To mic or not to mic

One time I was browsing an online forum, and there was one topic that really made me DUH! The one who started the thread was talking about NOT using microphones during community gatherings. He said the community doesn’t need to hear every breath of the speaker coming from the mic, as well as the singers who are most often out-of-tune. He was almost saying that microphones should be banned from gatherings. Whaaat?! Naturally, the post got more thumbs down than yes-es.

For me, his suggestion was like going back to primitive times. Maybe if his community was using a better-sounding mic, like the Audio-Technica pro49ql, or if their sound system was carefully mixed, then he wouldn’t be complaining about it. Just imagine having no mic during meetings! Even our parish organized a fund-raising event to purchase a new and better sound system for our church.

We know it takes a LOT of effort to make your voice heard especially with a big audience. Try talking to a large audience and see if you don’t get strained vocal chords. If it’s just an intimate gathering of 10 persons then maybe a no-mic scenario is reasonable. DUH indeed.