Tap Amplification Part 2

Stacie Strong | Apr 16, 2008 | 0

Ira Bernstein performing in Appalachian Roots

An earlier post (Tap Amplification 1) introduced some of the issues that tap dancers face when they have to use electronic amplification in performance.  However, that discussion was just the tip of the iceberg - we have lots more information on how to best amplify your taps with microphones when you're dancing in front of an audience, either with live or recorded music.  

Ira Bernstein has danced all over the world, both as a rhythm tapper and as an expert in other forms of percussive dance, including clogging, stepping, boot dancing and flatfooting.  He has shared the stage with such luminaries as Gregory Hines, Savion Glover, Charles "Honi" Coles, Chuck Green, Jimmy Slyde, Lon Chaney, Howard "Sandman" Sims, Buster Brown, LaVaughn Robinson and Brenda Bufalino.  A former member of the American Tap Dance Orchestra, Ira currently heads up Ten Toe Percussion Ensemble (www.tentoepercussion.com) and is an acknowledged expert on all things related to amplifying tap.  He's currently performing in Appalachian Roots (www.appalachianroots.com), a duo show that's mostly traditional American music, with Ira doing Appalachian flatfooting and rhythm tap (as well as a bit of fiddling), and his partner, Riley Baugus, playing banjo.  If Riley's name is familiar, it's because he played on the soundtrack for the movie "Cold Mountain" and on the recent Alison Krause/Robert Plant (of Led Zepplin) CD.

We asked Ira a very long line of questions about amplifying tap, and he kindly answered every one.  Many thanks to him for his patience, generosity and diligence in responding in such great detail!  Here's our first installment of Ira's answers, with more to come in a few weeks' time.

SS:  Assume a soloist needs to purchase a microphone for use tapping with live musicians in a jazz club setting (i.e., relatively close quarters and a small tap space, possibly on a portable tap map). What kind of mics would you suggest in a perfect world?

IB:  I would absolutely recommend Crown PCC 160s.  (I own three of 'em.)  PCC stands for "Phase Coherent Cardioid."  They're small mics mounted on a plate which in turns sits directly on the floor.  (The entire plate is about 3' x 7' and stands under an inch tall.)  They come in black or white.  I'd recommend black.  All-in-all, not very visually intrusive.  In fact, you can see one in the picture of me on this post.

Tape them down so they don't bounce from the vibrations from the dance.  (Black duct tape.)

A great feature of the PCC 160 is that they have a base tilt switch with 3 settings: flat, cut, and boost.  Depending on the tone of the stage, and the tone that the dancer prefers, you can choose the setting most suitable.

A lot of dancers use PZMs (Pressure Zone Mics).  I don't like them for tap.  I find them very high end (treble) heavy, which really exaggerates the metallic sound of the taps.  Even though taps are metal, they don't have to sound metallic or tinny.  The mics used and how they're equalized on the sound board has a lot to do with the tone that the audience will hear.  (Of course, so does the tone that the dancer produces in the first place!)

SS:  In that kind of jazz club setting, where are the optimal mic placements, and how far away can the soloist go from the mics and still be heard?

IB:  I'd recommend placing the mics about a foot downstage of the downstage edge of the dance area, and use one for every 8 feet of width of the dance area.  I can't say what their absolute depth range is.  But I usually work up to 10 feet deep (upstage of the mics) and find they pick up my sounds just fine.

SS:  Are there any other options (either cheaper or easier to set up)?  

IB:  Nothing is easier to set up than PCC 160s!  There are definitely cheaper options, but none will work as well.  (You get what you pay for...)  I've had mine for about 25 years and I think they were about $300 apiece when I bought them.  I don't know what they go for now, but I'm sure you can easily look that up on the web.

PZMs can be used, but like I said above, I don't like their tonal response.

"Regular" instrumental mics, like Sure SM 57s (or SM 58, whichever is the instrumental mic - the other is a vocal mic), laid on a piece of foam, can also be used.  But they don't cover nearly as much area as the PCC 160s, so coverage of the dance area will be much less consistent and the dancer will have to work much closer to the downstage edge of the dancing area.

SS:  Do any of your recommendations change if the dancer is working to a CD in that kind of small setting?

IB:  All would be exactly the same as above.

But note: Either way, live or canned music, put the sounds of the taps in the monitors!!! (!!!)  This is ultra critical.  There will be a fairly low ceiling for feedback when you do this, so you won't get much.  But, as much as possible, put the sounds of the PCCs in the musicians' and the dancer's monitors.  This is so the timing (and placement) of all the sound you hear (and thus perform and react to) is coherent.  That is, you don't want to hear the music directly through the monitors while the taps you hear are the bounce back off the back wall of the room.  The larger the room you're in, the more critical this becomes, for obvious reasons.

So that's Ira's first set of responses to our amplification questions!  I'm very grateful to Ira for sharing his expertise - it's incredibly helpful for folks who are thinking of buying their own mics.  If you want more information on where to get some of the mics that Ira mentions (such as the Crown PCC 160 and PZM mics), check out Tap Amplification Part I (http://blog.danceruniverse.com/blog/story/2008/3/24/10539/1136) - that post discusses the same mics and contains some links that might help you find a dealer near you.

Keep your eyes open for our next installment on amplification, when Ira talks about how to mic large groups.  And be sure to let us know if you have any particular questions!

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