# Proper way to secure cheek mic to actors face



## techfreek

Hello,

My high school is currently working on our spring musical, Little Shop of Horrors, and we have run into a problem we have faced many times before. Like many years before, we are using cheek mics. We have been using a combination of bobby pins and clear medical tape to secure them, but still year after year on many different actors the become unattached and get loose. We are trying to figure out before hand how we can prevent the mics from detaching themselves from the actors face. If you could either post what you use or say the process that would be awesome!


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## Morpheus

please elaborate on cheek mic... i have a few tips/ideas, but i need to know what you're working with.


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## techfreek

I apologize. This is the style of mic I am referring to.


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## bishopthomas

This would be a headset mic. You're having problems with the mic falling off the actors, right, not the cables disconnecting? I'm sure you will get a lot more (and better) answers but from my comparably amateur theatre experience: Strain relief is key. Even if the mic is perfectly positioned and sized (you know that the ear piece par is typically adjustable, right?) you'll still want to tape the cable at the back of the neck.


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## Morpheus

bishopthomas said:


> This would be a headset mic. You're having problems with the mic falling off the actors, right, not the cables disconnecting? I'm sure you will get a lot more (and better) answers but from my comparably amateur theatre experience: Strain relief is key. Even if the mic is perfectly positioned and sized (you know that the ear piece par is typically adjustable, right?) you'll still want to tape the cable at the back of the neck.


 
Yes, for that style, it's all about securing to the ear. Typically, you can flex the rigid part enough to compress onto the ear (just don't bend it too hard!)
although, if there is a lot of movement, you could try adding thin-gauge potting wire to help hold the mic on, this is what I've done with regular lavaliere style mic elements.


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## wolf825

A little toupee tape (Pro stick or topstick or similar etc) under the wire and then topped with some basic transpore goes a long way to securing mic's around/behind ears and holding in place, in spite of the heavy sweat and body oils typical behind the ear there. Use that as a backup plan if you cannot secure the wire enough--a few times I"ve had to do this on some actors with headset style mic's that just couldn't 'fit' right & snug enough or they were in fight scenes that tossed them all over. When applying use an alcohol swab to clean and dry the area thoroughly--then apply the tape and mic and transpore topping. I use the transpore topping over the toupee tape "sandwiching" the wire because it is very sticky a double sided tape and you don't want hair or other things getting stuck to it. You do not need a thick strip of tape for either--just a ribbon cut will do as the toupee tape does most of the work. That is my method--other folks methods may vary. But also as has been said--strain relief done properly and secured at the back of the neck is most likely the big issue for why they have been flying around, as the wire on its own is adjustable around the ear on these mics which SHOULD be about all you really need to do on these. For the wire--You have to have the actor turn their head the entire direction opposite the mic side is placed on for full extension before you secure it at the center/ base of the neck and or by the hairline--again toupee tape works great or transpore does just fine too...and if you are using or relying upon clothing clips for the cables--get rid of them they do not serve much use in this application. 

Again that is how I do it...not the only way to do it--just my way...



-w


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## zuixro

I was on mics for a production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" last year. Someone had already shaped each mic for each actor.

What I did was loop the mic over the ear, tape the wire right at the jaw line. I had the actor turned his/her head all the way to the left, then tape the wire to the back of the neck. It left plenty of slack without having a huge loop. If the actor felt like they needed it, I would put a piece right in front of the ear to keep it from coming off. It worked really well. We used Bandaid tape (either clear or flesh toned). We used alcohol swabs to clean the area if makeup hadn't left a spot for it. The actor also went back to have the makeup touched up afterward.


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## Van

So I'm gathering from what you guys have posted that simply stapling the thing in place is frowned on ?


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## zuixro

Staple guns: because duct tape can't make that 'kaCHUNK' noise.


Thank you XKCD.


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## jkowtko

Above all else, know that earclip mics are NOT the best type of mic to use for theatrical purposes.

People use them because they want to put the element close to the mouth, but if you get the single-ear model as shown above, they invariably flop around with the vigorous movement of the actor.

Our best mountings of the earclip mic have been taped. Looks terrible, not really any way around it. Best example I've seen is to use thin strips maybe 1/4" wide and 3/4" long and place one vertically over the boom about 2/3 of the way out to the element. Then cover with makeup as best you can. Actor's will probably sweat through this, so use a couple and change them during intermission. keep the strips thin and small so they don't look so noticable when they peel off the face.

If you don't mind switching mics but still want the boom, then find a dual-ear headset mic ... it should not flop around. Examples are Microphone Madness' dual-ear mic, and the DPA 4066.

And if you want to do this "correctly", use loose cord mics and mount them theatrically (other threads cover this).


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## MisterTim

jkowtko said:


> Above all else, know that earclip mics are NOT the best type of mic to use for theatrical purposes.
> 
> People use them because they want to put the element close to the mouth, but if you get the single-ear model as shown above, they invariably flop around with the vigorous movement of the actor.
> 
> Our best mountings of the earclip mic have been taped. Looks terrible, not really any way around it. Best example I've seen is to use thin strips maybe 1/4" wide and 3/4" long and place one vertically over the boom about 2/3 of the way out to the element. Then cover with makeup as best you can. Actor's will probably sweat through this, so use a couple and change them during intermission. keep the strips thin and small so they don't look so noticable when they peel off the face.



We used to use mics in the standard 'theatrical' placement, but with the way our stage and PA system are configured, we never got enough gain out of them. Over-the-ear mics became the only solution that worked, especially for rock musicals. We tape them exactly how you say, 2/3 of the way up the boom, a piece behind the ear, and a piece at the back of the neck. They're ugly, but it's what we had to do, and it works.


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## BillESC

A bit of Spirit gum near the beginning of the boom will keep things in place and makeup will make it disappear. Proper strain relieve of the cable is a must.


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## Morpheus

zuixro said:


> Staple guns: because duct tape can't make that 'kaCHUNK' noise.
> 
> 
> Thank you XKCD.


I just couldn't stop laughing when I read this post


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## AlexD

zuixro said:


> I was on mics for a production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" last year. Someone had already shaped each mic for each actor.
> 
> What I did was loop the mic over the ear, tape the wire right at the jaw line. I had the actor turned his/her head all the way to the left, then tape the wire to the back of the neck. It left plenty of slack without having a huge loop. If the actor felt like they needed it, I would put a piece right in front of the ear to keep it from coming off. It worked really well. We used Bandaid tape (either clear or flesh toned). We used alcohol swabs to clean the area if makeup hadn't left a spot for it. The actor also went back to have the makeup touched up afterward.


 
Ha, we just did the same show  and did prity much exacly what you did, but we got the actors mics on befor they got makup on, we also used micropoor tape, witch has a slightly rought texture so when you put makeup on it blends the tape into there skin tone, though it dose leave a horible sticky substence on the wire... to get that off you use white spiret right? also gaffa tape... i have one 5m xlr completly coverd in it from conector to ... conectot! (head to foot wouldent of worked there)


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## AlexD

What we did for our wireless mics that were being swaped around, all we had was lapel mics so we taped them on the jaw line for the leads that have them on permnently, but for the swap mics i got some thin garden wire (the galvnised steel stuff) twised it round its self to make it thicker, this make it 10 times stiffer so it wont loss its shape to much but it didnt make it any harder to mold, so with the twised wire i molded it to my face to get a basic shape, i also molded it to small for me so it would fit snugly and wouldent move about half way through, i then taped the lapel mic onto the "headband". When the guy backstage who gave out the mics to be swaped he would shape the headband to the actors face, this worked very well and only had one problem with it, he forgot to mold it to there face and this was a badly made headband i didnt twise it round so half way through the scean it was hangong off her face... and she wasent very good at projecting her voice so we couldent hear her...


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## GrayeKnight

If you need quick face tape for your mics, get the basic cloth band aids and cut off the absorbent pad part  

That's what we do when necessary!


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## BigBC68

AlexD said:


> ... though it dose leave a horible sticky substence on the wire... to get that off you use white spiret right?



Medical adhesive remover or rubbing alcohol works great for removing that residue.


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## AlexD

ooo Thanks for the tip ^^


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