VOCAL TECHNIQUE

One key element in becoming an effective mobile entertainer is your vocal technique. This is how you sound on the microphone. There is no substitute for practice in this area.

You’ll have to get a lot of "on mic" time to become confident and capable in this area. This is true of all the areas of djing, but good vocal technique is an area that will save you time and time again.

A good mobile entertainer is a strong emcee. And a strong emcee can motivate a crowd to participate and dance by utilizing powerful voice overs during key areas of songs, or even over dead air.

To be a strong emcee you’ll have to master vocal technique by using:

• Inflection
• Articulation
• Projection

Knowing the defenition of these words is not important, however properly employing them is.

To make this simple, all that you need to know to begin is that when you are on a microphone you need to speak slower and you need to properly pronounce all of the words that are coming out of your mouth.

Add to this, the art of, cutting through the music and you are on your way. Cutting through the music simply means bringing your voice to a level that is easily audible and understood above the music. This is accomplished in various ways. Here are a few:

Cutting Through The Music

1. Never talk when there is a vocal playing in the song. Only speak during breaks and instrumental pieces.
2. Don't scream into the microphone. Simply raise the volume of the mic from your mixer or mic receiver.
3. Emphasize key words. This means raising or lowering the tone (not strictly volume) of your voice.
4. Use 5 to 6 words that precede the main emphasis of your message. For example, if you are announcing the opening of a buffet you could say,

“Alright, Ladies and gentlemen, at this time your host and hostess would like to announce to all of you the opening of your buffet.”

As you can see the first 11 words are really meaningless. If your crowd misses them, they will still understand that the buffet is open.

• Repeat the main point of your message.

NOTE:
You can dramatically increase your vocal technique in a very short period of time by simply reading this training manual out loud as if you were "on mic" and in front of a crowd.

Posting Your Vocal
Posting your vocal is the art of talking right up until the singer starts singing. You hear this all the time from radio djs. You’ll need to master this if you intend to be an effective mobile entertainer.

To get better at posting your vocal, you will have to start paying closer attention to songs. Listen to them in your car and picture yourself voicing over them.

Try to time your voice to end just as the singer starts singing. Talk it out loud if possible. This comes with experience. Once you get good, you can effectively post your vocal to songs that you have never even heard before.

One way to utilize your strong vocal technique is by voicing over your segues. That is talking to the crowd as you fade from one song to another. This is an extremely effective way of maintaining your dance floor.

Here is a vocal exercise for you to practice. Read through these mock wedding introductions and commit them to memory. When you are comfortable with them, say them aloud as if you were "on mic". Don't forget to speak slowly and to emphasize key words while raising and lowering the tone of your voice.