Odd Vocal Recording Techniques

tomberdude · Post by **tomberdude** » Sat Nov 10, 2007 12:56 am

for odd backup layers, i like a d112 placed in a corner facing the room behind a padded chalkboard with the vocalist on the otherside, fed into a really hot psolo. then trash it up according to taste with chrome amp and vintage warmer 2.

logancircle · Post by **logancircle** » Sat Nov 10, 2007 10:26 am

Slow the recording down considerably and sing the lead and/or harmonies lower and slower. Then speed it back up and double track the now sped-up tracks at the proper pitch. This can sound really, really awesome and weird, but usually just awesome.

It's also cool to record one slowed-down and one sped-up vocal, and then the normal speed vocal. Three versions of yourself.

The easiest way is using a cheap cassette 4-track with pitch control.

hatbeardglasses · Post by **hatbeardglasses** » Sat Nov 10, 2007 10:49 am

Messing with the pitch control is great fun. I did a song where we sped up the backing track and tracked the vocal, then slowed it back down to normal pitch, makes the voice really deep and rubbery.

Prince does a couple of songs on Sign o the Times (If I was your Girlfriend especially) like this, with his voice even ridiculously higher than normal.

pietro79 · Post by **pietro79** » Sat Nov 10, 2007 12:47 pm

things I've tried

- placing a cardioid away from singer INSIDE a suspended ceramic hand drum so the mic faces the skin... made it very papery.. and had some very pronounced ringing harmonics

- same thing with a carboy (large large glass bottle for making wine) ... more glass-y.. like being in a fishbowl

- homemade contact mic on the bottom of a snare, snare ON, and singing onto it... very buzzy

- contact mic on throat

- running around the blcok and hitting record as you enter the studio, then start singin right away... for more energy

all these can be mixed in to a clean signal to taste

scott anthony · Post by **scott anthony** » Sat Nov 10, 2007 3:12 pm

cheap karaoke mics with built in fx can be awesome. distortion, robot voice, delays, etc. I've seen these things stored in road cases worth much more than the things cost.

BandyLou · Post by **BandyLou** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 12:02 pm

I've sung into a fan before. Sounded awesome in the context of the track, which was intentionally low-fidelity old-timey sounding.
Also used a baby monitor one time - sung into the transmitter, held the reciever up to the mic, so I got a mix of regular voice & the monitor sound.
Used a boss flanger pedal with the depth at zero, just gave the voice a weird metallic edge.

A-Barr · Post by **A-Barr** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 12:07 pm

Nipple clamps.

Perfect for Emo.

modernkicks · Post by **modernkicks** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 1:50 pm

drumsound wrote:-cell phone on mic singer calling cell phone

I've done this and it sounds really awesome! Doing the vocal take in the same room as the mic'ed up cell phone sounds really cool, too. You get an ambient, but unaffected vocal in the background of a static-y, distorted, slightly delayed cell phone track. Sounds neat, for sure.

vvv · Post by **vvv** » Tue Nov 13, 2007 10:28 am

Try to learn and then sing the part backwards.

Then, flip the tape (or reverse the file.)

Is it lunchtime, yet?

1092Studios · Post by **1092Studios** » Tue Feb 03, 2015 8:13 am

I know this isn't anything unheard of, and I think it was mentioned earlier. We love reamping different sources (vocals, guitar, piano, pads) through a guitar's harmonics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NP4pRoypUIk

IDQ · Post by **IDQ** » Tue Feb 03, 2015 12:05 pm

As soon as I saw the "put shit up your nose" comment, I was going to make a David Bowie* crack, but someone obviously beat me to it with the Fleetwood Mac version.

*If you attempt this technique for Bowie-esque effect, it is best to have a vintage Brian Eno (I think available on Amazon?) on hand to actually write the songs and run the studio, because you will be too fucked up to do it yourself.

I'm Painting Again · Post by **I'm Painting Again** » Tue Feb 03, 2015 3:17 pm

hey..some classic TOMBing revisited here..

I guess I'll give away my special analog pitch-shifting technique.

I fill the singer's lungs with helium. Works great for harmonies.

Magnetic Services · Post by **Magnetic Services** » Thu Feb 05, 2015 11:28 am

IDQ wrote:*If you attempt this technique for Bowie-esque effect, it is best to have a vintage Brian Eno (I think available on Amazon?) on hand to actually write the songs and run the studio, because you will be too fucked up to do it yourself.

It doesn't hurt to also have a Robert Fripp on hand as well, for extra pizazz.

vvv · Post by **vvv** » Thu Feb 05, 2015 4:01 pm

Back in the daze I used to smoke, I'd do like 3 ciggies in a half hour to really ruff up my voice.

Now, I use whiskey.

OK, I did then, too, but now I only use whiskey.

And gin.

thompsongs · Post by **thompsongs** » Fri Feb 06, 2015 10:05 am

When I was a kid playing with my tascam porta03, I discovered that If I used two mics at the same time while recording my vocals and move one of them closer and farther I could get a cool phasing effect that I could control. I should try that again . . .

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Odd Vocal Recording Techniques

Odd Recording Techniques

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