First Attempt at recording vocals

[takk]

OK, here's the equipment I have to work with:

SM58
Audio Buddy Preamp (m-audio)
Delta 1010LT
Rolls Headphone Amp
Cakewalk Sonar 2.2

First unserstand that this vocalist is a SCREAMER!!! So I know that I am going to have to watch the levels for clipping and then apply some compression to the track after it's recorded to smooth things out a bit. Any suggestions or pointers?

- Takk

 

[heroics321]

depends on what kind of screamer he is. does he tend to push from his throat or his chest? or does he cup the mic and eat the thing? if he does the latter, dont let him, haha. i keep myself and my bassist around 8 inches from the mic. most screamers don't have the depth for the scream to sound great by itself (especially if its coming from the throat), so layer them to suit the needs for the song. i also like to slightly pitch shift the track and blend it with the original signal, makes one track sound like two, two sound like four, and so on. add that with a small amount of reverb and keep the levels hot and steady like you said. i personally am not a huge fan of over producing a scream (finch style), because i hate when bands can't do it live, but if you focus on the original track and add additional tricks only as needed, you'll be okay.

 

[hasbeen]

Using a 58, I have had the best luck just letting the singer sing as they would in a live situation, which usually means they have the mic slammed up against their lips. I use a compressor to keep from overloading the signal. A 58, IMHO, sounds pretty ding-dang good on a screamer.

 

[reshp1]

Using a 58, I have had the best luck just letting the singer sing as they would in a live situation, which usually means they have the mic slammed up against their lips. I use a compressor to keep from overloading the signal. A 58, IMHO, sounds pretty ding-dang good on a screamer.

I agree, you lose a lot of focus and punch when you back off dynamic mics for vocals. Maybe have him back off a few inches when he really lets loose so he doesn't overload the mic/pre, closer for normal phrases, and right up against the grill if he's got an intimate side . You might not need that much compression if he's got good mic technique.

 

[chessparov]

If he's a screamer, he doesn't HAVE good mic technique!

How about setting levels by having him sing the loudest portions first?

Also you could get some good practice learning to ride the faders,
and depend less on a compressor to even things out.

Still...

Would like something outboard like a RNC to be safe in your shoes.
(supernice mode works well)

Kidding aside, encouraging him to visit a voice coach can help protect the voice from permanent damage.

BTW for me the EV 635a is better at making the voice sound gritty vs. the
SM58 (or SM57). That one would make placement easier too for you as it's
an omni that can be "eaten" up close by the singer. That'll also help if you ever start comping the vocals later on, so they match better.

Surprised that more hard rockers aren't using that mic, 50's/60's blues and rock & roll singers did though.

Chris

 

[takk]

Thanks for the advice!

Although he is a screamer he does it in a nice controled way. A few months ago we recorded a live demo in a studio with him using an EV hand-held mic with almost no compression or reverb and it sounded pretty good. Check it out here if you want:

http://www.ninety9cents.com/lightsout

I think the sm-58 will do the trick as long as I keep the gain down to prevent clipping. I can't really "ride the faders" because I'm not using a hardware mixer, just knobs on the pre-amp. I'll also have him double some parts rather than pitch-shifting if he can do that with good results.

- Takk