Arguments for Mics-Urgent!

[J-P]

There is about to be a meeting discussing the use of mics at the Edinburgh festival. Currently, and for the past eight years, amplified music has been allowed if it is essential to your show(ie robot, dance) but mics are prohibited. Because alot of performers say"I need music to get a crowd" and there is no decibel limit, there are complaints about amplification every year and when we ask for mics we get a flat no!
I'm looking for arguments that are pro mics from anyone asap so I can give them to the festival at the postmortum meeting.
Currently I have
- our voices are a tool that is essential to our performances (and before anyone says you should be able to do it without a mic - I can and do but it's a 24 day festival against bagpipes, students advertising their shows, and loud music.)
- we are looking for vocal reinforcement, not amplification.
- allow all amplification but set a decibel limit.(sometimes the level of music is stupidly loud)
Any suggestions or extentions from the intelligent performers out there would be appreciated!

J-P

[gav]

work place health and safety.
raising your voice to be heard over the amplified music of others, not to mention the general crowd noise can in the long term cause nodules to grow on your vocal cords which in term makes them more suseptable to cancer.
It leaves you with a very husky blues singer type voice as well.

[J-P]

Thanks Gav, perfect!

Any more?

[gav]

well if the meeting takes place in a big room with a lot of people and the person talking doesn't use a mic, I suggest you stand at the back and keep saying 'what was that' 'sorry I didn't quite here what you said ' ' could you repeat that for me'

maybe that would get the message across

[J-P]

You're a funny guy, Gav!
Unfortunatly, it's all paperwork from Oz and I have to rely on the production managers from the fringe to deliver it but I just found three medical articles about the causes and effects of nodules on the voice. Some of the best material so far!
Thanks Gav

[Frisbee]

Definately I think that voice amplification should be allowed.

I agree that there should be a decibel level that should not be exceeded. Iit is a noisy festival and if you have to try and compete with the bands and musicians during your show it is a great strain on your voice.

A lot of jokes and material in our shows can also benifit and comes off much better if you are not screaming out your lines in an effort to be heard.

by not allowing amplification our voices are strained and in the end our shows suffer.
Also the tone can change from being on a mic to having to be loud. Some jokes do not work and it comes off as you being mean, rather than you being funny.

This use of mic is obviously a sensitive issue that could easily be exploited and abused.

The Fringe would not have to invest a great deal of equipment, just three sound meters, one for each pitch, whomever is the steward on duty, their job would be to monitor the level of the show.
you can buy these from Radioshack or other similar electronics stores and the cost is minimal in the great scheme of things.

set up a ruling system, that first time offense is a warning that you are too loud, second offense would exclude you from the draw the next day.

Rules can suck or be used to create a new platform in which sound could be used on a reasonable level.

If we are allowed to use music, I find it so odd that we can not use a mic, which incidentally would not be louder than the music that is already used.

VocalZone and riccola can only go so far and I know that I blew out my voice twice at Edinburgh as I am still recovering my vocals nearly two weeks later.

-Greg Frisbee