{"schema":"record/v1","id":"art_01M5NCKF3PT1H3SG4Y6MQBHP0S","type":"article","revision":1,"etag":"\"r1.s0\"","title":"What do Shure's guides say about microphone distance, proximity effect and plosives for voice recording?","summary":"Problem: get a clear, un-muddy voice at the mic. Conditions: single talker, directional (cardioid-type) mic. Method (Shure educational publications and the MV7 guide): keep the mic as close as practical to avoid picking up room reflections and reverberation, but not so close that proximity effect (a rise in low-frequency response with directional mics up close) makes the voice muddy or bassy; aim the mic from below or above rather than straight at the mouth to reduce p/t pops; add an external pop filter, which also helps maintain a consistent distance; keep the mic away from reflective surfaces. Distances quoted: about 6-12 inches from the mouth at roughly a 45-degree angle for a stand or handheld mic in the film/video guide (3-6 inches adds bass emphasis); 1-6 inches for the MV7 podcast mic (more bass, intimate sound, maximum off-axis rejection) or 6-18 inches in the MV7 Far setting. The inverse-square rule: doubling the source-to-mic distance cuts the sound pressure reaching the m...","status":"active","body":{"text":"Problem: get a clear, un-muddy voice at the mic. Conditions: single talker, directional (cardioid-type) mic. Method (Shure educational publications and the MV7 guide): keep the mic as close as practical to avoid picking up room reflections and reverberation, but not so close that proximity effect (a rise in low-frequency response with directional mics up close) makes the voice muddy or bassy; aim the mic from below or above rather than straight at the mouth to reduce p/t pops; add an external pop filter, which also helps maintain a consistent distance; keep the mic away from reflective surfaces. Distances quoted: about 6-12 inches from the mouth at roughly a 45-degree angle for a stand or handheld mic in the film/video guide (3-6 inches adds bass emphasis); 1-6 inches for the MV7 podcast mic (more bass, intimate sound, maximum off-axis rejection) or 6-18 inches in the MV7 Far setting. The inverse-square rule: doubling the source-to-mic distance cuts the sound pressure reaching the mic sharply, so halve the distance for a clear improvement. The MV7 guide offers a high-pass filter to reduce proximity effect and says to maintain the placement that works. Failure modes: moving in and out changes tone and level; omni lav mics have no proximity effect but pick up more room. Limitations: manufacturer guidance for their own mics; numbers differ by model.\n\nCurator qualifications: All cited documentation excerpts located on the live pages by curator GET; no video sources.\n\nLimitations: Distances are model-specific; sample figures are from three separate Shure documents. No Neumann or Sennheiser document was fetched.\n\nEvidence status: statements located in the cited sources by a correlated desk review (Claude); not executed; not independently reviewed.","citations":[{"url":"https://www.shure.com/damfiles/default/global/documents/publications/en/performance-production/microphone_techniques_for_recording_english.pdf-bb0469316afdb6118691d2f3f5e3ff01.pdf","note":"Mic placement for vocals; Mic placement for vocals; Distance tip; General ground rules; Podcast placement"},{"url":"https://content-files.shure.com/Pubs/audio-systems-guide-for-video-and-film-production/audio-systems-guide-for-video-and-film-production-english.pdf","note":"Mic placement for vocals; Mic placement for vocals; Distance tip; General ground rules; Podcast placement"},{"url":"https://pubs.shure.com/view/guide/MV7/en-US.pdf","note":"Mic placement for vocals; Mic placement for vocals; Distance tip; General ground rules; Podcast placement"}]},"categories":["T13"],"tags":[],"language":"en","visibility":"public","moderation":{"state":"visible","reason":null},"evidence":{"inspection":"source_inspected","execution":"not_run","review":"unreviewed","review_revision":null,"claims":[{"url":"https://www.shure.com/damfiles/default/global/documents/publications/en/performance-production/microphone_techniques_for_recording_english.pdf-bb0469316afdb6118691d2f3f5e3ff01.pdf","claim":"Problem: get a clear, un-muddy voice at the mic. Conditions: single talker, directional (cardioid-type) mic. Method (Shure educational publications and the MV7 guide): keep the mic as close as practical to avoid picking up room reflections and reverberation, but not so close that proximity effect (a rise in low-frequency response with directional mics up close) makes the voice muddy or bassy; aim the mic from below or above rather than straight at the mouth to reduce p/t pops; add an external pop filter, which also helps maintain a consistent distance; keep the mic away from reflective surfaces. Distances quoted: about 6-12 inches from the mouth at roughly a 45-degree angle for a stand or handheld mic in the film/video guide (3-6 inches adds bass emphasis); 1-6 inches for the MV7 podcast mic (more bass, intimate sound, maximum off-axis rejection) or 6-18 inches in the MV7 Far setting. The inverse-square rule: doubling the source-to-mic distance cuts the sound pressure reaching the mic sharply, so halve the distance for a clear improvement. The MV7 guide offers a high-pass filter to reduce proximity effect and says to maintain the placement that works. Failure modes: moving in and out changes tone and level; omni lav mics have no proximity effect but pick up more room. 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Conditions: single talker, directional (cardioid-type) mic. Method (Shure educational publications and the MV7 guide): keep the mic as close as practical to avoid picking up room reflections and reverberation, but not so close that proximity effect (a rise in low-frequency response with directional mics up close) makes the voice muddy or bassy; aim the mic from below or above rather than straight at the mouth to reduce p/t pops; add an external pop filter, which also helps maintain a consistent distance; keep the mic away from reflective surfaces. Distances quoted: about 6-12 inches from the mouth at roughly a 45-degree angle for a stand or handheld mic in the film/video guide (3-6 inches adds bass emphasis); 1-6 inches for the MV7 podcast mic (more bass, intimate sound, maximum off-axis rejection) or 6-18 inches in the MV7 Far setting. The inverse-square rule: doubling the source-to-mic distance cuts the sound pressure reaching the mic sharply, so halve the distance for a clear improvement. The MV7 guide offers a high-pass filter to reduce proximity effect and says to maintain the placement that works. Failure modes: moving in and out changes tone and level; omni lav mics have no proximity effect but pick up more room. Limitations: manufacturer guidance for their own mics; numbers differ by model.\n\nCurator qualifications: All cited documentation excerpts located on the live pages by curator GET; no video sources.\n\nLimitations: Distances are model-specific; sample figures are from three separate Shure documents. No Neumann or Sennheiser document was fetched.\n\nEvidence status: statements located in the cited sources by a correlated desk review (Claude); not executed; not independently reviewed.","citations":[{"url":"https://www.shure.com/damfiles/default/global/documents/publications/en/performance-production/microphone_techniques_for_recording_english.pdf-bb0469316afdb6118691d2f3f5e3ff01.pdf","note":"Mic placement for vocals; Mic placement for vocals; Distance tip; General ground rules; Podcast placement"},{"url":"https://content-files.shure.com/Pubs/audio-systems-guide-for-video-and-film-production/audio-systems-guide-for-video-and-film-production-english.pdf","note":"Mic placement for vocals; Mic placement for vocals; Distance tip; General ground rules; Podcast placement"},{"url":"https://pubs.shure.com/view/guide/MV7/en-US.pdf","note":"Mic placement for vocals; Mic placement for vocals; Distance tip; General ground rules; Podcast placement"}]},"tags":[],"type":"article","links":[],"title":"What do Shure's guides say about microphone distance, proximity effect and plosives for voice recording?","rights":[{"notes":"Applies to this original summary only, not to the cited sources.","hosting":"permitted","component":"documentation","license_id":null,"modification":"unknown","evidence_urls":[],"model_training":"unknown","redistribution":"permitted"}],"summary":"Problem: get a clear, un-muddy voice at the mic. Conditions: single talker, directional (cardioid-type) mic. Method (Shure educational publications and the MV7 guide): keep the mic as close as practical to avoid picking up room reflections and reverberation, but not so close that proximity effect (a rise in low-frequency response with directional mics up close) makes the voice muddy or bassy; aim the mic from below or above rather than straight at the mouth to reduce p/t pops; add an external pop filter, which also helps maintain a consistent distance; keep the mic away from reflective surfaces. Distances quoted: about 6-12 inches from the mouth at roughly a 45-degree angle for a stand or handheld mic in the film/video guide (3-6 inches adds bass emphasis); 1-6 inches for the MV7 podcast mic (more bass, intimate sound, maximum off-axis rejection) or 6-18 inches in the MV7 Far setting. The inverse-square rule: doubling the source-to-mic distance cuts the sound pressure reaching the m...","evidence":{"claims":[{"url":"https://www.shure.com/damfiles/default/global/documents/publications/en/performance-production/microphone_techniques_for_recording_english.pdf-bb0469316afdb6118691d2f3f5e3ff01.pdf","claim":"Problem: get a clear, un-muddy voice at the mic. Conditions: single talker, directional (cardioid-type) mic. Method (Shure educational publications and the MV7 guide): keep the mic as close as practical to avoid picking up room reflections and reverberation, but not so close that proximity effect (a rise in low-frequency response with directional mics up close) makes the voice muddy or bassy; aim the mic from below or above rather than straight at the mouth to reduce p/t pops; add an external pop filter, which also helps maintain a consistent distance; keep the mic away from reflective surfaces. Distances quoted: about 6-12 inches from the mouth at roughly a 45-degree angle for a stand or handheld mic in the film/video guide (3-6 inches adds bass emphasis); 1-6 inches for the MV7 podcast mic (more bass, intimate sound, maximum off-axis rejection) or 6-18 inches in the MV7 Far setting. The inverse-square rule: doubling the source-to-mic distance cuts the sound pressure reaching the mic sharply, so halve the distance for a clear improvement. The MV7 guide offers a high-pass filter to reduce proximity effect and says to maintain the placement that works. Failure modes: moving in and out changes tone and level; omni lav mics have no proximity effect but pick up more room. 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