How to keep people from taking a mic off a stand at a karaoke night?

May 15, 2023 11:23 AM

I help run a Karaoke night at a piano bar. There's a wireless mic (shure SM57) on a mic stand. The owner would really like to stop people from taking the mic off the stand when they sing, because of various shenanigans that often ensue, especially as things get more lit. He has tried taping the mic to the stand but inevitably people end up taking the mic off anyhow. Any ideas?

(We do need to access the mic, to change the batteries, so any solution needs to allow for that... Like we can't just encase the whole thing in carbonite)

posted by ManInSuit to Grab Bag (10 answers total)

Drill some holes in the mic holder, tap those with a thread, use small bolts that fit the thread to lock the mic into place. You can use grub screws for a cleaner look and less stuff for people to catch on.
posted by Ferreous at 11:28 AM on May 15, 2023

You need a 'mic lock' of the sort they use for retail displays or trade show displays, or similar - such as:
https://www.stringswing.com/live-mic-lock/
posted by niicholas at 11:29 AM on May 15, 2023 [11 favorites]

Is it easy to adjust the height of the mic stand? And is it obvious how to do it? I can't think of a single karaoke bar/night I've been to where it wasn't standard to hold the mic (they often don't even have stands, the DJ just hands you the mic) so you're working against a LOT of tradition here to the point where I'm not sure if this will be possible. But it'll be a little bit easier if people can adjust the stand so they don't have to crouch over the mic or reach up.
posted by lunasol at 11:47 AM on May 15, 2023 [16 favorites]

I have to agree that it's karaoke culture that people can hold a mic and getting people to stop doing that is going to be difficult. Also nobody wants to constantly adjust the heights between a 5 foot girl and a 6 foot 2 man singing in between every number. I agree that locking the mic in place is probably the way to go if you can swing it.
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:53 AM on May 15, 2023 [4 favorites]

If you don't want people taking the mic of the stand, why use a wireless mic? Non-wireless SM57s cost about $100. Get one of those and a cord only as long as you need/want.

Also, an SM58 (with its pop screen) would be a much better choice for vocals.
posted by jonathanhughes at 11:58 AM on May 15, 2023 [7 favorites]

Windtech locking microphone holder and an adjustable stand?
posted by Iris Gambol at 12:21 PM on May 15, 2023 [1 favorite]

Self adhesive security cable.
posted by Mitheral at 12:41 PM on May 15, 2023

Yeah, look, I'll echo jonathanhughes, jenfullmoon, and lunasol - this is a cultural expectations conflict that isn't really solved with a technical fix. The entire point of a wireless mic is so you can freely wander around with it, putting people in front of a wireless mic and then going, "NO moving !" is counterintuitive and confusing, and us hairless apes are pretty darn good at breaking stuff when we're confused and annoyed. (Speaking from personal professional experience here, very much including microphones. Lock the mic on the stand? Guess what's gonna get broken quick (hint - it's the mic stand.))

You can only go so far with a wired mic.
posted by soundguy99 at 3:37 PM on May 15, 2023 [4 favorites]

Just working off jonathanhughes' suggestion, a $15 pop screen would help signal that this is meant to be stationary, and make something they'd have to reposition in order to get the mic off the stand.

And, yeah, as those suggesting the cultural expectations problem have noted, half the fun of karaoke is the misuse of the microphone.... I'm often tasked with bringing my sound system to various events, and if I could make basic microphone management a part of the required grade school curriculum, I would. Karaoke provides a venue where you can openly mock those who hold the mic at their navel, or who are remarkably good at holding the mic in the right place, playing up all of the innuendo, but then turn to the audience to say something and keep the mic held firmly in the same place, so that it's now pointing into their ear, or...
posted by straw at 4:47 PM on May 15, 2023

Zip ties?
posted by gottabefunky at 12:30 PM on May 16, 2023