How to get that professional sound?

I

ImDisjointed

New member
I'm using an audio technica at4040, and a scarlett 2i2 usb interface.

I'm not impressed with the quality I get, to be honest. I figured this mic would be really good, and the interface would be good enough, but it's not. I have a friend that uses a blue yeti mic and it sounds a lot better than my mic, which I paid $250 for.

Maybe the mic just isn't good for my voice, I'm not quite sure, but I want to upgrade.

I want to have a really flat sound, I don't think bright microphones work well for my voice, so something smoother would be nice. I really liked the sound that was achieved in State Of Lunacy by Rhyme Asylum, I'd be happy with something like that.

I'm also very sibilant, which is another reason why I don't really like the at4040.

I don't really have a bunch of money saved up to buy equipment, but I can wait, and save up the money needed. Money isn't really a concern of mine,
I just want to get something really good so I don't have to upgrade in the near future.

Any help would be appreciated.
 
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Have you done any room treatments at all?
An often-quoted figure is that 2/3rd of your 'sound' is in the room (that's why studios spend million$ building them)
There are cheap techniques for creating vocal spaces.
Plus you need to work on technique, especially if you're silibant.
 
I haven't done any room treatment, no. How much would something like that cost?
I would work on my technique, but it's kind of difficult to change the way you pronounce "S" when rapping.
 
ImDisjointed said:
I haven't done any room treatment, no. How much would something like that cost?
I would work on my technique, but it's kind of difficult to change the way you pronounce "S" when rapping.
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The cost of room treatment is directly relative to your ability to build them. Do you have basic DIY skills?

I have two well treated rooms. Fairly large ones. I have maybe $1200 in treatment for 2-25x13' rooms. One is a drum/recording/live room and the other a mixing room. They are treated completely differently.

If you have the ability to use a circular saw, a drill and a staple gun, you could make huge improvements in your room for around $300.

Trust me man, room treatment will make a much more beneficial difference than any gear purchase.
 
ImDisjointed said:
I have a friend that uses a blue yeti mic and it sounds a lot better than my mic.
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Maybe he just raps better than you? ;)

So like...why not use his mic in his room, and then have him use your mic in his room.
Then go to your place and try his mic in your room, and have him use your mic in your room.
And vice versa.

Then compare the results.
See which mic sounds best for you and for him, and in which room.
You'll narrow the problem down to the mic, the room or you.... :)

Sibilance can be controlled at least 75% by technique, so work on it.
 
How to get that professional sound?
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Hire professionals on both sides of the mic and everything will be fine.
I would work on my technique, but it's kind of difficult to change the way you pronounce "S" when rapping.
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No it's not... Not with proper technique.

That said - The 4040 isn't what I'd want for a vocal mic most of the time - Especially with aggressive vocals (rock, rap, etc.). And especially in an untreated space.
 
miroslav said:
Maybe he just raps better than you? ;)

So like...why not use his mic in his room, and then have him use your mic in his room.
Then go to your place and try his mic in your room, and have him use your mic in your room.
And vice versa.

Then compare the results.
See which mic sounds best for you and for him, and in which room.
You'll narrow the problem down to the mic, the room or you.... :)

Sibilance can be controlled at least 75% by technique, so work on it.
Click to expand...

The Problem with that is that he lives in Ireland, and I'm from the U.S. :p
I'll try to fix the sibilance, and get the room treated. Do those isolation things that surround the microphone work at all?
I see people with them all the time, but I guess some people don't like them or something?
 
I'll try to work on the sibilance, I knew I needed to anyway. I tend to say "S" differently whenever I say it, so de-esser's don't work very well.

what mics would you reccomend for an untreated space? If I could get away with light treatment, and a better mic, I'd be cool with that.
 
When you ask questions like these, it is always good to post an mp3 or a sample. People here can give you much better advice about whether it is the room or the mic or you you know.

Also, you can treat you room for cheap. I skipped the wood and just glued the fabric around the fiberglass. It is holding up so far and I finished it in a a few hours. You can get rigid fiberglass for cheap if you go to a distributor. I got 12 ( 2*2) for 120$. Got some fabric and glued it.
 
I recommend a Shure SM7B with a Cloudlifter. The mic is also really good in poor rooms. I use an MD441 and love it on my voice... also a dynamic mic with great rejection.

Like others I also recommend at least some sort of acoustic dampening. I built three 6ft x 4ft panels using OC703, wood strapping and burlap. I then hung one of them from the ceiling and attached two of them to rolling Ikea clothing racks so they're very easy to position... works great for recording and mixing. Overall investment was $200.

Finally, to get that pro sound I think its really important to have a good preamp or even better a channel strip.

So, having said all that, I would recommend an Shure SM7B to a True Systems P-Solo RIBBON (tons of gain for dynamic mics). Total cost $1000 new but could likely find each for much less used. OR, the cheaper option (but not as "pro") would be the same mic but with a Cloudlifter before the pre's on your interface. $500 new but again look for used stuff. And of course you can return or sell the AT mic to save some more change.
 
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Ps. I have a very sibilant and plosive voice. I use two pop filters in front of the mic...one double nylon and the other metal. Seems to help quite a bit. I also sing just a touch over the mic.
 
ImDisjointed said:
The Problem with that is that he lives in Ireland, and I'm from the U.S. :p
I'll try to fix the sibilance, and get the room treated. Do those isolation things that surround the microphone work at all?
I see people with them all the time, but I guess some people don't like them or something?
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Well, you could meet up in Bermuda!

The sE Reflexion filter Pro does indeed work well but it costs almost as much as home made room treatment. I've yet to see any of the cheapies that can be used for anything other than a door stop.

If you can do the treatment that's the best option. If you can't because you share the space or something, then that sE filter is an okay option.
 
at the very minimum you should at least try putting your mic off axis 45 degrees to your voice so it's pointing away from your mouth which often fixes most sibilant problems, I can highly recommend the Electrovoice RE20 which is probably the best anti-sibilant mic on the market and quite often with something like the cloudlifter cl-1 can sound much better than the 'high end' mics.
 
Btyre2013 said:
at the very minimum you should at least try putting your mic off axis 45 degrees to your voice so it's pointing away from your mouth which often fixes most sibilant problems, I can highly recommend the Electrovoice RE20 which is probably the best anti-sibilant mic on the market and quite often with something like the cloudlifter cl-1 can sound much better than the 'high end' mics.
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The other nice thing about the RE20 unlike most directional mics is you can work up about a half inch to right up on the mic without it getting a tubby and muddy, with minimal pop'/farting breath problems- and like the SM7 suggestion earlier- closer = better sig-to room noise problems.
 
anoopbal said:
When you ask questions like these, it is always good to post an mp3 or a sample. People here can give you much better advice about whether it is the room or the mic or you you know.

Also, you can treat you room for cheap. I skipped the wood and just glued the fabric around the fiberglass. It is holding up so far and I finished it in a a few hours. You can get rigid fiberglass for cheap if you go to a distributor. I got 12 ( 2*2) for 120$. Got some fabric and glued it.
Click to expand...

Here's a preview of an older song I redid View attachment Lucid Nightmares Fixed.mp3
 
Tight performances. You can as many good rooms and nice microphones as you like the old adage of shit in shit out is still true.
 
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