Machinated's tracking observation of the day

[Machinated]

Been tracking vocals today, and being restricted tracking in my bedroom at uni I decided to only bring a 58 with me for tracking vocals.

I can really see why so many big name producers have the vocalist use these and do the vocals in a "live" kind of way. The kind of performance you get is impossible to replicate any other way (once of course you get the singer warmed up and motivated). Its kind of inspiring to see a vocalist stomping his way around the room and forcing every last note out of his body to get the most into a take.

When mixing the tracks you have to compensate a little bit, and also keep an eye that they aren't cupping the mic, but man, this is definitely something I'm going to pursue with some vocalists when I'm back in my usual working environment.

Give it a try guys!

 

[-Noodles-]

Deftones speciality!

 

[Metaltastic]

Hmm, did you find the 58 had a shitload of 'plosives, though? I bought a 58 used on ebay a couple of years ago that I tried recording vocals with the other day, and it was plosive city - then again, I'm worried that it might be a fake, since the windscreen doesn't unscrew off...

 

[Machinated]

Theres a few things in the low mids that need taking care of, as well as the high end. I think it sounded far better than it should have done, and it achieved a performance that couldn't have been done with anything other than a hand held mic. I think once you have the EQ taking care of that, and the right compression settings its really not bad at all.

I know Terry Date and Joey Vera are fans of tracking vocals like this, I'm sure I have read many more quotes from other producers who do this too.

 

[Jackal_Strain]

I think a lot of the vocals on Sacrament by Lamb of god was done with a handheld 58. Personally I think the vox sounds iller on that album. I wonder if I could achieve a similar sound with a 57. My 58 is currently... fucked up

 

[The Unavoidable]

I think a lot of the vocals on Sacrament by Lamb of god was done with a handheld 58. Personally I think the vox sounds iller on that album. I wonder if I could achieve a similar sound with a 57. My 58 is currently... fucked up

Well they are the same, aren't they? (the 57 and the 58)

 

[Machinated]

I'm sure you could use the 57, may have a bit more work to do in the mixing phase though to tidy it up as it doesnt have the windshield.

When you see someone really go for it with a handheld mic, it makes you wonder if it is possible to get a take anywhere close to the level of energy without using one.

 

[-Noodles-]

If they're light on the plosives and sibilance, then there's no reason not to have the 57 instead..

 

[kaomao]

Used many times! and yes Ed when you see the singer screaming from the top of his lungs, to get the take right, is totally great to see !!!
It's better for the singer to handle a 58 than an SM7 (not talking about the sm57), the fucker it's heavier and the singer can let it fall lol

 

[Sloan]

I've used 58's all year for the live recording shit and you really have to cut a shit ton of mids out of them. i usually highpass at almost 200. more sometimes.

 

[greyskull]

just recorded a band with a 58, and boy does it suit his voice....

Worked with the band a bit in the past, a ldc just doesnt work.(scream sounded weak)... SM7 was wicked, but mine was fucked after being dropped, so we tried a 58, and let him hold it, and hes never sounded better....

go to..
www.myspace.com/thecomanchecipher and check out 'armed to the teeth' (should come up when you load the page) 58 - api- 1176 set to stun. Broootal

 

[Machinated]

I think with some of the EQ stuff, it really makes a difference how they hold it and how far away they hold it - the amount of variance you can get from 58 tracks has been pretty big imo. That said it shows it really is capable of doing the job in some situations.

 

[jesterroot4]

Well they are the same, aren't they? (the 57 and the 58)

not quite, 57 has more clarity, the higher mids are more responsive, and less of a proximity effect, which is why people prefer to close mic instruments with a 57.

and the pop shield on the 58 is shite! i ended up having to use a 58 for a lot of voice over work recently as our vocal booth isnt quite sounding up to scratch, and i've been having to use 2 pop shields to kill the plosives.

 

[Metaltastic]

and the pop shield on the 58 is shite! i ended up having to use a 58 for a lot of voice over work recently as our vocal booth isnt quite sounding up to scratch, and i've been having to use 2 pop shields to kill the plosives.

Glad I'm not the only one who experienced this!

 

[Sloan]

I think it's just a windscreen, not a pop shield, brodawg.
Also, yes the proximity effect is crazy, always eat the mic and you will always know to roll and cut them shits!

 

[Glenn Fricker]

I think a lot of the vocals on Sacrament by Lamb of god was done with a handheld 58.

Randy was in to do backups on Bloodshoteye's "Without any Remorse" a few years ago & the first thing I asked him was, "Stand or handheld?"

"Handheld" was his choice, so I gave him my beat-to-shit 58 I used on stage for years..... and, according to some major LOG fans, got Randy's best sounding tracks ever. 58 into a Vintech dual 72, accompanied by a great deal of Budweiser = win.

Randy explained how much he disliked working on the stand. He had recently done a LOG album with Devin Townsend & felt restricted. I had the attitude of, "Hey man, do your thing. I'll just get the levels." I figured that he had the experience of delivering to huge audiences, why fuck with a good thing?

Here's some pics from that session:

Working out some arrangement details

 

[gorath23]

I'm going to pick up another SM57 with the TAB-Funkenwerk transformer from Mercenary Audio. Apparently it sounds in between a 57 and an SM7 (but costs less than the latter). Part of my '09 studio upgrade.

 

[smy1]

I prefer the SM7b for this. And I agree, I personally will never record with a mic on a stand again ... too stiff!

 

[Metaltastic]

Well the SM7b is the better sounding mic, I'm sure - but speaking strictly ergonomically, you'd rather hold an SM7 over a 58? Or is it just a matter of dealing with it for better sound?

 

[nuclearass]

I've pretty much only recorded hardcore/punk and from day one I noticed that guys who are not used to recording with a mic stand sound much better when you let them hold the mic and run around the room. SM58 works great for this. SM57 needs a "handmade" pop filter/windscreen when used this way. Nowadays I mainly use SM7b for this, but If I were to go for a more aggressive "punk" sound I'd use the good ol' 58. Just don't let the vocalist "cup" the mic!