vocals questions

[LeftForDead78]

hey guys.

wondering if i can get some advice on vocals. im about to finish recording a mates hardcore bands demo, i can post the mix if you guys wanna hear it but the thing is i dont have a large setup, basically ill be running a 58 >mixer > mac.

so my question is...do i just give him a set of cans with the straight out of logic ...and let him go?

OR i dont give him cans just pump it through the monitors and let him go that way...or will the bleed from speakers be to much?

im doin this all in my room. so dont have any isolating booths or anything haha

cheers guys.

 

[Zack Uidl]

Headphones for sure.

 

[if6was9]

Well it depends on the singer- bleed can be minimised when tracking with the singer using the mic hand-held and the sound coming out the speakers.
if you do it this way make sure they don't point the mic towards the speakers, obviously

flip the phase on one of the speakers so that they're cancelling themselves aswell.

keep the volume level sensible, and have him sing a few feet away so that the level is reduced

don't have anything playing that won't bo on the finished mix- click, bad leads that'll be re done etc...

To be honest the bleed isn't that bad tracking like this and it can be the best way to get a performance. the bleed between the phrases can be edited out and when he's singing it really won't be noticed if you keep it in check.

Lots of guys track like this- randy in lamb of god and john bush for example

 

[JonWormwood]

Set the singer up any way you want to, at any volume and have them record their part. Go for their comfort, you don't need to compromise. When everything's done, simply record the same way to another track (your mic position, preamp gain, speaker volume, etc...even the singer's standing position with the mic must be exactly the same) but without the singer making ANY noise. Essentially you're getting the exact same thing without singing. Then reverse the polarity of the new track and mix it in at the same volume with the singer's takes so that you phase-cancel all the speaker noise (very similar idea to balanced cable). It works well if you solo those two tracks (one being out of phase) and then export them as a new file so that you don't screw everything up when you apply reverb, eq, compression, etc. The amount of bleed will be the same or less than the previously mentioned 'one speaker out of phase' method, especially if you used a cardioid mic facing away from the speakers in the first place in a low-ambiance room.

or

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Alright, here's another. Ever get a vocalist that can't work with headphones for one reason or another? Bring him/her and the vocal mic into the control room; place the mic equal distance between and in front of the monitors (the mic becomes one of the three "corners" of an equalateral triangle); flip the polarity of one of the two monitors; pan the tracks in the center, and record the vocal tracks. The vocalist can hear the cue mix without being "confined" by cans, and the cue mix disappears from the vocal track because it cancels itself out.