Wedding Speech EQ

[Ryan.]

Anything I should know?

 

Picked up a wireless mic from Abzurd, and I'll be using it next month. Damn time flies.

 

When its just going around the room for speeches, should I just roll off the low end to prevent booms?

[Imwithpepe]

Just ring out the room based on that mic traveling around to various positions. Do everything in your power to make it feed back so you can find the trouble spots and eq accordingly. Don't want any awkward rings during important speeches/toasts.

[mkfs9]

Try to place speakers away from the top table where most people will be speaking from will help.

[Unalaska]

Speakers on sticks ever 30ft with the horn about 8ft up works very well. If the low end is boomy then roll some off, use the HPF on the channel too.It doesn't take much eq though, flat is best.

[agedhorse]

eq as needed.

[dboomer]

I would certainly use a high pass filter on the mic channel. Here would be a great place to insert a Exciter.

[agedhorse]

 

I would certainly use a high pass filter on the mic channel. Here would be a great place to insert a Exciter.

 

 

Or a feedback destroyer or auto eq.

[Shaster]

During set-up, using EQ and proper speaker placement.... get the mic as hot as you possibly can - stupid loud. Then note that level. Turn it down to sane levels but be prepared to turn it up to your "marked" level when Aunt Grizelda gets up to speak.

 

I've also found that having a talk with the main MC about speaking close to the mic sometimes helps. Many people have never spoken into a mic before, and they will often imitate the person speaking before them.

 

If Mr./Ms. MC is miles away from the mic, that's often the tack the next guest will take.

 

And if they're anywhere near your monitors take them out. Nothing shuts a guest up better than the illusion they are loud enough - because THEY can hear themselves in the monitors.

[jgthatsme]

I generally keep things flat and engage the high-pass filter on the board. Really, nothing very special as far as EQ is concerned. There are other things that concern me much more than EQ. First, I ask them to avoid stepping in front of a speaker or pointing the mic in the direction of a speaker, but I prepare for it just in case they do. Second, I use compression on the channel (maybe I should use a limiter) because some of the younger generation sometimes think they're a rapper or a human beat box and suddenly start doing their thing right in the middle of a speach, much to my dismay.

[Shaster]

 

First, I ask them to avoid stepping in front of a speaker or pointing the mic in the direction of a speaker, but I prepare for it just in case they do. Second, I use compression on the channel (maybe I should use a limiter) because some of the younger generation sometimes think they're a rapper or a human beat box and suddenly start doing their thing right in the middle of a speach, much to my dismay.

 

 

Good points which reminds me of another audience related point.

 

About a year ago I did a wedding for a younger couple (but mixed crowd) that wanted a Soul/Classic Rock band. However in the breaks they wanted to play their own music - rap....

 

They handed me an iPod, I patched it in, and set up a resonable level for the roughly 20 (out of 150) people that were dancing.

 

I want to the can, and when I returned somebody had "pumped up the jam". I wasn't happy and neither was my gear.

 

So... watch those civilians:cop:

[jgthatsme]

I dread when someone walks up to me with an iPod and says "the bride said to play songs 1 through 10...." Musical preferences aside, almost every time the music is not balanced so one loud song is followed by something at half the volume and that's followed by something twice the volume as the first song. I try to get any requests up-front and I make sure I balance it.

[abzurd]

High pass if you can (130 Hz if it's a variable filter)

 

General statements, but experiment before hand with this: If boomy cut around 225 or so and 400. This will also reduce handling noise and give it a brighter sound. Avoid trying to get a brighter sound by boosting 2K-4K as you'll likely hit feedback sooner.

 

At the gig don't crank the channel trim. Instead set it for a nice loud talker who gets up on the microphone. Then keep your finger on the channel fader. This will hopefully allow you to not go into clipping when Mr Loud Guy yells into the mic at the end of his speech and you can ride the fader higher when Aunt Mealy Mouth mumbles her congratulations with the microphone at her waist. ......And be prepared for people yelling "we can't hear you" and then giving you the evil eye as if the magic microphone should work at belly button level.

 

Actually, on that note, if you have the time before hand to instruct, I'll find out who will be speaking ahead of time, take 30 seconds and show them how to hold the microphone and where to hold it in relationship to their mouths. Also, tell them to not walk in front of the speakers. If possible get the microphone on a stand and make them come up to it. Adjust it accordingly. This gives you the best chance of success, but is often hard to do as people want to give speeches at their table and pass the microphone around. Oh, and they'll all either turn it off or attempt to after their done (and try to turn it on when they start) so look for that.

[fireax]

Put a 7 second delay on it.

So when the mic is passed to the groom's Grandma, you and hit the dump button when she says..."I always thought the bride was a wh*re"

 

BTW. You didn't say if your band was playing the wedding, but in my gigging days, we did a lot of weddings, and the number one requested song.....White Wedding. Billy Idol.

Man! That was such a fun song to play.

[hemismith]

I often run a stereo mix so I can turn down just the speaker they walk in front of without losing them completely.

[heath_eld]

i generally find a bit of low end roll off is good.

 

Be on the gain pot because most users, no matter if you tell them, will hold it away from their mouths and not talk into it...

 

Be on it over the speakers too.. did a gig last week, guy showed up with a crappy radio mic and insisted on plugging it in, then just kept walking back and forward in front of the speakers. After insisting that it be up loud!