Does a studio really matter for vocals?

JayB

JayB

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Hey , I'm really new to recording vocals , ( I'm gonna give it a shot for my band's album) I was thinking of just picking up an SM57 , especially after hearing how fucking awesome Gareth's vocals came out with monitors blaring in the back . ( Though Gareth is pure talent so of course that is a factor). Also I saw Tim Lambesis recording the new AILD with one. I don't really feel like going to a studio to record vocals , since I am quite capable of recording them myself , and I would be way more comfortable. Does WHERE you record really matter? Can't most extraneous noise be eq'd and gated out? I figure since these days all reverb is mostly done in plug ins anyway... I just wanna know from the pro's if it's feasible before I go and spend the money on a mic and shit. Is it really worth going to a studio to record vocals?
 
I've heard from so many guys the sE Electronics Reflexion Filter is "junk." I have no experience with it personally though, and I've also heard good things about it too...

Honestly I really think a solid mic pre and mic can make a huge difference, as well as getting it pretty dead in the room if it doesn't sound good, then using impulses or something afterwards. Something like a UA-610 or something, there's is just something about those $$ pres that add this particular quality.
 
006 , I was actually thinking of using impulses... I wonder do people make awesome vocal impulses like they make guitar impulses? I bought Mellowmuse IR1A and that has some good ones...
 
Studios aren't necessary. But a dead environment with a good mic, pre and conversion (also comp if possible) chain is good. If you can get 70% or more of your vocal sound done on the way down, then you're onto something. You don't want to spend your time fighting the junk in an SM57 signal with gating, multi-band compression etc. Had a vocal to mix recently done into an SM7B, Distressor, and either some Amek or UA pre and they sounded like balls because of all the plosives and junk the SM7 left in there. After some experience tracking, I've not found anything to beat U47s and U87s for vocal quality and clarity without inducing a ton of junk noise into the signal.
 
Ermz said:
Studios aren't necessary. But a dead environment with a good mic, pre and conversion (also comp if possible) chain is good. If you can get 70% or more of your vocal sound done on the way down, then you're onto something. You don't want to spend your time fighting the junk in an SM57 signal with gating, multi-band compression etc. Had a vocal to mix recently done into an SM7B, Distressor, and either some Amek or UA pre and they sounded like balls because of all the plosives and junk the SM7 left in there. After some experience tracking, I've not found anything to beat U47s and U87s for vocal quality and clarity without inducing a ton of junk noise into the signal.
Click to expand...

Ermin, just gotta say your signature and avatar are badass!
 
Ermz said:
Studios aren't necessary. But a dead environment with a good mic, pre and conversion (also comp if possible) chain is good. If you can get 70% or more of your vocal sound done on the way down, then you're onto something. You don't want to spend your time fighting the junk in an SM57 signal with gating, multi-band compression etc. Had a vocal to mix recently done into an SM7B, Distressor, and either some Amek or UA pre and they sounded like balls because of all the plosives and junk the SM7 left in there. After some experience tracking, I've not found anything to beat U47s and U87s for vocal quality and clarity without inducing a ton of junk noise into the signal.
Click to expand...

lol... and how many other people get awesome results with SM7s?
 
Ermz I have a question. I want to get an outboard pre+comp or channel strip to track vocals with it, and to help with monitoring while tracking. Are you doing mic>pre>comp>DAW or are you also taking a "dry" track as well, just mic>pre>DAW?

I just wonder if I should be trying to get an unaffected signal as well, kinda like a DI with reamping...
 
I´ve made a "portable iso booth" this week to use with my SM57 after hear the stunning performance from the dude that made a cover of Slipknot on this thread. I´ve used fiberglass panels instead of foam on mine because I´ve read everywhere that they´re way better than foam for this purpose. In theory it should be similar to track on a real vocal iso booth in terms of "dead sound", so it´s probably a good alternative for home recoding ghetto style. Looks like shit but works. Cost me around US$ 15.

Here´s a pic of the box closed, open and armed on the mic stand (the blue paper thing is there just to act as a shelf between the pop filter clamp and the box).

ghettoiso.jpg
 
Ermz, What do you do to your U87 to sound good ? :) We have one at the studio, and while it sounds good and fat, it has this something in the mid-range that really annoys me. I've tried EQ'ing in every f'ing way but it is just something on its character. So i end up using the 414 and a AT4060 more than it...To make things worse, our room is very live, so if you go more than a feet or so from the mic, it sounds like crap. Any general tips on using the U87 ? Our is a 25 yo one, and i usually track vocals on a 3124+.
 
jangoux said:
Ermz, What do you do to your U87 to sound good ? :) We have one at the studio, and while it sounds good and fat, it has this something in the mid-range that really annoys me. I've tried EQ'ing in every f'ing way but it is just something on its character. So i end up using the 414 and a AT4060 more than it...To make things worse, our room is very live, so if you go more than a feet or so from the mic, it sounds like crap. Any general tips on using the U87 ? Our is a 25 yo one, and i usually track vocals on a 3124+.
Click to expand...

Well this is why there are so many options out there and so many opinions. Every mic, pre, room, voice, etc. has its own character.

SM7B is a great mic, but the plosives and such sound like bad micing technique, bad vocal technique, no pop filter, etc. So like with any mic, angling, distance, etc. make a difference.

SM57/58 I like for screamers depending on what they are going for and the quality of their screams. But like any voice, some mics are better suited for the job than others. I had one guy actually prefer a Behringer B2 over everything else I had, and it sounded great!

The SE reflection filter is overpriced, but the idea is sound. I am not sure about the whole box thing. But I have "gobos" made with closet doors and foam that I put behind the mic. Recently I made gobos with OC703 that are 6ft high and work really well. The persons back I leave open.

Live room micing is cool for certain styles of vocals, but that room better be tuned. The U87 is a standard for good reason. A 312 wouldn't be my first choice due to its aggresive midrange, well maybe for screamers. My go-to's are Neve-esque or Pacifica or super clean like a Benchmark or Grace or something.

414's, AT40XX, Rode, Avant, Kel, Studio Projects, etc. all great mics.

OT, I think vocals you can get by without. In metal, to me, it is more about the vibe and performance. Many guys need to run around with a mic in hand to get the anger and vibe. I have blasted the tracks through the PA while they scream into an SM58 and I pray they don't cup the stupid mic and plosive all over it. Most of the time they take training well once they can hear themselves and not trying to scream into a shitty clipping PA with their whole band in volume war rehearsal nightmare.
 
aortizjr said:
SM7B is a great mic, but the plosives and such sound like bad micing technique, bad vocal technique, no pop filter, etc. So like with any mic, angling, distance, etc. make a difference.
Click to expand...

+1

I'd really hesitate to blame a reknowned studio mic for plosives and stuff in a studio setting before blaming the engineer who set up the chain to not have those things.

I'd say just about any mic in recording would have a good amount of plosives without the requisite studio stuff (pop filters, etc.).
 
narcossintese said:
I´ve made a "portable iso booth" this week to use with my SM57 after hear the stunning performance from the dude that made a cover of Slipknot on this thread. I´ve used fiberglass panels instead of foam on mine because I´ve read everywhere that they´re way better than foam for this purpose. In theory it should be similar to track on a real vocal iso booth in terms of "dead sound", so it´s probably a good alternative for home recoding ghetto style. Looks like shit but works. Cost me around US$ 15.

Here´s a pic of the box closed, open and armed on the mic stand (the blue paper thing is there just to act as a shelf between the pop filter clamp and the box).

ghettoiso.jpg
Click to expand...

Holy shit that is ingenious !:kickass:
 
Didn't want to put the blame solely on the mic, as the project did have its fair share of engineering mishaps, that's for sure. However a dynamic mic is just going to have more of a skewed signal, with more junk, than a decent condenser. At least that's what I've found. For instance in this project I spent most of my time dealing with horrid plosives and sibilance, whereas on my U47/U87 I was mostly dealing with simple boosts to compensate for a lack of highs or mid. Same deal any time I dealt with SM57 vocals. More work attenuating junk than anything else.

@Ola: Thanks a bunch. The sig banner leads to a myspace layout. You might dig that too!

@006: I never take a dry track. I always slam it down and commit. I take the time to make sure the settings we are printing are useful to the vocal. It's important for me to streamline the mixing process down the track.

@jangoux: First I'd get it serviced. Those things can go out after many years, just like anything. The main issue I dealt with on the U87 vocal was that it was very scooped sounding. So I found myself adding a lot of 2k and heavily tape/grit saturating to get the mids back in there. The SM7 is of course the polar opposite to this. Has lots of midrange aggression and really loose lows, but the highs aren't necessarily very open.
 
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