BEST vocal sound?

[drexel]

based on my experince, YOU MUST HAVE THEM IN THE MIC so you dont hear the room (unless you want that, so you are just getting VOICE) then you MUST HAVE A GOOD PRE-AMP, no replacing the fact. ALSO a stereo enhancer helps when you bus the vocals for your reverb. NEVER put to much verb (that dampens your vocals, (read a post from a guy earlier in this thread, the less the better), then the compressor you choose depends on the color you want on the vocals. I have not really found that I like the EQing and Compression on most plugins, I am a BIG DAW user, but i have found that its just not the same as some of the top of the line gear you can get (manley, etc...!)

BUT YOU HAVE GOT TO START WITH TIGHT MICing to get the "IN Y0UR FACE FEELING" later in the mix...!

[This message has been edited by drexel (edited June 01, 2000).]

[joy4u]

the secret for a top ten voice recording (aprt the singer) is comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp comp

[Gulliver]

Get back to basics:

1) delay - the more the thicker, but the delay should be consistent with the song tempo. Try 100ms - 120ms for a start. Short delays can thin the sound due to cancellation.

2) Plate reverb - very diffuse, very little pre-delay.

3) Hall reverb - close your eyes and be the hall.

Roll off the highs and lows of the reverbs so that the thick body of the reverb can hang within the vocal, without sounding too processed.

Good luck.

[Gulliver]

Get back to basics:

1) delay - the more the thicker, but the delay should be consistent with the song tempo. Try 100ms - 120ms for a start. Short delays can thin the sound due to cancellation.

2) Plate reverb - very diffuse, very little pre-delay.

3) Hall reverb - close your eyes and be the hall.

Roll off the highs and lows of the reverbs so that the thick body of the reverb can hang within the vocal, without sounding too processed.

Good luck.

[snoopy]

I get my thickness in layering vocals, often 30 tracks total (obviously not just lead) on a song. OFten leads will have 5-8 layers. Sometimes only 1 is used, some sections 4 may be used, others 8, depending on how the song grows. Sometimes one is promient while others are sitting just underneith an hard panned to widen the track up. And IMHO bombfactory LA-2A is the best compressor for me, I depend on it. I rarely find myself using EQ on the vocals, even in the mix, and Realverb is the only reverb I have been able to get close enough to an outboard unit.

This is for my pop/R$B sessions, but I must admit that I think most of the credit for the success of the sound is in the talent (singers). Most of these studio singers you can hear acoustically, and their voices already sound the way i would want them on tape.

Just my 2 cents

[bombfactory]

>For vocals, I use an AKG C414-B TLII and a Presonus MP20... any idea how to deal with nasal vocals on a setup like this?

Unfortunately, a 414 TLII is probably the worst possible starting point for a nasal vocal. So much so that it almost doesn't matter what comes later in the chain.

Heck, people who don't even have noses tend to sound nasal on a 414.

To get a great sounding vocal, you need a mic that matches the vocalist, and a mic pre that matches the mic.

Your gear is great for many applications, but vocals will be tricky. And problematic vocalists will have you pulling your hair out, guaranteed.

Note that you can rent microphones and preamps for next to nothing--sometimes even $50 for a whole week. Or rent a studio for an hour or two and audition different mic/mic pre combinations in a critical listening environment. Either of these options are great investments for your future recordings--you'll learn a lot.

It sounds oversimplified, but if you get the right tool for the job it'll just work.

Otherwise you'll just have to trust your ears and work REALLY hard at a compromise.

That said, I'm very interested to hear what other people use in a pinch...

--Erik

Bomb Factory -- Digital Done Right
http://www.bombfactory.com

[MMazurek]

Try tilting the 414 down toward the chest more. Decreases the nasal sound a bit and increases the chesty tones.

[Conscious Structure]

Ok, I've got one for you guys:
For vocals, I use an AKG C414-B TLII and a Presonus MP20, I have Bomb Factory 1176 and La2a, D-verb, the Digi plugins, Waves Native Gold and Sans Amp. Any idea how to deal with nasal vocals on a setup like this?

[DJ Burt]

I'm interested to hear if anyone else uses the technique as used by Snoopy - ie, double, triple-tracking and so on? On my latest tune I got a singer to sing the track 4 times over and then twice more for harmonies. The singing was real tight and at times there was a slight natural flanging going on! Has anyone had the chance to compare this multi-tracking technique with the aforementioned stereo harmonizer+delay+pitch effect?

Dj

[Conscious Structure]

Bombfactory, unfortunately, the annoying vocalist is myself. Damn sinuses!
DJ burt, I double, tripple, quadruple, etc vox all the time. It works great.