Update on vocal phasing

[SouthSIDE Glen]

I've had a number of inquiries and exchanges with folks wondering about the slight phasing/flanging sound on the vocals on "The Other Side of the World" cover that I posted here a couple of weeks ago. Theories were abound that we were using Autotune (we weren't), or that it was an acoustics problem with the iso booth (my thought, but wrong), or that it was a goofy reverb artifact (it wasn't).

I just thought I'd post a general update here that we solved the problem, and that it actually turned out to be a flaky tube on the V69N condenser mic we were using for the vocal. We replaced the tube and the artifact disappeared. Just something maybe to keep in mind if any of you guys have a similar problem in the future.

G.

 

[austinm08]

That's interesting. I'm glad you were able to finally nail down what it was.

Hopefully someone will be able to find this thread if they DO have the same problem and come here for help. Think of what key words they may search for and be sure to include them. haha

 

[TripleM]

Yeah I thought it sounded like a subtle use of AutoTune. It didn't sound like a acoustics/phase thing to me. Glad you tracked down the root cause.

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Yeah, I had a feeling you almost didn't believe me when I said it wasn't Autotune . We do have Autotune and have been known to use it, but we NEVER use it for goofball audible effects like that; if we use it, you won't hear it. But trust me, in this case there was absolutely no Autotune used on that cut. A million vocal punches, yes, but no Autotune . And that phasing effect was unwanted.

The producer on that track, our guy Steve Ashum, has a producing style where he nails down the tracks early in tracking by punching them a measure at a time or less if necessary, rendering any need for Autotune (or anything else, FTM) pretty much academic. Of course the better the person on the business end of the mic, the less punches necessary, but in this case the vocalist was a nervous, very young teenager not used to working in a studio, so it took a few swings and jabs to get it all to stick to disc.

G.

 

[rayc]

Can we now list that mic & faulty tube in the outboard effects for the studio?
Glasd it was resolved . I didn't even imagine you'd use Auto in any audible way!

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Can we now list that mic & faulty tube in the outboard effects for the studio?

, hmmm, maybe we should have hung on to the old tube as a secret weapon for special use? That's actually kind of an intriguing idea, though it's use would be awfully limited. I think it's too late anyway; I think that tube has changed hands from the audio engineers to the sanitation engineers a while ago now.

G.