Mic audio sounds muddy/wet

M

marcdacier

New member
HI, I have a pretty annoying problem when i record vocals.

The audio doesn't sound clear, there is too much low frequencies and some frequencies are just too harsh. It feels like recording in a bucket. (the audio coming out of the speaker is totally fine, except for the vocals audio files) I tried so many different things but it won't change. the problem persist:

- With a at2020 or a shure pg48
- with a focusrite scarlett 6i6 or a Behringer umc 202hd
- With a pc or a laptop
- in Fl studio or Audacity
- in a different room with differnent acoustics

I know it's not my voice because i recorded other people with the same setup and... same problem.

Weird fact: I tried to record with the pg48 on a usb sound card (Aureon Dual usb) and the audio isn't in great quality but it sounds CLEAR.

So, my question is, what did i miss? where the issue come from ? i would be so grateful if someone could help me with this. thanks.
 
It's possible you may have a loop in which when you record your vocals such that what you've recorded is being played back through the system and being rerecorded on top of itself.
 
There are MANY possible reasons for your problem......but really.......in order to get any real solution......we'd need to hear a sample. Along with the sample.....do your best to outline all the details of how it was recorded and what the room was like.
 
Besides hearing what you're hearing, what we really need are the raw files from the project, or "stems" if it was not recorded all at once, i.e., in addition to the mix. That will help differentiate clearly whether the mix decisions are causing or exacerbating problems in the recorded tracks.

You can post links without the https://<domain-name> part to something in dropbox, google drive, etc., and just let us know where it's at.
 
Weird as normally I'd consider the 48 as a dull mic, but the 2020 as a quite bright mic. Getting dull results from both suggests other issues. I agree with the sample comments, we need to hear what you are hearing.
 
Thank you all for your answers! so here are the raw audio samples:

t-6Brho5BR6A on wetransfer

(by the way i tried recording outside and it's the same problem. and eq isn't enough, i tried for hours and hours)
 
Wetransfer requires downloaders to have a proper link - I've no idea what your account is, so can't listen - sorry. Usually you send people a link in an email.
 
rob aylestone said:
Wetransfer requires downloaders to have a proper link - I've no idea what your account is, so can't listen - sorry. Usually you send people a link in an email.
Click to expand...

Oops, started to post this a while back but got distracted with some (dark, blue) video editing...

Try this. Very short clips, not the same levels.

WeTransfer
 
Well - I'm afraid to say that I found the file 'muddy audio 2020' by far the best, with the clean audio weak, lower level and noisier. I've been listening to some BBC stuff today, and it's actually to my ears, quite similar in tonal quality - and I'd absolutely NOT describe it as muddy - but pretty much what my 2020 sounds like. Decent bottom end but quite clean up top. The other is quite unpleasant and feeble - what are you monitoring it on?
 
Besides what [MENTION=178786]rob aylestone[/MENTION] notes, the thing that's obvious when looking at these is the unwanted low frequency content in the AT2020 recording.

[MENTION=202211]marcdacier[/MENTION], since the mic does not have a high-pass filter switch (as well as lacks a suspension mount!) I'd suggest putting a HPF in the track's EQ - I just put 24db/octave at 110Hz and it cleans up very well. I'm guessing a lot of environmental noise is coming in through both the mic's wider frequency response, and probably the mic stand itself.

You'll need about 15dB (or more) boost on the "clear" MP3 to make them comparable.
 
I'm not hearing any disastrous muddiness either. Nor does it sound like it's recorded in a bucket (which is what led me to think of a feedback loop).

I'd be interested to find out the monitoring system.
 
I have Pioneer SDJ50X 5 monitors. but i have a sample of myself recorded in a lewitt 240 (i think) in a studio and there is no unwanted low frequencies. i just put a simple eq and a compressor and it fits perfectly in the mix. so maybe it's just a mic preference ?
 
marcdacier said:
I have Pioneer SDJ50X 5 monitors. but i have a sample of myself recorded in a lewitt 240 (i think) in a studio and there is no unwanted low frequencies. i just put a simple eq and a compressor and it fits perfectly in the mix. so maybe it's just a mic preference ?
Click to expand...
Were the other recordings made in a studio?

We can have differences of opinion and preference, and never having heard you speak "live" I can only surmise that you really are not a basso using your upper register. The fact is that the "muddy" clip has significant content well below the frequency of what I assume is your normal spoken voice. (Even normalized, I get about 15dB more signal *below* 80Hz from the "muddy" clip.)

If you push that kind of sound energy into an inexpensive "DJ" speaker, which is certainly designed to emphasize bass frequencies, it's going to sound like mud.

But, carry on.
 
How close are you to the mic? Closeness to the mic may cause bass frequencies to be more prominent. This is called 'proximity effect'. Try recording at different distances further away from the mic and see if it affects the 'muddy' sound. The Lewitt 240 microphone may not be as sensitive to the proximity effect and thus did not have the low frequencies, assuming you were about the same distance as you were the other mics.

Microphone Basics: What Is the Proximity Effect?

Agree with Keith that 'DJ' speakers may be designed to bring out low bass frequencies more. Some headphones also may be designed to 'pump up' the bass (Beats by Dre come to mind)
 
Yes, the other recording was made in a studio. The monitors are studio monitors, i don’t know why there is « dj » in the name but the are pretty similar to krk studio monitors (so no bass boost). And i tried every possiblity of recording close/far from the mic, but anyway, maybe i just don’t really like the sound of the at2020. Thank you guys.
 
it sounds more like a mixing issue than a tracking issue.
get a channel strip of some sort...preamp, eq, comp.... either plugin or outboard. listen to some raw tracks of vocals instead of final mastered commercial releases. ..you know the reference track exercise and listen to your V track besides a known V raw track.

heres some examples
10 Unreal Isolated Vocal Tracks You Should Hear | Indie88
 
Those speakers are bass light, and if you have lots of LF in the mix you won't hear it - but it could make them sound very weird at the bottom.
 
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