reverb in headphones

[Melsi]

does anyone find that when recording, giving the vocalist a bit of reverb through the headphones helps build them up and gives them more confidence?

is there anyother techniques people use to help raise the vocalists confidence?

 

[undrgrnd studio]

sometimes

Sometimes it helps to turn down the singers vocal in the mix while tracking, it gives them a smaller footprint and more confidence to sing louder and with more feeling.

 

[Nick98338]

Read:
http://www.tweakheadz.com

 

[Melsi]

which part?

 

[Melsi]

ahh found it thanks alot that was very helpful and a great site!

 

[Robert D]

It does help with confidence, it doesn't help with pitch. Dial it in or out according to which needs help.

 

[studiomaster]

I don't think it does. If the vocalist assumes that he/she is nailing each and every key, and later you go back to the recorded vocals and playback the vocals without reverb, it might sound totally different than the pleasant assumption that the vocalist made.

 

[gecko zzed]

Whether to feed reverb back through the headphones depends on the vocalist. The more gifted ones may prefer completely dry. Reverb in the phones may cause pitching problems (which, incidentally, too much bass can do too).

I don't mind feeding some reverb through if it helps some less confident finding something to rest against.

 

[RedStone]

I think the best situation is to give the vocalist a clear, crisp monitoring situation where their voice sits loud enough that they can hear themselves in the mix distinctly (maybe even put them slightly above the mix).

My thinking is that an un-trained vocalist will go out of tune if they can't hear themselves in the mix. With a trained vocalist, it shouldn't matter so much as long as it's ball park and she/he can hear her/himself. Adding reverb in my experience will usually compound tuning problems, but if that's what the vocalist wants, it's your job to find a way to make it happen or try to convince them otherwise.

 

[easlern]

As an amateur with little vocal talent, I'd vote for plenty of reverb. I like to have a can on one ear with verb so I have an idea how well each note sits next to the last one, and my other hand cupping the side of my face so I can hear it dry. Sounds silly, I know, but works for me.

 

[mikeh]

I've found the strongest vocalists don't really care too much if they hear verb or not - but then again, they already have plenty of confidence in their ability. Although, I do find most vocalists do like to hear at least a little verb.

I do think when recording a vocalist who is not strong and confident, a small amount of verb (not enough to cause pitch concerns) can be a good thing. I do agree that keeping he vocals low in the headphone mix is also a good thing. If a singer lacking in confidence hears too much vocal it can be intimidating which simply results in the singer pulling back (normally not a good thing)- and as already indicated, keeping the vocals low in the mix can entice a singer to belt out a little more which in most musical genres is preferable.

However, at the end of the day I'll do whatever the vocalist may ask for (within moral, ethical limits) to help him/her provide the best performance possible.

 

[montage]

I use a small amount of reverb on a 'room' setting, to give that illusion that you're not actually wearing headphones.

 

[TexRoadkill]

I don't think it does. If the vocalist assumes that he/she is nailing each and every key, and later you go back to the recorded vocals and playback the vocals without reverb, it might sound totally different than the pleasant assumption that the vocalist made.

Unless you are going to be mixing the vocals dry then it doesn't really make a difference.

I think the closer you can make any track sound like it's going to sound in the final mix the easier it is for the performer to get the right feel.

 

[mikeh]

TexRoadkill has hit it right on the head.

I remember a voclalist once telling me that if he was hearing the same verb in the phones that would be going to tape he could "work the verb".

By this he meant he would adapt his vocal phrasing and the decay at the end of vocal lines to the trail of the verb.

While hopefully, no one needs to apply so much verb that it would actually impact a vocalist's phasing - I do believe that a vocalist will approach the song slightly different if he/she hears the verb.

This would be no different than a guitar player who attacks or holds notes a little different when using verb vs. not using verb.