distorted vocals

[coreyB]

hey there... so i know i can get distorted vocals if i use an effects pedal, but there's this guy damien rice who uses a normal mic and then has some sort of wrapping technique to get a distorted sound... attached is an image of his mic setup... does anyone know what he could be using to do this? i've been told maybe a plastic bag or something but i'm looking for someone who has more info on how this might be accomplished... thanks!

 

[coreyB]

another pic... the mic looks cleaned up a bit with some black electrical tape covering the tube section...

 

[eeldip]

there are about eight thousand ways to distort a vocal.

using a fucked up mic is a pretty decent way to do it. you can get one that doesnt really kick in with the distortion till it is overloaded... which is useful. and often this sort of mic will do some nice limiting as well....

anyway, not sure why you would have to figure out EXACTLY what this dude is doing. and i really dont think that tape over that mic is what is causing the distortion.

i would head out to the salvation army and buy every cheap tape recorder mic in sight. then figure out which ones distort in a way that you like.. they probably will all distort to some extent.

 

[coreyB]

so besides using a broken mic does anyone else have any ideas as to how plastic and a tube extending from a normal dynamic mic could function as a distortion mic? i want the words i'm singing to be distinguishable but with a distorted effect on them

 

[chessrock]

It looks like a big dildo.


Perhaps his voice is just naturally distorting because he gets all raspy just thinking of wrapping his mouth around it.

 

[coreyB]

awesome... thanks for your intelligent assistance... you'd think with a post-count that high you'd actually be helpful but maybe all of your 6000 other posts have been just as idiotic... i'm looking for help, not assinine comments

 

[PersonalJesus]

NO SERIOUSLY! That mic does looks like a dildo, thats the first thing I thought... kinda disturbing.

 

[eeldip]

testy testy...

hes just trying to be funny.

do you have a sound clip of what that mic sounds like? it could help...

 

[eeldip]

now that i look at it again... it sure does look like a dildo. no denying it.

most mics are at least a little phallic, but this one really really really really is.

 

[Drummer4Life05]

Yeah, maybe this Damien Rice guy just can't get enough c**k.

 

[chessrock]

i'm looking for help, not assinine comments

I would have helped, but Eeldip already said everything I was going to say. I suppose I could have said to use some sort or effects or distortion pedal, but then you could have just called me Captain Obvious.

Maybe someone in the Guitar forum could help you out. You coud maybe say something like: "How do I get distortion out of a big, long penis?"

 

[coreyB]

i guess i've just never ever seen a microphone and thought "oh that looks like a dildo" - but hey... what you guys do in your spare time is none of my business... i'm just here for the information and then i'll be on my way... haha

here is a link to hear what i'm after... notice that when his voice picks up a little more that's when the distortion really kicks in... what do you think?

 

[eeldip]

that is pretty well done for live distorted vocals...

as you said, distorted by articulate. which is a pretty hard balance to strike.

take, for example, something like this

he uses telephone mics that he steals from thrift stores. distorted and totally inarticulate. and he totally refuses to record clean... (believe me, i have tried)

that big tape structure may be some sort of pop protection shield. pretty useful for some of these ghetto mic rigs. again, i would invest $5 in some sort of hi-z tape recorder mic and see if that gets you close.

if it doesnt, you could try damaging the diaphragm and see if that gets you close...