Recording Screaming Vocals...OMG....help.

[Zak with OMG]

And just so you know dude, I'm not trying to hate on you or make fun of you at all and in hindsight I feel kind of bad about my above post, BUT.

The one thing that really 'got my gears grinding' was how you stated you're new to recording but, you know 'ALOT".

Anyways, I hope you got your problem sorted, bro!

Nah.....hahaha. I understand. What i mean is...I just finished high school. And litterally set all of my focus on recording. I know alot....but i am new. Let's put it this way. Im not the kid recording an entire EP for his band with his laptop and laptop mic using audacity. Hahahaha. Not anymore anyways.

 

[Zak with OMG]

Imagine this guy saying those lines:

HAHAHAHAHAHA....That got the lulz goin.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

See... apparently... when... you... finish... high... school... people... expect... that... you... should... be... able... to... type... without... all... the... bullshit... periods... and... trail... off... marks...

Seriously cut that shit out, it's worse than Ebonics typing and it looks fucking stupid (ya'll sup dat etc...).

Other than that, I scratched my head at your original post. Random thoughts thrown together much?

 

[Zak with OMG]

See... apparently... when... you... finish... high... school... people... expect... that... you... should... be... able... to... type... without... all... the... bullshit... periods... and... trail... off... marks...

Seriously cut that shit out, it's worse than Ebonics typing and it looks fucking stupid (ya'll sup dat etc...).

Other than that, I scratched my head at your original post. Random thoughts thrown together much?

Wow. So I'll go ahead and refrain from typing like I usually do and go ahead and tell you your being an ass. Something I like about this forum is that people can talk without being dicks to each other. Which is rare on the internet. I personally think it's funny how you let such a small thing such as periods piss you off so much. Grow the fuck up dude. jeez. This really sucks because I've never really DISLIKED anyone on this forum.

Whatever....thanks to all those who actually helped me. This thread was extremely useful to me.

 

[006]

every time I've used a 58, or anything similar, it's sounded wretched. very muffled, dull, and boomy. no clarity or definition at all. I LOVE LDCs for screaming vocals. they sound so raw, and in your face. but hey, it's just personal preference I guess... or maybe I'm doing something wrong. after all, I am a noob. haha.

With a SM57 I use blue painter's tape to cover the gap between the little grill on the end and the metal housing you hold on to. Not covering the entire grill though, maybe 1/3 of it at the most. I also tell vocalists to not hold the mic past that tape. This helps with them turning the vocal performance into typical live show shittyness. It really comes out fine and perfectly clear, dunno what else to tell ya except keep messing with it, it works

I use it quite often for aggressive vocals nowadays since most vocalists are too pussy to try the LDC. I'm counting my dimes until I can snag a SM7b and I'll be forcing every growler/screamer to use it no matter how much pissing and moaning they can shell out.

 

[ForefrontStudio]

With a SM57 I use blue painter's tape to cover the gap between the little grill on the end and the metal housing you hold on to. Not covering the entire grill though, maybe 1/3 of it at the most. I also tell vocalists to not hold the mic past that tape. This helps with them turning the vocal performance into typical live show shittyness. It really comes out fine and perfectly clear, dunno what else to tell ya except keep messing with it, it works

I use it quite often for aggressive vocals nowadays since most vocalists are too pussy to try the LDC. I'm counting my dimes until I can snag a SM7b and I'll be forcing every growler/screamer to use it no matter how much pissing and moaning they can shell out.

interesting. so you're just covering up the vertical slits in the plastic cap? I will be honest, I have no tried a 57. I tried a 58 and a few other mics along the same lines. I may have to give that a try.

 

[006]

Not the entire way up though, just like 1/3 of the way up from where it meets the metal housing that makes up the rest of the mic. 57 and 58 are really similar, they are not the same thing though, one with just a screen, as some would have you believe. Their frequency responses are different. I don't know that a 58 would sound that far off though it may be possible I suppose.

 

[John_C]

Their frequency responses are different.

evidence? I'm not saying you're wrong but surely a lot of the response difference could be down to the fact that the response diagrams are of course all done with the shield on. If you have made some real life comparisons between 58w/out shield and 57 that would be interesting to hear about

 

[006]

All I have to go by are the charts provided by Shure. Not positive if they are identical with the shield off on the 58 but we weren't specifically talking about the 58 with the shield off in the first place

If they are identical with the shield off the 58 then cool... not really important to me I'd rather just use a 57 at that point if it's the same thing.

 

[Ionei]

I don't get whats up with people having trouble recording screams.
I never have, EVER, even in my days of running a mic direct to the line in on my pc into audacity.

Although, I have only ever recorded good screamers.
And i never let them hold the mic, if they can't do it to a LDC on a stand then they need to man up.

 

[Demonstealer]

I just recorded guitar tracks for an entire album using the 58 with the cap/shield off because its pretty much as good as a 57 then

or so I was told

 

[JBroll]

Demonstealer, not quite.

OP... I hope you've learned your lesson about knowing 'alot' - you're fresh out of high school, the only thing you should 'know' is that you have a long way to go and pretending will get you nowhere.

Jeff

 

[updog]

sm58's, sm57's, condensers with pop filters

Sorry, but do you actually own all these, and use them without having acquired general knowledge on how to record vocals? Why not just get one microphone at first when you're starting?

I don't know, maybe I just don't have as much money as everyone else, but I don't get it. I even read the manuals of the gear I'm purchasing beforehand. I mean, you guys even have your own 'studio' already. I don't have anything against you, but what I don't understand is why people get all kinds of stuff and then basically expect the gear to do all the work. I hope it's not the case here, just a thought.

Good luck with your recording! If you DO have a proper studio setup, the good thing is, you'll learn a lot by experimenting and trying different things with different kinds of bands

 

[Demonstealer]

@Jbroll - Damn, but I think I did okay on capturing the guitar sound using that Guess I will need to buy a 57 and compare the difference.

 

[JBroll]

I'm not saying it'll necessarily sound bad, but last I checked they didn't have the same capsule and structure - I'll get back to you on that if I remember anything tomorrow.

Jeff

 

[Demonstealer]

^^ Cool man and I've got a thread up in Rate my mix and one in the production one called 'Trouble with tone' would love to get your critique on that.

 

[Zak with OMG]

Demonstealer, not quite.

OP... I hope you've learned your lesson about knowing 'alot' - you're fresh out of high school, the only thing you should 'know' is that you have a long way to go and pretending will get you nowhere.

Jeff

This is slowing dawning on me. Im not pretending to know. Im just using what i do know, which i can understand isn't half as much as people know on here, to explain or ask questions the best i can. I don't mean to come across as a "know it all". And I certainly am sorry if i Do.

 

[Zak with OMG]

Sorry, but do you actually own all these, and use them without having acquired general knowledge on how to record vocals? Why not just get one microphone at first when you're starting?

Yes I own all of those. I read up alot on everything I bought. I didn't start off with one mic because I knew different mics did better for different things. This is obvious...hehehe....i know. But I wanted to make sure i was ready.

I don't know, maybe I just don't have as much money as everyone else, but I don't get it. I even read the manuals of the gear I'm purchasing beforehand. I mean, you guys even have your own 'studio' already. I don't have anything against you, but what I don't understand is why people get all kinds of stuff and then basically expect the gear to do all the work. I hope it's not the case here, just a thought.

At the end of high school I decided i jump into this hard and as fast as i could. I got a summer job managing a gas station at a park to help buy all this stuff. Like i said before.....I didn't read the manuals....But I did about them all ALOT before i bought them. I dont expect for the equipment to do the work for me. Dont get me wrong....Our "studio" is not half as impressive or whatever as Probably the most basic studio here. Out "studio"....if you can call it that....Is me and Chase driving halfway across indiana TO the bands Practice place and pumping out a demo. This sucks....but I cant afford my own place yet.

Good luck with your recording! If you DO have a proper studio setup, the good thing is, you'll learn a lot by experimenting and trying different things with different kinds of bands

Thanks. If I had my own place I think i could comfortably call it a studio. But i dont....so I don't know what to call it. Studio on wheels Thanks man. I do appreciate you trying to help me out. I really do.

 

[updog]

Yeah, it's good to be prepared, after all. When I was starting out, I just got an M-Audio Fast Track Pro and used Reaper... but I invested money more on the computer though, got a MacBook, and didn't know when I was going to record someone's voice anyway so I've bought my first condenser only a few months ago. Not the best either, but works well enough.

On a sidenote, I sure am glad I got the MacBook last year. Checked its estimated worth at Mac2Sell and according to that site it's still worth 830€, and I bought it for 899€ from a store back then. It's really insane how Macs preserve their value for such a long time.

 

[darthjujuu]

to OP-

i'm surprised that noone brought up how important the room is for just about anything mic'ed, but especially loud vocals- even though i guess your question, "distortion" on the way in, had little or nothing to do with that. room tips: tuck the kid in a closet with lots of blankets or coats or something and shut the door. if you can get the kid into a dark scary closet and set the mic up so that he's screaming into some thick pea coats, you'll just about kill all reflection and the result will be beautiful and this is something every beginner loves to ignore. i know i did, i'd read dudes saying shit like that and be like "yayayaya whatever it doesn't matter" and believe me, once you start laying on obscene compression, even in what you thought was the most dead of bedrooms you'll start to hear more slap echo than vox hitting the mic. seriously. the louder the screamer, the worse it is, i assure you. it sucks.

quick tips for getting started quick with screams:

POP FILTER. MANDATORY. make one yourself if you have to, or get one from a chinese mega-distributor on ebay for $8 like i did. you cannot pass this off as one of those "oh well it doesn't matter for now" things. it's not just for reducing sibilance. it's CRITICAL for screams into a condenser, period. you will fail forever without one.

a LDC should suit just about all basic vocal needs. put a pop filter about 3-4 inches from the cardioid and tell the kid to touch his lips to it (or just as close) and not to vary his distance. this is one of the biggest benefits of having screamers go nuts on a condenser with a pop filter- it gives them a reference for how far away from the mic to be. if you don't, and you track many songs in a session, you'll find yourself automating your buns off trying to accommodate for him floating away and then coming closer again...etc.

regarding your original question, preamp gain was the obvious issue. i remember that you got a firepod. my initial instinct when i first got mine a few years ago, was to "tickle" the clip light, and then back off just enough til it was not lighting up any more. *BIG BEGINNER MISTAKE* - track in 24 bit, and leave plenty of head room. see previous posts.

finally - compress to ever living fuck. don't be afraid to use 3 or even 4 different compressors in parallel. search the forum for old vocal threads. don't be afraid to crank that threshold WAY down, into the -20db range. that's what is going to make the sound you're after. you'll have to educate yourself a bit to learn how to maximize ridiculous amounts of compression in a tasteful manner, but that's not a lesson to be learned in this thread.