In most house of worship scenarios, capture of the spoken word with a microphone is a necessity, for a couple of reasons. First, a substantial percentage of churches meet in spaces that are sufficiently large as to require an amplification assist so the folks in the back can hear the words as clearly as the folks in the front. A second reason is that the service may be conveyed to the world, live and in real time — or at least recorded so it can be conveyed at a later time. A third potential reason why we may need to capture human speech in church is to ensure that our hard-of-hearing parishioners are able to take in the service via assistive listening systems. It’s pretty clear that we almost always need to get a microphone in proximity to anyone and everyone who takes the platform to speak.
Wireless Mobility
In days of yore, the common way of capturing the spoken word was to mount a microphone in the pulpit, or on a stand that was adjacent to the pulpit. This solution was sufficient for speakers who stayed put and did not roam at all. Unfortunately for us tech folks, some speakers do not stay put — they do roam. In pursuit of a solution, we put a handheld microphone in a clip at the pulpit so the roaming speaker could pluck it out and take it along for the journey. Eventually, we even freed them from the limitations of a wired microphone by granting them a wireless handheld mic.
But we also discovered that sometimes they would forget altogether to bring the mic along. And even if they did remember to grab it as they strolled away from the pulpit, they weren’t always great at remembering to hold it correctly and keep it in proximity to their mouths. Our predecessors thought, “Gee, why don’t we find some way to attach the microphone directly to the person speaking so they won’t forget it when they start strolling around?” Lavalier mics were one answer, and headset mics were another. Both are still very much in use, and both help us to ensure that we can continue to capture the voice of the wandering speaker.
Lavalier mics are wonderful and used extensively, particularly in broadcast, film, and television. One shortcoming they exhibit is that they do not ensure that the microphone capsule remains in precise, consistent proximity to the speaker’s mouth. If we deploy a lavalier mic, the distance between the mouth and the mic capsule is increased if the speaker turns his or her head to either side. And as we know, the pickup pattern of a directional microphone varies across the frequency spectrum, and the turning of one’s head left or right can diminish the microphone’s capacity to capture higher frequencies in particular — frequencies that are important for intelligibility.
For these reasons, it makes sense to consider the use of a headset mic, which, if used correctly, will indeed help ensure that the microphone’s capsule will remain in a consistent orientation and at a consistent distance from the speaker’s mouth. This enables us to present a solid, consistent representation of that voice through front of house, via streaming or broadcast, and in our recordings as well.
Survival of the Slimmest
The early days of headset microphones were not pretty. Among the first headset mics we saw were the ones worn by sportscasters on television. Big, ugly ones. Not only were the headphones to which they were attached as big as coffee mugs, but the mic capsule itself was as big as a golf ball, and enshrouded in a black foam windscreen that completely obscured the announcer’s mouth. They had to have weighed ten pounds and could probably be considered a torture device by the tenets of the Geneva Convention.
Fast forward to now: the physical structure that holds the mic in position is wispy and thin, nearly invisible. The mic capsule itself is now as tiny as a match head, and modern microphones are so lightweight as to be virtually unnoticeable by the wearer. They come in numerous colors to match the skin tone of the user. They have become virtually invisible to all but the front row of parishioners and those viewing closeups on video.
The conventional wisdom would be that we’ll want to get the mic capsule in very close proximity to the mouth, but this is not always the case. It is desirable, but not a deal-breaker. Long boom microphones accomplish this goal, but there are also short boom mics that still get the capsule close enough to the mouth to get the job done. In fact, these can be preferable if a long boom mic is capturing plosives and harsh blasts of air across the capsule. Short boom mics can also be completely concealed — an attractive attribute in most cases.
Omni vs. Cardioid
Both cardioid and omnidirectional polar patterns are available in headset mics, and we need to decide which we’re going to use. In my experience, a major determining factor is our speaking person’s proximity to loudspeakers — gain before feedback is an issue. Of course, keeping our orator out of near proximity to loudspeakers is a primary method for maximizing GBF, but if that’s not easily accomplished, a cardioid capsule is probably the better way to go.
In smaller (and particularly portable) churches, the likelihood for a clergyperson to step in front of an FOH speaker-on-a-stick with their headset mic is greater than that in a larger church with flown speakers. It’s important to contend with this possibility. If we have the blessing of distance between speaker and loudspeaker, an omnidirectional capsule can deliver a smoother and more consistent signal by way of frequency response and allow us to move the capsule a bit further from the speaker’s mouth, creating opportunities to visually conceal the mic.
Include the User
When choosing a headset mic, it’s smart to work directly with the people who will be using it. If there a several people who will be using them, you’ll want to have a chat with all of them — and if budget permits, you could ensure that each has their own mic that works for them. If not, the users will need to agree on which one mic suits them all. Of course, our choice of mic (or mics) will take into consideration the polar pattern of the capsule, the length of the boom, and also the structure that will hold it where we need it. There are one-ear mics, two-ear mics, and variations of both. These are the things we’ll need to discuss with everyone who will be using a headset. Comfort is important — a speaker who is uncomfortable will exhibit that discomfort, and our goal should be to make the experience so comfortable that the user forgets they’re even wearing the thing. Another consideration is modularity. Some headset mics are literally one piece — capsule, boom, headgear, and cable. If one part fails, the entire unit must be replaced. Other mics are highly modular — each element replaceable — this is a desirable attribute.
It’s important to formally establish who is responsible for muting the mic — the user or the FOH mixer — we don’t want any embarrassing moments. When we help our user to don the mic, we’ll want to use the various mechanisms provided by the structure to maximize comfort and function. There are frequently features that help ensure that the mic’s cable runs straight down the back of the user, stayed by a strain relief that enables the user to turn their head without yanking on the cable. Tape may be necessary to help ensure that the capsule stays in the right spot as well. Planning, buy-in, and best use practices will help to ensure a great experience.
John McJunkin is an adjunct professor at Grand Canyon University
