Vocal Feedback

[SJMUK]

Hi Everyone

Just joined up

Got a Yamaha AW16G in a home-recording setup but I am always struggling to get the right vocal level in the mix. Either it's too low or, lots of feedback.

Normally, before recording, I use the AW16G as a straight mixer, plug in guitar, keyboard and using Shure SM58 vocal mic. If i'm happy with the sound, I then record it direct in one take. Problem is that I can't really get a vocal level that I can hear over the rest of the instruments without turning everything else down so low !! Also tried other mic's Behringer Condenser Mic, Audio Technica Wireless Mic but still have the problem with all mic's.

I'm confused about the multitude of settings on the AW16G and can never get the vocal level high enough in the mix to make it stand out over the instruments without getting feedback through the mic.

Heaphones would sort it I suppose but, sometimes I want to hear everything through the monitor speakers !! Distance from monitor speakers is around 10 feet which I would have thought was far enough away?

Anyone got any ideas on standard settings for vocals? EQ, Compression, Effects etc or, is there something I can buy to reduce the feedback? There's a setting called "Compander" on the AW16G in the Dynamics section but i've never heard of it before? Anyone have any idea on what it is? It seems to make the vocals louder but there are lots of parameters to this setting that I don't understand?

Forgive me if this is a dumb question but someone told me a bout mic's that can pick up only close sound and cuts out any other sound not immediately in front of it?

Any help would be appreciated?

Cheers

[MessianicDreams]

Switch the monitors off, use headphones to monitor and that'll sort your problem out. i find it surprising that you're having problems, particularly with an SM58. Have you got your back to the speakers? You should get better rejection if you face the speakers..


But basically, turn the speakers off and use headphones. Set the level right in your cans and you're good to go

[RAMI]

Heaphones would sort it I suppose

You think???

Of course you're getting feedback. Not to mention the fact that the whole mix is going to end up on the vocal track. You have to record vocals with headphones.

[rayc]

At best you'll get bleed at worst feedback.
You need to isolate the backing source & monitoring of your voice from the mic & that includes not having the monitoring phones up too loud or the mic'll pick up bleed from there too.
There really is no other way to multitrack with a mic.

[Dani Pace]

Basic idea... headphones for tracking-- monitors for mixing. Try it, this method works for most of the rest of us.

[RAMI]

Originally Posted by SJMUK

Distance from monitor speakers is around 10 feet which I would have thought was far enough away?

But, if your EARS still hear it 10 feet away, why would you think the mic won't hear it, too.

[boingoman]

Originally Posted by RAMI

But, if your EARS still hear it 10 feet away, why would you think the mic won't hear it, too.

You should also consider the approximately 9ms of delay you are introducing when tracking against monitors 10 feet away.

Now your vocal track has 9ms of latency. As does any bleed from your monitors.

This may or may not turn out to be a problem, but you should be aware of it.

[Robert D]

Yep, that feedback is "natures way of telling you somethings wrong". It's really a problem well before the point of feedback. You don't want your vocal going through that delay and whatever comb filtering, and then coming back into the mic to again repeat the process, and you don't want the music doing it either. Even a five dollar pair of headphones would be better than this, but spend a little more.

[bigtom]

If I rememer correctly there is a section in the manual that explains all the different effects and their settings.