bad @#S Vocals

[Atipp]

I've been wondering this for a long time but just recently had the balls to ask. There are some vocal tracks out there that just sound too good to be true. The Foo Fighters (in particular), hoobastank, and some others I can't think of right now. I swear these vocals have some serious effects on them like distortion, chorus, harmony, or some other sonic maximizer or combination of effects. So I guess my question is how can I be as cool as these guys when in reality I SUCK?! Is there some cool coloring effect these bands are using? Is this common in recording today? And on a related subject, does anyone have any input on using slight distortion of any type to enhance (or introduce) a raspyness to a vocalist that blows chunks (slightly exagerated) like........UH..........this one guy I know?

Thanks,
Sux @ recording

 

[eeb]

dude,

first of all you can't fix a track that sucks.. if you're vocal take sucks it will always suck.. nothing you can do..

here's how I usually record a vocalist that's "not so great"

get him/her to do the track at least 4 times

go in and edit those 4 takes and keep only the best parts (sometimes going as far as taking a word out of a line)

get the vocalist to do another 3 takes..

go through those fixing any weak parts in the 1 take created from the first 4.

By now I should have something to work with (if not then honestly it won't get any better and you'll have to accept it)

now is when i will add a little bit of auto tune if needed. (it usually is)
be careful here because it's really easy to destroy your track.. don't forget that sometimes going a little off adds a bit of "color" to your track.

Now comes the fun doubling it up part.

Get the vocalist to sign over top of the "good" vocal take.

do around 4 takes until you can compile a 2nd vocal that's reasonably "tight" with the original vocal (that is a matter of taste)

repeat this as much you desire.. (i usually on use 1 or 2 doubles)

mix the doubles with the original making sure that they don't overpower the original vocal.. it shouldn't be super obvious there's more takes going on.. If I used more than one double I usually pan them a little left and right.

add compression/reverb to taste (or none depending)


take vocal lessons so you don't have to go through this process again.

 

[jonnyc]

Guys in bands like hoobastank and the foo fighters can sing and have millions of dollars worth of gear and ears to make them sound even better, there's no tricks really, it's just quality musicianship, quality gear, and quality ears.

 

[eeb]

Guys in bands like hoobastank and the foo fighters can sing and have millions of dollars worth of gear and ears to make them sound even better, there's no tricks really, it's just quality musicianship, quality gear, and quality ears.

This is soo true..


Not to mention someone like dave grohl has his shit together.. he's not some hack that doesn't know what he's doing.
NOt at all saying he's the best singer in the world.. actually not even close.. but he KNOWS his voice.. he KNOWS his range.. and he writes incredibly catchy (well some of it anyway) yet not overly complicated melodies..

honestly this is what separates the big boys from the amateurs as far as musicianship goes..

the professional knows his craft (be it vocals or guitar or anything)
he knows what he can do and does it extremely well.. he also knows what's out of his reach and doesn't cross that line.. (eventually some continue to get better and better and that line gets smaller)

what i find most amateur musicians do (and i've been guilty of doing this myself) is push themselves past their limits.. thus becoming sloppy... not really finding their true voice/style. However there is something that's so "real" and I give much respect to those who are always pushing their limits. But if you push too far everything will fall apart and you'll seem like you don't know anything even if you're a seasoned player with some serious skills. The audience won't be able to tell the difference between you and a bunch of kids who jam once a month in their parents garage. (well that might be extreme but you get the point i'm trying to make)

 

[Robert D]

Nicely said eeb.