Feedback On Vocal Sound (female)

[spherop]

Check out the wav file attached.

I am planning on purchasing some new gear in the next weeks for a recording project that will feature this vocalist prominently. She has a bossa-ish style, in addition to some other styles that are a little louder.

I recorded this dry, little example - she's just foolin around on the mic - to show where I am at currently soundwise.

I would love some ideas of how to improve this... ie., what's lacking sonically, and what might help. I am looking to get an ideal chain for recording her.

The budget is about $6500 - but that's includes other necessities - check out another thread to get the overall picture. http://gearslutz.com/board/showthread.php3?t=45155

This clip was recorded with a U195 going into a Pendulum Quartet. There is no eq, no comp, no nothing - dry. The AD is a Benchmark 2404.

How can I improve? thanks for any tips and tricks.

[spherop]

no feedback at all?

how about - a mic/pre combo recommendation for this voice/style?

anyone hear listen to any brasilian music/vintage or modern bossa infused...?

gotta make some purchases real soon - so any thoughts would be valuable.

[spherop]

hmmmm no one?...well i am going to be making some purchases soon. so far they will inlclude:

a hardy m1, an aea r84, lavry blue, and tab78 ..

maybe the aea r84 (whcih will be used for many things) will sound great for her - we'll see - but i think the missing piece may still be the right mic. something open, bright, up front sizzly, yet rich.

the u195 sounds a little constrained. but maybe it's not the mic - my mic technique, the room...? donno.

i sure would love the wiser, more experienced than me to say what they'd do if they we're gonna select a mic and a pre.

thx....

[Screws]

She sounds a bit similar to a latin singer I just finished recording. Very breathy, with a bit of edge and throatiness.

I tried the following mics, with the accompanying results:

Alesis Groove Tubes AM 62 multi pattern tube mic.
Over emphasized the bottom of her voice and especially the heaviness of the breathy sound. Omni better but too much room.

Rode NTK Cardioid Tube Mic
Not bad, but indistinct highs. Too sibilent also.

Soundelux U99 Multi Pattern Tube Mic
Nice mid range and high end articulation. Lows a bit tubby. A hair too forward in the mids, though. Brought out the throatiness a little too much.

CAD E-300 Multi Pattern Solid State Mic
Bingo! Perfect balance.

Note that all of this means nothing for your singer. Call Mercenary Audio and they'll send you 3 or 4 mics (if you've got enough headroom on your credit cards) they think might work. When you choose the perfect one, send the others back for full credit, minuse the shipping costs. Best deal out there.

Attached is the finished song.

[spherop]

very nice! listened to the mp3. great song - and recorded/mixed well.

thanks for the tip - i think you're right that the only way to find the right mic is try a bunch.
i'll see if merc. will recommend and send a few.

[Screws]

Thanks, it was a new challenge.

This is called a Gaita, a unique Venezuelan folk music. Instruments were Quatro - a four string nylon tenor guitar, Nylon Guitar, Mandolin (x3) Bass, 8 vocalists, Charrasco (a ribbed metal pipe played with a metal rod) Tambor (large wooden drum with calfskin head played on head and sides) and something called a Furro - which looks exactly like the tambor but has a long pole that attaches to the center of the head and makes this loud "Grunting" sound (like a pig) as you run your hands down the pole.

The entire session was spent with me walking around listening and thinking, "now how the hell am I gonna mic THIS thing?".

[kifaru]

Originally Posted by spherop

Check out the wav file attached.

I am planning on purchasing some new gear in the next weeks for a recording project that will feature this vocalist prominently. She has a bossa-ish style, in addition to some other styles that are a little louder.

I recorded this dry, little example - she's just foolin around on the mic - to show where I am at currently soundwise.

I would love some ideas of how to improve this... ie., what's lacking sonically, and what might help. I am looking to get an ideal chain for recording her.

The budget is about $6500 - but that's includes other necessities - check out another thread to get the overall picture. http://gearslutz.com/board/showthread.php3?t=45155

This clip was recorded with a U195 going into a Pendulum Quartet. There is no eq, no comp, no nothing - dry. The AD is a Benchmark 2404.

How can I improve? thanks for any tips and tricks.

spherop, to tell you the truth there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with this recording in my opinion. It has a big open sound to me. I'd say it was ready for prime time. Your chain ain't lacking nor are your skills from what I can tell. If I was you you I'd roll with what you have.

[spherop]

hey kifaru -
ok - well that's good feedback as well. i am certainly open to the idea that it's sounding good as well as any critique. i just want to get the best i can get - as this project is very important to me. since i am in a bubble to some degree - just producing/recording my own stuff - i want to make sure i get feedback from the outside. i also just want to experiment and try to continue to evolve the sound.
thanks much for taking the time to listen.

[Lagerfeldt]

The chain is good.

What I did hear was a bit of nasty room on the recording. Maybe the vocal booth is too small, too square or doesn't have correct LF damping. There seemed to be some unwanted resonance in the low end, and not necessarily due to proximity effect.

[Screws]

Only you can decide what the right sound is for the vocal. That's because you know the particulars to the song (busy arrangement or sparse? - acoustic/folk sound or pop/rock?) and these are all determining factors in the choice of mic to obtain the required vocal sound.

I remember recently doing an alternative/punk/pop thing where I had used the same mic as the lead vocal, because the band got a brilliant idea for the bgvs. But at mix time it was obvious that the bgvs were fighting the lead vocal to the degree that I had to roll off both the lows and much of the highs to get it to sound different.

The song is king - let it tell you what it needs.

[spherop]

Originally Posted by Lagerfeldt

The chain is good.

What I did hear was a bit of nasty room on the recording. Maybe the vocal booth is too small, too square or doesn't have correct LF damping. There seemed to be some unwanted resonance in the low end, and not necessarily due to proximity effect.

this is something i may look into. it's a small room 8x13 partially treated with 8 realtraps; some bass and some hf. but it still may have some real issues that can hopefully be improved.