Need input on what direction to go with vocals.

O

opaque

New member
Hey guys,

Some background on me: I'm 19 years old. I've been creating music for a solid 4 years now; I would really like some input on what direction to go in. A few things I think are important:

-I solely use Logic Pro X for production as well as vocals. I'm aware that Pro Tools is the industry standard, I tried it out for about a week and gave up (my fault, of course)
-I do a ridiculous amount of vocals for demos. For example, I'll have a "sketch" instrumental that i'll put on a loop and see what comes to mind (words and/or melodies, depending on the track)
-I don't have anything spectacular equipment wise. A high-end MacBook Pro, Shure SM7B, F'rite 2i2, a few pairs of sony headphones, monitors, and a pop filter.

Though it's somewhat hard to describe, my voice is tenor; very light, not particularly powerful. I have a noticeable lisp most of the time and the issue I run into with the SM7B is that I'll get these hideous high frequencies where I can hear every sound (a persons lips moving in the slightest, lots of little gross "mouthy" sounds, and pops) regardless of how I adjust the AI, position of the mic, cables, type of pop filter, distance, EQ's - so I'm thinking the SM7B might not be the best choice for me.

I travel a lot and do demos with people (I don't have the money to book studio time) and I get similar results - I know it's not gonna sound perfect without "proper" studio equipment for noise reduction, but there's been a few times where the recordings have come out solid. Also, I produce a lot of pop/synthy stuff.

Lastly, I feel like whenever I'm processing vocals, it's a guessing game. Me tweaking random things until it sounds good, which is super lazy and time consuming. I've felt stuck for the past year or so.

So, what I want to ask is:

- Should I upgrade my equipment?
- I want to start in the right direction for learning how to process vocals that sound professional, especially for acoustic or pop music, any suggestions? (certain tutorials, plugins, etc.)

My only concern is that I don't have tons of money, so I want to be sure I spend my money on solid products (vsts, plug-ins, a mic, etc.)

Sorry for rambling, hopefully I made sense.

Thanks for your help :)
 
First thing you should do is find a vocal coach who might be able to get you past the problem issues you have. No reason to upgrade equipment at this time, or move to ProTools.
 
Forgot to add that i've been vocally coached since I was 8; It's not my voice itself considering I've been to a few different studios and my voice sounds solid on those tracks - I was moreso asking about taking the next step equipment wise, I can't drop $2,000+ on the same mics those studios have.
 
The SM7b might not be the best mic for you, but it's kind of an industry standard. However, its low output coupled with 2i2 means you're probably boosting it a lot in Logic, and maybe adding compression, which are going to really accentuate those non-musical parts of your delivery.

I would consider at the least getting a Cloudlifter or similar kind of preamp for the SM7b since you say your voice is not powerful. A little more boost in the signal might help you relax a bit so you can think about those technical aspects that are getting into the recording.

IMO, if you are still just poking around and trying things without understanding why, then equipment is not going to change the output. There are a lot of tutorials on the web. TheRecordingRevolution.com has a lot of stuff and it covers recording vocals frequently. I'd suggest posting an MP3 here after you've got a couple more posts. Maybe start with the raw track, and then after you've applied plugins, describing what you did, and why. You'll get feedback.

And while you have a vocal coach, they should have helped you with your microphone technique to minimize these recording issues.

What kind of microphones do you sing into at those professional studios? Can you book some time at one and try out some different mics and see if there's something that works better?

And, there's nothing lacking in Logic Pro that will make a difference. Once you get a properly gained track recorded in a good space, using good technique, then you must really edit the vocal if it has flaws that are outside of the singing parts. You can simply cut them out, or automate the gain or fader to lower the volume so you won't hear those things in a mix. But, that should be after you've learned to simply not do most of those things at all, or able to get your face away from the mic so the relative level of the sounds is low enough to not intrude.

Noise reduction comes last, after you've done everything else to get the sound right. I only use it on some live tracks when it's worth saving something.
 
Thank you for the input. I think the preamp would be a good place to start, what would be your top pick for a model?
 
opaque said:
Thank you for the input. I think the preamp would be a good place to start, what would be your top pick for a model?
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I don't have an SM7b personally, so haven't tested anything, but the ones that are popular because they're just clean boost (vs. preamps that add "color") are the Cloudlifter CL-1 and Triton Audio Fethead. Both of these are inline (the latter just acts as a cable extension so you don't even need another cable). They rely on phantom power from your interface for the circuitry, so they are quite simple to use, with the downside that they are only useful for dynamic and ribbon microphones.

After that you are into real mic preamp territory and the sky is the limit, not to mention endless varieties of preamps which will simply give you more knobs to twist, so I'd probably not go there right now. And, good ones are expensive. The advantage (to some folks anyway) of a mic preamp is that it might add some qualities to the sound of every mic that goes through it, including condenser mics, even if the mic doesn't actually need the signal boost capability of the preamp.
 
I agree with Keith's idea to get a pre amp in this instance (hardly ever do otherwise) and yes, one of the inline jobbies would be ideal (but see "silly" idea later)
With a soft voice and the 55dB or so gain of the 2i2 you are probably straining a bit to hit the -18dBfs mark you should. But, have you got the 7b set "flat"? I see the mic has a mid boost setting which I am pretty sure is the last thing you need.

"Silly idea". Check out a few S/H shops and charity store and you might be able to pickup a small mixer such as a Behringer 502/802 or a Mackie or Yamaha for only a few bucks. Such mixers often have surprisingly good mic pre amps and can give you the lift you seem to need. They also have EQ controls.

Dave.

---------- Update ----------

I agree with Keith's idea to get a pre amp in this instance (hardly ever do otherwise) and yes, one of the inline jobbies would be ideal (but see "silly" idea later)
With a soft voice and the 55dB or so gain of the 2i2 you are probably straining a bit to hit the -18dBfs mark you should. But, have you got the 7b set "flat"? I see the mic has a mid boost setting which I am pretty sure is the last thing you need.

"Silly idea". Check out a few S/H shops and charity store and you might be able to pickup a small mixer such as a Behringer 502/802 or a Mackie or Yamaha for only a few bucks. Such mixers often have surprisingly good mic pre amps and can give you the lift you seem to need. They also have EQ controls.

Dave.
 
I agree with Keith's idea to get a pre amp in this instance (hardly ever do otherwise) and yes, one of the inline jobbies would be ideal (but see "silly" idea later)
With a soft voice and the 55dB or so gain of the 2i2 you are probably straining a bit to hit the -18dBfs mark you should. But, have you got the 7b set "flat"? I see the mic has a mid boost setting which I am pretty sure is the last thing you need.

"Silly idea". Check out a few S/H shops and charity store and you might be able to pickup a small mixer such as a Behringer 502/802 or a Mackie or Yamaha for only a few bucks. Such mixers often have surprisingly good mic pre amps and can give you the lift you seem to need. They also have EQ controls.

Dave.
 
Something weird going on here! When I hit Post Quick Reply I get "trying to contact HR" then everything stops and it has not posted. I hit it again and it goes and, as can be seen I get multiple posts.

Ffffing Fire Fox?

That went first time!!
 
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opaque said:
thanks for the advice. can you message me? i'm new here and not sure how, haha. thanks :)
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Not sure who you want to Private Message you Opaque nor what specifically about? I don't know about others on the forum but I prefer to leave PMs for special circumstances, e.g. providing information I do not want to put in the public domain, clearing up (one hopes!) misunderstandings and sometimes apologies for same.

Otherwise, help and advice should IMO be open to all. BTW Sound on Sound current, Feb issue contains a glowing report of the sE Electronics inline pre amp DM1. 28dB of gain and very low noise. £90 here but I would guess under $100 US coz WE get shafted for 'tronics!

Such a pre amp would give the SM7b/2i2 combination the sensitivity of a really hot capacitor microphone and probably a slightly lower noise floor to boot. So quiet in fact that I doubt you will get your room quiet enough to appreciate it! What the combo' WILL do I am sure is make it effortless for you to hit the magic "neg 18" when recording and that should help with vocal quality.

Dave.
 
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