0534 – “A Bit For Level, Please”

2022.06.18 – 0534 – “A Bit For Level, Please”

“A bit for level”

Part of working out your correct mic position before you start recording or go live, will involve of course, you speaking in to the mic so your voice can be heard by you (wearing headphones) and by any engineer you might have (in a control room), and correct recording levels can be set.

This is to check:

• The microphone, its channel and signal are working – a microphone such as lapel clip-on mic may have an on/off switch on it, or its battery back, or transmitter unit; the battery in the unit may be drained or faulty; there may be signal interference from the transmitter to the receiver; a studio mic may have been unplugged for some reason or the desk fader which controls its volume may be dirty and lead to crackling on air; or it may have been turned around leading a speaker to be ‘off mic’ and not heard properly.
• The level or loudness of your voice – so correct levels can be set for you so they are regulated with those of other guests or sound sources
• The proximity of your voice to the microphone – to avoid issues such as plosives distorting the clarity of your voice
• Any additional interference – for example, if a clip-on mic was too close to and picking up noise from a necklace or chain; hidden under clothing which rustled ‘on mic’; picked up the ‘searching for signal’ noise from a mobile phone which had been left on.
• As we have seen you may need to get a little closer or more distant from the mic (with all the other considerations that that will bring), and/or turn up the mic input level (or ‘gain’) so that your voice level appears louder on the air or on the recording.

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