Recording a loud female singer

E

ex351d

Member
This weekend I am going to record a song for a female singer.

She does not sing very high, but she is loud, really loud. She has quite a nice full voice with a lot of character.

Not sure what mic would be best. At the moment I have to set up in my parents basement due to refurbishing my house. The room is cluttered with gear, but it has limestone walls, marble-cement tiles and a concrete ceiling. So I cannot back off the mic as much as I want due to the crazy amounts of reflections in the room.

Mics available I have SM57and 58 which are what I am considering. I also, have MD421. Then I have sE X1 and Blue Bluebird which I think may overload due to her loud voice. Also, I have Oktava MK012 not sure how suited they are for vocals, but they are one of my best mics. Then I have a D112 obviously not suited and a t.bone RB500 which actually could work.

Apart from audition each mic, which is impossible due to the clutter I have at the moment, which mic or 2 would you suggest?
 
Hi,
Since reflections are a problem in your environment I'd go dynamic and have the singer stay close, as you describe.

I've used a 421 a few times on male and female vocals and liked the results.
With no time to audition etc, I'd probably grab that and go.
 
The max SPL of the SE is 160db. There is no way any singer is going to sing that loud. You can turn the gain down on the mic preamp.

For the reflections, turning down the gain will help eliminate the reflections, as it will not be as sensitive. You can try some acoustic treatment in the way of moving blankets or such behind the mic. A singer's voice won't have a lot of energy in the lower freqs that would require bass traps.

Then, of course, there's the obvious... the singer can sing quieter. Better mic technique and all. But we know what singers have to say about that.... :rolleyes: :D
 
MD421 out of all those mics would be what I'd choose, the D112 might actually work well, could be worth trying.
 
If she's really loud, I can't see how you're going to keep that room out of the recording without at least bringing in some heavy moving pads for the wall behind her (and keep that as far away (and a cluttered one if an option) as possible. I'd want some kind of treatment overhead, as concrete above is going to be closest, but if that's not possible, get a nice rug or another pad for the floor.

I've never used an MD421 but I'd be trying all of them on myself in advance just to see if there's one that seems less sensitive to the room so you don't have to spend time checking more than a couple when she shows up. Experiment with mic placement and orientation, too, beforehand.
 
keith.rogers said:
If she's really loud, I can't see how you're going to keep that room out of the recording without at least bringing in some heavy moving pads for the wall behind her (and keep that as far away (and a cluttered one if an option) as possible. I'd want some kind of treatment overhead, as concrete above is going to be closest, but if that's not possible, get a nice rug or another pad for the floor.

I've never used an MD421 but I'd be trying all of them on myself in advance just to see if there's one that seems less sensitive to the room so you don't have to spend time checking more than a couple when she shows up. Experiment with mic placement and orientation, too, beforehand.
Click to expand...
Yep.

The 421, 58, and perhaps the SE with the pad and low cut on -(it actually looks like it does have a pretty tight pattern!
One difference with the two dynamics is they are voiced for more close up than a condenser- which is one of the things you're dealing with. But with the SE filter and pad options, could be just fine.
Pop screens can help even on the dynamics, and especially on the condensers.

One last.. 'How hot the gain does not improve or make worse the ratio of unwanted room tone.
Proximity to the mic definitely does.
...Apologies' to Chilly :)
 
I've never found loudness to be a problem with the room, because the ratio between wanted and unwanted is the same - you back off the gain to suit the level and the room sound goes down the same. Only issue I get occasionally is that the phones level needs to be high, and between phrases, the track they sing to creeps in and has to be removed.
 
sm 58 is a good mic for that. my daughter sings the same way. you gotta teach how to work the the mic. ex., back off when you hit the loud stuff and back in when its level again.I always usually end up editing loud parts in my daw.
 
This is one of those 'I wish I knew then what I know now' kind of situations.

Before I had good room acoustic treatment, I was just guessing. After, I now wish I had the experience to give advice with less than adequate room treatment. I just can't pull shit out and do tests in small rooms now.

So I am just guessing with any opinion I give. I never had a singer too loud or quiet in my room now, because it just doesn't matter.

Wish I could help more than just hypothetical reasoning...

Sorry. :(
 
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