hardcore vocals

Newbie dude

New member
Okay, I have a hardcore band coming in to record 2 or 3 songs in a few weeks[ very atreyu-ish, with some yngvie malmsteen-like guitarwork] and I'm wondering about recording the vocals. The lead vocalist screams every single song, as far as i know, and i've heard a 57 is used alot to record screamers, but i also have a spb1 too. Now, i figure the b1, since it's a condensor, would capture more frequencies and give more color to the vocals, but will screaming vocals be to much for this specfic condensor mic to handle? I'd like to know before I use it and damage it. Plus, I'd like to know if a 57 is perferred for screamers for any other reason besides it can just take that high of a db level.
 
Newbie dude said:
Plus, I'd like to know if a 57 is perferred for screamers for any other reason besides it can just take that high of a db level.
I would stick with the SM57 if you can convince hiim to leave it on the stand. Hardcore types have funny ideas coming into studios, and the soon you can dispossess him of the notion that his vocals sound better if he moves around the better you'll get along.

If he's a real screamer you can use a condenser on his vocals --- just be sure it's a mic with a -10dB pad and that the pad is in the 'on' position.

And be sure to use a pop filter either with the condenser or the dynamic.


.
 
i used a 57 on vocals for a metalcore band a little while back, and it worked absolutely perfectly...the only other mic i had available for vocals was a a rode nt-2a, and it's smooth/warm sound just didn't sound right

i also engineered/mix some punk stuff for a guy in a recording class of mine about a year ago...i did the setup and tracking for the bass, drums, and guitar, and he and someone else engineered the vocals. of course they grabbed the most expensive mic out of the locker, a neumann m149, and although the performance was pretty good, the vocals sounded like total shit in the mix. i eq'd, compressed, reverberated, and did pretty much anything else i could think of to the vocal tracks, and it just didn't sound right. in short, i would try to stay away from condenser mics for this type of stuff.
 
Hardcore vocals aren't about clarity or frequency response. It's usually just a bunch of grunts and screams that sound more like a distorted guitar then a singer. The main part of the hardcore vocal sound is the guy screaming right into a handheld dynamic. Just give him a 58 and compress the hell out of it. Run it through a guitar amp or PA speaker and mic that for a more aggressive tone.
 
I'm going to disagree completely...

I have recorded tons and tons of "hardcore" singers.
and first off, atreyu, and malmstien(sp), have absolutely nothing to do with hardcore.

that being said, i prefer to use a low level condensor. My choice is the Marshall V63. It's got enough clarity, and can handle enough sound pressure. And it plain sounds good.. A little or a lot of compression, depending on the singer...

I know that myspace sucks for audio but:
www.myspace.com/betweenthewars
www.myspace.com/breathofsilence
www.myspace.com/diehardnj
www.myspace.com/batterup
www.myspace.com/slaughterhousefive
 
If he sings and screams then have him sing into the SP and do seperate scream tracks thru the 57. I did this for my cousins band, he couldn't grasp the concept of not screaming on the singing tracks so I showed him how to make a screaming type sound at a low volume and mixed that in with the screams he did thru the 57, turned out really decent I thought. WTF do I know, just buy a sm7 and be done with it.
 
I disagree...I think any condensor is probably going to be the worst mic you could put on a screamer...Many screamers don't have very good control over their dynamics; that being said I have never had anything but positive results from dynamic mics. 57's work good most of the time; i5's are also good for screaming vocalists in some cases; shure bullets work great as well.

IMO the best way to get the nitty gritty vocals is to record with a handheld dynamic, then re-amp through a guitar amp...this way you can also use pedals to emphasize certain parts of a song.
 
About the only time I ever want a condenser on vocals is for "smoky" jazz, soft female vocals and the like. I'm with (someone before) - Get a SM7 or even more to my taste, an EV RE-20... One of the greatest and most flexible vocal mics of all time.

*Especially* great for screamers and aggressive male vocals - Rock, rap - You can't go wrong.
 
Really? You'd put it through an amp? If I was gonna do that, Should I have him sing through a twenty buck sony dynamic mic, plug that into the amp, the record with a 57, or have him sing into a 57 and record that with the cheap sony?

Okay, so what I'm hearing mostly is use the 57. Now I just gotta convince the band that the vocals won't sound better on the fancy looking condenser mic.
 
Why not try them both, and see what works best?

A friend of mine's old hardcore band recorded vocals with a SP C3 and their records sounded great. And yes, I mean hardcore, not metalcore, or metal or whatever.
 
Tip to stop bands bitching: Set up the condenser behind a pop shield with the dynamic just behind - the singer thinks the condenser is recording him, but it's not!!
 
Elton Bear said:
Tip to stop bands bitching: Set up the condenser behind a pop shield with the dynamic just behind - the singer thinks the condenser is recording him, but it's not!!


There shouldn't be any reason a band bitches about a mic. Mic's aren't their specialty and it doesn't really matter what they think. It simply isn't their option on what mic you may think fits their voice best.
 
jonnyc said:
There shouldn't be any reason a band bitches about a mic. Mic's aren't their specialty and it doesn't really matter what they think. It simply isn't their option on what mic you may think fits their voice best.

Hah, it is when they're supplying the cash. And, alright, I have no idea if this band is hardcore, or metalcore, or grindcore, or screamo. All I know is they play loud and fast and scream every song. Metal has gone into so many sub-sub genres that describe the same general sound it's retarded.
 
I have a stupid question -

How would a condenser NOT work? I have had guys scream as loud as I think is humanly possible without a problem. I put a windscreen about 6-12" in front of the mic, and let them go to town. Mic holds up fine. If your preamp is clipping, you are recording too hot anyway......

The last "screamer" that came in really wanted to record with a 57 (since he screams and so he could do his "mic hand techniques"). I told him we could do that without a problem, but how about if we try my way first. He was very receptive to trying what I wanted to do (a big bonus). After listening to the playback, he was BLOWN AWAY by how it sounded and said screw the 57. In fact, we spent quite a bit of time discussing his recording chain, as he was so impressed with the clarity and detail in his voice that he hadn't gotten at other studios that had him sing thru a 57. (mic was a Gefell UM92.1 if anybody cares)

Not saying an SM7 might not be great as well.........
 
i personally just like that gritty sort of tone that 57 gives when all someone is doing is yelling their dick off

granted, i'm sure an SM7 would work well also, but i haven't had an opportunity to try one, so i sure as hell wouldn't be able to recommend it!
 
Newbie dude said:
Hah, it is when they're supplying the cash. And, alright, I have no idea if this band is hardcore, or metalcore, or grindcore, or screamo. All I know is they play loud and fast and scream every song. Metal has gone into so many sub-sub genres that describe the same general sound it's retarded.


Yeah they're paying you to make them sound good and some just don't really know what sounds good, they're paying you because they're relying on your ability to record them well. It shouldn't matter what mic it is as long as it's the one that fits their voice the best. I had a band that just couldn't get over how cool my baby bottle looked, yet I really like how he sounded singing into a sm57. He was, well, almost hardcore and the baby bottle just never really sounded good in my room yet it being more expensive and fancier looking made him want to use it, so I did and feel like we would've gotten a better recording with the 57. That's why you really need to put your foot down sometimes.
 
Most of the bands I have been working with lately have been similar to what you are talking about....cant understand a word they say....even if you are listening to just the vocal track. I have started doing what someone mentioned earlier and using both an LDC and a 57 and I take what I need from both tracks...sometimes I even use 2 57's in stereo and put the LDC in the center. A lot of the screams sound better from the 57's but the LDC will fill in the frequencies that are missing...
 
If you want it to be a more "buried" or "glued-in" kind of sound, a 57 can work pretty well. If you want screams that kind of stick out up front, I've had good luck with a SP C1 (usually better for deeper voices IMO). I don't think you could go wrong with a SM7 or RE20 for screamers.

I used a C1 on pretty much all the vocals (as far as I can remember) for these guys; Asch to Ashes is a pretty good representation:
http://www.myspace.com/killtheexcuse
 
Back
Top