Tracking Vocals Without Headphones

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Recycled_Brains
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Post by Recycled_Brains » Wed Sep 23, 2015 2:31 pm

The singer in my band hates headphones, so we do it without. I don't do the phase thing, because (a) who wants to listen that way, and (b) I won't make him stand in the same place like a statue while he's doing his parts.

We use an SM7 without a stand. I put tape around the yolk so it doesn't clank against the mic body and let him hold it so he can flail about and do whatever is comfortable with his stance or whatever. The only thing I make sure of, is that the back of the mic is always pointing toward the speakers. The bleed is no issue when he's actually singing (or in this case, screaming) because the level of his vocals are above the level of the bleed. Honestly, with the right mic, I don't think the bleed would be an issue anyway in the context of our loud as fuck guitars and drums and bass, but I do go in and edit out all the bleed in between his lines in the DAW.

I wouldn't do it with a condenser mic though. SM7 works perfect in this application. Good rejection, low output, etc...
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Recycled_Brains
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Post by Recycled_Brains » Wed Sep 23, 2015 2:47 pm

JGriffin wrote:Other singers who have tracked vocals without headphones, using a speaker for reference:


Bono (with an SM58, on "Achtung Baby")
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr (using the "White Elephant" speaker - a speaker set to the side of the vocalist, in the null point of the fig-8 vocal mic)
Rage Against the Machine as well.
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farview
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Post by farview » Sat Sep 26, 2015 6:53 pm

You can also just use any monitors you want and simply record a pass with no one in the room and play that track out of phase with the vocal. It will cancel everything but the vocal. Mix that to another track.

You do have to be very careful about touching the mic. If it moves during the session, it wont cancel completely.

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roscoenyc
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Post by roscoenyc » Sun Sep 27, 2015 10:33 am

to add to all the above.
Bass is usually the best pitch helper for singers.
Try putting a little more bass guitar in your mix.

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Nick Sevilla
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Post by Nick Sevilla » Tue Sep 29, 2015 10:37 pm

farview wrote:You can also just use any monitors you want and simply record a pass with no one in the room and play that track out of phase with the vocal. It will cancel everything but the vocal. Mix that to another track.

You do have to be very careful about touching the mic. If it moves during the session, it wont cancel completely.
Nope. If you do the original speaker monitor setup correctly, you will not need to do this.

And BTW, it will be far more of a headache to do this, than nothing, to "fix" the bleed.

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Howling at the neighbors. Hoping they have more mic cables.

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Post by ElliottheRussian » Thu Oct 01, 2015 5:01 am

Thanks for the recommendations guys!

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