Warm & Bright Vocal Sound

  • Thread starter Thread starter justinm.
  • Start date Start date
J

justinm.

New member
Is there a way to achieve this without going into a studio? Based on your experience, what do you folks think is the best way to get a warm vocal sound? Or does the mic itself and whatever it's going through, determine what kind of sound you will get?

Can anyone recommend equipment that you find suitable?

I like the vocal sounds on these albums a lot:

Nevermind by Nirvana
Keep On Your Mean Side by The Kills
In Heat by The Romantics
Alien Lanes by Guided By Voices
Mag Earwhig by Guided By Voices
Automatic For The People by REM
Sweet Dreams by Eurythmics
So Tonight That I Might See by Mazzy Star
and the stuff by The Buzzcocks...just to name a few.
 
justinm. said:
Is there a way to achieve this without going into a studio? Based on your experience, what do you folks think is the best way to get a warm vocal sound? Or does the mic itself and whatever it's going through, determine what kind of sound you will get?

Can anyone recommend equipment that you find suitable?

I like the vocal sounds on these albums a lot:

Nevermind by Nirvana
Keep On Your Mean Side by The Kills
In Heat by The Romantics
Alien Lanes by Guided By Voices
Mag Earwhig by Guided By Voices
Automatic For The People by REM
Sweet Dreams by Eurythmics
So Tonight That I Might See by Mazzy Star
and the stuff by The Buzzcocks...just to name a few.
Click to expand...


Do you really think you have to go into studio to get a good vocal quality?
I suggest you listen to some of the stuff in our mp3 clinic here......

The most important thing is the performance. With that you can do a lot yourself....
 
Here is my vocal booth...
A walk in closet (with my clothes hanging) and sleeping bags on the walls to cut reflections. I think a sm7 kicks ass for a warm sound, that is my voice though and the type of bands i record.
 
Thanks for answering. I know different mics are preferred for different voices. I just don't know what would be the right mic for myself or which one would at least give me the sound I'm looking for. I guess the only way to find out is to try an assortment of mics.

I know sometimes people get a great sound without going into a studio. I think maybe 2 or 3 of the albums I mentioned were not recorded in a studio. But I'm not an engineer or great at mixing and I don't have tons of experience, so that's why I'm asking.

I've heard lots of people use closets. I don't have one, I tried recording in a van. I thought it was the most closed in space I could find, but it didn't sound that great at all. Thanks for recommending the mics. So would you guys say a +1 sm7b is better than sm7? What do you run it through to get the sound you like? I'm looking to get a pre amp and have another post about that, I want one for vocals and to use for other instruments as well, just don't know what to get.

Anymore recommendations for mics or would you say I can't go wrong with the sm7's?
 
for the past few days I've been recording with a Shure sm-58 with a Tab Funkenwerks transformer installed.....it's pretty impressive....
 
justinm. said:
But I'm not an engineer or great at mixing and I don't have tons of experience, so that's why I'm asking.
Click to expand...

That is the problem. You need to start thinking of yourself as one. If you are recording in a van because you think its most enclosed space you have, then on one hand you are thinking outside the box, which is good, but on the other....if that is your best place to record, all the gear in the world won't do a thing to improve your sound quality.
 
+1 on the SM7b...great choice for vocals and a number of other things. If you're looking in the $1,000 category, I own and love the Mojave Audio MA-200. Warm and bright just about perfectly describes it.

Frank
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top