Recording Vocals

  • Thread starter Thread starter EightMilesHigh
  • Start date Start date
E

EightMilesHigh

Member
Hi, I have a bit of a problem here. I’m a singer with a bluesy sort of voice, and like to get close to the microphone. This only seems partially possible in a digital set up though, because I get distortion any time I get on the louder side. I know how to keep the track faders low enough to keep the track from clipping, but the kind of distortion I get is different. There is a light on the outside where the quarter inch and three-pronged jacks are, and it goes to red a great deal. I have my preamp turned down to +25 dB (the lowest it goes for a microphone), and the preamp on my DAW is off at -4. I am considering running the cord through the unbalanced output, but I am looking for other options as well. On the times when I do not get distortion, I am standing farther from the mic, and usually it has too distant a sound. Does anyone have any advice for mic placement that will give me a warm and intimate sound on the louder parts without sounding so distant? I have a feeling that it might not be possible, but I don’t know. Just for the record, I have a Groove Tubes Brick preamp and am singing with a Rode NT1 condenser. Thanks for your time in reading this long-winded posting.
 
What light is turning red? If it's red, you're probably at, or very near, the clipping of whatever that piece of gear is.

Things to try:
1. mic technique - back away from the mic or turn your head a little when you get louder. get closer for softer parts
2. get an inline pad or a mic with a pad (shure makes pads that go between the mic and the preamp)
3. get a compressor
 
yep, just what i was thinking, a pad or compressor will do the trick.
 
red light

The light turning red is on the outside of my DAW machine, right near where the jacks are, not in the track view window. In the track view window there’s no danger of clipping because I keep the channel fader low enough. The other light though is cumbersome. Does backing away from the mic make for a more distant sound? This is a problem I am having, and it almost sounds like two different singers doing the low and high parts. Also of note, I have a fairly big room.
 
pad or compressor

Thanks for the replies. I haven't thought of that, but that sounds as if it might work. How would a compressor work in my set up? Is it essentially another box to send a cord through? I'll look into the pad as well. For my style, I've noticed that my voice sounds much better when I get close to the mic. With what I have, the softer parts sound fine to me.
 
You might want to try a dynamic mic too if you're using a condensor mic. A compressor/limiter usually gets inserted into your sound chain right after your preamp. It will help you prevent clipping and even out the louder sections too.
 
EightMilesHigh said:
I have my preamp turned down to +25 dB (the lowest it goes for a microphone.
Click to expand...
By this, do you mean that you CAN turn the pre-amp lower, but it says "Mic" on one side and "Line" on the other? If that's the case, don't worry what the pots say on them, just turn down the gain. My mixer has pan pots with "Line" on the left side, and "Mic" on the other. But, when I'm singing, I still turn it all the way down, even though I'm now on the "line" side. I don't know if that's what you mean by "the lowest it goes for a mic".

But a red light is telling you you're distorting somewhere. Something has to come down, and it has to be something before the signal gets to whatever is turning red.
 
+25 lowest

As for the +25 lowest for microphone comment, I mean that when using the microphone input on the preamp, the lowest position is +25 and the highest is +55. When I use the instrument input, the lowest is 0 and the highest is +30. It is the same knob for both, but results in different amplification for the different inputs. (Meaning that for instruments, putting the knob on the absolute lowest position will result in 0. For vocals, +25)
 
EightMilesHigh said:
As for the +25 lowest for microphone comment, I mean that when using the microphone input on the preamp, the lowest position is +25 and the highest is +55. When I use the instrument input, the lowest is 0 and the highest is +30. It is the same knob for both, but results in different amplification for the different inputs. (Meaning that for instruments, putting the knob on the absolute lowest position will result in 0. For vocals, +25)
Click to expand...
I see....I misunderstood. Well, hopefully the rest of my post might still be relelvent, but you got some good advice in this thread already...good luck.
 
What kind of DAW mahine are you using? Until I know that I can only guess (though you *could* look this up yourself in the manual or on the company's website), but if that red light is next to where you're plugging the line in from the Brick, that means you are overloading the input.

First of all, make sure you are not plugging the output from the Brick into the mic input on DAW.

Second of all, the gain numbers you are describing are for the gain dial on the Brick. How do you have the channel trim set on the DAW?

G.
 
overloading

Thank you for the posts. I am using a Korg D1600, and it does seem very probable that I am overloading the mic input.

I am actually plugging the brick output into the DAW mic input. This seems as if it might be a bad thing, is there something else that could be done?

The channel fader is on -5, and the on screen display does not say I am clipping, only the light next to the machine’s mic input flashes red and sounds (needless to say) awful. The machine input volume is turned to the lowest position (actually +4, sorry I said -4 earlier), even turning that one up slightly creates much noise.
 
EightMilesHigh said:
I am actually plugging the brick output into the DAW mic input. This seems as if it might be a bad thing, is there something else that could be done?
Click to expand...

I think the output from your brick should go to the line input, not the mic input. I don't know anything about your DAW, but mic inputs on equipment are typically driven by their own internal preamps. You are already getting the gain you need from the brick, and plugging the brick into an additional mic input could very well be the cause of your problem.
 
line input

That seems to work, as I do not see red. The input volume on the DAW was always turned down to +4 though, the lowest it goes. Going through the unbalanced output was something I was considering doing. Why do they even include balanced output if on the lowest position it still distorts? Perhaps this depends on the machine.

I have another question, pretty basic and I'm almost ashamed to ask, but does yellow constitute clipping as well? I am not sure if there's an audible difference between yellow and green, but I guess while one is singing its hard to listen at the same time.
 
EightMilesHigh said:
I am actually plugging the brick output into the DAW mic input. This seems as if it might be a bad thing, is there something else that could be done?
Click to expand...
Yeah, as I thought. Mic pres are designed to output line levels out their back end. You should plug the brick into the line in on your Korg. Plugging in to the mic in means that you are running a mic preamp into another mic preamp, you are in effect trying to double-amplify the signal, which you don't want to do. Also it means that the signal out of the brick is overloading the mic inputs on the Korg, Hence the red light.

As far as the yellow light, it might simply be a kind of single-LED VU meter where at full brightness you're at -20dBVU or -6dBVU or whatever value they may choose. Check the manual (paper or on-line) for the Korg, that should tell you exactly what that means.

G.
 
try ramming your microphone up your ass,perhaps that will solve your problem.
Ted Philips/Mystery Records
 
RAMI said:
He sounds like an authority on the subject.
Click to expand...


Poor,poor Rami...still upset that I wouldn't take a second to listen to the
awful mp3 he sent me.
get a grip junior,this showbiz,deal with it!
here at Mystery Records we take great pride in showing fruits such as yourself to the door,headfirst.
tell your mom "teddyboy" says hey!
I'll expect her over at my place around 7:00
Ted Philips/Mystery Records
 
teddyboy said:



Poor,poor Rami...still upset that I wouldn't take a second to listen to the
awful mp3 he sent me.
get a grip junior,this showbiz,deal with it!
here at Mystery Records we take great pride in showing fruits such as yourself to the door,headfirst.
tell your mom "teddyboy" says hey!
I'll expect her over at my place around 7:00
Ted Philips/Mystery Records
Click to expand...


Your getting ahead of yourself here, Ted.
You arent even alowed to have visits in Prison.

I think your trying to descuise the Jam Session you and your fellow Inmates (primates ) are gonna have in the shower.

I bet you they make both you and your alter ego Christian sing like alterboys over there.

Remember dont slip on the soapbar, and for gods sake dont pick it up. :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top