Recording Vocal tracks to tape

  • Thread starter Thread starter AllenM
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AllenM

AllenM

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So I've been sitting on my songs for awhile because I cant get a decent vocal track going. The music sounds great though... The main vocal is fine but as soon as I add the harmonies they get lost in the mix. I am using a shure 57 beta for all vocals tracks. Could the problem be that I am using a dynamic mic instead of a condenser?
 
it could be many different things ... there is nothing wrong with using a shure 57 for background vocals; it's a fine choice. it's most likely an EQ or volume issue, are you compressing at all to keep the levels consistent? one thing that can help when using a mic with proximity effect (like the 57) is to try cutting the bass frequencies.
 
I have no compressor at all! Another thing is I dont eq before tape, should I try that?
 
It's not your mike.

Nor is it necessarily lack of EQ or compression.

Try a different approach to the mixing.

For example, mute all the backing (I don't know whether this is a single track or a whole heap of them), then get the lead vocal up there sitting by itself. Bring up your harmonies next so that they sit well with the lead vocal. Then bring up the backing track(s) so that they are loud enough, but not so loud that they overwhelm the vocals.
 
it's true that you don't NEED compression or EQ, but it can often help you get a better result. i personally don't really use compression when recording individual instruments, unless it's an instrument that's very dynamic.

EQ'ing to tape is definitely something to try. if you cut out bass frequencies while recording, you can hit the tape harder and the highs will saturate better ... i also found that that said, i don't generally EQ to tape myself, i prefer to bypass the mixer and plug the preamp into the tape machine. but because of tape head bump, i often engage a low cut on the preamp or mic if possible. and often also cut even more bass when mixing.

since you have no compressor, you may have to ride your faders on the vocals while mixing. i don't like the sound of a compressor on regular instruments, but i always use it on vocals. since you mentioned that everything else sounds fine, and the backup vocals are "lost", it still seems like an EQ issue to me.
 
AllenM said:
So I've been sitting on my songs for awhile because I cant get a decent vocal track going. The music sounds great though... The main vocal is fine but as soon as I add the harmonies they get lost in the mix. I am using a shure 57 beta for all vocals tracks. Could the problem be that I am using a dynamic mic instead of a condenser?
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No...and actually, the Beta57A is a relatively bright dynamic mic, they can cut fairly well, that's one reason I like 'em. I would suspect you have competing frequencies, especially if it's the same vocal source. Gecko has you pointed in the right direction.
 
Might also be worth having a look at the panning; imagine the backing singers to be stood behind the lead singer fanned out in a line but with none of them directly behind the lead vocalist and pan them individually so they're all in their own space.
 
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