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Old 10-21-2017, 07:23 PM
sodastereo sodastereo is offline
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Default Distance from the mic

I was wondering what is the ideal distance from the mic to record vocals. Sometimes my vocals have an very aggressive low end, and kind of windy, as if the singer was bloqing into the mic. It does not sound professional at all. Is this an issue of how far away the singer is from the mic? also, is there an ideal level/volume to record vocals?
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Old 10-22-2017, 04:37 AM
musicman691 musicman691 is offline
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Default Re: Distance from the mic

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Originally Posted by sodastereo View Post
I was wondering what is the ideal distance from the mic to record vocals. Sometimes my vocals have an very aggressive low end, and kind of windy, as if the singer was bloqing into the mic. It does not sound professional at all. Is this an issue of how far away the singer is from the mic? also, is there an ideal level/volume to record vocals?
thanks!


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There is no ideal distance. A lot depends on the type of mic used and the pattern of said mic. Some mics can hype the low end, some higher up in frequency - they're all different. That aggressive low end you're hearing is proximity effect and some mics like an RE20 don't have that issue which is why you see a lot of radio announcers use them.

'Sounding professional' doesn't really mean much. Sounding good to the ear is a better term. Also take into account the type of music being recorded. Paraphrasing a term drummers use: sing to serve the music. Don't do screamo style if you're going for a James Taylor sound.

As to level - record at such a level you don't overload the front end (preamp and converters). Adjust levels after recording to get the vocals to fit the mix. By adjusting vocal levels you can have them more upfront (louder) or further back (softer).

And don't forget the pop filter in front of the mic.
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Old 10-26-2017, 09:22 AM
Extreme Mixing Extreme Mixing is offline
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Default Re: Distance from the mic

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Originally Posted by sodastereo View Post
I was wondering what is the ideal distance from the mic to record vocals. Sometimes my vocals have an very aggressive low end, and kind of windy, as if the singer was bloqing into the mic. It does not sound professional at all. Is this an issue of how far away the singer is from the mic? also, is there an ideal level/volume to record vocals?
thanks!


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It sounds to me like you're too close to the mic. 8-10 inches away is a good place to start. Lots of older style vocals were recorded from a couple of feet. Also take care to avoid blasts of air hitting the diaphragm of the mic. That's not something that you ever hear just listening to someone sing or speak. It's a product of the air actually hitting the mic. So place the mic a little above all those blasts, maybe pointing down at the singer's nose. Try a few things. You'll find a mic position that avoids those issues.
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Old 10-26-2017, 03:04 PM
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JFreak JFreak is offline
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Default Re: Distance from the mic

There are no rules punchline fits this question very well.

Distance to mic is simple: the closer you are, the less your room affects the sound, the farther you are, the room affects more.

Another thing is levels. There's absolutely no reason to "hit red" with an AD converter that has 124dB dynamics at best -- you will always have at least 20dB headroom below full scale. Any time you hit over -20dBFS you're only amplifying noise.

Period. :)
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Old 10-26-2017, 08:19 PM
Extreme Mixing Extreme Mixing is offline
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Default Re: Distance from the mic

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Distance to mic is simple: the closer you are, the less your room affects the sound, the farther you are, the room affects more.

Period. :)
This is true to a point, But he was complaining about proximity effect and noise blasts from plosives. Two things that you also get when you're too close to the mic. So you not only get less room, you get more of those things. Depends on what you like to fix most, I suppose.

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Old 10-26-2017, 08:45 PM
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albee1952 albee1952 is offline
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Default Re: Distance from the mic

Random thoughts(great info already given):
1-plosives will be lessened by distance(8-10" or even more) a pop filter(highly recommended unless you are going to be 12" or more away from the mic, or place a pencil against the grill(dead center) and attach with rubber bands
2-backing away will lessen proximity, but that will increase the amount of room sound, making acoustic treatment more important. Acoustic foam is mostly too thin to be effective so I would buy rigid roxul or fiberglass panels(eBay is actually a decent source) and frame up some panels 2-3" thick and treat nearby walls and ceiling.
3-if your mic has multiple patters(like Cardioid, Omni, figure 8), try each to see if any improve your result(Omni usually has no proximity effect and figure 8 usually has the most)
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Old 10-26-2017, 08:46 PM
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Default Re: Distance from the mic

Double pop filter the mic. For pop/rap/metal/rock et al. Mesh and foam baby. Then they can get in on the mic. You can try the old pencil trick (pencil in front to divert the blasts).
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Old 10-26-2017, 09:47 PM
amagras amagras is offline
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Default Re: Distance from the mic

Answers are easy to find when there are microphones involved, try different positions, distances, angles, filters until you get the best combination, nobody will be more helpful than your own patience to test all options available and find one that delivers what you need. Good luck
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Old 10-27-2017, 12:22 AM
Raoul23 Raoul23 is offline
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Default Re: Distance from the mic

Pencil trick I must try this, never heard of it before....... Everyday is a school day :)


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Old 10-27-2017, 04:19 AM
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Default Re: Distance from the mic

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Pencil trick I must try this, never heard of it before....... Everyday is a school day :)
Yea but I think that's a bit extreme. Only use it if the singer can't be far enough. If he or she tends to move closer to the mic one probably just don't hear the vocal track well enough...
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