Why Do Singers Touch the Mic with Their Lips?

There are different singing techniques, just as there are multiple microphones (ranging from voice-over mics to music mics). When performers place their mouths on the instrument, it often perplexes viewers. Why do singers touch the mic with their lips? You may have seen everyone from folk singers to hard rockers to thrash growlers use this method, which is sometimes called “eating the mic” or “kissing the mic” in a funny way. However, are they getting the best sound when their lips touch the best vocal microphone I reviewed in this article? Or is the microphone picking up unwanted sounds like breathing noises?

When performing, keep your mouth away from the microphone

Singers would push their lips on their microphones to create a sound that matched the volume of their bandmates when rock and roll bands first emerged in the 1960s. The equipment back then wasn’t advanced enough to give a singer the punch they required.

Five justifications for singers using the microphone

Sadly, singing had changed significantly from when you sang into your hairbrush in junior high. Different distances and angles from which to sign into the device yield results. One of these methods entails placing your lips on the microphone. The following are some benefits of this approach:

• Direct mouth-to-mic contact is used to amplify low notes and boost the volume of the singer’s voice (this is called the proximity effect).
• It comes in handy when there is a lot of stage noise, such as from loud instruments, singers, or even monitors. The vocalist’s voice needs to be kept separate from the other sounds if they can’t be diminished. To achieve this, sing as loudly as possible into the microphone to avoid your voice being drowned out.
• This positioning of their lips lessens distortion.
• When singing, vocalists must be conscious of the space between their mouths and the windscreen. You can keep a consistent distance between yourself and the microphone by kissing.
• If you’re singing a slower, more personal song, mic-kissing is a lovely technique for singing softly without sacrificing volume onstage or in the studio.

Seven reasons why you should avoid using the microphone

Others, on the other hand, question the value of mic-kissing. These are a few of their grievances:

1. When singing, it hides the performer’s face so neither the crowd nor photographers can easily see it.
2. The bass seems excessively boosted, and the sound is murky. The combination of this and less treble will make you challenging to comprehend.
3. The mic being eaten results in plosives. You may hear popping noises when you sing the harsh consonants P, T, K, B, D, and G. Additionally, your breathing becomes noticeable.
4. It’s unclean. This is disgusting if you share the equipment onstage with another artist.
5. If you utilize a cabled mic, it can be risky.
6. Reduced pronunciation, which makes it challenging to grasp the lyrics.
7. Your teeth might crack.

Some approaches are considered practical and correct regardless of whether musicians believe vocalists should put their mouths on the grille.

Final Reflections

Why do singers touch the mic with their lips? Why do vocalists use the microphone with their lips open? Some claim it improves their vocal technique, while others claim it detracts from it. If you choose to use this method, you must adhere to specific procedures to make your sound as listenable as feasible. Do you have any secondary gigs as a podcaster? You can use your stage or recording studio methods for podcasting. It’s simple to figure out how to attach numerous microphones to a computer for a superb sound when you have several hosts.

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