Mics: Headworn vs. handheld

A few years back, I purchased a couple of Crown 311A head worn mics. My wife and I both used them back in the days when we did a guitar/bass combo.

My wife is now using a wireless handheld and I went to a handheld as well with our arranger.

The reason I went to a handheld is that I found that singing through my arranger, my vocal volume changes pretty dramatically when I turn on the harmony. With a handheld, I can back off the mic and get better volume control. I couldn't do that with the Crown.

Thoughts?

I think Gary used a Crown successfully with his arranger.

I use a headworn shure wh20 xlr thru my pa900 but use the compressor in mic settings

sorry use the compressor settings in mic settings and set it to lead and harmony. you vocals will always be matched according to how loud you sing. i set the threshold at 28 the ratio at 5.6 and the noise gate at 60 or less according to how much you hear your breathing thru the mic. This is just a starting point but is should help. If that crown is too hot turn the threshold down to around 18
hope this helps
Mel

You have to set up the mic setting that sets the Harmony V/S Lead ratio to about 30 percent harmony and everything will be just fine.

Gary

Good info

I know that Gary, Garth, and my old Spin Class instructor (don't laugh!) all love the headset mics, but I just never could adjust to loosing my "working the mic" technique that I've become so accustomed to. The vocal dynamics are greatly changed, and unless you sing at a very steady level, you'll miss some of the dynamic changes that can only come from changing your proximity. Then, there's the whole coughing scenario ....
Just my 2 cents.

Instead of proximity, I use vocal/voice control, which works just fine for Garth and myself. As for the cough, got it covered with the cough button on the belt pack, or just flipping the mic down, which because of its extremely short range, makes it impossible to hear a cough if the mic is flipped down below your chin, which on takes a half second to accomplish.

All the best,

Gary

handheld for me all the way always

My vocal style is too dynamic to stay put at a fixed distance. I need some serious room for certain pitches in certain songs. If I ever did "Piano Man" with a headset ... I'd clear the room!

As I recall, the headset Gary uses has a built-in limiter/compressor circuitry.
At any rate, I can use a headset on the PA4X, and by setting the onboard limiter/compressor have all the dynamics I need.
I still don't like using the headset mics though. Something about old dogs and new tricks I suppose.

Extreme compression is too unnatural in a live setting, and subtle compression wouldn't work the peaks like I'd need. If you're a smooth singer with little change in volume and expression, it's not much of an issue, but I go from whispers to shouts, and I need more control. It's just my opinion, but I really don't like the visual of a headset on stage ... unless it was one of the teeny, hidden broadway styles that we used in my kids' musical stage productions.
like this one:
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/...PvOAaAi6o8P8HAQ

I recorded this laid back song using the Crown CM-311A, and I seriously doubt that Garth is using anything differently than I am, though he has a full crew and in my case, it's just me at the controls. https://app.box.com/s/mhs7lgmkzxwnmik557ol2ere7wbuyzqu

I don't know about extreme compression, probably because I never used it. However, I don't scream into the mic and pull it away (proximity effect) because I cannot hit the high notes, which I've seen on so many occasions during the past 60 years on stage. One of the very first things I learned from my vocal instructor at Harford Community College, who was an accomplished jazz singer, was vocal/voice control. She was a master of this technique and regarded as among the top jazz singers in the Baltimore/Washington metro area.

Now, I will be the first to admit that I have a relatively soft, smooth voice, and for me, vocal/voice control was very easy. Additionally, I had some training as a newscaster, which also made utilizing vocal/voice control very easy to master. AS a newscaster, you needed to place a lot of emphasis on certain words and phrases in order to make the news story more exciting and interesting - just the same as you would do with many songs. This led to bigger and better things for me when I managed to land several jobs doing voice overs for automotive commercials during the ensuing years. No proximity effects here, just vocal/voice control to get the point across to the audience.

Some folks are comfortable with a headset mic, and some are not. Some can make it work and some cannot. Use whatever works best for you.

All the best,

Gary