Alittle Help with vocals

[matt2083]

I'm trying to get my vocals up to 100%, running pro tools 6.7, with a shure KSM 32, a few Plug-ins like trash and just the simple first M-Box, can I get some nice clean vocals with just this set-up? Or do I need to upgrade or could I just add some software or hardware to help the quality, even without the vocals peaking i get some interferance and in some areas it sounds moffed. What do you recommend for my buget home studio? Or is there some effects i could run to clean it up some, I'm new to engeningering and could use a few pointers

[albee1952]

Start by using a good pop screen. Make sure you have the mic positioned correctly. I would start with the pop screen about 2" off the mic and the singer about 1-2" off the screen. As the singer moves farther away, you get more "room" in your recording. Many of us do not have great sounding recording spaces so the less "room" you get, the better. Make sure the singer doesn't move around a lot. The KSM32 is a great mic and I suspect technique is where your troubles lie. Always do your sessions at 24 bit as it gives better headroom(without increasing disc space usage), so you don't need to "slam" the input. Just get the record meter to hit around 2/3rds to 3/4 of the range. Once you add a compressor plugin and a little EQ, you will likely have a track that is running near the top of the meter anyway. I haven't used TRASH, but by the name, I suspect that it will never clean anything up. As you already know(or are learning), you can't clean things up much after the fact. You need to work on getting the recording clean on the way in.