Why is getting a decent vocal so difficult?

[cgarges]

If the shit's distorting, then it's operator error or broken equipment. No amount of purchasing anything in and of itself is going to solve that problem. Will buying shit help out in other ways? Sure it will. Get a U47. Get an RCA 77DX. Get a 251. Get an SM7. Get a cheap Chinese mic. Buy some compressors. Get an RNC or a GML. Whatever. The distortion will still be there unless something in the gain structure changes. Throwing something else in line will change it, sure. Maybe for the better, maybe for worse. But buying something else alone isn't going to eliminate distortion if there aren't any other changes. Sorry, it's just not going to.

Not trying to start a "shit storm." Just stating what I see as the obvious.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[Gentleman Jim]

Hey, is that the TOMB Welcome Wagon I hear rolling down the street? Better run and hide!

Zoinks, folks. The OP came here with what I think is a pretty realistic attitude about what his/her situation is. Remember those years where you weren't as good as you are now? Well that's where this person is, and maybe getting pissy at them for not knowing stuff won't help them out. S/he signed up today and has two posts, neither of them out of line, maybe give him/her the benefit of some hospitality.

To the OP: If you're going to drop $350 on an SM7 you probably shouldn't bother to buy another mic at the same time. Get to know one mic at a time. Plenty of people record vocals with dynamics. In fact, you may be able to get a reasonably good result from an SM58 and save $250. Do you have any friends you can borrow a mic or two from to try them out? That's probably your best way to see what changing mics can do for you. If you still have the sound quality problem at least you'll know it's not necessarily the mic.

[strdsk]

I also believe that it's not the gear...unless it's not functioning properly as I stated before. And I agree with the post before mine...borrowing gear to try it out is a great idea. A few posts back I also said that if you're clipping to tape no compressor on Earth will fix that...as I gave the original poster credit for even noticing the clipping. You'd be surprised at how many people track distorted and just let it slide. So for the record, I'm not a guy to push anyone to buy anything....unless your gear is faulty or not satisfactory that is. That no one could tell unless they were to personally check it out. Often times, it's cheaper to just buy a new mic for example than it is to repair a Chinese one or something if it is bad. Best...JD!

[cookiecookiesunda]

Well, my 990 does have a dent in it. hahahaha

It's not like the vocal is being distorted the entire track, only on my loudest part which is why I was considering compression and turning down anything would just make the vocal far too quiet.

I know that buying more gear isn't the magical answer to anything. Has anyone heard of this thread Why do your recordings sound like ass? It's a little bit philosophical. He compares recording to building a shed; it can be done with a hand tools or fancy power tools but you can still build the same shed. Continuing the metaphor I feel like I've using 2 flathead screwdrivers but now I have some phillipshead screws.

[MoreSpaceEcho]

It's not like the vocal is being distorted the entire track, only on my loudest part which is why I was considering compression and turning down anything would just make the vocal far too quiet.

i am sorry to keep repeating this but your gain structure is what is suspect here. you ought to be able to record a completely non distorted vocal (without any compression) and have it be perfectly audible above everything else. if you can't do this, then likely everything else was recorded too hot too, and you are just going to be fighting a continual battle against 0dbfs the entire time you're tracking and mixing.

record at 24 bits, lower the input levels considerably, and presto, all those problems go away and you can just make music.

[Nick Sevilla]

Hello! After about a year of fiddling around with different set-ups and buying and selling random pieces of gear I'm finally happy with the sounds I'm getting. I've recorded some very good quality guitar, piano and drum machine tracks but now I can't match the quality with the vocals

I'm using an mxl 990 mic and an audio buddy preamp (not the best stuff) in to a boss br multitrack.

The problem is I'm getting some very nasty digital distortion but when i back away from the mic or sing quieter It lacks the "oomph" and will not sit well with the other tracks. Even when I do get an acceptable take it doesn't sit well with the other tracks.

Any recommendations? Should I get a really nice compressor?

The digital distortion is most probably due to the mic preamplifier sending out too much signal when you're close to the mic.

Try the following with your current setup:

1.- Sing the LOUDEST PART first. Set the gain levels into your recorder until you no longer hear that digital distortion.

2.- Set your HEADPHONE LEVELS so that you can compfortably listen to your vocals and your backing tracks.

It can take 1/2 hour but in the end you can get good results by changing the gain structure so you can hear yourself better, and still not distort the incoming signal.

As to getting that proximity effect, that you have to figure out yourself, but hopefully once you get the sound you want and get it to the recorder without distorting, you should be able to get the proximity effect just right.

EXPERIMENT.

Cheers

[vvv]

Sorry to pile on, but did anyone remember to mention mic technique?

Mebbe I missed it.

Plus, I bet there are some great instructional DVD's out there for sale ...






And welcome to the board!

[chris harris]

yep. mic technique. when you sing louder, back off of the mic a bit. it takes practice to get it right. and, also understanding gain structure will go a long way. +1 to what MSE said about turning everything else down.

[hank alrich]

Look to your gain staging. First doublecheck the input sensitivity setting going into the recorder. Leave lots of headroom there. It won't hurt if peaks don't go above -10 dBFS.

If you still hear the distortion, it's upstream from the recorder. Lower gain settings at the preamp until you are certain there is no clipping there.

If the distortion still remains, it's down to the mic.

[lapsteel]

Mic technique and check your gain. Another good idea is not to record every instrument until it hits the red. Having a good mix going in will save a lot of time when finalizing mixes.

One last thought, maybe work on singing. I don't know your situation, but the takes you are getting might just be your voice (not the distortion). It is different what you think is your voice and what the mic knows is your voice.

[percussion boy]

The Audio Buddy was my first vocal preamp. It bites.

Not that you need some 4 figure pre to get a decent vocal, but you do need a good enough pre. The AB . . . isn't. Even another cheap pre, like the ones in the Firepod, would probably be more helpful. Some of the harshness in the sound might be just the total cheapniss of the AB.

Also, see if your "Buddy" (barf) has more than one pot for setting the level at different points in the circuit. I vaguely remember there being a knob for the input gain of each of the two channels, then another knob for output level. If so, you could create distortion without a high level at the output, if the input gain were cranked and the output level were turned down low -- or as someone else said above, "gain staging."

Hope this helps.

[jkretz]

i may be way out of line here, but cutting vocals with the 990 wouldn't be my first choice. That microphone is strange - it is a small diaphragm condenser inside a body that makes it look like an LDC. This very well might be the root of your problem... I remember attempting to sing into a MXL 991 (same diaphragm, different body) a long time ago just to see what happened. What happened was distortion...

in this case, it might actually be (at least partially) the gear.

[Nick Sevilla]

Or, if you don't want to actually learn how to get a vocal out of what you got,

Go buy 15,000 USD worth of equipment, then at least the rest of the forum will congratulate you in how "excellent" your vocal will sound with the expensive equipment. The distortion will be AWESOME!!!

Just chiding on those who may say it's the gear...

Distortion in this case is user not knowing their gear well enough to get a clean recording of loud vocal passages.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Now, to the OP, have you done anything I or the others who suggested you take a look at how the signal is going through to the computer?

Or are you going to fall prey to gearholism?

Cheers

[strdsk]

Come to the dark side...gearholism all the way! Better yet...learn to make the gear yourself! That way, you can spend years learning and $4,000.00 on a preamp that you can buy in 10 minutes from Guitar Center for $999.00! The bright side is that it will have your witty little tag line/company name etched on the front...lol!

[Brian]

Hey, is that the TOMB Welcome Wagon I hear rolling down the street? Better run and hide!

Ha ha good one!