A Challenge! Make this vocal fit.

  • Thread starter Thread starter JohnWatkins
  • Start date Start date
First and foremost, kudos to you for taking on this challenge! It's not easy to work with vocals that are loud and harsh, and it can be even more difficult to get them to fit into a mix.


There are a few things you can do to tame these harsh frequencies. First, try using a pop filter when recording her. This will help reduce the amount of noise created by her voice. Second, use a microphone with a built-in high-pass filter. This will help reduce the amount of low-frequency noise that is being picked up by the microphone. Finally, use EQ to cut some of the harsh frequencies from her voice. You may need to experiment with different frequencies until you find the ones that work best for her vocal track.
 
JohnWatkins said:
This girl is loud! And a little harsh when the pipes are really pumping. I've recorded her many times and cannot get a decent sound. I've tried all kinds of mics. I even bought a mic on this forum that I thought might tame her harsh high midrange. So, who thinks they can make it work? Warning; I've tried many many things. Hoping somebody here can polish it up and then tell me how they did it.

In terms of how this was recorded, it couldn't be simpler; she was about three feet away from a single Beta58, straight into the board at about -10db. I've bypassed all of the EQ and compression that I had applied to it, so what you hear is totally dry except for the automation (of which there is plenty).

The winner gets my sincere gratitude and the adulation of the general populous.

Now, hopefully I can attach a couple of files without crashing this thing. One is just the vocal, one is just the mix, and one is both so you can hear what you're signing up for. It's just one verse, one chorus of a Journey tune. Thanks!

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Howdy John, I'm new to the platform. I came across your post and if possible could I get the multi-tracks? I'm pretty sure I know what to do with it. Thanks
 
Joe, it's not likely. The thread started 10 years ago, and John hasn't been on the forum since 2015.
 
I gave it a shot. Slightly tuned the vocal in Melodyne, had an EQ with a -5dB cut @ 4315, a -15dB cut at 9485, a lo shelf @ 260. De-ess -49 @ 4830. 1176AE set to -48 Input, 12 Output, Attack 6, Release 4.5 with a 4:1 ratio. then a little plate verb and a Qtr. note delay for ambience and to blend it into the mix.
Hope you enjoy!
 

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