Microphone Position for Vocal Recording

How to position a condenser mic for vocal and voice recording

This position is recommended for singers as well as voice actors. If you want to hear a richer vocal sound with fewer plosives, and help ensure that your mic lasts for many years, try this microphone position for your next vocal or voiceover session.

Rule #1: Don't eat the mic.

Stage dynamics like the SM58 are designed for very close placement, up to and including physical contact with the singer's mouth. Broadcast dynamics like the SM7B are typically also used with the grille directly on the actor's mouth.

Unlike dynamic mics, large-diaphragm studio condensers are not designed to be taken internally. The singer's mouth should be at least six inches (15cm), if not 10-12 inches (25+ cm), from the grille of the microphone. Voice actors can sometimes work the mic a bit closer, but no closer than four inches (10cm), and not directly on-axis (more about this below).

The Roswell Colares and Aztec microphones have even more "reach;" these could be positioned 18-24 inches (60cm) from the singer's mouth, and still sound clear and intimate (assuming the room has appropriate acoustic treatment).

Large condenser mics excel at capturing detail and nuance, even at a distance of six to 24 inches. Moving the mic closer merely invites plosives and exaggerates proximity effect (bass boost).

Here are three of the benefits of putting an appropriate amount of space between the singer (or voice actor) and the microphone:

Condenser mics capture a more natural sound at a distance of six or more inches. Closer placements typically sound muddy due to proximity effect.
Closer placements can exaggerate mouth sounds (lip smacks, clicks, breath).
At an appropriate working distance -- e.g. six to 12 inches for vocals, four to 10 inches for voiceover -- the mic has a larger "sweet spot." This means the mic will capture a more consistent sound even if the artist moves his or her head during the performance. With closer placements, small head movements can create audible changes in frequency response and level, requiring heavy EQ and compression later to try to create a consistent volume and sound for that take.

Rule #2: Flip it & tip it

Hang the microphone upside down, with the grille at forehead height. Tip the grille away from the singer, so that it points at the artist's chin from above.

This position is equally helpful for singers / vocalists as well as voice actors. The technique might seem unconventional, but it is based on vocal studio experience (at Disney's voice studio), and delivers several benefits:

It moves the mic's capsule out of the "blast zone," reducing the likelihood that the singer / actor exhales forcefully onto the capsule (which would create a plosive pop).
It reduces the capsule's exposure to humidity, smoke, and whatever else might be flying out of the singer's / actor's mouth at your expensive microphone.
It allows the microphone to hear chest resonance, which usually results in a richer, rounder vocal sound, both for spoken word and sung vocals.
It often eliminates the need for a pop filter, because most singers/actors will not tip their heads back to project up at the microphone. Given that every pop filter colors the sound of the microphone, whether by whistling due to breath, or resonating, or attenuating frequencies unevenly, removing the filter from your vocal chain is often a sonic upgrade all by itself.

This mic position can be seen in all of the demo videos below.

What do I do if my shockmount won't allow the mic to be inverted?

If your only mic stand is a straight stand, and you don't see a way to mount your mic upside-down, see this article: How to invert your vocal mic on a straight microphone stand