How to Use a Microphone to Record Speech

Series Summary

Hip-hop culture is based mainly on music and dance. Hip-hop has developed new styles and specific moves and techniques, but the cornerstone of the style is undoubtedly break dancing. Over time, that so-called old school way of dancing and participating in hip-hop culture has evolved into many different off-shoots. Funk dancing, popping and locking, jigging, freaking, krump and hyphy are examples of types of hip-hop dance. Each style contains certain moves that distinguish it from other forms. Hip-hop is also a form of music heavily based on spoken-word poetry and rap. In this free video series on rap and hip-hop culture, Christian recording artist R.O.C. offers insight from his decade-long career to help newcomers start a record label, soundproof a room for a home studio, record lyrics on current equipment and more. Besides recording music, R.O.C. also teaches many ways to fold a bandanna for the authentic hip-hop look. He offers styles for armbands and skull caps and shows folding techniques to store a bandanna in the back pocket for maximum exposure.

Video Transcript

"First we are going to talk about is my weapon of choice, this right here microphone. A microphone can be used for many things, for miking up your band, miking up your singers, miking up your instruments, you know I got a mic on right now. But today I'll be showing you how to hold the mic to record your speech, to get your vocal on. So that's what we are going to be talking about first of all. Let me tell you what not to do when it comes to this mic and your recording speech. You know especially rappers they have a tendency to hold the mic like this. Which is not a good thing when you are recording because you get a muffled and distorted sound. So the first thing you want to do is make sure you got the mic not covered and so that you get a full clear sound. You want to hold it not too far away so you don't sound all echoed out and hollowed, and you don't want to hold it up too close so that you sound muffled and distorted. You want to keep it nice and a little distant right in front of you, so that you get a full clear sound. Second thing you want to do is make sure that your board or eight track whatever you may be recording into is a set fine tuned properly and most important, make sure you got the mic on, or you won't be getting a thing. Keep it that a nice distance, I say about an inch or two away from the mouth, sometimes you may have to project your voice out. And you want to hold it at an angle so that you reach your soft spot. Everybody has a soft spot, if you hold it down here, and you talk into it, you won't get that clarity. If you hold it over here, or over here, so you want to make sure you got it at a distance and you are talking right into it and that's how you get a good sound on the mic."