Tighter Cleaner Vocals. i.e. Korn

  • Thread starter Thread starter PushtoVent
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PushtoVent

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Ok, this may be the dumbest thing I ever ask on here.
What is done for that 'Studio Sound' on Vocals.
Example being, on Korn's Life is Peacy, the secret track is Jon singing Twist.
I can get vocals to sound like that, or better, on tape.

But when you play the album cut, the vocals are much tighter, and cleaner.

What's the deal?

It's can't be just EQ.
Can it?

Help a brotha out.
 
The problem you will run into is that the 3630 will get muddy on you way before it gives you the amount of compresion you need to get that sound. try using a limiter in sound forge. I'll listen to the album again tomorrow to make sure I'm not full of ....
 
I agree about the "dirty thirty" I basically use it only for a calmer transition between when I scream and sing in a same take. I do use proper mic techniques to aid this, and I know sound forge isn't capable of giving me a grammy winning sound, but if I can do anything, I'd like to. Thanks for looking. I await your response tomorrow.
 
well Korn and other professional musicians have a vocal chain that can cost up to 10K, while if you tried to sell yours on ebay you'd be lucky to get 100 bucks for it... not to mention they have a world class engineer engineering the session in a world class vocal booth, and a world class mixer and mastering engineer. This all contributes to that 'sound'
 
No offense, but I kinda get slightly annoyed with the "well they have 2 billion dollars worth of gear so you'll never get that effect" comments. I think everyone here knows that most people coming here are not using 50 billion dollar equipment and are not master engineers with 300 years more experience than everyone else. Obviously, those people would not be coming here to ask a question like that.

And I think people could benefit from a more suitable answer. For instance, if someone is asking how Thom Yorke gets a grainy vocal sound on X song, instead of saying "you'll never get it because a $503698/hour engineer did that", a response like "well you could try using x overdrive plugins with x compression settings". Obviously it won't sound as good, but at least said person could get an effect similar to what he is looking for.

I know that I will never be able to get a really great sounding vocal track because I don't have the right gear (nor can I really sing), but that doesn't mean a suggestion on compression or other effect settings wouldn't be something I wouldn't want to try. Unless of course you're looking for a specific effect from a specific machine that costs 10K or something. :p

Please don't take this as me saying everyone here is a newb. I have a lot of respect for the pros and experienced guys coming here to give tips and help people out. I was just generally stating that most people here know they are not master producers and are most likely looking for a work-around type solution. At least I know I do :)
 
Try doing the singing stuff on one track and then going back and doing the screaming on another. That way you can set up the signal chain to sound great when you are singing, then set it up to sound great when you are screaming. Don't confuse recording with performing live, you don't have to do it all in one take.
 
Thanks to everyone that replied. I'll have to give a shot with the multiple take recording. After spending so many months getting everyone else (guitar, drums, etc...) to sound 'right', I guess I'm trying to rush myself.
 
I dunno Teacher man....I wouldn't exactly call Ross Robinson "World Class"....i mean come on....

and p2v, i agree...i find the hardest part of recording myself is trying not to rush myself....but actually, i stopped caring so much about that....i usually end up just keeping all of my first takes...as long as i like how it sounds, who really cares what y'all think...
 
Daenn said:
I know that I will never be able to get a really great sounding vocal track because I don't have the right gear (nor can I really sing), but that doesn't mean a suggestion on compression or other effect settings wouldn't be something I wouldn't want to try.
Click to expand...

I think you may have misunderstood the nature of the question asked. If / when someone asks a very specific question . . . like how do the Strokes get their vocal distortion? or something similar, you'll get a pretty straight answer.

But a lot of times, people are just annoyingly vague . . . as in this post where he asked "how to get that studio sound." As if there's some sort of secret trick or special box or something. :D Unfortunately, it just isn't always that easy. And to think it would be is frankly an insult to guys who have spent decades of their lives perfecting their ears and technique in order to deliver it.
 
You main problem will be getting a rich sound out of the 3000b. I have one and its ok but can get harsh fast. When your on a budget need a mic/pre amp that will make you think you paid 10k for it. You can get some nice result with a CAD M179 through a VTB-1. I've gotten some of my best recordings with an Audix OM5. Those mics are great. They sound like 10k through my Soundcraft mix. It has alot to do with finding the right things that work togather. When you put a harsh mic like the 3000b and a tinty pre like Behringer you will be very lucky to get a good sound. Below is a short list of thigs that will give a great sound but don't cost much.

Mics:
EV RE20
Audix OM5
CAD M179
RODE
SP mics

Pres:
VTB-1
DMP3
Joemeek 3Q (my personal choice)

Hope this helps
 
deepwater said:
You main problem will be getting a rich sound out of the 3000b.
Click to expand...

. . . and the Behringer mixer.

. . . and the Alesis 3630.

This isn't a bash to budget gear. It's just that if you're going to cut corners and buy cheap stuff . . . at least you could get something that's decent.
 
I appreciate all of the responses, but no one really answered my question. I know I don't have the greatest stuff, and I know I'll never get a multi-million dollar sound, but I wanted to know about the post production. What they did to that sound, after it was recorded and printed. THAT's what I need help with.

Chris
 
compression. big dollar compressors and limiters can limit and compress a lot more without getting muddy. you don't recognize the sound as compression because yours would sound like poop if you were as far into it as they are.
 
chessrock said:
. . . and the Behringer mixer.

. . . and the Alesis 3630.

This isn't a bash to budget gear. It's just that if you're going to cut corners and buy cheap stuff . . . at least you could get something that's decent.
Click to expand...

Whoa....steady on now....
 
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