Male vocals and an AKG C-1000

[MASTON]

Hi,

I've been using an AKG C-1000 to record classical guitar and my voice. I got the guitar to sound OK-ish, but couldn't get my voice (which is pretty kind of deep and full) to sound right, so I got really depressed and sulky.

Then I got a female friend of mine (who, it must be said has a fantastic voice) to sing the song and pow!, my songs work, fantastic, sounds fuckin' marvellous. I am spartacus.

This made me a bit happier but was still a bit sulky as I want to do some singing too. My girlfriend reckons I've got a great voice.

So my question is this, would a better mike make my voice sound better. I mean is an AKG C-1000 better suited to a female voice more than a male voice. I mean, I can't really blame the mike 'cos she sounds great.

Another issue is that after playing around for ages trying to get my voice to sound right in the mix, my friend's voice just jumped right out at me, no messing about, or anything. I can't see how you'd get a male voice to do that, no matter how good a singer you are.

Using Soundbalster, Cakewalk, Art MP Tube.

cheers Maston

 

[Chris Shaeffer]

I have recorded my (tenor) voice with some success using the C1000's but it doesn't sound as good on a friend who has a lower voice. (We use an SM-57 for him, or a Nady SCM900 that sounds pretty good.)

Have you tried working closer to the mike to get a fuller bass response? Or working further away from it to avoid the proximity affect? Have you tried hitting the phase switch on the Art MP? I don't know why, but the phase sometimes sounds better one way or the other.

Are you using compression, either during tracking or when mixing? It won't make up for widely varrying levels, but it can help bring out the fullness of a vocal and perk it up in the mix. Be gentle- a little goes a long way.

Do you have the presence boost cap-thingy on the capsule, or the hyper-cardioid adapter? Try playing around with them and see if that makes the C1000 sound better for your voice.

Also, it may be that the deeper frequencies of your voice are competeing a bit with the body of your guitar sound. Cakewalk has EQ, right? Sweep a narrow but big (1odB or more) boost around on your vocal track until the nice sound in your voice jumps out at you. Write that frequency down and set the EQ flat on your voice again. Then go to your guitar tracks and CUT that frequency 1-3dB and see if that opens up some more room for your vox.

It could be that your lady friend's higher voice competes less with your guitar sound so she jumps out of the mix more.

Good luck,
Chris

 

[MASTON]

Hi Chris and thanks,
Yeah, I've tried close, far side , doesn't work.

I haven't got a compressor 'cept for this free pug-in that doesn't really do anything. Haven't got that little cap thing either as I got the mic 2nd-hand. Where can I get one from. D'you know?
What's a hyper cardioid adapter?

Haven't tried htting the phase switch or knocking out competing guitar freqs though. I'll give that a bash.

cheers

Maston

 

[Chris Shaeffer]

For the c1000s adapters, try this link

http://www.akg-acoustics.com/english/microphones/accessory/accessory-mics-studio.htm#c1000

I'm not sure how to order from the site, but that was the first thing I found.

A hyper-cardioid pattern is a kind of directional pickup pattern for a mic. A cardioid pattern picks up sound from things that are in front of it. This is really handy on stage when you don't want the artist's monitors feeding back in to the mic. Hyper-cardioid is an even tighter pattern- picking up only things directly in front of it.

Putting the hypercardioid adapter on the c1000s shouldn't change the sound of it that much, but you never know. It was just a suggestion to try if you had the adpater. I wouldn't go out of your way or spend too much to get it.

Now the presence peak adapter for vocals is a different story. It alters the frequency response to make vocals sound more pleasant (in theory). If it isn't too inconvenient to order from AKG it might be worth picking up. Never hurts to have as much versatility with your mic as you can.

Both are just little plastic caps that fit over the capsule in the mic. You have to unscrew the top part of the casing to install them. Read the directions carefully- its easy, but you can damage the capsule if you don't do it right.

Take care,
Chris

 

[Carter Simcoe]

My girlfriend reckons I've got a great voice.

Whose girlfriend doesn't?

 

[Harvey Gerst]

You might try putting one or two sheets of toilet paper or tissue paper over the front of the C1000 mic, and then use a foam wind screen to hold it in place. Tjis should cut down the top end a bit, let you get in closer and cut down on popping as well, making it more suitable for male vocals. The C1000 would not be my first choice for male vocals anyway. Try any other mics you may have as well. Even a Shure SM-57 with a foam screen will sometimes be perfect for some singers.