Smooth vocal chain in style of Dido/Jem

Slogun · 6th April 2006

I'd like some inputs from you guys how to obtain that silk smooth vocal sound that can be heard on Dido's and Jem's latest album. I've read here that a Neumann M149 was used in combination of SSL pre and Urei 1176 for Dido.

I know of course that it's ultimately up to the singer and engineer to get there, but if you can suggest a vocal chain that will aid me to get there I'd be very happy.

I can't really afford a M149 at the moment so please recommend mic's that are priced sub M149.
I'm currently using TLM103, Neve 1073 pre/eq, Apogee Rosetta200 along with all the available Sony Oxford plugs for PoCo.

Thanks

salomonander · 6th April 2006

I am not exactly an expert, but apart from your mic
the chain should definitely do the job.
Perhaps look into a pearlman mic...quiet cheap and
very warm.

josha · 7th April 2006

whats your budget for mic?

Slogun · 12th April 2006

I was hoping I could get away with maximum US$2500 on the mic.

Blenn · 12th April 2006

Two things. Firstly hold fire with that budget. I am just in the process of recording a few vocal takes on my new Soundelux E251C. So far I am very very pleased with this mic. But it is only 2hrs old and 1hr of that has been letting the tube warm up. So I need to play a fair bit more. These mics are brand new so you wont see many ,if any, reviews at all for them.

Secondly: ******//www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr0...les/tracks.asp

A great article all about Dido's first album recording.

Paul Blenn

GearHunter · 12th April 2006

I'm starting to really like the Gefells. They're not over-priced and they sound amazing. They tend to have a mic for every application and at every price-point.

******//www.microtechgefell.com/eng/home.htm

Slogun · 12th April 2006

How would ribbon mics stand up against tube mics (generally speaking) to this task you think?

Blenn · 12th April 2006

Ok - as promised. These are 320byte mp3's. The first is the Soundelux E251C in modern mode. The second is in Vintage mode. Recorded with no eq or comp straight into my AMEK CIB purepath at 12dB of gain with 6" distance from me and the mic. From there to the Lynx AD/DA at 16bit 44khz. No processing anywhere.

Hope you enjoy.

Paul

p.s ingnore the words and stuff I sang what came to mind at the end with 'eSS's' to show you if it's prone to sibilance or not.

Slogun · 12th April 2006

Neat thing you can switch between the different modes. Makes it more swiss army knife-alike. Thanks for your effort

How much is that E251C anyways?

Blenn · 12th April 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slogun

Neat thing you can switch between the different modes. Makes it more swiss army knife-alike. Thanks for your effort

How much is that E251C anyways?

******//www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/E251C/

Paul

6th April 2006	#1
Slogun Lives for gear Joined: Apr 2004 Location: Sweden Posts: 539 Thread Starter	Smooth vocal chain in style of Dido/Jem I'd like some inputs from you guys how to obtain that silk smooth vocal sound that can be heard on Dido's and Jem's latest album. I've read here that a Neumann M149 was used in combination of SSL pre and Urei 1176 for Dido. I know of course that it's ultimately up to the singer and engineer to get there, but if you can suggest a vocal chain that will aid me to get there I'd be very happy. I can't really afford a M149 at the moment so please recommend mic's that are priced sub M149. I'm currently using TLM103, Neve 1073 pre/eq, Apogee Rosetta200 along with all the available Sony Oxford plugs for PoCo. Thanks __________________ Recording, mixing and mastering at http://www.servantstudio.com

12th April 2006	#6
GearHunter Lives for gear Joined: Oct 2003 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 1,578	I'm starting to really like the Gefells. They're not over-priced and they sound amazing. They tend to have a mic for every application and at every price-point. ****//www.microtechgefell.com/eng/home.htm __________________ Drew Townson** 248-591-9276 ext 144 drew.townson@vintageking.com www.vintageking.com

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6th April 2006	#2
salomonander Lives for gear Joined: Dec 2005 Posts: 2,462	I am not exactly an expert, but apart from your mic the chain should definitely do the job. Perhaps look into a pearlman mic...quiet cheap and very warm.

7th April 2006	#3
josha Gear maniac Joined: Oct 2005 Location: london Posts: 171	whats your budget for mic?

12th April 2006	#5
Blenn Lives for gear Joined: Sep 2005 Location: Liverpool Posts: 564	Two things. Firstly hold fire with that budget. I am just in the process of recording a few vocal takes on my new Soundelux E251C. So far I am very very pleased with this mic. But it is only 2hrs old and 1hr of that has been letting the tube warm up. So I need to play a fair bit more. These mics are brand new so you wont see many ,if any, reviews at all for them. Secondly: ******//www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr0...les/tracks.asp A great article all about Dido's first album recording. Paul Blenn