Raw vocal eq far brighter than cd vocals--why is that?

S

studio162a

New member
Hello--

When I compare the vocals I record to those on professionally produced cds, the eq differences are striking. Mine are far brighter than those I compare them to. Using The Wild Feathers' "Left My Woman" (a hell of a song, by the way) as an example, those vocals seem positively "dead" over my studio monitors compared to what I record, though when played through my stereo (H-K amp, B&K speakers) they sound ideal.

I have a variety of mics: Telefunken AK47, AKG 414, Blue Bottle Rocket with B6 & B8 capsules. All of these go through a Chandler TG Channel with minimal eq: only the low-cut enabled at 150.

Post-recording, I end up eq-ing out a good deal from 3-9k to achieve a sound similar to what I hear on cds, and since that's what it takes, well, ok. But the whole process seems odd to me.

Any thoughts, etc, greatly appreciated.

Jim
 
I need to ask what room you are recording in. The sound of the room changes the vocal sound at the 1st stage.

Alan.
 
Thanks for taking an interest, Alan. The room is hardly acoustically ideal: 12 foot ceilings, a Reflexion Filter in front and heavy fabric behind, wood floors covered by a Turkish carpet. Heaven knows it's less than ideal, but I always assumed that any such situation would deaden the sound rather than making it more "lively."

Jim
 
studio162a said:
Thanks for taking an interest, Alan. The room is hardly acoustically ideal: 12 foot ceilings, a Reflexion Filter in front and heavy fabric behind, wood floors covered by a Turkish carpet. Heaven knows it's less than ideal, but I always assumed that any such situation would deaden the sound rather than making it more "lively."

Jim
Click to expand...

Yes, I would have thought with all that going on the vocals would not have been too bright due to the room. Have you experimented with distance from the mic etc? Maybe mic patterns?

Alan.
 
witzendoz said:
Yes, I would have thought with all that going on the vocals would not have been too bright due to the room. Have you experimented with distance from the mic etc? Maybe mic patterns?

Alan.
Click to expand...

Thanks again, Alan. I'll experiment with distances and patterns and report back soonish.

Jim
 
If your room is really deadening the sound, you might be over-compensating in your EQ. Thus professionally-mixed vocals sound dead in your room, and you brighten yours way past that point.
 
Is this room the same one you monitor/mix in? What monitors do you have? Any acoustic treatment? The fact that 'pro' vocals sound dead n your monitors but ok on a stereo system is a clue your monitoring situation isn't right.
 
One thing to check is mic placement during tracking: As best I understand, high frequency content ricochets off the roof of your mouth and comes out of the mouth at a downward angle. Therefore, if you place the mic slightly below your mouth, you will record a brighter sound. If you place the mic slightly above your mouth, you will record a darker sound.

I have a slightly nasal sounding voice, and find that my vocal recordings sound much better with the mic placed above my mouth. You need to experiment.
 
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Sounds to me like your vocal mic isn't a good match for your voice! I have a very bright and sibilant voice when I push it which sounds terrible and thin when I don't use a "vintage" style condenser microphone. Try tipping the mic down towards the ground at about 35 degrees and maybe get a little closer to give it a little proximity effect to balance the harshness (backing up might also help - experiment!)

A good deesser after recording might be the answer too. Many DAWs have them built in.
 
So many ideas to play with

* roll off the high end
* use a foam cover
* Put the mic over your head and sing up into it like the other guy said
* Play with positioning
* switch to a dynamic (for example SM7B - love the no hype vocals I get from that - or even a 58)
 
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