I've been elected SINGER, but need some tech help -

[billbone]

I've been the guitarist in bands for 10 years, and did some back up singing, but the singers traditionally set up my gear. I didn't pay much attention, I just sang into the shiny grated mic thingy.

But now I need to know more; I need optimal solutions (on a poor guy's budget) for live gigs and recordings (i record with Sonar 3, using a soundblaster live audigy card, and a presonus TubePre direct box).

now that I've been elected by my band to be singer, I gathered up some used gear from friends, but I sound like a mud milkshake. With the EQ tweaked all the way up, I just get tinny sounds. with the EQ anywhere else, it's not very rich. I have an sm-57 (i already read about the differences between that and a 58), a Peavey XR 600E pa, 2 Peavey 115HC speakers.

Any tips for better sound performance? what are singer's holy grails? any creative solutions? Recommendation of better gear (on a budget)? Is my gear just junk? Is that why I can't get my natural vocal tones out of this thing?

Thanks

 

[TragikRemix]

for live? 58 should sound fine, but its not for everyone i guess. I think you might have too much eq on it. if it's tinny, you have the mids and hi's too high, possibly.

im assuming you are a guy, you shouldn't have the eq crazy on a live gig. i know alot about live setup, but not too much on recording

if you are really dissatisfied with the mic, check out some other mics, like the AKG D8000, D9000 or even D2300. Some people say they are better mics than the 57's and 58's, but the are definitly not as road worthy/tough.

try sticking with the basics-parabolic arch on the eq. How wide is the eq? maybe put a TAD of reverb on your voice also, VERY light, just to get some sustain/backbone to your singing. Professional/Semi Pro singers have a lot of practice in singing, its not simple, you have to be able to move the mic in correlation to your voice. if you are having trouble, being that you don't move the mic correctly as you sing, you could use a compressor to tame yourself, especially if you sing REALLY loud one word and very quiet the next. that happens accidentally sometimes.

be sure to sing with your mouth wide open and sing as clear as you can because the mic doesnt compensate for a crappy singer, mumbling and such.

i'd search online for some vocal exercises and practice them alot at home, because you will get a lot of variety of sounds that you commonly make. some sounds come out louder than others, and you have to learn which so you can adjust.