Best wasy to improve Vocal Chain for $500

[Tangible]

My current vocal chain is an unmodded Oktava mk-319(will mod later) > Presonus Eureka Pre > pro-tools Mbox.

What's the best investment around that price range that I can make in order to enhance my vocal chain? I make southern styled rap music.

[gearaddict]

Originally Posted by Tangible

My current vocal chain is an unmodded Oktava mk-319(will mod later) > Presonus Eureka Pre > pro-tools Mbox.

What's the best investment around that price range that I can make in order to enhance my vocal chain? I make southern styled rap music.

used Grace Design m101 pre!! there about $560.00 new...well worth it!!

[IzovAge]

IMO, for the amount your going to spend you won't find a better improvement then the Michael Joly, OktavaMod. The 319 will come back sounding like a completely different mic. You will like it much, guarantied.

OktavaMod - Affordable Boutique Microphones

[Tangible]

Originally Posted by IzovAge

IMO, for the amount your going to spend you won't find a better improvement then the Michael Joly, OktavaMod. The 319 will come back sounding like a completely different mic. You will like it much, guarantied.

OktavaMod - Affordable Boutique Microphones

I'm already planning on doing the mod, I'm just wondering what else would be a good investment. If $500 is too low, I'd be willing to spend a lil more, if it would make a big impact.

[rackdude]

Room treatment

[evangelista]

hydro/kind bud.

the schwag most rappers roll into their blunts kills their voice.

[Tangible]

Originally Posted by rackdude

Room treatment

Hmm. I have a small 4 X 5 booth. What would be the best treatment for that price range?

[Doc Mixwell]

Originally Posted by evangelista

hydro/kind bud.

the schwag most rappers roll into their blunts kills their voice.

This is the most priceless piece of info I have ever read on any forum ANYWHERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[IzovAge]

Originally Posted by Tangible

I'm already planning on doing the mod, I'm just wondering what else would be a good investment. If $500 is too low, I'd be willing to spend a lil more, if it would make a big impact.

Are you saying that your doing the mod plus the $500 improvement?

If not, then the mod is the best investment.

[rackdude]

Originally Posted by Tangible

Hmm. I have a small 4 X 5 booth. What would be the best treatment for that price range?

Small booth = big trouble. I would say the best treatment would be handmade. All I did was I went and found some Roxul suppliers and got some AFB and Safe n' Sound. AFB is NOT STURDY, but its super cheap and rated great. And when I mean cheap, I mean... wow. Buy this to hang from the ceiling and stuff in corners. It's hard to hang on the walls because its not sturdy. But Safe n' Sound is a tiny bit more expensive and sturdy, so hang that on the walls. You could get your room for $200 if you don't buy second hand. Just go to an insolation store. Just make sure you cover all of this. Just get burlap from Walmart or Joaan's for peanuts. Your treated. Use whats left to mod your mic and/or get an SM7. I'm feeling great with all this. Just fixed up a buddies room now I'm gonna do mine.

[Tangible]

Originally Posted by IzovAge

Are you saying that your doing the mod plus the $500 improvement?

If not, then the mod is the best investment.

well my brother is going to be paying for the mod, so I want to see what I can spend my money on.

[Tangible]

Originally Posted by rackdude

Small booth = big trouble. I would say the best treatment would be handmade. All I did was I went and found some Roxul suppliers and got some AFB and Safe n' Sound. AFB is NOT STURDY, but its super cheap and rated great. And when I mean cheap, I mean... wow. Buy this to hang from the ceiling and stuff in corners. It's hard to hang on the walls because its not sturdy. But Safe n' Sound is a tiny bit more expensive and sturdy, so hang that on the walls. You could get your room for $200 if you don't buy second hand. Just go to an insolation store. Just make sure you cover all of this. Just get burlap from Walmart or Joaan's for peanuts. Your treated. Use whats left to mod your mic and/or get an SM7. I'm feeling great with all this. Just fixed up a buddies room now I'm gonna do mine.

I'm not a 100% sure that AFB or Safe n' Sound is... you have a link on where to get it? What is it exactly? As far as the covering, is the burlap heavy? What other things could I cover it with?

[peeder]

Session singer

[rackdude]

Originally Posted by Tangible

I'm not a 100% sure that AFB or Safe n' Sound is... you have a link on where to get it? What is it exactly? As far as the covering, is the burlap heavy? What other things could I cover it with?

Google around. Go to Roxul's website and they will tell you a close vender. You can cover it with any breathable fabric. Start checking out the acoustics forum. Roxul stuff can be used as an alternative to 703. Usually Roxul 60 or 40 is used because its stiffer than Safe n' Sound and AFB. But those also cost more *but are still really cheap*.

[Saudade]

Your vocal chain now is really fine, no need to spend the $ to upgrade yet I feel.

Actually, the most bang of the buck way to improve your vocal "sound" now is REALLY to buy some rockwool or fibreglass boards, wrap them up with any cloth, and build a makeshift vocal booth thingy. You'll need at most 6 pcs of 2' by 4', surround the vocalist with that (both behind the mic, on the sides of the mic, and behind the vocalist). Think of some way to suspend the rockwool if you don't know how to build wooden frames or floor standing types. Alternatively if you want to cut the hassle, you can substitute with moving blankets suspended with mic stands.

With some effort adjusting the mic position, and you will hear a vast improvement over your vocal sound in terms of focus and clarity, by recording very dry especially if your room is less than ideal. This improvement will be 10 times more than whatever you can upgrade your equipment with for $500 (or even $5000 I dare say). Rockwool/fibreglass is very cheap, moving blankets even cheaper!

If you want to go step further, buy a cheap pencil mic (anything with decent enough noise specs will do), place the mic about 3 metres away pointing at the vocalist but much higher. Get as close to the ceiling as possible without hearing too much comb filtering effect. This will be your room mic.

Having the two mic signals will give the mix engineer much more options by finding the blend that will work in the context of the rest of the mix. Add tasteful touches of reverb and delay, and you have a vocal sound that has both size and 3D dimension (depth).

Save up the rest of the money for future upgrade or buy the vocalist some booze before the session. This will help him to relax, lose his self-consciousness and deliver a better performance

[LeMauce]

Get a Joemeek OneQ connected digital to your interface (Burr-brown). The EQ (4band) is really musical and smooth. The opti-comp is really nice. And the de-esser works really well and that for around 500 euro is a bargain my m8.

[kafka]

Originally Posted by peeder

Session singer

Pfft. $500 for someone who sounds like someone ordinary who takes your money and leaves? $500 will buy you enough singing lessons to start to develop your own unique voice, even if it's not "good" by ordinary standards.

[peeder]

$500 will bring someone who can carry home a hit no matter how many MXL/ART pieces of pish are between them and the adoring fans.

Or it will bring three (3) singing lessons with some jerk who tells you to do everything wrong and come back next week.

[kafka]

Originally Posted by peeder

$500 will bring someone who can carry home a hit no matter how many MXL/ART pieces of pish are between them and the adoring fans.

Do you think so? I can't think of many hits where the singer was the hired gun. At least, I can't think of many singers will supply their own adoring fans for $500.

On the other hand, I can think of many hits where the singer was just barely above mediocre.

[peeder]

It depends on what you are trying to do...if you are trying to get a song published/covered, the session singer will be the best way of spending the dough. If you have an artist you are recording, then obviously, you won't replace them (other than in a MilliVanilli move).

The important point is that the most important part of the vocal chain is the singer. Most everything else can be at least compensated for at mix time.

[kafka]

OK, Peeder. Well, I just re-read the original post, and you and I are both officially jerks for not paying more attention to the OP's requirements.

Originally Posted by Tangible

I make southern styled rap music.

He ain't goin' for a publishing gig, and he sure ain't singin'.

[Tangible]

So far, on my to do list is modding the oktava and getting room treatment... However, I want to know... what's the key to having thicker sounding vocals on the tracking. I've been to studios in which I just talked into the mic and it had this warmth and presence to it if I just mumbled a word into it.... where as with my current setup... I could give the performance of my life, and it still sounds dry and thin. Don't get me wrong, once I start EQ'ing I can bring the life out of the vocals, but it kind of takes away from my inspiration and my mood when I can't get a feel of the song until AFTER doing doing a heavy mix down.

[climber]

Originally Posted by rackdude

Room treatment

+1 <grin>

[jaz49]

Originally Posted by Tangible

I've been to studios in which I just talked into the mic and it had this warmth and presence to it if I just mumbled a word into it.... where as with my current setup... I could give the performance of my life, and it still sounds dry and thin.

Yeah, I hear you! My AT3035 is incredibly DRY and lifeless...like the shampoo commercial ... but I find a little touch of the SIR reverb plug-in helps in a big way. It really brings the vocals to life!! It's miles better than any other free plug-in I've tried, and I tried quite a few. Just google SIR reverb...also you will need to download some free impulse responses from the SIR website. Also, the mod on your 319 will most likely help in a big way.

http://www.myspace.com/lejaz