Shure PG27-USB manual Microphone Techniques, Proximity Effect

Microphone Techniques

APPLICATION	SUGGESTED MICROPHONE PLACEMENT	TONE QUALITY
Vocals	Lips less than 15 cm (6 in.) away or touching	Robust sound, emphasized bass,
	the windscreen, on axis to microphone.	maximum isolation from other
		sources.
	15 to 60 cm (6 in. to 2 ft.) away from mouth,	Natural sound, reduced bass.
	just above nose height.
	20 to 60 cm (8 in. to 2 ft.) away from mouth,	Natural sound, reduced bass and
	slightly off to one side.	minimal “s” sounds.
	90 cm to 1.8 m (3 to 6 ft.) away.	Thinner, distant sound; noticeable
		levels of ambient noise.
Guitar & Bass	2.5 cm (1 in.) from speaker, on-axis with cen-	Sharp attack; emphasized bass.
Amplifiers	ter of speaker cone.
	2.5 cm (1 in.) from speaker, at edge of	Sharp attack; higher frequency
	speaker cone.	sound.
	15 to 30 cm (6 to 12 in.) away from speaker	Medium attack; full, balanced
	and on-axis with speaker cone.	sound.
	60 to 90 cm (2 to 3 ft.) back from speaker, on-	Softer attack; reduced bass.
	axis with speaker cone.

Proximity Effect

Unidirectional microphones such as the PG27-USB progressively boost bass frequencies by 6 to 10 dB below 100 Hz when the microphone is at a distance of about 6 mm (1/4 in.) from the sound source. This phenomenon, known as proximity effect, can be used to create a warmer, more powerful sound.

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