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

[Zak with OMG]

Ok...so.....Let me start off by saying I'm somewhat new. Fresh out of high school...started buying stuff....and then started recording new. But on the other hand....I know ALOT. So....here is my issue. I myself am in a hardcore band. I have recorded other hardcore bands. And everything turns out freaking super.....Until vocals....OMG.....i hate screamers. I love em...cuz i am one....but jeezes. Why oh why do they sound like distorted robots when i record them. I am pretty sure they are distorting my mics. And I've tried with everything. sm58's, sm57's, condensers with pop filters. It leaves me wondering....am i really going to have to buy an sm7b. I know there the jesus of mics....but damn. I'll buy it if I have to. Any tips...tricks......ANYTHING. would be so helpful. Before anyone asks....no i dont have any examples. All my old recordings are on my old laptop. Which i sold without backing up my tracks.....a rookie mistake i'll never make again. My new computer is badass though.

 

[[UEAK]Clowd]

um what.

I've never recorded screams with anything but an LDC and I've not once had an issue...

 

[Zak with OMG]

um what.

I've never recorded screams with anything but an LDC and I've not once had an issue...

It's like.....distorting....it sounds horrible. I honestly dont know what to do about it.

 

[devouredremains]

I doubt it's your microphones.

Make sure your not tracking too hot and take a look at the gain staging of your effects chain.

 

[Zak with OMG]

I doubt it's your microphones.

Make sure your not tracking too hot and take a look at the gain staging of your effects chain.

Hmm.....i kinda fixed the problem. With your help. Turned down the gain on my firepod and it really helped. I had always put in near top end of the yellow....but i just put it so it just hit yellow. Wow....actually it really helps.

BTW....it was my raw tracks sounding bad....thanks for the suggestion though.

 

[Unavailable]

Don't let it "hit yellow". Have the vocals peaking between -6 to -12.

 

[Trevoire520]

You should be recording EVERYTHING with plenty of headroom. There's no advantage to tracking with really hot levels and risking clipping in 24 bit as the noise floor is so low. Your preamps will give the least amount of distortion and colouration around 0VU which equates to about -18dBfs in your DAW. So aim for your peaks to be around there when recording.

 

[Zak with OMG]

Don't let it "hit yellow". Have the vocals peaking between -6 to -12.

Ok...thanks.....wow. Thanks guys.

 

[Zak with OMG]

You should be recording EVERYTHING with plenty of headroom. There's no advantage to tracking with really hot levels and risking clipping in 24 bit as the noise floor is so low. Your preamps will give the least amount of distortion and colouration around 0VU which equates to about -18dBfs in your DAW. So aim for your peaks to be around there when recording.

HOlY SHIT. Thanks bro.

 

[visceral]

um what.



I've never recorded screams with anything but an LDC and I've not once had an issue...

I'd agree with this. I know when I first started recording I thought that vocals should be recorded with a vocal mic (SM58). When I got my first LDC I did a quick test just t make sure it worked. Needless to say I recorded a vocal track, and it turned out great. Im sure there are lots of people that have gotten excellent results with dynamic mics, but I know I'll be sticking with a LDC for vox.

And like everyone else says, compress it quite hard and add delay/verb to taste. Dont forget to apply a hpf & lpf to the delay/verb. It can get really cluttered if you dont.

 

[ahjteam]

I noticed this same problem with my classmates... When they set the levels, they set the gain to like near the -0dBFS when it's really unnessecary thing to do, even after told many times not to do it. And as you can guess that when the drummer starts to pound his drums like normal... they had to drop like ~20dB off from all channels.

 

[Charles J]

I agree with everything said above regarding your problem.

But damn there is a lot of fail in the OP.

=D

 

[ahjteam]

I agree with everything said above regarding your problem.

But damn there is a lot of fail in the OP.

=D

It seems like the OP was hi when he wrote the messege

 

[006]

Honestly using strictly a LDC is a little limiting. Even the big guys have vocalists track with a 57/58 sometimes. You have to find what works for every situation. Sometimes LDC, sometimes a 58, sometimes a 7b... You have to take into consideration not every vocalist you work with is going to perform their best with a condensor and a pop-screen. Some of them do their best with a handheld dynamic too.

And honestly I've not had a bad result from using a 57/58, it's just different is all.

 

[Zak with OMG]

It seems like the OP was hi when he wrote the messege

Why?

 

[Zak with OMG]

Honestly using strictly a LDC is a little limiting. Even the big guys have vocalists track with a 57/58 sometimes. You have to find what works for every situation. Sometimes LDC, sometimes a 58, sometimes a 7b... You have to take into consideration not every vocalist you work with is going to perform their best with a condensor and a pop-screen. Some of them do their best with a handheld dynamic too.

And honestly I've not had a bad result from using a 57/58, it's just different is all.

One thing I get is that the vocalist "just doesn't feel right" without actually holding a mic in his hands. Im the vocalist in my band...and i gotta say...I feel the same way. I have and LDC and 58....no 7b......sad. I'll try both.

 

[mick thompson]

i've never seen so many .'s in my life!

..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

 

[Charles J]

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!

 

[ForefrontStudio]

Honestly using strictly a LDC is a little limiting. Even the big guys have vocalists track with a 57/58 sometimes. You have to find what works for every situation. Sometimes LDC, sometimes a 58, sometimes a 7b... You have to take into consideration not every vocalist you work with is going to perform their best with a condensor and a pop-screen. Some of them do their best with a handheld dynamic too.

And honestly I've not had a bad result from using a 57/58, it's just different is all.

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.

 

[ahjteam]

And everything turns out freaking super.....Until vocals....OMG.....i hate screamers. I love em...cuz i am one....

Ok...thanks.....wow. Thanks guys.

HOlY SHIT. Thanks bro.

It's like.....distorting....it sounds horrible. I honestly dont know what to do about it.

Imagine this guy saying those lines