Can I reduce footstep noises by putting the mic on a foam block or other padding?
No. The mic diaphragm is perpendicular to the stage floor, so floor vibrations produce no audible signal from the microphone. The mic will pick up foot steps acoustically, the same as your ears. If you pick up the mic off the floor while reinforcing footsteps, you should hear no difference in the loudness of the footsteps. You might ask the wardrobe people to put rubber or felt soles on the actors’ shoes (unless felt is too slippery). Or carpet the stage floor. It helps to brace the stage more thoroughly from underneath so that it doesn’t creak. You might also apply some sound damping material such as Fatmat eXtreme at www.fatmat.com. Some people mount the mic on a 2-foot square sheet of Plexiglas or Lexan, and tilt the sheet upward about 10 or 20 degrees so that the mic does not “see” the feet. This can produce a coloration in the sound, however.
