Singing Bassist that have to share a mic...

TraceOnBass · #1 11-10-2011, 06:17 AM

Don't know how some of you guys do it...
Take the stage using the house mic after you just watched someone else slober and spit all over the thing.

Can I get a check cleaning first?? lol

Anyone want to share what they do in this situation?

fhm555 · #2 11-10-2011, 06:32 AM

Have your own mic maybe??

Years ago I was in a local music store and this lady brought in a mic (SM58) she said had quit putting out much and was wondering if it was worth fixing. The counter guy spun the ball off it and the thing was clogged to heck and gone with bright red lipstick. The lady identified it as the shade she wore on stage and apparently she took the phrase "eat the mic" literally. Anywho, after a good cleaning the mic worked fine.

I don't sing, but after seeing that, if I did I'd never go anywhere without my own mic.

DWBass · #3 11-10-2011, 06:38 AM

Bring your own mic or place a wind screen on it.

mwbassace · #4 11-10-2011, 06:45 AM

I use a windscreen for just this reason. Also helps with getting shocked by the mic.

TraceOnBass · #5 11-10-2011, 06:51 AM

I can't count the number of new local bands I see who don't own mic's and have to use "house" mic's.

dougjwray · #6 11-10-2011, 07:00 AM

Come on, you guys...
Singing on a "microphone that smells like a beer" (as Billy Joel put it) is a rite of passage!

mellowinman · #7 11-10-2011, 10:37 AM

Sharing mics is bad business.

Bad business all around.

bassdog · #8 11-10-2011, 11:48 AM

I always carry a wind screen and my own professional mike (Shure SM-58) and use it when possible. Wind screen cleans with soap and water.

bassbrad · #9 11-10-2011, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dougjwray

Come on, you guys...
Singing on a "microphone that smells like a beer" (as Billy Joel put it) is a rite of passage!

Beer would be a good smell, communal mics usually smell like butt or other less savory parts.

I never share my vocal mic, even with my wife.
All the mics that I have for the PA or studio get a wind screen or I wash the balls.

ShredderMaximus · #10 11-10-2011, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassbrad

Beer would be a good smell, communal mics usually smell like butt or other less savory parts.

I never share my vocal mic, even with my wife.
All the mics that I have for the PA or studio get a wind screen or I wash the balls.

Sorry, had to do it.

Roscoe East · #11 11-10-2011, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DWBass

Bring your own mic or place a wind screen on it.

^^^This

I knew a singer who used to bring a can of Lysol spray disinfectant with him to gigs; unscrew the metal mesh windscreen ball from the house SM58 and give it a thorough hosing. That's a bit OCD, but I'd sure as hell rather smell Lysol when I leaned in for a "yeah yeah yeah!" than week-old tacos.

Clammy · #12 11-10-2011, 02:24 PM

Just don't touch your lips (or other body parts) to the mic, and all is good!

Cheers!

Baron Von Vik · #13 11-10-2011, 02:28 PM

My Radio Shack microphone has but one man's funk upon it; and that funk is mine.

shadowmac · #14 11-10-2011, 02:35 PM

+1 I actually use a wireless headset for the sake of mobility - I do a substantial amount of lead and backing vox and I don't want to be stuck "behind" a mic..

Quote:

Originally Posted by DWBass

Bring your own mic or place a wind screen on it.

AdamR · #15 11-10-2011, 04:56 PM

I all ways bring my own mics, a 57 for micing my cabinet and 58 for my vocals. They are $100ea from MF with a stand and cord.

Floyd Eye · #16 11-10-2011, 09:24 PM

I don't even share mics with my band mates. Especially my guitar player. Our mics are identical, except for the small dent I put in the grill so I would always know which one was mine.

soulman969 · #17 11-14-2011, 12:01 AM

Never had a problem with it. Most house mics are SM58's and I never liked them. We used Audio Technica's ATM's in our band and we each had our own mics. I always had a spare with me and used it when I jammed or sat in.

4Mal · #18 11-14-2011, 12:11 AM

For the most part, ball mic wind screens sound like crap to me. They seem to just kill the high end. So mostly I carry my own mic body (either a 421 or an OM-5). Occaisionally I'll use the house mic and just back off a bit ...

Roscoe East · #19 11-14-2011, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clammy

Just don't touch your lips (or other body parts) to the mic, and all is good!

So apparently your sense of smell is non-functioning?

Corey Y · #20 11-14-2011, 01:51 PM

A lot of people have their own mic and I've yet to meet a sound guy who threw up a stink about someone wanting to use their own. The last gig I played I was just doing backups and I just didn't get close up on the mic (and as a matter of fact, I do not have a sense of smell, actually). When I was touring doing lead vocals I brought my own. If I was gigging regularly I would probably still do that. It's about time for a new gig mic though, my old ones are probably worse than the house mics at this point.