I know you can record vocals excellently with an SM58...but how ??? <link>?

[bouldersoundguy]

I know I've wasted money so in extra carefully now to select Whig equipment I need. I tried with the fast track pro itself but still little diff. I just need to know whether I should go ahead and buy an maudio audiophile/delta breakbox or tascam intf

The mic will make more of a difference than the interface. If you are going to spend money on gear go try some microphones and find one that suits your voice.

You seem to be ignoring the message that skills are even more important than gear. Whatever gear you have, your performance ability and your skill operating the gear will have the biggest overall impact on your sound. Maybe your recordings don't sound professional because you can't sing like a professional or record like a professional. No amount of gear can change that, but practice can make a huge difference. If I were you I'd focus on your artistic and technical abilities using the equipment you already have before throwing money at the problem.

 

[Bristol Posse]

I know I've wasted money so in extra carefully now to select Whig equipment I need. I tried with the fast track pro itself but still little diff. I just need to know whether I should go ahead and buy an maudio audiophile/delta breakbox or tascam intf

No the difference weill be marginal, at this price range you get similar quality throughout

What you need to realize is you are watching people lip syncing to a previously recorded track this is not a live show! (the rap vocals for example and the blond guy on the guitar are doubled (recorded twice and mixed together). Sure they have a 58 up in the video but that doesn;t mean it was recorded that way. Amazingly not everything on youtube is real

Also the room they are in is treated you can see the bass traps up on the wall and if they were recorded and mixed in this treated room that will have an impact and the tracks have been mixed eq'd compressed and sent through reverb of some kind.

With entry level low end gear and no experience you will not get a pro studio result. You can and should still make something to be proud of. everyone has to start somewhere

What you need to do is forget about what these guys on you tube are doing and spend your time figuring out your equipment, your material and your recording and mixing skills.

There is no magic bullet or PCI card that will instantly make you an A+ recording engineer, mixer and singer. If there were we would all be using it and all be making millions as rock stars. Only time, practice, learning from your mistakes, practice, more time, practice, more mistakes, practice will get you where you want to be.

To go from no experience to a finished pro level EP with $300 bucks worth of gear, no monitors, no acoustic treatment etc in 2 months is an unrealistic expectation to put on yourself. It takes years to figure this shit out

 

[kratos]

Appreciate all your advice in this thread. I've been looking at some Other recording stuff such as recording mixers. I'm wondering whether the "v studio" series by cakewalk is worth buying instead of me buying extra interfaces. Apparently all I need to do is plug in and record without any hassle right into sonar it comes with.
Any advice whether this is a good idea?

 

[kcearl]

it gets great write ups but is expensive and a large investment for someone starting out...but if you can afford it...

 

[DrewPeterson7]

i recommend (as many other's have) that you buy an interface of your choosing, based on the wealth of information that's available here.


you record with either a 58 or a new mic of your choosing, based on the wealth of information that's available here.


you go MIC -> DMP3 -> Interface(usb) ->Computer

That's the kicker - unless I read wrong, he HAS an interface.

kratos - try this (if somehow you're not already doing this).

SM57 => DMP3 => M-Audio Fasttrack Pro => your computer's USB port.

Then, select the M-Audio as your primary sound card in your DAW, arm a track, and select the channel that your DMP3 is plugged into as the audio source. The whole idea is to leave your computer's built in sound card (which REALLY isn't up for the task of professional audio) OUT of the picture, not put some stuff in front of it.

This is still a $3-400 channel strip, as opposed to the $10-20k worth of gear Justin Beiber's vocals are running through before they hit tape (i.e - before they even get mixed), so don't expect it to sound QUITE as good as him. I also have no idea if you can sing as well as him. However, provided you spend some time learning 1.) how to use the gear you own as best as possible for the cleanest possible recording, and 2.) how to sing into a mic and position the mic relative to your voice to get the sound you're after, there's absolutely no reason you shouldn't be able to get acceptably good results from this, something you wouldn't be at all embarrassed to play for someone.

And, as mentioned in your other thread, none of this may matter at all because no one is going to buy an album from someone they've never heard of - get out there and start gigging, which will pay off much more in the long run.

 

[Steenamaroo]

there's another thread where he asked about this, and i told him to list what he has to get better advice..

his reply was "Man I'm using a sm58 with a dmp3 preamp direct to sound card"

 

[DrewPeterson7]

there's another thread where he asked about this, and i told him to list what he has to get better advice..

his reply was "Man I'm using a sm58 with a dmp3 preamp direct to sound card"

Saw that - I was in that discussion too. However, that was a couple days ago, and in his first post in THIS thread, he mentions he picked up a used M-Audio Fast Track Pro, but that he's still plugging it into his sound card.

If he'd just use the Fast Track Pro as it was intended, as an external sound card, he'd probably get much better results.

 

[Steenamaroo]

missed that, sorry!

good call

 

[DrewPeterson7]

missed that, sorry!

good call

I know, if he's just using the thing as a second preamp, no wonder he doesn't hear a difference.

By the way, to the OP - if there's any way you can post one of your songs, maybe we could provide a little more directed feedback about the vocal sound.

 

[The Cancers]

Appreciate all your advice in this thread. I've been looking at some Other recording stuff such as recording mixers. I'm wondering whether the "v studio" series by cakewalk is worth buying instead of me buying extra interfaces. Apparently all I need to do is plug in and record without any hassle right into sonar it comes with.
Any advice whether this is a good idea?

Seriously dude.
How many people have told you that you don't need to buy anything else?
You aren't getting shitty recordings because you have shitty gear.
You're getting shitty recordings because you're shitty at recording.
The people who record (not the "artists" - the behind the scenes engineers, mixers, producers etc...) the tracks you are trying to match in quality could take EXACTLY the same gear you have - they could come over to your house - and make better quality recordings.
It's because this is not about the gear.
It's about people with years of experience doing what they do professionally for large sums of money.
In two months, you will absolutely absolutely not match or beat that recorded quality.
You could have unlimited funds and every piece of recording equipment ever made.
You could have the best rooms in the best studios in the world.
If you were doing it by yourself, you'd still probably make a shitty recording.

Look at it this way.
You're going to university in a couple months, right?
I think I remember from another thread you saying you were pursuing physics.
Why go to Uni at all?
Just spend the next two months applying to whatever physics based job you hope to get?
By the time you would be starting school, you could already be started on the career you hope ultimately to have for the rest of your life, right?

Wrong.

You go to school because you don't have the knowledge or the experience to even come close to understanding or contributing anything meaningful to your chosen field.

Why would you assume it's different in any profession?
I'm not saying you have to go to school to record.
If that was the case, boards like this wouldn't exist.
But you do need knowledge and experience. And you can't buy those from Sweetwater.

Why does this have to be done before you go to school?
A preamp, a microphone, an interface and a computer are fairly portable.
And I assume you'll be living somewhere.
It's the nature of home recording that you make do with what you have.
So you're gonna be in a shitty dorm room or something?
Deal with it.
Make it sound as good as you can and continue to hone your craft there.
Don't expect greatness, expect improvement. You'll see it if you quit worrying about what you don't have and start worrying about making what you do have sound as good as possible.

And quit searching the boards for exactly the problems you have.
You are, based on my reading of your multiple questions and answers, an "ultimate noob."
So just start reading everything. There are thousands of threads here.
Millions of responses (probably).
Get learnin.

Ok, rant over.

Now, if none of that seems like the advice you want, then here:
http://www.vintageking.com/ADL-670-Stereo-Tube-Limiter

You aren't getting the quality you want because you don't have that.
That's the magic bullet.
It's the reason everybody else's recordings sound awesome and yours sound crap.
The big money producers get paid the big bucks because they have access to that, and you don't.
If you can't afford it or just don't wanna pony up that much, well then, you're always gonna sound noob and never sound pro.

 

[kratos]

Seriously dude.
How many people have told you that you don't need to buy anything else?
You aren't getting shitty recordings because you have shitty gear.
You're getting shitty recordings because you're shitty at recording.
The people who record (not the "artists" - the behind the scenes engineers, mixers, producers etc...) the tracks you are trying to match in quality could take EXACTLY the same gear you have - they could come over to your house - and make better quality recordings.
It's because this is not about the gear.
It's about people with years of experience doing what they do professionally for large sums of money.
In two months, you will absolutely absolutely not match or beat that recorded quality.
You could have unlimited funds and every piece of recording equipment ever made.
You could have the best rooms in the best studios in the world.
If you were doing it by yourself, you'd still probably make a shitty recording.

Look at it this way.
You're going to university in a couple months, right?
I think I remember from another thread you saying you were pursuing physics.
Why go to Uni at all?
Just spend the next two months applying to whatever physics based job you hope to get?
By the time you would be starting school, you could already be started on the career you hope ultimately to have for the rest of your life, right?

Wrong.

You go to school because you don't have the knowledge or the experience to even come close to understanding or contributing anything meaningful to your chosen field.

Why would you assume it's different in any profession?
I'm not saying you have to go to school to record.
If that was the case, boards like this wouldn't exist.
But you do need knowledge and experience. And you can't buy those from Sweetwater.

Why does this have to be done before you go to school?
A preamp, a microphone, an interface and a computer are fairly portable.
And I assume you'll be living somewhere.
It's the nature of home recording that you make do with what you have.
So you're gonna be in a shitty dorm room or something?
Deal with it.
Make it sound as good as you can and continue to hone your craft there.
Don't expect greatness, expect improvement. You'll see it if you quit worrying about what you don't have and start worrying about making what you do have sound as good as possible.

And quit searching the boards for exactly the problems you have.
You are, based on my reading of your multiple questions and answers, an "ultimate noob."
So just start reading everything. There are thousands of threads here.
Millions of responses (probably).
Get learnin.

Ok, rant over.

Now, if none of that seems like the advice you want, then here:
http://www.vintageking.com/ADL-670-Stereo-Tube-Limiter

You aren't getting the quality you want because you don't have that.
That's the magic bullet.
It's the reason everybody else's recordings sound awesome and yours sound crap.
The big money producers get paid the big bucks because they have access to that, and you don't.
If you can't afford it or just don't wanna pony up that much, well then, you're always gonna sound noob and never sound pro.

Thanks I needed that. Pretty much summed up everything. I'll see what I can do with all this info now. Very much like your rant and thanks for calling me the ultimate noob. Atleast now I can see a small spec of light at the end of the tunnel...

 

[dintymoore]

kratos I would try not to get discouraged and try hooking it up the way people have suggested and maybe long term look for a better mic, probably a condenser.

I've been recording for a long time and I can't get a vocal recording I like with an SM58... never have and truthfully wouldn't spend very long trying 'cause I'm convinced the sound I'm looking for can't be had with that mic.

You should be able to get a clear sound though... but very, very few people will record vocals with an SM58 and really be stoked with the results.

After the performance, the mic is #1.

For starters though, try hooking it up like people suggested and not eating the mic. The way Justin was close to the mic won't work I don't think. Try being say 6" away from it.

 

[grimtraveller]

But I'm determined to finish a 5 track ep and put it out there since I can't really then record once I'm in college either than actually go to a recording studio which unfortunately will be in London (uk).

I'm doing this because of personal reasons.

I'm one of those unfortunate losers that sometimes records vocals with a 58 and likes the result.
It's personal taste, blah blah blah. (I've spared you a 15 line history there !).

Like in your "should I spend X amount on a studio" thread, you're focusing on east when actually your problem is south. I sometimes say to youngsters "You'll never be a hospital because you don't have patience.....". Cancers put it very bluntly, but to be honest, I think they did the right thing. You're trying to be a formula one racing champion after three driving lessons. Unless someone, possibly a professional that does recording day in and day out, takes you under their wing or unless you've got bags of spare time and don't mind spending hours at a time learning this, then you need to accept that this is going to take you a while to get to grips with. A major part of recording is experimenting and it takes time to do and digest. Mind you, you have some things on your side, such as having gotten your instrumental end together to your satisfaction.
I know you really want to do this. Perhaps you need to reassess your time frame. A bit of time and care could yield you something you'll be really pleased with.

What's so unfortunate about London ?

 

[WhiteStrat]

I know it's been said already, but it's worth repeating: that video is not of the actual performance. It's made to look like it because they're "in the studio," but trust me--they're lip syncing to the already recorded song. (I shoot and edit video for a living. It's not just a guess, there are actual signs of it.)

So while you should be pursuing knowledge and not gear to begin with, you certainly shouldn't be pursuing any gear because of what you're seeing in this vid.

 

[Chili]

trust me--they're lip syncing to the already recorded song. (I shoot and edit video for a living. It's not just a guess, there are actual signs of it.)

You mean the part where he's wearing headphones in one angle and isn't in another??

 

[Armistice]

Now, if none of that seems like the advice you want, then here:
http://www.vintageking.com/ADL-670-Stereo-Tube-Limiter

You aren't getting the quality you want because you don't have that.
That's the magic bullet.

Will this device make the recordings "warm" and "punchy"?

And is it the best stereo tube limiter under $50 for pre-pubescent darling boy "my-testicles-haven't-descended-yet-but-man-when-they-do-they're-going-to-be-monsters" vocals???? Well, is it????



OK, that was probably too many Sorry.

The haircut will be important too..

 

[DrewPeterson7]

Thanks I needed that. Pretty much summed up everything. I'll see what I can do with all this info now. Very much like your rant and thanks for calling me the ultimate noob. Atleast now I can see a small spec of light at the end of the tunnel...

His was maybe not the most tactful comment, nor did he say anything the rest of us haven't already said, but he's basically right. What you have now isn't a "professional" caliber studio, but it's more than enough, once you learn how to use it and start thinking about room acoustics and whatnot, to make a great sounding demo.

I'm not sure how old you are (17, I'd guess, if you're getting ready to go to college), but I'm a little over ten years older than you, and got into recording when I was about your age. For the first year or two of my recording career, I was doing instrumental rock with a copy of Sonic Foundry (back before they got bought by Sony) Acid 2.0, with one of those little computer mics that looked like this, straight into my laptop's soundcard:

It was a spectacularly bad setup, estimating conservatively I'd say your current one is already about 3,278x better than what I learned on, but I dove in and learned a TON, made some surprisingly not-awful sounding music, had a lot of fun, and by the time I'd graduated from college, gotten a decent job, and suddenly had a disposable budget to start buying real studio gear, I knew how to use it. I'm still not spectacular, but I can make a decent enough sounding recording when I put my mind to it.

Long story short - fuck the gear. It's not the gear as much as it is what you do with it. Spend some time playing with mic position, paying attention to how mic angle, distance, and the proximity of walls changes how your voice is captured by the mic. Read about EQ and compression, and then experiment with what you've learned on your voice. Read Massive Master's excellent tutorial on gain staging and tracking volume. Don't worry if you don't get it at first, you will eventually. Experiment. Have fun. Intentionally do things "wrong" just to see what happens, so you know what the "wrong" approach sounds like (like, intentionally clip on input. Intentionally WAY overcompress in a mix. Whatever). Learn how everything interacts with everything.

At the end of the day, once you learn to use the tools you have, you'll be able to record something that sounds pretty damned good.

By the way, just for the hell of it, this was me back in, um... 2000? With that aforementioned setup. Drum loop, bass loop, keyboards "faked" with several tracks of guitar processing and a heck of a lot of post processing, and clean rhythm and solo guitar all recorded on a setup a LOT worse than yours. Not that this is the pinnacle of recording quality by ANY means, but it still sounds relatively listenable.

Click me

 

[bouldersoundguy]

You mean the part where he's wearing headphones in one angle and isn't in another??

Or the part where she's below the axis of the mic right before a cut and above it right after.

 

[nocarsgo]

I like how in the first video the main singer is magically double tracked and the "live performance" has continuity errors.

 

[Opivy]

Kratos, I've read a few of your threads now - (even though I don't realize they're you until I look at the name... and then I'm not surprised)

And we're pretty much in the same boat.

Very new to home recording. (well, I've been recording for a while at home - just not trying to make anything sound good- just to put it down)

I want to make recording sound good as well, and also want to get some new equipment. (my microphone is useless) but you have a microphone that works fine! People are telling you to experiment and learn with it - and I just read that you ordered an expensive condenser.

I have to ask... Why the big rush? Why are you in such a hurry to make a recording that sounds like everything I hear on the radio already?

The links I've seen you post are covers of overplayed songs on the radio - and well - overplayed songs in general.

is this really your style? You seem to want to make money from recording, which I can't blame you... that sounds great...

I've seen lots of people say it - and me being a noob as well at this, I have no room to say it -- but slow down man. It's not going to happen over night

I just don't see why you're giving yourself deadlines especially when you're so young.

We've got a lot to learn - so let's just take it easy and try to enjoy it.