So I need suggestions on getting a dry vocal sound...

[wing]

Did the piano tracks for that singer songwriter girl last weekend at a church. Now for most of the songs I want a nice present dry vocal track... i just really like that. I'm doing the overdubs this weekend. If it helps to know what gear I have, go here: http://www.headexplosion.com/jonathan/thefarmroom/

So anyway, to get to my point: I have only a few basic places to put her:
1) A large open live room that overlooks a balcony, with huge raised ceilings (very open sounding, probably not best for dry)
2) Two smaller box-shaped rooms, as in they're both about 12x12 with normal flat ceilings.
3) the control room, about the same as above (though a bit more open)-- but there's the equipment in the room that would definitely bleed in the mics.
4) shower (fiberglass tub style)
5) and finally... a walk-in closet area with tons of bookshelves and stuff (loaded with books and stuff that absorb)-- this is probably pretty dry sounding, the only problem being it might sound too evidently closet-like and closed and small, which i don't want. I don't want the listener to be able to tell that it was tracked in a closet, obviously.

I'm recording this weekend. I don't have money/time to make or buy some sort of ISO booth. Unless there is a sweet DIY quick and dirty ghetto alternative ISO booth... heh.

So that brings me to this: what alternatives can I do? What techniques work well in these sort of circumstancs? What are good ways of getting dry vocal sounds without having to have it sound like a closet or a huge room-- basically without having any room sound...?

Any suggestions are hugely appreciated. Thanks!

[eeldip]

closet and bring blankets.

dead the crap out of it. or be really spiffy and make some corning 703 panels covered in cloth and box her in. those are probably just nice to have around in general.

but a closet filled with books and some blankets over the books should be good enough.

oh and use a hypercardiod mic. or a figure 8 with the other lobe headed to the deadest spot you can find.

[I'm Painting Again]

hang thick blankets around the vocal mic maybe..

depending on how loud she is going to be singing the room's importance in the sound varies from softer/less important to louder/more important..

maybe put up 3 different mics and have her sing into them to 3 different tracks..so you have the option of picking the best or blending..use your best preamps..i find really dynamic singers benefit from tracking with a limiter or compressor as well..a compressor can do the really up front thing pretty well..

[wing]

or be really spiffy and make some corning 703 panels covered in cloth and box her in. those are probably just nice to have around in general.

what are we looking at cost/time wise with that? sounds interesting...

i definitely want it to be comfortable for the performer... i hate to think of the idea of shoving her in a closet full of crap, which i feel might sort of stifle her in a way when it comes to really giving it all she's got... i don't know if that makes any sense.

[joel hamilton]

something i finally figured out about three years ago:

Take a mic stand, one with a good heavy base, and make it into a "T" shape, then hang a moving blamket over it. Put it put it behind the singer.

Repeat as needed. I dont know why it took me like a hundred years to see the value of such a perfect, light "gobo" for vocal space manufacturing.

I will use two of them in a "V" around the singer, or maybe a bunch depending on the room. Any heavy blanket would work, and damp the natural verb of a large room in a really pleasing way.

hope that helps you.

[Dan Phelps]

Depending on your mic selection and the singer...some times I get a super personal, almost unfomfortably close kind of sound by sticking a singer right up on the mic with one or two stages of compression. The key this is a good pop screen or even a puffy cover for the mic and making sure the singer doesn't back off the mic for loud notes...which sort of bugs me because it changes the sound and the space around it. If the singer is super dynamic, or getting lost when she sings soft, try setting the first compressor with a good, general, gentle setting, and the second to catch any massive volume jumps (i.e. jumping from whispery to chest voice...)
Like I said...it depends on the singer, the mic (proximity effect, if you can overload the capsule, etc...) and you compression scheme. Not to mention the room, which has been well covered already. It's finicky, but rewarding!

Have fun experimenting!

D

[djslayerissick]

i like the gobo idea and SUPER close micing with tons of compression. but in order to prevent proximity effect, i like to use omni mode - which creates a little sense of room, thats why super close micing is important to prevent that.

[wing]

someone mentioned using a figure 8 pattern... what is the reason for this?

[djslayerissick]

figure 8 and omni prevent proximity effect

[wing]

won't they also pick up more of the room?

[djslayerissick]

yes. thats why its important to deaden the surrounding area anyway you can. and compress the crap out of it with quick attack and release

[wing]

something i finally figured out about three years ago:

Take a mic stand, one with a good heavy base, and make it into a "T" shape, then hang a moving blamket over it. Put it put it behind the singer.

Repeat as needed. I dont know why it took me like a hundred years to see the value of such a perfect, light "gobo" for vocal space manufacturing.

I will use two of them in a "V" around the singer, or maybe a bunch depending on the room. Any heavy blanket would work, and damp the natural verb of a large room in a really pleasing way.

hope that helps you.

are thick sleeping bags good too? i have a few of those laying around...

[joel hamilton]

Of course sleeping bags will work. Especially star wars, or dukes of hazzard sleeping bags. Thos sound awesome

Any think blanket would work, I just happen to use doubled up moving blankets.

[Randy]

are thick sleeping bags good too? i have a few of those laying around...

Thick sleeping bags are great.

In addition to the boom mic gobo method, I have plywood leaning around that I can drape my sleeping bags and quilts over.

[wing]

Of course sleeping bags will work. Especially star wars, or dukes of hazzard sleeping bags. Thos sound awesome

Any think blanket would work, I just happen to use doubled up moving blankets.

i hope i can use my old transformer optimus prime blanket... that should really inspire the singer!