Vocal Mic placement for Dummies

malcolm123

New member
Hello All,
This pertains to vox only if possible. I have been looking at this piece of gear, that piece of gear, this new mic, that new pre, etc. So i asked someone about my situation as to improving my vocal presence within my tracks (The mix is not the problem) and they basically told me what I think this forum should be about. That is, dont buy the gear until you have tried all that you have first.
So for now I will hold off on my purchases and ask about what was recommended to me. Mic Placement. I have read so much around here how mic placement is so important. I have read how to mic this snare or this kick drum, this guitar cab, etc. I want to talk about vocal mic placement. If this has been covered ( and yes I have gone through as many threads as possible) then please post a link that pertains to Vocal mic placement.

Now. From what I gather about vox mic placement it's mainly moving the mic around, tilting it, singer stepping up, singer stepping back, pop filters, etc. My question is a simple newbie question for ya,,, what the hell are you listening for?

How do you guys do it? Do you just put someone in front of the mic and have them sing or whatever and you go and move the mic around or tell them to step up or back? The only mic technique that I have ever tried that workedfor me was tilting the mic for a certain singer who was very silibant. As for pops my pop filter does a pretty good job or I would just tell a person to step back away from the mic a little. Saying that these are not the problems then what other means would a person need mic placement for? Yeah I know dumb,, but im asking because I take my little work seriously and I am here to learn. If I can improve things then I want to do them, especially if it's Free.

Are you moving or placing the mic to get a more natural signal maybe? Do you listen to the singers voice out in the open then go in the control room or put on headphones to see how close to natural they are? This mic was used off axis this mic was used on axis? Man this stuff has gotten deep. Do you use mic placement to accomidate this persons voice or that person?

How do you approach something like this in a real life situation? Or is that asking too much like " How you Master a CD" ? I really do not know when it comes to mic placement. when I read or see anything about mic placement the first thing that comes to my mind is to move all of the input sources around until it sounds best. Is that it? I can mic a drum kit or a guitar cab a lot easier than attempting to mic a vocalist using different mic placements. I guess my ear is more trained to inst. than the human voice.

If your not correcting problems like Sibs or Pops and your not really getting what you think could be better, then maybe gear purchases would come into play. I guess it boils down to what sound your trying to capture. Please fill free to jump in.

Thanks

Malcolm
 
There are no rules really... you just move around the mic until you find the spot you like best... in other words, move the placement to where ever you think it sounds best... and remember, it sounds different in a mix, so try finding the right room, mic, and placement while listening to both the mic and music... and keep dinkering until the vocal sits nicely in the mix so you don't have to dick-around with it much on your final mix.
 
DJL said:
There are no rules really... you just move around the mic until you find the spot you like best... in other words, move the placement to where ever you think it sounds best... and remember, it sounds different in a mix, so try finding the right room, mic, and placement while listening to both the mic and music... and keep dinkering until the vocal sits nicely in the mix so you don't have to dick-around with it much on your final mix.

Thanks DJL,

So I guess I am probably digging too deep.

malcolm
 
Your welcome.

As time goes on and the more you do it, the faster and easier it becomes.
 
there are no rules.....just keep switching mics til you find something that works with the voice, then tweak the position while they're singing to get the best sound.

generally i start with the mic's diaphragm at nose-height and aiming slightly downward. this helps get a little more of the chest voice than the nose voice--works wonders for my honky-sounding voice. ;-)

the strength of the singer's voice, the song, the intimacy, etc., of the vocal track will determine how close/far they are to the mic. i generally don't want a powerful voice blasting into a mic from 6in away, but for some of those softer, more intimate things (like Mark Knopfler/private investigations) i'll have them right on top to get that extra proximity effect.

bottom line, experiment and find something that works. the rest of your signal chain is ultra important here, too.


wade
 
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