Death Metal Vox tracking..

[-Noodles-]

Anything I should take notes on?

I've got a whole bunch of large diaphragm mics, 58s etc.
Is there anything like pops, esses etc?? (as in, more than usual)

I've mixed, but never tracked a 'proper' death metal vocalist - just off to see what YouTube has to offer!

 

[bryan_kilco]

I've just started vocal tracking for my band last night. I'm doing all the recording/mixing...my first time doing an entire band. Vocals seem to be the toughest so far out of all instruments. I have a hard time getting the gate set just right so the background bleed isnt as noticeable....it gets buried in the mix while he screams, but it still irks me to know that its in there.

any tips on EQing and the right amount of compression? I also used a sonic maximizer plugin which seemed to clear it up a bit.

 

[Terminus]

Anything I should take notes on?

I've got a whole bunch of large diaphragm mics, 58s etc.
Is there anything like pops, esses etc?? (as in, more than usual)

I've mixed, but never tracked a 'proper' death metal vocalist - just off to see what YouTube has to offer!

dont push too hard on volume (because you're going to be doing takes for hours and you will fuck your brain up)
pronounce the words clearly (none of that WAH WAH WAH WAH!!!! shit is allowed with me)
Stay on time & pay attention to the click.
and a pop filter

 

[darthjujuu]

I've just started vocal tracking for my band last night. I'm doing all the recording/mixing...my first time doing an entire band. Vocals seem to be the toughest so far out of all instruments. I have a hard time getting the gate set just right so the background bleed isnt as noticeable....it gets buried in the mix while he screams, but it still irks me to know that its in there.

any tips on EQing and the right amount of compression? I also used a sonic maximizer plugin which seemed to clear it up a bit.

i would ditch the maximizer.

eq you'll wanna hipass more than you think, don't think for a second that even the most brootul of lows are hitting anything below 500hz. other than that you're just notching out annoying frequencies (use your ears) and boosting where need be. i'll sometimes wanna boost a little high mid to make it stab through the mix but be weary of contending with guitars/snare.

compression: just squash it til the waveform isn't even there anymore. try EVERY compression plugin you have access to (i'm presuming if you had access to outboard you wouldn't be asking in the first place) and see what saturates best.

get a de-esser in there too somewhere. some people like it before eq/compression, some put it in strange places, some use a few throughout the chain. see what works best for you.

POP FILTER IS 100% A MUST.

 

[darthjujuu]

Anything I should take notes on?

I've got a whole bunch of large diaphragm mics, 58s etc.
Is there anything like pops, esses etc?? (as in, more than usual)

I've mixed, but never tracked a 'proper' death metal vocalist - just off to see what YouTube has to offer!

the annoying but sadly true answer: depends on the vocalist.

gareth sounds incredible on slicethecake and it's just him holding a 57. but i've had vocalists try and do just that and it sounded like a fart. if you wanna go out and spend money, an sm7b is generally the de-facto starting point for super aggressive vocals and ya really can't go wrong with it. but a pop filter/condenser will suit just fine as well.

 

[-Noodles-]

the annoying but sadly true answer: depends on the vocalist.

gareth sounds incredible on slicethecake and it's just him holding a 57. but i've had vocalists try and do just that and it sounded like a fart. if you wanna go out and spend money, an sm7b is generally the de-facto starting point for super aggressive vocals and ya really can't go wrong with it. but a pop filter/condenser will suit just fine as well.

Yeah - I knew that answer would probably be the most "correct" for the situation!
I've had great results with a 58 + Large Condenser in a booth.. also separate takes with each of the mics too.
Just wondered if there was anything specific that I should watch out for with techniques. Seems like I'll just have to dive in with both feet.

Thanks

 

[arv_foh]

eq you'll wanna hipass more than you think, don't think for a second that even the most brootul of lows are hitting anything below 500hz.

I'm pretty sure the human vocal range (even for death metal) extends well below 500hz, down to at least 100

 

[darthjujuu]

I'm pretty sure the human vocal range (even for death metal) extends well below 500hz, down to at least 100

alright, 500 might've been an exaggeration, but the point is don't be afraid to hi-pass, especially on "lows" and gutterals. there isn't really any low frequency going on there, especially in a cluttered mix context

 

[GarethSE]

yes there is

if you high passed my vocals at 500hz id slap you. a whole lot of punch and agression comes from that range man

 

[ParsonsMatt]

yes there is

if you high passed my vocals at 500hz id slap you. a whole lot of punch and agression comes from that range man

+1

500Hz is ridiculous. I HP my high vocals at around 200Hz and my lows at around 100Hz.