Techniques for Recording Vocals

R

Reg3n

New member
Hi guys,
Wondering if you guys have anything to share to record good, warm and rich vocals (provided of course the singer is decently competent) :). What microphones should be used? Are the Shure SM58s the way to go? Or do condensers have better clarity than dynamics? Hope to learn from u guys. :D
 
Yes condensors are more sensitive and more 'accurate' I suppose is the word. Alot of it is down to pre-amp though, and how that might colour the sound. Dynamic mics like the SM58 are more forgiving than condensors. I don't know if you know the song "One" by U2, but the vocals on that are an SM58. Personally I find vocals tracked with a dynamic easier to mix, and they're good for dealing with rock singers who scream.
 
And nice warm rich pre-amp.
Play about with different pre-amp, and mic combinations to see which suits the singer the best. Prob best to find the most suitable mic for the singer first, then try out different pre-amps.

Also how the singer uses the mic is a big part of the sound also. The closer to the mic, the thicker and warmer the recording, further away thiner (usually).

Just experiment with the things mentioned above, and don't forget to use a vocal booth and pop shield.

Eck
 
TelePaul said:
Yes condensors are more sensitive and more 'accurate' I suppose is the word. Alot of it is down to pre-amp though, and how that might colour the sound. Dynamic mics like the SM58 are more forgiving than condensors. I don't know if you know the song "One" by U2, but the vocals on that are an SM58. Personally I find vocals tracked with a dynamic easier to mix, and they're good for dealing with rock singers who scream.
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I thought Bono used a Beta 58. It's got a bit more top end and a smoother sound then a regular 58.
 
TexRoadkill said:
I thought Bono used a Beta 58. It's got a bit more top end and a smoother sound then a regular 58.
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Well I did some research on this a while back and as far as I can remember it was in fact a plain ole sm58.


Actually I just remembered, Kevin Killen is the one who said that and he'd probably know, he recorded U2.
 
That one is still a head-scratcher to me.

I'd never advocate using an SM58 for vocals on a record. Forget the fact that it was for a major release, etc. I'd have a hard time using one for a karaoke demo ... even if it was the second-from-the-last mic I owned, I'd probably use whatever else I had.

If I were the producer on a project as critical as a U2 album, and the engineer insisted on using a 58 for Bono's vocals ... I don't care who the guy is or what kind of reputation he has ... I would think seriously about having the engineer fired on the spot.

.
 
chessrock said:
That one is still a head-scratcher to me.

I'd never advocate using an SM58 for vocals on a record. Forget the fact that it was for a major release, etc. I'd have a hard time using one for a karaoke demo ... even if it was the second-from-the-last mic I owned, I'd probably use whatever else I had.

If I were the producer on a project as critical as a U2 album, and the engineer insisted on using a 58 for Bono's vocals ... I don't care who the guy is or what kind of reputation he has ... I would think seriously about having the engineer fired on the spot.

.
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Yet Bono's vocals sound perfectly fine. How do you explain that? Maybe you just suck at recording and need a U47 to get a decent vocal track. Probably doesn't help that the 58 would've almost certainly been ran thru a very high class preamp.
 
jonnyc said:
Yet Bono's vocals sound perfectly fine. How do you explain that? Maybe you just suck at recording and need a U47 to get a decent vocal track. Probably doesn't help that the 58 would've almost certainly been ran thru a very high class preamp.
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Probably doesn't hurt that it's Bono's voice, either, genius.

.
 
No such thing as a bad vocal sound outside the context of a specific song. It either works or it doesn't work for that song.
 
Techniques for recording vocals
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<img src=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/55/Taser.jpg>

that should keep the flat notes to a minimum and give the singer some power in their voice :D
 
The signal chain starts with a good source (i.e.vocalist). It doesn't matter if you use a $90 mic or a $9K mic into a $100 - $4K Neve pre. If the source is not good, you'll just end up with different versions of shit. Just comes down to how much you want to spend to get there.

I will say get over the "What's the best" thing.:rolleyes: The answer is really this simple; whatever sounds best on whichever source (e.g., vocal, guitar, etc) you're trying to capture. If you happen to be fortunate enough too have high dollar components that's great but it is not a prerequisite for great sound.
 
Bono's voice is like a saxaphone, and I'm not terribly supprised to hear of an un-conventional approach to recording him. When I listen to U2, rich and warm is not what I want to hear, I want to hear Bono's voice cutting through like a hard sax.
Now for the OP, as has been said countless times, it really depends on the voice and the song. The 58 you mentioned is going to be the wrong mic far more often than it's going to be the right mic though. IMO, anyone planning on recording vocals should have at least one LDC (large diaphram condenser), and it should be one that isn't overly strident in the upper mids like a lot of cheap condensers are. There are inexpensive LDCs that fit the bill. Also, there are a couple of large diaphram dynamics that are well into the warm and rich catagory, like the RE-20 or the SM-7. Ribbon mics are also good at warm and rich.
To keep it warm and rich though, you need to follow those mics with a preamp that isn't going to turn it back to cold and brittle, or sterile. For the ribbons and large diaphram dynamics, it also has to have a lot of gain. There's a ton of discussions on this in these forums, so spend a bunch of time reading, and try to get to a pro audio store where you can hear some gear firsthand. Also, check out thelisteningsessions.com and other gear shootouts for a little more listening.
 
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