rock and roll vocals

J

jamie_drum

New member
My current setup is Rode NT-1A --> M Audio DMP3 --> FMR Audio Really Nice Compressor --> M Audio Audiophile 2496 soundcard. I find I get really clean and present vocal recordings, which is generally good!

However, for some tracks I want to get more of a gritty rock and roll sound. I am thinking of the sound on Franz Ferdinand's first album or Spoon's Gimme Fiction. The vocals aren't distorted, exactly, but they sound slightly overdriven or compressed. They sit right in the mix rather than jumping out.

Any idea how I can achieve this? Is it mostly compression, or EQ, or actual distortion? I have a feeling part of the sound comes from overdriven vacuum tubes in analog gear they use, but I don't have that luxury. Simply sticking a distortion plug in on the track doesn't give the right effect--it sounds too industrial, or just plain distorted!
 
I imagine you're right about the high quality equipment they use on those recordings. You may not be able to replicate that, but you can get a little more grit in your vocals. Adding a little bit of distortion can help. Cubase comes with a plugin called "Da Tube" that actually works well for this in small amounts. There are other "tube/analog saturation" type distortions that you could try. Ruby Tube is cool. I've heard good things about the PSP Vintage Warmer. Different compressors may color your vocals, too. Download the Digital Fishphones Blockfish and play with that (it has a saturation control). The RNC may be a little tame by itself for rock vocals. Try turning off the supernice mode and compressing a little harder -- that may add a color you like.

Lots of things to try. Good luck.
 
jamie_drum said:
My current setup is Rode NT-1A --> M Audio DMP3 --> FMR Audio Really Nice Compressor --> M Audio Audiophile 2496 soundcard. I find I get really clean and present vocal recordings, which is generally good!

However, for some tracks I want to get more of a gritty rock and roll sound. I am thinking of the sound on Franz Ferdinand's first album or Spoon's Gimme Fiction. The vocals aren't distorted, exactly, but they sound slightly overdriven or compressed. They sit right in the mix rather than jumping out.

Any idea how I can achieve this? Is it mostly compression, or EQ, or actual distortion? I have a feeling part of the sound comes from overdriven vacuum tubes in analog gear they use, but I don't have that luxury. Simply sticking a distortion plug in on the track doesn't give the right effect--it sounds too industrial, or just plain distorted!
Click to expand...
Don't know for sure if this will work, but voxxengo has a tube amp plugin that works well for me, when I want to dirty my vocals up. It's free, so at least if it doesn't work, it won't cost.
 
if you have the $ try an SM7. if not try putting a t-shirt over your rode...if that doesn't help, put a sweatshirt or a towel over it. sounds weird but for real it can help dull down those crispy mics.

if you need a tad bit of grit try sending your recorded vocals to a set of head phones - overdrive those - and mic them up. mix that to taste. i'm sure a plug would work as well...

i was in a band that opened up for spoon for a night. nice guys. play chips and dip.

Mike
 
Thanks for the advice. I have downloaded Ruby Tube and the PSP Vintage Warmer demo. I will give them a try. Maybe the headphones thing is a third option.

I also have a SM 57. Do you think I might be better off using a dynamic mic in this case?
 
semper lo fi!

Suggestions from a semper lo-fi soldier:
1. the sm57 rules for vocals live, might be what you're looking for here. Plug it in your tube amp and sing out of there with a slight treble boost (which cuts through).
If not, plug into a distortion pedal (I've used a vintage rat)
If you're classy, go out and get a LOMO mic (old russian condenser) and run the hell out of your preamp, I like to overload my M312 and just have those preamps with the pad off.
 
jamie_drum said:
However, for some tracks I want to get more of a gritty rock and roll sound. I am thinking of the sound on Franz Ferdinand's first album or Spoon's Gimme Fiction.
Click to expand...

Try an old Electrovoice dynamic. Something like an RE-15 or a 666. Then hop on Ebay and look around for a used Peavey / AMR Tube Sweetener. Hook the output of your dmp3 up to that and work the knobs. It'll get you pretty close to that sound if used in conjunction with a decent compressor. Even a software one (like the PSP).

.
 
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