Screaming and melodic vocals

[gamba]

I haven't recorded vocals yet but I was wondering how do metal bands these days achieve that in your face screaming and then sing melodically? Bands such as korn, slip knot, five finger death punch etc. I was wondering what technique is used? Is all the vocals recorded on a dynamic mic or are they mixed with a condenser etc.. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[MrUserNameIV]

Scream from your gut, not from your throat. Just use your throat to shape the sound, but let the power come from your diaphragm. Sing the same way (from your gut not from your nose/throat). Also, my advice would be to record the screaming separate from the singing because they'll be very different amplitudes. Set the level for the screaming, do those parts, then set the level for the singing and sing those parts. If you want the singing super smooth, might be best to do those before the screaming, but if you want the singing to be a bit rougher, do it after the screaming. Here's a pretty good vocal training series on doing that style of vocals: Zen of Screaming Home Tuition Courses by Melissa Cross. I watched it several years ago and it had a lot of good tips for that kind of music.


You can record screaming vocals with a dynamic or condenser and get a good result. Your best bet is to learn screaming technique then it'll sound good either way (rather than trying to do something in the mix).

 

[Farview]

It is ussually done on two different tracks. Do the melody first on everything, then do the screaming. That way, he doesn't burn his voice out before he actually has to sing.

There are a lot of mics that can handle both singing and screaming. The one I always used was the Shure SM7b. (not the sm57)