What do you hear in this vocal?

Discussion on new albums, developing listening skills, critical listening to others' work, as well as TOMB members' MP3 links, online recording critiques

Moderator: cgarges

Post Reply
mjau
speech impediment
Posts: 4023
Joined: Mon Sep 29, 2003 7:33 pm
Location: Orlando
Contact:

What do you hear in this vocal?

Post by mjau » Wed Oct 07, 2020 2:48 am

https://youtu.be/qFE-QaAyXMU

I’m curious if anyone can pick up any clues on the type of compression on Alexi Murdoch’s vocal in this song. Or any other thoughts regarding the vocal...eq, mic family, etc. I’m really taken by how three-dimensional it sounds.

User avatar
digitaldrummer
ghost haunting audio students
Posts: 3476
Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2005 9:51 pm
Location: Austin, Texas
Contact:

Re: What do you hear in this vocal?

Post by digitaldrummer » Wed Oct 07, 2020 6:16 am

sounds very dry (i.e. no verb or delays, etc.)
Mike
www.studiodrumtracks.com -- Drum tracks starting at $50!
www.doubledogrecording.com

User avatar
vvv
zen recordist
Posts: 10139
Joined: Tue May 13, 2003 8:08 am
Location: Chi
Contact:

Re: What do you hear in this vocal?

Post by vvv » Wed Oct 07, 2020 2:48 pm

IMO, rather heavy compression ...

He's either close on a condensor or using a tube mic because artifacts ...
bandcamp;
blog.
I mix with olive juice.

Burnt Ernie
steve albini likes it
Posts: 300
Joined: Fri Jan 01, 2010 2:38 pm
Location: minneapolis

Re: What do you hear in this vocal?

Post by Burnt Ernie » Thu Oct 08, 2020 3:25 pm

Tube mic/Ribbon singing quiet,too close to the diaphragm-you can hear it folding. Tone is nice,minus the folding thing. Dry. I love dry. Sounds like something hit front end of input a tiny bit too hard. Maybe it was tweaked to sound that way. Dunno. Tiny bit less "folding" ,and a little bit more air/headroom would be my thing.
I am the Walnut

mjau
speech impediment
Posts: 4023
Joined: Mon Sep 29, 2003 7:33 pm
Location: Orlando
Contact:

Re: What do you hear in this vocal?

Post by mjau » Fri Oct 09, 2020 11:24 am

Is the folding like a distortion you hear generally, or does it happen at specific times?

User avatar
Recycled_Brains
resurrected
Posts: 2346
Joined: Tue Nov 22, 2005 6:58 pm
Location: Albany, NY
Contact:

Re: What do you hear in this vocal?

Post by Recycled_Brains » Tue Oct 13, 2020 2:00 pm

Could just as easily be an SM7. It's pretty dark, so a LDC wouldn't be my first guess.

I'm actually not hearing a ton of obvious compression, but that could just be because the engineer used a comp that stays out of the way.

It's all pretty clean

Also, holy Nick Drake worship.
Ryan Slowey
Albany, NY

http://maggotbrainny.bandcamp.com

User avatar
vvv
zen recordist
Posts: 10139
Joined: Tue May 13, 2003 8:08 am
Location: Chi
Contact:

Re: What do you hear in this vocal?

Post by vvv » Tue Oct 13, 2020 5:49 pm

Recycled_Brains wrote:
Tue Oct 13, 2020 2:00 pm
Could just as easily be an SM7. It's pretty dark, so a LDC wouldn't be my first guess.

I'm actually not hearing a ton of obvious compression, but that could just be because the engineer used a comp that stays out of the way.

It's all pretty clean

Also, holy Nick Drake worship.
Ha! We are 180 degrees apart there ... :twisted:
bandcamp;
blog.
I mix with olive juice.

User avatar
Recycled_Brains
resurrected
Posts: 2346
Joined: Tue Nov 22, 2005 6:58 pm
Location: Albany, NY
Contact:

Re: What do you hear in this vocal?

Post by Recycled_Brains » Tue Oct 13, 2020 6:00 pm

vvv wrote:
Tue Oct 13, 2020 5:49 pm
Recycled_Brains wrote:
Tue Oct 13, 2020 2:00 pm
Could just as easily be an SM7. It's pretty dark, so a LDC wouldn't be my first guess.

I'm actually not hearing a ton of obvious compression, but that could just be because the engineer used a comp that stays out of the way.

It's all pretty clean

Also, holy Nick Drake worship.
Ha! We are 180 degrees apart there ... :twisted:
:hammer: :wink:
Ryan Slowey
Albany, NY

http://maggotbrainny.bandcamp.com

mjau
speech impediment
Posts: 4023
Joined: Mon Sep 29, 2003 7:33 pm
Location: Orlando
Contact:

Re: What do you hear in this vocal?

Post by mjau » Wed Oct 14, 2020 4:13 pm

Recycled_Brains wrote:
Tue Oct 13, 2020 2:00 pm
Also, holy Nick Drake worship.
True! I’m just as guilty.

User avatar
Recycled_Brains
resurrected
Posts: 2346
Joined: Tue Nov 22, 2005 6:58 pm
Location: Albany, NY
Contact:

Re: What do you hear in this vocal?

Post by Recycled_Brains » Thu Oct 15, 2020 8:54 am

mjau wrote:
Wed Oct 14, 2020 4:13 pm
Recycled_Brains wrote:
Tue Oct 13, 2020 2:00 pm
Also, holy Nick Drake worship.
True! I’m just as guilty.

Could do A LOT worse. :wink:
Ryan Slowey
Albany, NY

http://maggotbrainny.bandcamp.com

User avatar
Nick Sevilla
on a wing and a prayer
Posts: 5555
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2008 1:34 pm
Location: Lake Arrowhead California USA
Contact:

Re: What do you hear in this vocal?

Post by Nick Sevilla » Thu Oct 15, 2020 5:28 pm

The vocal is sung softly.

I hear an LA2A compressor.
I hear DeEssing.
I also hear, possibly, a tube mic.

Two tubes on the signal chain can give you this "woolly" sound, where the consonants get distorted, like a gentle overdrive.

Notice all hard consonants. Notice the drawn out vowels, they also sometimes give a slight distortion, although not sure what it might
be, as I have recorded people who have that sort of vocal texture, slightly raspy, but also not "rough". Usually people over 30 who exhibit
this sort of vocal tonality. From age. ;)

I hear almost no reverb, they might have used the same as the instruments to blend the vocal in a bit, but it is far back. Cannot really tell more from
the streaming "quality" of YooBoooooob.

I'd ask the engineers:

https://www.allmusic.com/album/towards- ... 98/credits

Chris Michel and Will Schillinger.
Howling at the neighbors. Hoping they have more mic cables.

User avatar
digitaldrummer
ghost haunting audio students
Posts: 3476
Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2005 9:51 pm
Location: Austin, Texas
Contact:

Re: What do you hear in this vocal?

Post by digitaldrummer » Fri Oct 16, 2020 6:29 am

if I was going to try to repro something like this I'd start with a tube mic (U47 style maybe) and a 1073-style pre, but not driving it.

as mentioned earlier also very dry - but not just the absence of added verb. it sounds like it was recorded in a booth or a very dead room. I don't really hear any room sound. its very tight.
Mike
www.studiodrumtracks.com -- Drum tracks starting at $50!
www.doubledogrecording.com

mjau
speech impediment
Posts: 4023
Joined: Mon Sep 29, 2003 7:33 pm
Location: Orlando
Contact:

Re: What do you hear in this vocal?

Post by mjau » Sat Oct 17, 2020 8:43 pm

Thanks, y’all. This has helped. I’ve been drawn in to a lot of Alexi’s stuff lately, and really like how he seems to write to his voice’s strengths. And how the recordings do well to capture it.

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 32 guests