Mixing advice please

ccmcgc

New member
I rap and I home record with a Neumann TLM 103 condenser mic. I'm not very knowledgeable about mixing. I'm not trying to get a perfect sound because I'm not going to mix/master myself but i want to some mixing to have a general idea of what a more finished song sounds like. I feel my vocals have no weight to them; they don't sound crisp and clear. I've added some EQ, a bit of reverb and compression, but it doesn't sound like the example in the link below. My style/performance is more on the loud and aggressive side(Eminem/NF like); but in the example below, he not loud /aggressive - he is nasally, but his recording still has weight to it and a gravelly sound, while mine does not. so I know this is not a performance issue. How do I replicate this sound?

Witt Lowry - Witt Lowry's Acapella - YouTube

thanks!
 
I rap and I home record with a Neumann TLM 103 condenser mic. I'm not very knowledgeable about mixing. I'm not trying to get a perfect sound because I'm not going to mix/master myself but i want to some mixing to have a general idea of what a more finished song sounds like. I feel my vocals have no weight to them; they don't sound crisp and clear. I've added some EQ, a bit of reverb and compression, but it doesn't sound like the example in the link below. My style/performance is more on the loud and aggressive side(Eminem/NF like); but in the example below, he not loud /aggressive - he is nasally, but his recording still has weight to it and a gravelly sound, while mine does not. so I know this is not a performance issue. How do I replicate this sound?

Witt Lowry - Witt Lowry's Acapella - YouTube

thanks!

A lot of this is actually the performance. I'm sure in the example you posted he used a good mic with a good mic preamp. Aside from EQ, compression and maybe reverb it doesn't sound like much else other than the performance. You should try posting an example of your work in the MP3 Mixing Clinic forum to get suggestions.
 
That YouTube recording could've been done with a hyper-compressed 58 -- Which for a lot of aggressive vocal applications would probably be a far better choice than the TLM 103. I'd consider either a SM7b or EV RE20. With a decent preamp, it's difficult to get a better "everyday" vocal chain IMO/E.

Choral, operatic, smooth jazz female vox - Sure, go with the Neumann. But if you're getting up on it aggressively -- that just wouldn't be my first choice.

And speaking of hyper-compressed -- If you're laying a vocal over a hyper-compressed bed (beat), you're at the mercy of how *it* was hyper-compressed to make the vocal sit with it. Do whatever you can to NOT use pre-crushed material.
 
A lot of this is actually the performance. I'm sure in the example you posted he used a good mic with a good mic preamp. Aside from EQ, compression and maybe reverb it doesn't sound like much else other than the performance. You should try posting an example of your work in the MP3 Mixing Clinic forum to get suggestions.

thank you!
 
That YouTube recording could've been done with a hyper-compressed 58 -- Which for a lot of aggressive vocal applications would probably be a far better choice than the TLM 103. I'd consider either a SM7b or EV RE20. With a decent preamp, it's difficult to get a better "everyday" vocal chain IMO/E.

Choral, operatic, smooth jazz female vox - Sure, go with the Neumann. But if you're getting up on it aggressively -- that just wouldn't be my first choice.

And speaking of hyper-compressed -- If you're laying a vocal over a hyper-compressed bed (beat), you're at the mercy of how *it* was hyper-compressed to make the vocal sit with it. Do whatever you can to NOT use pre-crushed material.

Sorry -what do you mean by "...done with a hyper-compressed 58 - is that a mic reference? And I *am* laying my vocal over a beat - what do you mean by a hyper-compressed one? How can you tell?
 
Shure SM58 - with a lot of compression. That particular recording has been squashed to death and then some. No dynamics. As it's not sitting in a mix with other elements, I'm not sure why (he? they?) took that route. IMO, I don't see that as "crisp and clear" - It's lifeless and crushed.
 
Back
Top