recording singing

[cpc]

alright thanks everyone, i'll be trying everyones advice in my next few recordings to see how things work out and then i'll post any further questions if anyone would be kind enough to give me more advice if i'm still having problems.

 

[cpc]

yeh, ok so today i did some recording to compare some things.

first of all , i turned the gain down lower than recomended...and while the normal vocals were now too quiet, the louder ones didnt clip anymore. but i still seemed to have some stale/lifeless parts that dont sound how i normally do.

then i tried singing right into my cheap boombox. i put a blank tape in and recorded right into the built in mic on my boombox. and although quite fuzzy and lower quality ....the problems i was having with computer recording are gone. when i belt out an emotional, loud/high note you can deffinitely tell and it sounds ALOT better recorded to tape on my cheap boombox. i want to get that sound with computer recording, but without all the noise of course. it sounds more normal and how i'm suppose to sound despite the fuzz.

 

[travelin travis]

try out a condensor mic...........

 

[cpc]

i dont think its the mic man, since the crappy built in mic on my boombox gave me the normal sounding vocals i want. when i record on my computer my vocals sound stale and lifeless sometimes during emotional/powerful/loud/ notes, and i dont sound like i do in real life at times. i want to fix this, anyone have any ideas what my problem is?

 

[travelin travis]

how bout you post a sound clip. i still be it's the mic. the difference in a condensor and an sm58 is like night and day. i own two sm58's and to me, they're not very good for recording vocals. also, out of all the things you could replace in your signal chain, changing the mic will make the most noticeable difference in sound. i'm telling you, just go try one out. you might find that you don't even need a new sound card just yet if you get a decent mic. there's a bunch of condensor mics out there for $100. now there's even a couple of condensor mics with a built in preamp that you plug directly into a usb port with no other hardware needed. you could get any of these used to save some money. just try one out is all i'm saying.

 

[cpc]

i appreciate your advice, and i would try one out deffinitely but the only way i can do that is to purchase one, because my "local" instrument shop is an hour away and they dont let you try out things. and , the mic works fine through a pa and i sound fine recorded into tape, so im thinking the problem lies with my computer or mixer or something in the computer recording rather than the mic. but i could be wrong, im pretty new with computer recording. its like when my voice goes into my computer it gets transformed and stale for playback. and although alot more noisy and fuzzy, my voice sounds fine when recorded to tape.

 

[travelin travis]

you could pick up a $100 sound card and a $100 mic from musicians friend and try em out. if you don't like em, send em back. at least that way you could figure out what the problem is and if you really need one or the other. you will only be out shipping cost which will be pretty low.

if your local instrument shop does'nt let you try out things, you don't need to buy anything from them. if that's true, they are the lamest music store on the planet.

 

[cpc]

well, they let you try out instruments...but not mics, even if i could try out the mics i woudlnt be able to tell what they sounded like played back through my computer from the store. my shure sm58 works fine when i use it for non recording situations, but when played back from my computer it sounds stale. i dont know how to describe it, if i could post a clip of me on a tape AND a clip computer recorded i would. that way you could have something to compare it to and help with. i had the same problem with my cheap computer mic, thats why i upgraded to a shure sm58 for recording, but the problem is still there (although the mic is alot quieter and deffinitely worth the purchase for recording AND practice uses) thats why im pretty sure its not the mic.

during the process of recording to my computer it seems like, an effect, or color, or something is added or taken away from my normal voice. i mean, you can tell it's me...but it just sounds...worse. and you cant hear emotion or dynamics (right word choice?) in my voice. ahh its frustrating and hard to explain, i mean..you can tell when i get louder, and softer but theres just no emotion! it just seems stale! and thats not how i normally sound and it's ruining my recordings. thats the best i can explain my problem, i'd post a clip but you wouldnt have how i normally sound to compare it to.

 

[travelin travis]

did you ever try plugging the mic into the mixer and listening thru headphones while you sing? that's the quickest and easiest way to find out if it's the mic. to compare, just record onto the pc and listen thru the same headphones. pretty simple way to find out if you're willing to try it. this will tell you if it's the sound card.

if i was going into a music shop to buy a mic, and i could'nt try it out, i would'nt buy it. same with a guitar, mixer, etc.

 

[cpc]

i'lll deffinitely give that a try tomorrow, i dont have soundproof sudio type headphones though so im affraid maybe hearing my voice in my head and such might mess with the sound coming through the headphones, but i'll deffinitely give that a try tomorrow, thanks for that idea. the sound is still in analoge form through the mixer correct? sorry if thats a newbie question but its a newbie forum . it seems none of my problems happen in analoge recordings so then yes this would be a great way to find out if its my problem...i could also run the mixer through to a tape recorder to test it out correct? but what if the mixer is whats giving my problems? haha oh well, ill get back to you tomorrow. thanks for the advice and willing to help sorry for being so confusing and dumb on this subject

 

[travelin travis]

yes, going to a tape deck would certainly tell you something. it would probably be best to monitor fairly loud thru those headphones.

i know you have probably heard that the sm58 is a good mic, and it is for live use. it's just not that good for vocal recording purposes. it sounds blanketed, and on my voice, kinda raspy. mainly, the sm58 does'nt accurately represent my voice or flatter it in any way.

use google to find out what analog and digital really are. yes, it will still be analog.

 

[cpc]

my thinking was that if i got the sound i wanted through a cheap built in boom box mic, that the sm58 isnt the problem....but i havent used many mics yet to be able to compare what flatters my voice etc. but yeh i'll find out tomorrow thanks again.

 

[Levinin]

i dont think its the mic man, since the crappy built in mic on my boombox gave me the normal sounding vocals i want. when i record on my computer my vocals sound stale and lifeless sometimes during emotional/powerful/loud/ notes, and i dont sound like i do in real life at times. i want to fix this, anyone have any ideas what my problem is?

How are you listening to what you've recorded on the computer? Using the same headphones / speakers as with your recording to the boombox? If not you need to try that.