Need Help For A Particular Sound...

[CloseYourEyes]

Okay,
I was curious if any of you gurus know any good micing techniques to get a vocal sound similar to that of 60's rock or pop. The ideal sound i'm looking for would be like Mamas and Poppas " California Dreamin' " Maybe, early Beach Boys too. I know a lot of it has to do w/ the singing method but i am just asking what would be the right steps to take towards getting that mic tone?

 

[TexRoadkill]

There really isn't any way to steal a signal chain and expect it to work. Mics and preamps will sound different on different vocalists.

As I recall those vocals are very live sounding. I would just use a condensor a foot or so away. The essence of those songs was more in the arrangment and performance. Lots of overdubs in a nice sounding room or a dead room with a good reverb unit.

 

[sjjohnston]

My off-the-cuff thought is that the sound of the Mamas and the Papas and the early Beach Boys has a lot more to do with the arranging than the mics or signal chain. Close harmony, you know? It used to be sort of standard stuff (think of the Lettermen, the Four Freshmen, and whatever). It's pretty much gone from mass-market popular music.

It's not totally gone from the world: it survives in school choirs, Ivy League (or Ivy-League-esque) college singing groups, church choirs (for the apparently dwindling number of churches that don't feature pop music with guitars, PAs, etc.).