JBL EVOi.sys User Manual page 21

M I C R O P H O N E
Using The Microphone On Vocals
The human voice is the most expressive musical instrument
that exists. The EVO Handheld Dynamic Microphone helps
bring out all the nuances of the human voice, even when
acoustic conditions are less than ideal. Singing with a micro-
phone, however, requires a certain discipline and practice.
Study the following hints so you can make full use of your
microphone's sound potential.
Proximity Effect
This phenomenon is common to all dynamic unidirectional
microphones and occurs when the microphone is used close to
the sound source. It boosts the low frequencies and may, if
uncontrolled and at great loudness, render the words of a song
unintelligible. Yet, you may also want to utilize the proximity
effect to give more body and an intimate sound to your voice.
Basically, the closer your lips are to the microphone, the bigger
and mellower your voice will sound, while a longer working
distance will produce a colder, harder, more distant sound. Use
this effect to make your voice sound aggressive, neutral, insinu-
ating, etc., just as the music requires, simply by changing the
working distance.
Proper Placement
Don't sing directly into any microphone! If you do, it will not
only pick up excessive breath noise but also cause sibilance.
Try singing to one side of the microphone or over the micro-
phone head. The result will be a well-balanced, natural sound.
Figure 3. Singing over the top of the microphone.
O P E R A T I O N
Controlling Feedback
A sound reinforcement system that spontaneously starts to
howl and scream is dreaded by musicians and audiences alike.
This phenomenon, known as feedback, occurs when part of
the sound radiated by a loudspeaker is picked up by a micro-
phone, amplified, and fed back into the loudspeaker. Above a
certain volume setting (i.e., feedback threshold), it seems the
signal runs in circles as the system starts to howl and can only
be brought under control again by turning down the volume.
Even though EVOi.sys has its own suppression capabilities to
counteract the onset of feedback, the EVO Handheld
Dynamic Microphone has a super cardioid polar response to
help suppress feedback as well. This means that it is most sensi-
tive to sound (e. g., the voice) arriving from the front and is less
sensitive to sound coming from the sides and the rear (e. g.,
monitor speakers), as shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4. The EVO Handheld Dynamic Microphone helps to suppress
sound arriving from the rear and sides.
The greatest feedback suppression is achieved by placing the
main speakers in front of the microphones (i.e., at the front
edge and to the sides of the stage). When singing behind these
speakers, you will inevitably hear your voice softer than it is
actually being reproduced. This is why many singers end up
"devouring" their microphones. Using monitor speakers solves
this problem, but at the expense of an increased risk of feed-
back. Therefore, you should never point your microphones
directly toward the monitor speakers.
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