"Hold it like a pencil, adjacent to your jowl
Pointing at your mouth hole, then speak to the crowd"
When I sing or speak into a mic, I hold it to one side, angled toward the middle of my mouth . Why? Three reasons:
1) The audience can see my mouth
2) It's good volume, tone and balance of nose in the sound, (avoiding the slightly blocked-nose-sound you get when there's not enough Ms, Ns and NGs)
3) It avoids mic pops. Those puffs of air from the plosive consonants that make ugly bangs when they hit the mic: Not just Ps and Bs: Try saying, "people who chew through tofu cookbooks" onto your hand: Those pops project forward, but then say, "cheeky tee hee": They go downward, due the tongue shape of the "ee" sound... cheeky tea flows down your chin! So, the only way to avoid them is to go sideways.
Of course, if it's a super loud gig where feedback is a problem, then eating the mic is the go, but otherwise, it's not ideal.
Getting experienced singers (and speakers) to try side-mic can be a challenge, as we're all obsessed with symmetricality. But several renowned audio engineer that I know have confirmed that most people don't sing symmetrically anyway. And if you play an asymmetrical instrument (like guitar, bass, drum kit, accordian, hurdy gurdy, etc), it's not going to seem strange to the audience: Most piano players mic the voice from the side anyway. And if you're holding the mic in one hand, as most singers do (well, except Chrissy Amphlett), it's more comfy to have it to one side, particularly with a pencil grip. I suggest holding it in your non-dominant hand, so you can gesticulate with the strong hand (or even write, if it's that kind of presentation!
What's more, when you sing louder, try moving the mic around your face a little rather than away: This means the warmth (low frequencies) aren't lost as you get louder. This is easy if the mic is on a stand... just turn your head away from the mic.
People often complain that they sound weird through a mic and this is mostly because you naturally hear yourself through your head (via the estacean tubes, etc.), so the nasal component of your voice is an important part of you sounding like yourself. I use to call holding the mic to one side "The Cindy Crawford Mole Position", aiming it more toward my nose, but I realised that I was over doing it, trying to recreate the sound of my voice inside my head, rather how everyone else (outside my head) hears my voice.
So, give it a go! Get sideways! Live on the edge!
Challenge convention... just because people have been putting mics in front of their mouth for as long as mics have been around, doesn't mean it's the best thing to do.
Here we see renowned Auckland vocalist (and teacher of many) Caitlin Smith having only recently learnt the joy of the side mic.
