Newbie question

[brutus]

Hey all. I have heard this mentioned before, but now I am curious. What is "proximity effect" and how does it affect the sound of a mic?

Thanks in advance

brutus

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

For cardioid mics, as you get within a foot or so from the capsule -- you will notice a significant bass boost in the response as you move closer.

Proximity effect does NOT occur on omni-directional mics.

Why this is occurs is slightly complicated and is explained HERE...

 

[brutus]

Thanks for the reply Bruce. I read the link like three times now, and I am still not sure if I understand it, but I have an idea now and what to listen for... I think.

Anyways...thanks again.

brutus

 

[Richard Monroe]

Brutus, when you hear a stage comedian almost swallow the mic and it takes on this deep, larger than life tone, that's proximity effect at work. Learning to use proximity effect as a tool is basic to mic technique. Some people can't sing any other way than to swallow the mic, adding bass to compensate for the natural thin, high sound of their voice. Some singers put the mic just far enough away to add a little bass boost, and some move in and out, using proximity as an effect. The trick is to drop your volume as you get closer, so you maintain a relatively constant volume while adding proximity for low end emphasis. That's why a lot of engineers put the pop filter several inches from the mic, to keep inexperienced singers from moving into the proximity field accidentally, creating uneven tone. When you put that SM57 right up against the grill of a guitar cab, you are creating proximity effect on purpose, to capture lows from the speaker that might be lost otherwise. Hope this helps- Richie

 

[chessrock]

Another example is if you ever meet a Radio DJ in person, or hear him talk on TV, and you notice that his/her voice sounds so much thinner than they do on air. That's because DJ's and other on-air voice talents tend to work the proximity effect to make their voices sound fuller and chestier (by talking really close to the mic and sometimes lowering it a bit between their lips and chin).

Think James Earl Jones and/or Bary White.

 

[brutus]

Richard..thanks, that helped a lot. I have done some singing at live gigs, and I have done the whole moving in and back at the mic to compensate for volume, just never new why or what...just knew it helped when I was singing loud.

Chessrock..Actually, I met a local DJ once, and your right. His voice sounded a lot "thinner" in person then it did on the radio. I am sure this was due to proximity effect, but he also said that he pitched his voice a little lower for the radio as well. I never gave it much thought.

It is amazing the things you do without really realizing what it is you are doing.

Thanks for the info all.

brutus