In your face vocals

M

mybook1234

New member
Hey I've been trying very hard lately to get that "In your face vocals" Cant seem to be getting close. Do you guys employ close micing? Right now i'm using an AKG 2000b - presonus blue tube - m-audio delta 44 - then into cool edit pro. I'm looking for that intimate sounding vocal, for example something from john mayeer. Any help would be appreciated
 
try compression. set it so that is pumps and breathes, i.e. fast attack etc., so you an hear it working. this will make the vocals right up front.
 
The trick to the sound you are looking for is tons of analog copmressing and boosting the top of the vocal with EQ. The bummer thing about comressors is that not many of them can do a ton of comression and sound good. The Distressor is a fantastic box for this. Some mixers will actually chain several compressors together in series. The distressor is a little out of the price range of some home recordist. The RNC is of course a great box for under 200 bucks but I have not known it to have the same level of excitment at a distressor.
 
Another thing that John Mayer uses a lot is the whisper track. There have been discussions about it on here before, so you can search for more info. But, the basic gist is that you just lay down a track where you just whisper the words - no melody whatsoever, just whisper sort-of monotonally. Bring this track up under the main vocal track(s) so that it's almost unnoticeable. This will make it so that you don't have to really boost the top of the main vocal with EQ (or at least not as much) and gives your main vocal that really intimate feeling.

Strange, cuz I've always thought of "in your face" vocals (I think something like Incubus - compressed like crazy) and "really intimate" vocals (John Mayer good example) as describing totally different things. *shrug* :)
 
guttadaj said:
"in your face" vocals (I think something like Incubus - compressed like crazy)
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"compressed like crazy" is an understatement when it comes to their latest! Everything, especially the vocals are just OOOOOZING with compression. It's like a compression orgy!
 
Lanstar0 said:
"compressed like crazy" is an understatement when it comes to their latest! Everything, especially the vocals are just OOOOOZING with compression. It's like a compression orgy!
Click to expand...

haha, it totally is. It's almost sickening to hear. I used to like them. They suck now :(
 
guttadaj said:
Another thing that John Mayer uses a lot is the whisper track.
Strange, cuz I've always thought of "in your face" vocals (I think something like Incubus - compressed like crazy) and "really intimate" vocals (John Mayer good example) as describing totally different things. *shrug* :)
Click to expand...

Is it me or is the vocal recording quality on the first John Mayer CD really bad, I'm not talking about the performance, but the actual recording of it.
 
I really dig the vocal sound on Room for Squares! Very clear, intimate and breathy. I would kill to be able to get that sound or even come close. I actually did a cover of Body Is a Wonderland - can find it at http://www.geocities.com/jtgutt (if geocities is behaving) - where you can see how I fail in my attempt (but had fun trying, dammit! :D).
 
guttadaj said:
I really dig the vocal sound on Room for Squares! Very clear, intimate and breathy. I would kill to be able to get that sound or even come close. I actually did a cover of Body Is a Wonderland - can find it at http://www.geocities.com/jtgutt (if geocities is behaving) - where you can see how I fail in my attempt (but had fun trying, dammit! :D).
Click to expand...
The performance sounds like it's pretty good, but you really need to cut back on the reverb, I mean really cut back. These would be some good tracks to put up (dry) and let others try to mix them, then share how they did it.
 
I always tend to make my stuff way too wet. :D This is actually less wet than the version I posted in the MP3 Mixing Clinic long ago, where I got similar comments. I think that some of the wetness may actually be my tracking environment, which is not the best in terms of deadness. It's got lots of reflections... sort of smallish room with hardwood floors and untreated parallel walls - not much sound-absorbant stuff in the room either. We're in the process of house selling/buying, so I'm not really doing anything to the current room, but once I move I will try to tame the room I use to try to sop up some of the wetness. Thanks for the listen! :)
 
Much about compression, but not yet much about compression in this thread!

When applying verb to in your face vocals, use a very short reverb tale and high early reflections.

A plate reverb usually does the trick!
 
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