Professional Sounding Vocals?

[FKHUL]

Thanks for all the responses. I'm willing to pay about $300 right now for all the stuff I don't have. Eventually I may raise that to about $500-600. I'll take all of your comments into consideration. Thanx!

J

 

[BRIEFCASEMANX]

Freaking room acoustics!!!!! Acoustics are seriously KILLING ME RIGHT NOW AHHHHHHHHHH. After you get a decent mic improve your acoustics. Take it from me, I spent money in all the wrong places .

At my school's studio some fellow students haphazardly set up some mics on a drumset and got results comparable or better than what I get after much fussing over mic positioning! And I have all the same mics!

 

[peritus]

A decent condenser microphone, a decent pre en some mixing skills.

Try this: copy your vocal track to two other tracks, leave one like it is for the transients, add some compression to the second and some really heavy compression to the third. Blend to taste.

I will be trying this one... Thanks!

 

[Robert D]

This is an amusing thread. One guy says it's all about the equipment, spend a few grand and you can do "professional vocals" in a broom closet. Another says it's all about skill, and with the right skills a $25 mic will get you "professional vocals". Another says it's all about the room, and yet another says it's all about having a "professional voice". Confused yet? I am.

I think the truth, as it so often does, falls somewhere in the middle. All of these things are important, but none of them exclusively. A great recordig happens when there is a great performance in a good sounding room, captured with good equipment that is handled with sufficient skills.
For vocals, the room is pretty easy since there's no low frequency energy, so just knock down the reflections with anything from blankets to Auralex.
For a microphone, it's not so much how much you spend, it's finding a mic that matches your voice. This might be a $1000 mic, or it might be a $100 mic ($25 ?.....I don't think so). It may take a few mic purchases to get there, or rentals, or book some studio time just to audition mics. This is really the hard part. Then you need to match it up with a mic pre that delivers your mic and voice at it's best. Oh, and one mic may be right for one song, but wrong for another, so a couple of mics with different characteristics is a good idea, usually one that's pretty neutral, and another that's a bit brighter and airy.
Skills are certainly important, though less so with vocal micing than drums for instance. During mixing though, plan on doing a lot of experimenting with compression, EQ, delay, reverb, etc. to find what works with each song. Read a lot, listen to your favorite vocals, and analyze what treatments they used to get thier sound. Many vocals are double tracked, with layers of backing tracks. Often vocals are comp'd, meaning several takes are done, and various best sections are cut and pasted to make one great take. Care must be taken to preserve continuity.
As far as the "professional voice", be realistic, but don't be dissuaded. Many great recordings have been done with less than stellar voices. The most important thing is that the vocal emotes in a way that is compelling. But if you want to sing like a proffesional, voice training and lessons are a very good idea.

Good luck, have fun.
- RD

 

[mrface2112]

As far as the "professional voice", be realistic, but don't be dissuaded. Many great recordings have been done with less than stellar voices. The most important thing is that the vocal emotes in a way that is compelling.

good point.....no one would ever accuse Dylan of having a "great" voice. Neil Young either--but they're both fantastic songwriters and compelling performers.

but i would argue, however, that in today's world--and in pop/country especially--it's ALL ABOUT the vocal. there's no way Dylan or Young would even have a CHANCE at being signed today. they're not young and good looking (and weren't even when they WERE young ), and they don't have that style of pop vocal that the labels are looking for today.

instead they write phenomenal songs and present them in a unique way......but commercial music is no longer about being "unique". it's about "what'll sell on MTV". and when's the last time you saw the video for "Rockin in the Free World" or "Visions of Johanna"?

anyway, that's what i meant by "professional voice". if you want to be noticed in today's marketplace you need to have a *solid* voice. simply put--you can compensate for a bad room, mics, etc.....but you can't compensate for a lack of talent. it HAS to start at the source.

it goes back to that "polishing a turd" analogy that gets thrown around here so often.


cheers,
wade (who can't sing his way out of a bag but does so anyway)

 

[Han]

Nice post Robert, I'll add that the $25 mic I mentioned is an Audio Technica 832 from the eighties (I've got 8 of them), a very cheap dynamic mic back then, just before Audio Technica went famous with their condensers.

It is this mic that sounded a lot (and I mean a LOT) better on upright bass than a SM57, an MD421 and an MD441 and a number of other expensive mics.

This $25 mic (discontinued) sounds big and warm. A while ago we preferred this mic on a French horn, it seems crazy, but it's true. Having eight MD421's, two MD441's, three Beyer M260 ribbons, three M201's, an M88 and a number of (tube) LDC's, even a Neumann M149, we took the $25 Audio Technica.

Is that weird or what?

 

[SuperJX]

This is a neat thread, and really shows that the combination of decent equipment and a fair amount of skill is what is truly required for a "pro sound". Of course what that sound is-- is a very subjective thing

As I'm experimenting with upgrading my vocal rig at this time also, might I suggest an incremental approach? Over the last year, I've picked up a Behringer B-1 condensor, their $50 tube preamp, and their 8-channel mixer. Also picked up a cheap mic stand and a pop filter. While many would cringe, I know that it's the right mix of stuff for me now, and I have about $200 invested in the whole kit. I'll be upgrading over time as my skills and needs grow.

I did spend a bit on a new interface card for my PC-- an Audiophile 192. Big difference over the hacking about I did with a SoundBlaster, and I'd definitely recommend a "pro" interface if you haven't gotten one yet.

As for recording space, I'm using sleeping bags hung over two hollow doors in a "v" in the corner of my room, with the mic backed into it. With the mic's low-cut filter turned on, the voiceover tracks I'm doing are turning out better than any rig I've had before, and are serviceable for the projects I need now. As I learn more, and the projects get bigger, I'll make physical room and budget allowance for improvements. An outboard compressor will probably be my next step.

Good luck!