Audio professionals say their trained ears and eyes can unmask a lip-syncher a mile away. But the

Audio professionals say their trained ears and eyes can unmask a lip-syncher a mile away. But the average concertgoer can spot one, too, says Timothy Powell, owner of Chicago's Metro Mobile Recording, which handles audio for PBS' "Soundstage" series. Here's how to find the fakers:
Look for the obvious, such as lips moving when they shouldn't. But if you're up in the cheap seats, remember that sound travels slower than light. You may be hearing a live vocal just a moment after seeing it sung.
Watch the singer's first word. It's the hardest to nail when lip-synching. "Once the vocal starts, they're pretty much going to lock onto it," Powell says. "It's the first line, when they come in, that gets them."
Look for the "turn-away." To hide any first-line flubs, lip-synchers will turn away from the crowd, then face forward again once the song is well under way. "You'll see that at football games a lot. When they've got it, they'll turn around and keep going."
Where's the mike? In Ashlee Simpson's case, it was down by her waist while the vocal was going. But watch for subtler moves, too. If the singer's mike seems to stray and there's no noticeable change in volume or quality, fakery may be afoot.
Listen for "pops." Headset mikes -- the kind used by Madonna and Britney Spears -- usually provide poor sound because of their small size and nearness to the mouth. If the mike is on, you should hear occasional "snorting" from the nose and "popping" sounds on hard consonants like "p" and "b."
Source: Newsday