Lavalier Mic Techniques for Theater

[@mike10j]

I've stopped this 15 minutes in. This is one of the best videos I have ever seen on microphones for theatre. I have worked in sound full time for 3 years but after no work during covid I found this as a quick refresher after finding my first sound job in months. You covered different types of placement, tape, colour skin prep, cleaning the mic! Very impressed

[@leochavolla2263]

Stephanie's video about A1/A2 paperwork on the TSDCA website is a great resource as well!

[@aaronaustin7760]

The clear polish on the knot tip is pure genius. Thank you!

[@kokoyacraft1021]

Whew... what a great educational secret of the trade revealed, so much learn from the one best there is in the industry, my great appreciation for Shure and Stephanie Farina to pass this great information for us...hat off

[@john-carlosynostroza]

Stephanie is amazing! What fantastic knowledge combined with teaching ability, passion, and experience. The real deal! This is easily the best presentation I have seen anywhere on the internet with regard to mic techniques for stage.

[@grkl4439]

This is an excellent video, one of the best I've seen on the topic and I learned some new tips about building ear rigs and hair miking that I'm going to take away from this. Thank you!

[@ShurePerformanceProduction]

Glad it was helpful!

[@raul_lozanomusic]

Learned so much from this video! Very nicely edited and paced. 🔊

[@ThisMichaelBrown]

Wow, i'm a rock n roller (and healthcare worker) considering a twinflex system....this was incredibly helpful...will be using lots of these tricks for my stage rig....just the adhesive dissolver part alone was gold...ha....I have some guitar cables I was about to throw out due to stickiness...great tip....Thanks for the scoop.....what great expertise, dexterity, skill AND teaching! Kudos

[@mimicry88]

This is great! I always wondered about those theatre lav mics.

[@BK-hq7tn]

As a magician, this was highly fascinating to watch. Our arts are very similar. This was like watching a magic lecture.

[@martinenglish2877]

This video was awesome! Really great tips! I run sound for several community theaters and we have been using over ear mics for awhile. I wish this video was out there back when we used lavs. I am hoping we can get back to lavs again because over ears are so ugly in theater. I would love to see a video with tips & tricks for stopping issues like actors breathing into mics, actors that are consistently low and can't be heard, etc.

[@napoleaocunha1282]

Great. You rock, girl. Thanks!

[@URSAStraps]

Great video!

[@rkettridge]

Thanks all. More of a confirmation I'm doing it right rather than learning much new but great video! I do wish Hellerman made sleeves in a more skin colour tone. Do copic markers work ok on the sleeves? I would have thought the base colour would cause issues?

[@ShurePerformanceProduction]

Per Stephanie, yes, they do! If you get the pink ones, you can color right over them.

[@sowasystem9641]

Nice show guys, can you tell me which mics you used in the video? Thx

[@raynaldo2000]

Great information. Thank you!

[@Adam47150]

What gauge millinery wire was used to make the over the ear rig?

[@richwojehowski1123]

The Hellerman tool is NOT used in the medical field, it is used in the electrical/electronic field for wire/cable marking and banding. She may have gotten the tool confused with banding tools that are used when castrating animals/livestock since they look very similar. Livestock banding tools a blunt tipped and usually have 4 points. The Hellerman tool is fairly sharp/pointed and opens using 3 points. Good demo by the way, I had no idea they put mics in hair that way.

[@viktorshmelev1647]

Absolutely Love It!

[@MrSamwisethensaid]

This is awesome. A very nice refresher. Do you guys or stephanie have a technique for making boom style head rigs(ala the DPA 4066)? I've made them in the past, I have just never been pleased with the results.

[@KonstantinZander]

our sound techs keep telling us that's not possible because of monitoring! Is there no on stage monitoring in the US? Having the mic so far away from the mouth seems to be a massive issue here in Germany and Austria

[@heydoyourhomework]

Is that a Shure tool holder of some kind? Stephanie called it a shoe bag.

[@oliverheywardmusic]

What diameter millinery wire is being used? 1mm or 1.5mm?

[@ShurePerformanceProduction]

Hi! They are using Millinery wire (cloth-covered) 17-19 gauge (approx. 1mm for ear-rigs). The full list of items and tools can be found in the video description.

[@RattusYu]

How far should microphones be from opera singers and sound natural like you could still hear the acoustics of the venue? There were giant voices like Birgit Nilsson, Leonie Rysanek, Gwyneth Jones and Astrid Varnay that were hard to record.

[@211teitake]

Where is the talk about tap dance mic rig?

[@LeekowalskiWalker]

No close ups?

[@irishwristwatch9693]

Hi not entirely sure if anyone from Shure will reply to this, but I trust the community is more knowledgeable than I am. I know many different sound engineers and sound techs that place mics over the year and down to the middle of the cheek...What’s the pro/con of this mic placement as opposed to placing it on the center of the forehead/hairline? What’s the benefit of a forehead mic placement?

[@_omega420]

I'm not super experienced but I know that cheek placement has the "danger" of breath noise, but not much danger for touching unless there's an itch ( I could be wrong, ask an actor). Proximity effect also makes it heavier on the lower frequencies since it is closer. However, forehead placement is better for someone who is good at projecting, so no breathing on the mic there lol It is easier for the mic to be moved since it's usually held in by a headband. I'd imagine if someone is mostly speaking that cheek is preferred, but someone who sings more would have a headband. I hope this helped, and again, I'd ask for other opinions since I'm just one person who doesn't know everything lol

[@justinherman9443]

The tone generally sounds better when placed at the forehead rather than the side. I find a far more natural sound when the mic is center on the forehead. I have seen the side come free far more often than the forehead. Proximity is also an issue as blocking & movement can drastically change the tone far more with a side mounted mic. Given all the options I would choose a center mounted mic over a side but as most things go you don't always get your first choice or second.... :)

[@jerometsowinghuen]

I just watched the livestream of Lavalier Mic Techniques for Theater, but the question is what is the talent/real life theater actress, Amanda's full name? ( I know that it is too personal, but I have never seen her stage works before. )

[@ThatSceneKittyCatFemboy]

I've actually scared my actors by using elastrator pliers in place of the hellerman tool.

[@zab6stringer]

On a show about lav mics and sound,sadly the Shure guy is the least audible and overall level of the program is soooo low... Hahahaha

[@ShurePerformanceProduction]

The joys of live streaming, unfortunately!

[@alfredopasquel1008]

@@ShurePerformanceProduction No excuses Mr. Shure! Jokes, thanks so much for the vid!

[@LeekowalskiWalker]

Blue shirt guy really feels left out.

[@GillesAndrea]

she talk too fast

[@raul_lozanomusic]

Not at all. You probably just need to be spoken to very slowly.