our standard vox mics, however "Mr Brown" (as his manager kept on calling him) will only sing into a SM58...

So we just took the blue rubber band off it and put the markup tape across the "beta" markings...

Yeah. I've been looking for an exucse to share that one, and now I have. I feel better now.

Did he notice?

[cpl_crud]

No... however he did rock on... to the point that at the end of each show he pretty much collapsed in monitor land, and had to recouperate there for about 10 minutes before he went back ot hte dressing room...

[jonnyc]

I had an idiot singer in who liked to move the pop filter and grab my baby bottle by the head for screaming parts. I stopped him and kindly asked him not to do that and then explained how much the mic was. He immediately did it again. Once again I stopped him and not so politely told him to get the fuck out.

[mx_mx]

Originally Posted by jonnyc

I had an idiot singer in who liked to move the pop filter and grab my baby bottle by the head for screaming parts. I stopped him and kindly asked him not to do that and then explained how much the mic was. He immediately did it again. Once again I stopped him and not so politely told him to get the fuck out.

At least he didnt think the pop filter WAS a mic

[chessrock]

I find that the main cause of microphones getting knocked over has much more to do with sloppiness, on the engineer's part, in setting up.

If mic cables aren't duct-taped to the floor, then you're basically just asking for someone to trip over the cable and knock the mic down. Now I'm not saying that you're guilty of this at all. But I know some engineers (or people who call themselves engineers) who neglect this. Another aspect to consider is the quality of the stand itself ... how the mic is positioned on the stand ... being aware of it's center of gravity, etc.

Again, I'm not saying you're guilty of this. But I am saying that part of the responsibility rests with the engineer, to make sure that the mic isn't placed in such a way that it will be knocked over easily, and that all cables are organized and secured to the floor to reduce chances of tripping. And quite frankly, a lot of "engineers" I know are sloppy and neglectful of this. If none of these have been addressed, then I put the majority of the fault on the engineer for any mishaps.
.

[mx_mx]

i think Dani Pace was saying that the musos were intentionally being rough with the mics, not accidentally

[punkin]

I agree with a several things here...

I can't afford to assume that the talent knows anything about mics...I always give the speach about how not to treat the mics (blowing into them, tapping on them etc). I also like to go a little into how much the gear costs and tactfully find a way to insert the notion of cost recovery if/when misuse/abuse enters the picture and a "take note" of the the fine print on the bottom of the contract.

Secondly, safety first...tape down the cables and and mic stands. Not only can the gear fall but so can the people. When the people fall, instruments get whacked and other bumps -n- bruises happen. Can you say personal injury lawyer?

[jonnyc]

I forgot to mention that I have 10 pound weights on every stand, never had one tip over since.

[Yoda117]

I use pretty good mic stands (Mic Kings) and they're rather stable... once they are interlocked, they are REALLY stable.

That said, nobody usually uses my recording studio but me (tis home-based), since I use it for my own VO career.

However, I do get invited to places which requires me to take equipment with me. Mixers, preamps, laptop, mics, stuff like that.

Simple rule is: you do anything to my gear and they won't find your body afterwards

I quick recitation of the "pig farm" speech from Snatch usually does the trick

[FALKEN]

Originally Posted by jonnyc

I forgot to mention that I have 10 pound weights on every stand, never had one tip over since.

that's an awesome idea. can u pm me a pic of what you did?


almost as bad as knocking over a mic is when the drummer "moves" it. I really hate that. In fact, I'd prefer he just knocked it over, so I could go in and re-position it, instead of just wondering from the control room why it sounds like ass 'all of a sudden'.

[mrface2112]

i bought a number of 4lb free weights (the round ones with holes in the middle) and have threaded them down the main pole of my mic stands, or i'll put one on each of the tripod legs. this has made otherwise cheap stands exceptionally sturdy.

i run all of my mic cables under the rug in the tracking room and they get taped down in the places where they come out.

and thankfully i'm in a place where i don't have to record a bunch of punks. anyone i record is quite respectful of the mics--and i always make sure to give anyone "green" at the process a quick run-through of do's and don't's.


cheers,
wade

[jonnyc]

Originally Posted by FALKEN

that's an awesome idea. can u pm me a pic of what you did?


almost as bad as knocking over a mic is when the drummer "moves" it. I really hate that. In fact, I'd prefer he just knocked it over, so I could go in and re-position it, instead of just wondering from the control room why it sounds like ass 'all of a sudden'.

I'll get a pic when I can but all I did was take the stand apart, and dropped the 10 pound weight down to the feet of the stand and reassembled.

[FALKEN]

like from a sporting goods store? like a barbell type circular weight?

[punkin]

That's it... a 10 pound weight and it still tipped over! Take the weight off and use it on his two front teeth!

Enough with the Mr. Nice Guy stuff.

[jonnyc]

Originally Posted by FALKEN

like from a sporting goods store? like a barbell type circular weight?

Yes, olympic style weights, just don't get the small hole ones, you need the one with the olympics holes. Insted of an inch the hole is more like 3 inches. You may have problems witht the smaller holes. I actually got my weights at wal mart.

[jonnyc]

Originally Posted by punkin

That's it... a 10 pound weight and it still tipped over! Take the weight off and use it on his two front teeth!

Enough with the Mr. Nice Guy stuff.

Uh what? None of my stands have tipped over since using the weights.

[Dani Pace]

I like the extra weight idea, I guess I'm cheap, I use disc break rotors spray painted black. I got the rotors at a junk yard for free, they weigh about 8 and a half pounds and make stands a lot more stable.
My beef is with the people who just can't seem to keep their hands off my mics. Singers who think they have to cup their hands around mics or think they have to hold them rather than leave them on the stands, drummers who wont leave mics where I put them, guitarists who seem to have no understanding of their relationship to space or think they have to jump around like an idiot in a cheap rock video.
There is a big difference in the occasional bump and the flat out lack of respect.