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So, you just bought your group some mics?
Well, there is plenty you'll learn about mic technique and nuance down the road. But this isn't the time for that. First things first: you have to learn how to use your mic in the most basic sense.
You've watched Mariah Carey and Scott Leonard, so you know how to use it, right? Not so fast.
Let's assume you have something simple, like a Shure SM58. A simple, basic dynamic microphone. Good choice. Essentially indestructible.
First of all, for most voices it's best to be about an inch or maybe two from the mic. Six inches is a bit too much unless you're screaming.
Have the your group's "upper" voices (everyone other than the bass or second altos) sing into their mic and see where the sound essentially disappears. You never want to have your mic that far from your mouth, and you don't want to have it almost that far away except in the most extreme circumstances. Pulling away from the mic on a high note is really only a matter of a couple inches.
Now's a good time to do a little personality test: what kind of person are you? Bold and brassy, or shy and retiring? There's a good chance your personality will be reflected in your mic technique. The members of your group need to adjust for this: louder voices back off a bit, quieter voices be careful not to slowly disappear. Go down the line, singer by singer, and nudge each in the right direction for a unified sound.
Exceptions to the "inch or two from the mic" rule?
* Basses, who should have it right up on their mouths, for the proximity effect (a low end boost that occurs when you're right next to the mic). Have all of your singers try this - see how the low end gets a bump - and make sure everyone hears how they don't want this unbalanced EQ on their voice, as it almost always makes them sound muddy. And realize that you can't swallow the mic when you're too quiet, as it will effect the tone of your voice - make sure the base level on all of the channels is up high enough that you can sing quietly and still be heard.
Conversely, the basses should remember toback off the mic when they're not being basses (e.g group unison passages, or when they're singing lyrics in their upper register).
*Vocal Percussionists, who will need to place the mic above/below/aside their mouth, based on where the puff of air comes blasting out for their snare sound (I'm guessing that none of your newbie mic users use the mic to get a kick sound with a blast of air - that requires experience with a microphone). Mic placement is everything for a vocal percussionist, as it can make the difference between windy/messy and clean/crisp.
Watch out for the common VPist practice of surrounding the mic with his or her hand. It doesn't give a great sound so much as limits the frequencies, and flirts annoyingly with feedback issues. Guys do it because they see rappers do it and think it looks cool, but for sound it's not often a boon. Some experienced singers disagree, so my suggestion is for you to hold the mic properly until you know that you really do want the sound of a cupped mic.
The first question everyone will ask once they have a general sense of how to hold the mic is should they mix themselves while they sing? The answer is Yess, to some extent, but know that the shy ones will initially quickly mix themselves out of the sonic picture. 90% of the time the mic should be in the same place for everyone, with minor adjustments when needed.
What about waving your mic around dramatically while you sing? Don't do it. Looks stupid, sounds stupid.
Once you get your singers pretty set, spend a little time at the board - setting a mid-level baseline for each mic and getting the singer to find an appropriate mic placement and singing level (the mic shouldn't alter how they sing, but it will, so they need to all know and fight the urge to sing differently), and then use subtle occasional fader moves when necessary. Hopefully only really needed when someone moves on/off lead or VP, which means the only fader nudges should happen between songs (exception: feedback! Run and grab that as soon as it happens!). This allows you to use your basic sound system without a sound man, when needed.
And, more importantly, when you do have a sound man, most of the time their hands will be off the board. Which means you will have to mix yourselves. Which is fine. It takes a little time to learn, but it's time well spent as you can't very well perform for a stadium full of people without microphones.
What? You think I'm joking about a stadium?!? Well, then, you haven't yet performed the National Anthem before a ball game (and perhaps a couple other songs before or in the middle of the game). And you should! A couple rehearsals and perhaps a performance on your mics and you'll be ready for the thronging masses...
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