How bout a vocal thread?

[Loren Littlejohn]

What do you guys do with your vocals? Me personally I prefer to do a little compression and reverb but thats about it (seriously no EQ). I'm also not digging dynamics for anything right now but maybe with something better I would.

For singing even with a great singer I'm actually digging melodyne right now.


So...

What are you doing with your vox? Do you eq? Do you have any unorthodox techniques you care to share?

Anything goes: mic choices, pop filters etc...

 

[AudioPhile777]

I've been using my at4040 through my ux2 via spdif and recently went back to going straight through my 4040 into my presonus digimax lt pres... sounds crystal clear...

I actually like the sound the ux2 provides on certain vocal types... but not the vocalists i've been tracking lately.

 

[crosstalk]

As with pretty much everything I do, I leave vocals as untouched as possible. I compress a bit and I like to add a little reverb. I generally don't use any EQ other than cutting some of the real low stuff and occasionally fixing something that is annoying. I use a Condenser for all vocals, singing and screaming. I only have a home studio with nothing fancy like a vocal booth or a treated room, but I'm happy with the results and clients have been happy as well.

 

[AStacy2]

Well, I process vocals a lot. I like to filter off below about 70, boost around 8k for air, and 4k and 2.5k. Usually I end up cutting some lows off around 100-120hz too to get it to fit right. I usually compress pretty hard w/ fast attack/release and gate too for breaths ect...and also a Desser usually. I like to set up a delay going into a room verb. I use Melodyne on almost every track too, great tool. I like a SM58 or u87 best.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

See I hate the 58, reason being it brings the cuppers out of the woodwork. I suppose I wouldn't mind it so much if I could beat down shitty vocalists who cup the mic.

 

[fatalforce]

What do you guys do with your vocals? Me personally I prefer to do a little compression and reverb but thats about it (seriously no EQ).

Thats exactly what I do. If recorded correctly no need for EQ. I like the sound of the AKG c414. I know its not the best mic but I've had great results with everything I've used that on. Isolation and pop filters are a must.

 

[JonWormwood]

After doing some minimal treatment in my bathroom with blankets to record in (I know horrible area to begin with but it isolates whoever is singing/screaming from the whole house) and with my Studio Projects B3 going into a MOTU 828mkII I'm getting some very nice results. I like to smash it hard with Waves Rvox, do a little EQ boosts around 3k,8k or whatever sounds nice to make it in your face-ish, then a reverse reverb track as I've been addicted to that little trick.

I just got melodyne and along with the learning curve of Tascams Gigastudio, I still haven't been able to use it or understand it. I tried Anteres Autotune before and it didn't work so well.

 

[crosstalk]

See I hate the 58, reason being it brings the cuppers out of the woodwork. I suppose I wouldn't mind it so much if I could beat down shitty vocalists who cup the mic.

That's one beauty of having a condenser and a pop screen. I've seen some fidgety hands because of that setup.

 

[grywolf627]

Are we talking about tracking, mixing, or both? As for tracking, I try to do as minimal processing as possible...maybe slight compression if the singer needs it...to tame any wild peaks (I do more prog/power metal, so I deal with more singers than growlers/cuppers).

As for mixing though, I'll process the hell out of it. Definitely tons of compression. EQ depends on the mic used, the singer's voice, and the actual music/mix. FX...reverb, delay, sometimes a doubler or chorus to thicken it. But as I said, I deal with more prog/power metal singing. A different ball game than power metal.

Sorry for any strange mistakes I make while typing...fighting a flu right now and getting tired of watching the room/monitor/keyboard spin and do flip flops.

 

[AStacy2]

See I hate the 58, reason being it brings the cuppers out of the woodwork. I suppose I wouldn't mind it so much if I could beat down shitty vocalists who cup the mic.

Get a mic stand a pop filter and tell them where to stand and not to move. Obviously you're going to want to sell the idea a little more to them but there ya go.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

Oh whenever I can get it through peoples heads I insist on using a condenser and pop screen no matter what vox we are doing (clean dirty whatever)

Greywolf: yeah whatever just trying to make this the vocal thread anything goes as long as it's the topic of voice.

 

[lilhermiejobo]

I got great results for some clean vox using a Nady DM80

what I want to try is the Fredman technique + popguard and mixmatched mics

another something special in my brain for extra phat vocal (for those of you with more than 1 audio input which is most likely about 95%) 1 mic as standard setup of your choice, routed into a live PA totally flat w/ NO eq and a 2nd mic (or group of mics) placed in front of the PA speaker. And that just gave me another idea, trying the latter with the fredman technique.... I wonder what speakers would do a voice as much justice (preference of course) as per se v30s:guitar, etc

 

[fatalforce]

I've read about this fredman technique but I've never had the chance to actually try this. It would be cool to hear the difference between this technique and... maybe 2 mikes, on and off axis. I wish I had a nice setup to do all this.
Back on topic, I got a real good vocal take when double miking with two different condensers. One was placed in a neutral position and the other right above but upside down.

\__ (mic)
{ <<<<<<<<<<------ audio
/---(mic)


Of course I used a pop screen. I know it doesn't seem right but it sounded good.

wow thats the most time I've ever spent on diagram that doesn't make any sense.

 

[Emdprodukt]

I still would love to know if the SM57 Mod makes it sound like anything close the SM7. I have to record vocals (screaming/growling) the first time very soon and I still don't know which mic to use. Got a SM57 without Mod, another SM57 which I could mod, SM58 and a t-bone sc-450 (thomann) but I guess that one really sucks. I'm still not sure. I never used it for such vocals.

 

[JBroll]

Nope. It gets rid of a lot of the nasal sound and makes it more open and 'natural', but it's still directional as hell and doesn't seem to have the 'charm' the SM7 has. It's good on its own, though. Try them all and hope for the fucking best, that's about all you can do with this stuff - you'll be happy with one of them.

Definitely mod at least one of those 57s - the newer one, if there's a significant age difference. Hell, you could just leave the wires attached to the transformer when you remove it and use new hookup wire for the mic, and you can wire the transformer into a cable if you want to. Pretty handy for odds and ends here and there.

EDIT: By the 'Mod' I assume you mean taking it apart, boiling the handle, yanking out the transformer, and reattaching things. If not... ignore me. There's not much to do to a 57, though - it's either a matter of replacing the capsule or doing something with the transformer, that's about it.

Jeff

 

[JonWormwood]

Nope. It gets rid of a lot of the nasal sound and makes it more open and 'natural', but it's still directional as hell and doesn't seem to have the 'charm' the SM7 has. It's good on its own, though. Try them all and hope for the fucking best, that's about all you can do with this stuff - you'll be happy with one of them.

Definitely mod at least one of those 57s - the newer one, if there's a significant age difference. Hell, you could just leave the wires attached to the transformer when you remove it and use new hookup wire for the mic, and you can wire the transformer into a cable if you want to. Pretty handy for odds and ends here and there.

EDIT: By the 'Mod' I assume you mean taking it apart, boiling the handle, yanking out the transformer, and reattaching things. If not... ignore me. There's not much to do to a 57, though - it's either a matter of replacing the capsule or doing something with the transformer, that's about it.

Jeff

TAB transformer modification which is supposed to make the sm57 into an sm7 or extremely close. I haven't seen or heard any comparison clips/charts to back this statement though.

An sm7 is next on my to-buy list.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

That tap mod is fuken spensive though. If it really made a big improvement I would go for it though.

 

[JBroll]

TAB transformer modification which is supposed to make the sm57 into an sm7 or extremely close. I haven't seen or heard any comparison clips/charts to back this statement though.

An sm7 is next on my to-buy list.

I keep hearing about how this-and-that will make an SM57 into an SM7... not gonna fucking happen.

Maybe at some point I'll get one of the transformers just for comparison's sake, but the benefits that people hail as being part of the transition from 57 to 7 are going to be the things you get out of just taking the transformer out, so wait until trying a transformerless 57 before putting that much money down. When I get it I'll put up clips, and probably throw out some impulses with a transformerless 57 and a 57 with the TAB-Funkenwerk just for comparison.


Jeff

 

["Evil" Aidy]

Anyone tried Antares Mic Modeler? Only really makes subtle differences though I found.

I normally just use my sm57, sounds ok to me! Perhaps a bit too "bright" though sometimes.

 

[16S]

See I hate the 58, reason being it brings the cuppers out of the woodwork. I suppose I wouldn't mind it so much if I could beat down shitty vocalists who cup the mic.

...yeah.....but doesn't the cupping thing come from the fact that it gives a more closed or even pig trough type sound live. If the vocalist wants 'that sound' on the recording then why not allow him to cup?