Sinatra's Mike Style

One of the fun things to do in the studio, aside from hang out with the musicians, is read the various books and magazines they leave lying around to pass the time. I picked up Sessions with Sinatra: Frank Sinatra and the Art of Recording by Charles L. Granata (A Capella Books, 2004) and found some insight on how Sinatra became one of the first singers to use the mike as an instrument rather than an afterthought. Here’s an excerpt:

The microphone was of primary import to Frank Sinatra from his earliest days as a band singer. Building on the foundation laid by Bing Crosby and Billie Holiday, he brought the microphone to its fullest and most creative potential as a logical extension of his voice. “One thing that was tremendously important was learning the use of the microphone,” Sinatra said. “Many singers never learned to use one. They never understood, and still don’t, that a microphone is their instrument. It’s like they were part of an orchestra, but instead of playing a saxophone, theyre playing a microphone.”

He likely drew this conclusion from the reaction of the largely female audiences to his early stage appearances. He would grasp the tall microphone stand (seemingly for support) and lean into both the mike and the note, physically communicating the dynamic he desired. …

Although other performers of the day followed suit and used the modern microphone to their advantage, none handled it more fluidly or effortlessly. To some singers, it was a barrier between performer and audience; to Sinatra it was a tool that strengthened the intimacy between himself and his listeners—a stage prop. Whether on stage in the 1940s, when the microphone was a birdcage or Unidyne mounted on a tall stand, or in the 1980s, when the cumbersome older mike had been replaced by a handheld cordless model, Sinatra’s facile use of this instrument became as important to his musical persona as his fabled breath control.

Of his technique for handline the mike, the singer observed, “The first rule is to use it with great economy. You don’t crowd it—you must never jar an audience with it, unless there’s a reason to as part of a song—a comedy number or the like. I think you must keep it as subtle as possible. A simple example is popping ‘P’s and other plosive sounds. They’re easy to avoid.” His technique reduced the effects of popping and harsh sibilance and also served as a natural dynamic range expander during a recording session. “You must know when to move away from the mike, and when to move back into it. To me, there’s no worse sound thhan when a singer breathes in sharply, and you hear the gasp over the microphone. The whole secret is getting the air in the corner of the mouth, and using the microphone properly.” …

“When I’m using a microphone [for live appearances], I usually try to have a black one, so that it will melt into my dinner jacket and the audience isn’t aware of it,” he said. In the April 1965 Life article, Sinatra chastised a friend whose talents he greatly admired, citing her lack of proficiency with a stage mike. “Many years ago I found that I could take the mike off the stand and move around with it. That’s a boon, and so many singers don’t take advantage of it. Ella Fitzgerald, poor girl, still doesn’t. They set up a mike for her, and she never touches it. You can’t even see her face.”

The book goes on to describe how his mannerisms and hand gestures helped complete the emotive power of Sinatra—again, a new development in a world where prior generations of singers performed deadpan, according to Sammy Davis Jr. This passage also makes me realize that the stereotyped lounge singer mike machinations also come from bad imitations of Sinatra’s style. Still, I think there’s wisdom in this. I hope I get a chance to read more of this book.