Male Vocal Quartet - Individual Tracking

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aristoxenus

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Hi all,

I am using an AT4040 with a Mackie Onyx Satellite to record a male vocal quartet that will be a capella (not barbershop though). I will be tracking each voice individually/independently with that mic because I will be traveling to four different locations for each vocalist. These are really my constrants and there arent' any other options.

So... I figure even if I could find a good room at each location, each room will have different color, so it'd be best to just track each voice close and dry and then add reverb and other ambience later.

Do you have any suggestions on good ways to record this (I figure just standard individual positioning and isolation), and then, I guess my real question is what recommendations any of you have on how to mix and produce the sound to a more natural, "live" sound, so that it doesn't sound completely unnaturally upclose?

Thanks!

Any ideas?
 
I believe the best way to reduce room reflections is to use gobo panels (or at minimum a vocal shield.) The more the better and the thicker the better.

Don't bother with any kind of portable vocal booth. They usually don't work that well because the walls don't have enough mass.

Best of luck with the recording.
 
The best you could do is find a same type of room in each house like say the bathroom just set the microphone up in each bathroom and go for it.

Or you could have everyone meet at one house and do it all in the same room of one house.
 
moresound said:
The best you could do is find a same type of room in each house like say the bathroom just set the microphone up in each bathroom and go for it.
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Whew! for a minute there I almost thought you said bathroom.

You must really mean one of those luxury master baths with all of those wonderfully absorbent materials on the walls and floors. Hell, I thought maybe you meant one like mine, that sounds like the inside of a concrete tunnel.

Oh, ok, carry on then.
 
moresound said:
The best you could do is find a same type of room in each house like say the bathroom just set the microphone up in each bathroom and go for it.

Or you could have everyone meet at one house and do it all in the same room of one house.
Click to expand...

Wow. There are so many reasons why this reply is awesome and helpful. Thanks!
 
RawDepth said:
I believe the best way to reduce room reflections is to use gobo panels (or at minimum a vocal shield.) The more the better and the thicker the better.

Don't bother with any kind of portable vocal booth. They usually don't work that well because the walls don't have enough mass.

Best of luck with the recording.
Click to expand...

Ok, thanks, this is actually helpful. I think I'll be able to get the sound isolated and dry. Do you think it will be possible to get a dry, close recording of four voices mixed and produced to sound relatively natural, perhaps with add-in reverb/sound conditioning? I guess I should head over to that forum and ask.
 
Consider a reflection filter:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/IRF/

It won't solve the problem, but it should help. If you can, record the person singing the melody first. It's a bitch to sing harmony without the melody available. Also, it is helpful to send the melody as an MP3 or CD to the overdub staff, so they have time to get comfortable with the melody track they'll be singing over. It'll save a lot of time during the overdub sessions. Best of luck.-Richie
 
Richard Monroe said:
If you can, record the person singing the melody first. It's a bitch to sing harmony without the melody available. Also, it is helpful to send the melody as an MP3 or CD to the overdub staff, so they have time to get comfortable with the melody track they'll be singing over. It'll save a lot of time during the overdub sessions. Best of luck.-Richie
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Ooh, excellent suggestions. I will do this for sure.
 
moresound said:
Or you could have everyone meet at one house and do it all in the same room of one house.
Click to expand...

Bingo! First record all of them singing together. Then record them individually using the first track as a guide.
 
ocnor said:
Bingo! First record all of them singing together. Then record them individually using the first track as a guide.
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My original post probably wasn't clear enough. "I will be tracking each voice individually/independently with that mic because I will be traveling to four different locations for each vocalist." Recording them all together is not an option because they are all in different locations (different countries, actually, and I will be traveling to each location).
 
aristoxenus said:
Recording them all together is not an option because they are all in different locations (different countries, actually, and I will be traveling to each location).
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Hey, can I carry the gear ? :D
 
RawDepth said:
I don't want to pop your bubble but, they just might be pulling your leg about being in a band together. :D
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Heh, it does look rather a lot like that, doesn't it?

Actually, I and my three brothers are the four vocalists. Our various careers have distributed us throughout the globe. We each have some voice experience and thought it might be a nice mother's day gift to mom to get together "virtually" and record some sacred songs she likes, since we're very rarely together geographically anymore.
 
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