Vocals : warmth

[Blor007]

Hi,

A kinda stupid question maybe, cause the answer is going to be:
Get a warm voice


Anyways, in what way should I manipulate some variables to get optimal ''warmth''?

I know it's al about trying but maybe there are certain techniques I never would have come up with fe. doubling the track with 1 track that has the shit compressed out of it ... or something else (plug-ins)?


I have a Studio Projects C1 on a Gyraf Gyratec pre-amp

 

[jndietz]

I would go into the EQ for that track and play around with it until you reach the warmth you are talking about Only YOU know what you want... so you will have to be the judge. "Warmth" to one person isn't the same "warmth" to another!

Play around with the EQ and see what you find

 

[guitar junkie]

Some VST plugs can warm things up a lot but really you already know what needs done... you have to have decent signal going into the box for it to sound "warm" other mics could do you some good though... nothing says you cannot use an SM58 even but the thing is vocals are pretty much a one shot deal, unless you really can sing with the tone you want then the gear will only bring to light the weaker parts of your singing.

this is to say though that if you check into EQ plugins over at KVR you might find some stuff to phatten up your signal a bit....

one that i use is the digital fishphones compressor plug and it's free!

 

[Rokket]

I've always been of the thought that most "warmth" was the singer themself, not a VST or DX plug-in. It has to do with the right mic going to the right pre amp and recorded on the right format.

But I could be wrong... I've always hated that describtion when it came to music anyhow. That goes back to the old Digital vs Analog debate of old. But I don't want to change the subject and inadvertantly hijack this thread, so back to my point...

What was my point anyway?

 

[Myriad_Rocker]

I've always been of the thought that most "warmth" was the singer themself, not a VST or DX plug-in.

Exactly...the sound always begins with the person on the other end of the mic.

What's next? The room, of course.

Then comes the pre...or the mic...depending on your opinion. However, I have found that even a mediocre mic can really SHINE when used with an excellent pre.

Then would be the converters if you're going into a DAW.

Everything from there is just fluff. Compression is almost a given...via outboard or plug-in. Layering can really spice up a vocal track. Effects such as chorus, reverb and delay can give a vocal track that little something it's missing.

Now you have to get it to sit well in the mix...

Yep, it's never ending...

 

[RedFrogAudio]

Back that thang up...

Try backing the vocalist away from the mic a bit. Many people put the vocal too close to the mic and then suffer from proximity effect, causing them to roll of the very frequencies that they wanted in the first place. I like to put the pop filter about 3-6 inches from the mic and the tell the vocalist to match that distance, giving a foot or more sometimes from mic to singer. Mics tend to open up to my ears at about a foot. I find that alot of people try to mic too close. Think of a mic like your ear and think "do I want my ear that close?" . Air has always been a better engineer that most, use that distance between the mic and subject to get a fuller sound and give your sound a chance to develop.

 

[tone_aot]

Distance is a good point. Only bad thing, if you have a bad room, it's going to sound like crap.

 

[brendandwyer]

I've always been of the thought that most "warmth" was the singer themself, not a VST or DX plug-in. It has to do with the right mic going to the right pre amp and recorded on the right format.

i agree wholeheartedly. I can make my voice sound warm, or push it and sound raspy, or screamy. (i am not saying that it necessarily sounds good... ) Depending on which i do, i'm different distances from the mic.

I think it's a performance thing rather than a gear thing. However, if you take a bellari tube preamp and a Shure sm57 it'll sound kinda warm. But if you use something like a neve preamp and a neumann u87 it might sound kinda sorta-ish more warm. But yeah it's the performance in my O.

 

[tbone36109]

tubes help. preamps mics etc. analog over digital too.