Smack noises - help

demonjack

New member
howdy folks.

so here's the deal: i try to record vocals for a song and before i do so, i practice everything. when i do, i never have any issues with any sort of click or smacking noises....
i got so angry about it that i almost smashed my microphone into pieces...it just stresses me out. as soon as i get in front of the mic, everything that i've worked on doesn't work.
i drink shitloads of water because somebody once told me, that this helps, and it does, but like for 5 seconds.

does anybody have any tips or tricks? i'm in desperate need to fucking find a solution here.

love y'all,

jack
 
Hi Jack,
Welcome to HR. :)

There's a chance the noises are always there but you're not aware of them when practicing.
That happens a lot with recording...Piano pedal noises, chair creaks, guitar string squeaks..all that glorious stuff comes out loud and clear.


If that's the case then you can help yourself out by avoiding processing that would accentuate the issue, like HF boosts or compression.
You can also improve things by singing louder, which will increase signal to noise ratio, and, if necessary, moving the microphone a little farther away.

Singing louder only really applies if you're sing too quietly to begin with, of course.
Microphone position and selection can help too, in general. Pointing the mic slightly off axis from your mouth can be useful.
Usually it's still in front of the mouth but pointed slightly low, towards the chest.

Some people choose dynamic microphones for their relatively low high frequency sensitivity; Anthony Kiedis or, rather, Rick Rubin is a good example, favouring the SM7B.

On the other hand it's possible that the noises aren't there when you practice and this is a 'red light' issue.
It's not uncommon for people to get a little bit worked up or stressed out when they know the tape is rolling.
What's the first thing that happens when you're nervous? Your mouth goes dry. Do you feel like that's the case?


Hope there's something relevant and helpful in there. :)
 
Hi Jack and welcome. Now I am sure you are a very nice chap but you do come across to me as a very uptight, excitable individual. Why does "getting this right" matter so much? Got a $10,000 advance you need to perform for? End of day it is 'just' music.

Chill out, more Val Doonican than Johnny Rotten!

Dave.
 
Oh man, I've been there too. It's amazing what emerges from an extremely sensitive large diaphragm condenser mic once you start compressing it in post. All sorts of mouth noises.

I guess my only advice is that hydration isn't necessarily about chugging water. That doesn't hydrate you, it just fills your belly with water (and I don't know about you, but it gives me the hiccups). It takes a while for that water to get where it needs to be. Stay hydrated throughout the day and when its time to stand in front of your mic, hopefully it'll be less of an issue.

Also a little distance between you and the mic can help even out the incredibly intimate detail that a microphone can pick up. If you're right up on the mic, it's going to hear those little gross mouth sounds. Try backing off of the mic a few more inches and see how it goes.
 
What everyone else says: back off the mic (use a pop filter to control the distance), maybe try a dynamic mic, and easy on the compression.

iZotope RX has a de-mouth-click plugin that is actually pretty effective. I've used it a lot when I was recording open mics.
 
There is a rule - propagated by user groups and YouTube that you get close, record hot and squash the hell out of it with a compressor - good recordings cannot be made without this technique. One of my friends has these compressor settings in his Cubase template. Madness! Compression is done because it's needed, and frankly, sometimes it's not!
 
Try eating some small pieces of hard cheese or apple before recording vocals. I can’t remember the logic behind the tip but it does seem to help.
 
Now I am sure you are a very nice chap but you do come across to me as a very uptight, excitable individual. Why does "getting this right" matter so much? Got a $10,000 advance you need to perform for? End of day it is 'just' music.

Chill out, more Val Doonican than Johnny Rotten!
:laughings:Oh Dr Kildare, you kill me sometimes !
I'm definitely signing up for your bedside manner course !!

Try eating some small pieces of hard cheese or apple before recording vocals. I can’t remember the logic behind the tip but it does seem to help.
:thumbs up: Just don't go straight to sleep afterwards !
 
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