Vocal mixing question

ido1957

ido1957

9K Gold Member
So my friend got an AKGC414 XLS and it's a really great mic - clean, great tone, but I'm having issues with mixing it.
It sounds (to me) too forward and "obvious" - not volume but presence. I want it to sit better in the mix where it's level, audible but less present. You can hear the mic in our song What About Me in the clinic. His NT2A seemed to sit better even though it's a less expensive mic. I'm using the same Lexicon plate reverb and settings on the guitars as the vocals but the vocals don't seem to sound as verby and won't push back. I have a LA2A plugin on it - maybe it's too hot. I'm hoping someone will listen to the track, hear what I mean, and give me suggestions to try. I'm probably going over there today so I'll try any suggestions you make....
 
ido1957 said:
So my friend got an AKGC414 XLS and it's a really great mic - clean, great tone, but I'm having issues with mixing it.
It sounds (to me) too forward and "obvious" - not volume but presence. I want it to sit better in the mix where it's level, audible but less present. You can hear the mic in our song What About Me in the clinic. His NT2A seemed to sit better even though it's a less expensive mic. I'm using the same Lexicon plate reverb and settings on the guitars as the vocals but the vocals don't seem to sound as verby and won't push back. I have a LA2A plugin on it - maybe it's too hot. I'm hoping someone will listen to the track, hear what I mean, and give me suggestions to try. I'm probably going over there today so I'll try any suggestions you make....
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If all else is the same, could it just be that the mic isn't the right fit for you?
I'm sure I'm not telling you anything you don't know, but more expensive doesn't always mean more suitable.

I used an sm7b for a big project a few years ago because I just didn't get on with a u87 that was available to me at the time.
 
I agree, your vocal sits too far in front on this mix, I don't hear any reverb on it. Why not do a side-by-side comparison of the 2 mics?
 
I guess the characteristics of different mikes will influence the position of a track within a mix. But doesn't that become a mixing issue?
 
Found the problem with the reverb - we have a new mix posted now and the vocals sound better. I'll describe it there.
 
Reverb really helps to make it sit better in the mix. Glad you were able to fix the problem. Always a hard task when switching mics.
 
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