Having trouble with singing..

[Laneismusic]

Alright so I've mainly dealt with metal bands, but I'm working with an Underoath type band now, rip-off Aaron Gillespie singing and what not lol.

The singing is ok, on pitch for the most part. I just tweaked some stuff with Melodyne. But It's REALLY nasaly and harsh. It's those mid tones that like hurt your ears, and make them throb (literally). I've eq'd them to where it's not as bad, but they are really flat and not bright..

I put some reverb on them, but nothings really making them "stand out". I want them to like sparkle, if you know what I mean??....
Oh and another thing, Where should the vocals lie in the mix? Volume wise? I can't seem to find a good spot...

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Oh and my chain for vocals is as follows...

EQ>Comp>Delay>spreader---->BUS: Vocal Rider>Melodyne>comp.>Podfarm (chorus, some cavern. verb, eq)

That may be a compltely horrible setup.. but anyways..

 

[ParsonsMatt]

Post clips

What mic are you using?

Is this in a decent room? Reflections will really kill you.

 

[arv_foh]

clips

 

[timislegend]

typically, you can remedy nasally vocals simply by adjusting the microphone.

sometimes people just sing "above the pencil" and there is not much they can do other than vocal/breathing exercises.

compression helps a lot, but it will only do so much.

try another mic and set the pattern to omni (if it has m/p).

like *parsonsmatt is saying... reflections will amplify a lot of unwanted disparities and could cause masking in certain phrases.



another thing i noticed was; you have your dynamics post eq. this is an age old argument but in an effort to curb any discrepancies, let's just say that may be the wrong signal path.

example: try to compress first ...then eq.

believe me when i say "i trust that you understand equalization." but let's say for arguments sake that you don't eq the way that i eq.

example: a great method for eq'ing is increase the quality (Q) as far as it can go (notch). then increase the gain on that frequency as far as it can go and by using the frequency pot, sweep through the frequencies until you find the shrillest sound known to humans. (it must be the most ridiculously harsh frequency you can find). then, yank it out and widen the quality to taste.

this is a great surgical method but it can be easy to mess it up... by overly compensating.



hope this helps.

 

[Laneismusic]

Post clips

What mic are you using?

Is this in a decent room? Reflections will really kill you.

typically, you can remedy nasally vocals simply by adjusting the microphone.

sometimes people just sing "above the pencil" and there is not much they can do other than vocal/breathing exercises.

compression helps a lot, but it will only do so much.

try another mic and set the pattern to omni (if it has m/p).

like *parsonsmatt is saying... reflections will amplify a lot of unwanted disparities and could cause masking in certain phrases.

I'm using an MXL V-900. I bought It a couple of years ago without really knowing anything about it, but it had good reviews, so you know(; lol.

For this track I didn't track in my booth (Walk In closet Insulated w/blakets/sheets/rugs/foam padding to hell and back). Because I was moving. But I found a corner in one of my rooms and just hung blankets on the walls and put the mic there. Probably not the best thing.


Know of any really good vocal mics for screaming/singing? not too expensive lol.

I'll post clips

 

[timislegend]

I'm using an MXL V-900. I bought It a couple of years ago without really knowing anything about it, but it had good reviews, so you know(; lol.

For this track I didn't track in my booth (Walk In closet Insulated w/blakets/sheets/rugs/foam padding to hell and back). Because I was moving. But I found a corner in one of my rooms and just hung blankets on the walls and put the mic there. Probably not the best thing.


Know of any really good vocal mics for screaming/singing? not too expensive lol.

I'll post clips

believe it or not... the best thing to do is not to put a pile of blankets in the corner... instead, clap your hands in the center of the room in an effort to locate the most reflective surface in the area... then cover that with a blanket or two.

then you can point the microphone (cardioid pattern facing toward the corner)... then apply the some material like a cheap thick curtain in the corner.

if reflections are still audible, use material in more areas of the space in an effort to diffuse any lingering reflections.



as far as mics are concerned... the staple "screaming mic" (from what i have learned) is the shure sm7. ($300)

a good condenser for melodic vocals would be audio technica at4040 (also $300).

there are TONS of mics out there that are fairly inexpensive... it's just a matter of searching for the right one.

i personally feel that tube mics are not good for this genre... mainly with melodic vocals. (probably ok for screaming... i never tried it).


btw: marshall makes really noisy microphones and the v900 housing is extremely inferior to a lot of modern condensers. that particular mic is good however it is more of a novelty than a legitimate workhorse.