Recording Vocals: The "inhale" sound.. What to do?

3des

New member
Disclaimer: Absolute newbie, i.e. be nice ;-)


So, I'm recording vocals for the first time in my life, and although I am truly inspired by this first take of an absolutely terrified amateur vocalist (she was so nervous that she stayed home from work because she had a migrane from the apprehension of coming to my place to sing, which is really amazing considering what she pulled off on our first ever meeting, improvising at that!)

Sorry for the digression. So, the question I have is what do people normally do about the sound of the vocalist inhaling, is it mic placement, vocalist technique and skill, post recording editing??


Here's a small sample of the audio we did if you want to see how loud the inhale sound is (perhaps my mic [Oktavia MK-219] and lack of placement/setup are part of the problem). This is an apartment with no sound treatment whatsoever *until I build one of those nifty packing blanket isolation booths several of you have posted pictures of*:



Thanks in advance.

~+~ 3des ~+~



"...You shall see things wonderful to tell. You shall see a... a cow... on the roof of a... cottonhouse. Heh. And ohh so many startlements. I cannot tell you how long this road shall be. But fear not the ob-stacles in your path. For fate has vouchsafed your reward. Though the road may wind, yea your hearts grow weary..' ~O Brother"
 
Your singer isn't used to condenser mics, and may not be particularly used to any kind of mic, although she has a very pretty voice. She needs to open her mouth wider, inhale a little more slowly, and back off from the mic and turn her head to the side when she breathes. When you sing into condenser mics, you have to be aware of "every breath you take". You can ride the faders and plot out every breath and back off the track fader at each breath during mixdown, but it would be better if the singer simply developed better mic technique. A little breathing noise is unavoidable, and a little even can help to make it sound natural (singers do breathe), but that's a little over the top.
Performance anxiety is a bitch too. Can't help you much there, but it'll help when she becomes more used to the studio environment, and the all powerful condenser mic.. Good luck to both of you.-Richie
 
If you have the time, you can edit the takes manually in SoundForge or Wavelab (or any kind of wave-editor). It takes alot of time if you're not used to it, so only consider it as a backup sollution if you can't get your singer back in front of the mic again... ;)
 
What Richie said!

It is basically a matter of technique. It will give the singer some gratification to know she has now learned some "Studio Vocal Technique" once you share it with her. Actually, it would help with "Live Technique" as well!
 
My songwriting partner really suffers from teh same problem, every phrase he sings is preceded by a rapid gasp-intake of air, and he can't seem to eliminate it. It is slow and tedious, but I literally clip out each intake while editing, just cut right before and right after the breath and delete it. Sometimes I have to let one or two through, depending on how much it impacts the phrasing. I do all this before applying any other effects/EQ, comp , and then bounce it all back to a single clip so that any verb/EQ will fill the empty space.
 
Great feedback, and I'll definitely encourage her to experiment with technique (as I said, she has never sung before with any mic other than a handheld mini cassette recorder!). I'll also ponder/experiment with what 'c7sus' said, though admittedly I really have NO clue about how to position this particular mic and have just tried moving it up and down and all around to see which way gives the strongest, clearest, signal.

I also have an SM58 that I'd like to do an A/B with so I can get an idea of the tonal qualities of each as well as the response and characteristics regarding these ambient vocal sounds (perhaps the 58 will be easier to control the sound as it might take less movement to get the inhale sound out of the range of the mic's response field??)

I definitely don't want to engage in too much editing, I mean, here or there may be an inevitability, especially given the lack of an isolation booth, but I can't imagine editing 5 minutes worth of inhale sounds ! ;-)
 
p.s. My apologies for posting a link to a file that was 10 megs!

I've since updated the file to reduce the size to a managebale 2.5M, my bad, and my apologies. ;-)
 
As an aside, I just finished listening to a pro female jazz vocalist, and lo and behold there was very audible "inhale" sounds... perhaps not as much or as loud as on my sample, but it reminds me that I need to remember to get an outside perspective on recordings and mixes, as sitting in the studio can cause us to over magnify eveything we hear and distort the overall picture.

I guess that's why I hear so many people use outside mastering facilities whenever possible (affordable) ;-)

Thanks again for the feedback and input.
 
Yes it is a matter of technique. I am just playing with my first LD condenser and was shocked at how much I sounded like Darth Vader...resonant bass voice and heavy breathing.

Basicly a silent breath is taken through a wide open mouth and unconstricted throat. She can also back off of the mic a bit.
 
Welcome to the world of untrained and inexperienced singers. I too have encountered similar problems with people who are not used to having a mic in front of them. It takec a lot of practice for a singer to get the hang of projecting their voice into a mic, especially if they are used to singing in a choir or just singing along without any type of amplification. Sometimes something as simple as moving the mic a little further away or up a bit can help, but practice is the only way I have found for a singer to get the hang of working with a mic. Be patient and good luck.
 
What Dani said. A mic is an instrument that you play, not a snapshot camera. If somebody was a great piano player, and they picked up a guitar for the first time, would they sound good right away? So why does anybody think they can stick a singer with no live or studio mic experience in front of a mic, and they are going to sound good? Singing into mics, whether dynamics or condensers, is an aquired skill, which takes time and hard work.-Richie
 
Richard Monroe said:
What Dani said. A mic is an instrument that you play, not a snapshot camera. If somebody was a great piano player, and they picked up a guitar for the first time, would they sound good right away? So why does anybody think they can stick a singer with no live or studio mic experience in front of a mic, and they are going to sound good? Singing into mics, whether dynamics or condensers, is an aquired skill, which takes time and hard work.-Richie


"..time and hard work.."

Indeed, those are words I'm well aquainted with, and not afraid of either (now let's see if my vocalist is up to the task, I think she is).

I've actually done a little experimenting myself to give her a head start and I quickly see the effects of the two main elements:

1. Moving my mouth a little off center when inhaling on significant large breaths.

2. Throat and mouth control! I thought all you needed was a pretty voice!

So much for all those piano players who dreamed of becoming instant guitarists!

As an aside, is there a logical way to make a comparison between the SM58 and the Oktava MK-219 based on the design or is it just a matter of doing the A/B?

Thanks. ;-)
 
mari said:
Shame about the breathing, that sounds amazing!


Thanks, I'm sure she'd appreciate the comment. Admittedly there are some rough spots, but with a little "time and hard work", I'm certain we'll be hearing more form her. I also have a good friend that is a Jazz vocal teacher and performer, so perhaps a few lessons with her might be a good investment as well.

Thanks again.
 
She's a little constricted, for sure. Perhaps the situation simply made it worse than she would normally sing.

A good vocal coach can help her.

She's got a good set of pipes. Good tone and ear.

Good luck with her!
 
What the others said above is true. She has a good set of pipes, and does not suck. She simply has not learned yet. Encourage her. I think she has the right stuff.-Richie
 
3des, she'd have a MUCH easier time with something like a Electro-Voice EV 635a as it's an omni, and she wouldn't have to be so concerned with working a unidirectional microphone.

All you pretty much need to do is point it from the side towards her mouth, and you're in business. Make sure she's close to it though to reduce any negative room ambience, and not right up
against it to avoid breath noises. Three or four inches is a good
starting point.

Although greatly reduced, I'm the same "profile" as your shy singer, with a tendency towards stage fright.
The trick to get around it is to get her singing regularly in front of others, with songs she feels very comfortable with.
You may be shocked how much more energy she'll bring to a performance once she "gets into it".

These personality types tend to be of the "coiled spring" variety,
and can be explosive on stage or the studio when they channel
their perfectionism into performance! (not literally!:)

Chris
 
chessparov said:
3des, she'd have a MUCH easier time with something like a Electro-Voice EV 635a as it's an omni, and she wouldn't have to be so concerned with working a unidirectional microphone.

All you pretty much need to do is point it from the side towards her mouth, and you're in business. Make sure she's close to it though to reduce any negative room ambience, and not right up
against it to avoid breath noises. Three or four inches is a good
starting point.


Chris

Interesting, I'm definitely willing to get a different mic if it would better match her vocal style and sound. I'll have to do some reading on the pros and cons of omni vs uni. Thanks for the info, I'll definitely look into this recommendation.
 
Sure thing 3des.

She's at the point where being comfortable with a microphone that's
easy to work with is more important than trying to figure out what's "best".
This is the one I use on fellow barbershoppers (acapella) singers with
no or little microphone experience and it works excellently.

A used EV 635a will run you under $80 in excellent condition on e-bay
usually. It's normally a "better" microphone than a SM58.
Be careful to focus on the practical side rather than the theoretical.
(been there done that)

Chris

P.S. If she wants to learn to realx more, joining a singing chapter
like the Sweet Adelines (female acapella) will work wonders.
 
Back
Top