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If you plan on using a mic stand on stage, then it pays to know the best way on setting it up. At a basic level, ensuring that you have the best mic stand setup can prevent you from garnering any mistakes and accidents while in the middle of a performance or recording.
In this article, we will teach you how to properly set up your mic stand, may it be on stage or at a home recording studio, where to place your microphone stand, and answer a few other related questions on the matter.
Basic Microphone Stand Setup
Before setting up your microphone stand, you first need to know the basic setup you will need so you can have all items complete.
For the microphone stand itself, the basic ones to choose from are the straight microphone, or vertical stand, or a microphone boom arm. The former isn’t very flexible but if you don’t plan on making much movements or would want your microphone to be attached to a solid and stable base, then straight mic stands are your best bet. The latter will give you more flexibility as a boom arm or a boom stand is attached to the vertical stand but allows for movement. If you plan on using a mic boom, then you will need a microphone clip to help attach the mic to the top of the boom arm.
Regardless of which stand you will go for, make sure its base has rubber feet. A microphone stand with rubber feet helps in reducing vibrations that may come through the floor or be picked up elsewhere. Speaking of reducing other sound pickups, using a shock mount is also highly recommended. The best microphones usually come with a shock mount, but should your model not have one yet, then you can easily purchase one. The shock mount will not only help in reducing vibrations and low-frequency thumps, but it helps with also securely attaching your mic to the stand.
Lastly, having a pop filter or a pop shield can help in both attaching your mic to a stand and preventing plosives from getting picked up in your sound recording. If you plan on recording vocals or using your mic in a lot of speaking applications, we suggest you go invest in a pop filter.
How Do You Position a Microphone on a Stand?
When nailing down the best position for a microphone, you will need to consider the recording application you intend to use it for. The best microphone positions for gaming and streaming are different, and we can explain why that is here.
For purposes of this article though, the general position you should place your microphone on a stand is a measure of 5-10 cm to one side and maintain the same height and direction. A horizontal angle of 15 degrees with ample space directly in front of your mouth or sound source should be good.
When using a boom mic arm, then you would like to position the microphone on either side of your computer desk. This ensures that your view will not be obstructed but also give you more options on how to maximize space on your computer desk and provide a reasonable distance between you and the mic.
In case you want more tips on how to properly position a microphone on a boom stand than what the video above teaches, then you can check out our complete guide on the best mic placements — which can be applied in various recording settings such as home studio or on stage.
How Do You Set Up a Microphone Holder?
When setting up a microphone holder, you will need a mechanical adapter so your mic can properly attach itself to it and the stand. This mechanical adapter will be the physical piece that will hold the microphone and properly attach it to the microphone stand thus, connecting the two.
As mentioned a while ago, two of the things you will need are the microphone clip and a shock mount. These are two essential pieces that will help you set up a microphone holder and a microphone stand.
Both these pieces will be attached to the stand via threading. The way it works is the mic clip or shock mount will be threaded into the stand and allow the mic to slide into the holder.
Microphone clips are the most common type of microphone holder housing pieces. The mic clips will screw onto the microphone stand using a thread to help hold the mic. The standard mic clip is slightly flexible and can roughly hold 1 ¼” or ¼”.
In professional or home recording studio settings, a shock mount is often seen and used. This piece of the item will help mount the microphone to a stand while reducing the amount of “shock” or mechanically transmitted noise that may be picked up from the whole recording setup.
An optional but recommended mounting piece is a pop filter. The circular shield and material that is used in creating a pop filter will help in easily attaching itself to the stand and for the mic to clamp onto. The pop filter is also handy in achieving a clean sound recording. If you want your recording to be free from plosives, air sounds, and hisses, then a pop filter is your go-to piece!
With all these pieces down, you can now set up your holders depending on the mic setup you’re using.
Where Do You Put a Microphone Stand on Stage?
The mic stand setup on stage is a bit different than in bedroom and home recording studio settings. Stage setup requires more options and will consider a lot more elements as you may dealing with instruments, multiple sound sources, and crowd noise.
For this, the placement and positioning of the stand setup is important. You will want to place the right amount of distance from the mic to the sound source. In most cases, the mic will have to be as close to the sound source as possible since the further it is away from the source, the more background noise it can pick up.
You will also want to want to keep stands away from where most of the wirings are as you wouldn’t want them to get tangled up. For safety reasons as well, this can help prevent mishaps such as trips, falls, and static shock should there be faulty wiring.
Where Do You Put a Boom Mic Stand?
Once the vertical section is set up, position the boom direct above one of its stand legs. Since a boom should be able to extend itself, worries about the mic tipping over will not be an issue.
Place the stand beside the sound source or person, and extend the arm with the mic as close to the sound as possible with at least 3 to 4 inches distance away from the mouth.
Final Note
Setting up microphone stands is a simple process. As simple as they may be, they can also influence the performance and sound recording output later on.
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