Vocal sample of Daking Mic-Pre One

[moeses]

i love this micpre...
it pushes vocals through the mix, and i've never heard a micpre that stacks vocals so well

this was done in an untreated room with an SM58 through the Daking Mic Pre One...interface is the echo audio audiofire2

the vocals are dry, and there was nothing done on the bus either
zSHARE - daking test.mp3

[XHipHop]

cool! how much was it? i'm micpre shopping this weekend.

[moeses]

670 but talk to Vintage King...they might have deals

[phillysoulman]

It doesnt sound like anything special to my ears...just average at best.

[moeses]

i hear ya...you'd have to be familiar with "trying" to mix my voice into a mix to be as excited as i am...

[keenlust4gear]

sounds pretty good to me, op. and you sound a little like chali 2na from j5. lol

do you mind telling me more about your work flow and the settings of reverb, compression, etc.?

i have a sm58 as well, but my vocal sounds really thin through my m-audio mobilepre. i compared my cheapo sony karaoke mic with the shure and i honestly cannot tell any difference. it's really that bad.

maybe the preamp on my interface just plain sucks?

[Trell Blaze]

honestly....if u can't tell the difference between an sm58 and a kareoke mic then the problem must be your ears....i don't care WHAT u run it through. there should be a drastic difference between the two - unless you have an amazing kareoke mic...

[phillysoulman]

Originally Posted by Trell Blaze

honestly....if u can't tell the difference between an sm58 and a kareoke mic then the problem must be your ears....i don't care WHAT u run it through. there should be a drastic difference between the two - unless you have an amazing kareoke mic...

Man,where do these people come from,Mars???

[keenlust4gear]

Originally Posted by Trell Blaze

honestly....if u can't tell the difference between an sm58 and a kareoke mic then the problem must be your ears....i don't care WHAT u run it through. there should be a drastic difference between the two - unless you have an amazing kareoke mic...

could be my untrained ears that failed to identify the sonic difference.
but in all honesty, i was rather disappointed by my current setup.

please pardon my newbie-ness, folks.

[illacov]

You spent 670 on a pre to use with a stage mic?

If u got that kind of dough get a mic built to suit your voice. Either a U47 type clone or a U67 type clone.

I'd be a cakewalk to track you with any of my 47/67 clones and get your voice to cut thru a mix. With a Behringer preamp lol.

Time for a better mic. Under using that Daking. PSM recommend this individual a ADK mic.

Peace
Illumination

[mdjice]

Originally Posted by illacov

You spent 670 on a pre to use with a stage mic?

If u got that kind of dough get a mic built to suit your voice. Either a U47 type clone or a U67 type clone.

I'd be a cakewalk to track you with any of my 47/67 clones and get your voice to cut thru a mix. With a Behringer preamp lol.

Time for a better mic. Under using that Daking. PSM recommend this individual a ADK mic.

Peace
Illumination

Many million selling records were cut with a sm58/sm 57 what are you talking about???
ever heard of U2??

[phillysoulman]

Originally Posted by mdjice

Many million selling records were cut with a sm58/sm 57 what are you talking about???
ever heard of U2??

Thats correct...BUT while recording onto a pro format,usually on 2 inch through an SSL or a Neve.

In fact,I once was at bryan Adams session at Power Station in NYC and he was singing through an SM58 ito a Neve 8000 series desk,Pultecs onto a Studer deck..

[mdjice]

Originally Posted by phillysoulman

Thats correct...BUT while recording onto a pro format,usually on 2 inch through an SSL or a Neve.

In fact,I once was at bryan Adams session at Power Station in NYC and he was singing through an SM58 ito a Neve 8000 series desk,Pultecs onto a Studer deck..

Yep !! but saying that you can't get PRO result with a "stage" mic was not accurate, I can plug a 57 or 58 into my 1084 and la2a and I bet that it will sound better then a Peluso mic into an Mbox

[moeses]

Originally Posted by illacov

You spent 670 on a pre to use with a stage mic?

If u got that kind of dough get a mic built to suit your voice. Either a U47 type clone or a U67 type clone.

I'd be a cakewalk to track you with any of my 47/67 clones and get your voice to cut thru a mix. With a Behringer preamp lol.

Time for a better mic. Under using that Daking. PSM recommend this individual a ADK mic.

Peace
Illumination

used to have the Soundelux E47...beautiful mic...kind of wasteful at the time being considering i'm recording in an untreated living room...
..............

Keenlustforgeer
those vocals we're dry, nothing on them...but for the songs on my myspace, which we're also recorded wtih a 58(through a halfway broken down aphex207) i don't use reverb, i usually start with a light de-esser, light compression, eq, then a limiter...

[illacov]

Originally Posted by mdjice

Yep !! but saying that you can't get PRO result with a "stage" mic was not accurate, I can plug a 57 or 58 into my 1084 and la2a and I bet that it will sound better then a Peluso mic into an Mbox

Uhhhh...yeah man.

Now if only I actually said that. I actually said (check my post before you jump the gun) that if he had the money for a Daking preamp (not exactly the cheapest or low end you can go for a preamp) then he should invest in a better mic. How is that wrong? Or have anything to do with being a "Pro?"

"Pros" own 58s/57s AND slutty condensers AND slutty tube mics AND slutty ribbon mics.

PSM said it sounded "average." If that was the best result a "Pro" could get with my vocals, me and my hard earned coin are going somewhere else. I'm not trying to prove a point on an internet forum, I'm trying to cut records here ya dig?? I'm throwing a 58 on snare drum before I put it in front of a vocalist. Only as a last result am I going for lead vocal with a 57/58. Live is whatever, I use a 58 all the time live.

Sure pull out the Neve 1084, the LA2A (why not the 1176??) and EQ of choice if need be, run it to 2" tape and thru the best converters known to mankind. Its still a 58/57 going thru all that. And this is still rapping we're talking about, we're not talking about a guy 12 inches back singing.

Now for posterity, be honest. WAAAAAY more platinum or Classic HIP HOP records have been cut with Neumann variants, Sony Variants, the occasional Elam 251 and AKG 414s. Care to dispute that??

Wu Tang Clan Enter the 36 - AKG 414
50 Cent Get Rich or Die Trying - Sony C800
Nas Illmatic - Neumann U87
Dr. Dre Chronic 2001 - Sony C800
Jay Z (pick a record lol) - Neumann U87
Tupac All Eyez On Me - Neumann U87

Among these records is a pretty dynamic range of voices and timbres. These records are the benchmark for many producers, engineers etc when they study hip hop and how its approached and recorded.

See what voice is close to your range in that mix and go from there. Choose the mic that seems to fit your voice best and get it or have one built like it. Good treatment is necessary for condensers/tube mics. Most times though, a good mic (for the voice) thru a good chain in a well treated room is going to
sound good before you touch anything in the computer. That's my opinion. When its all good, everything just falls into place and you're doing less than more with the vocal.

Peace
Illumination

[Chris Lago]

Listening to the Daking pre-amp, I actually like my Art Digital MPA a lot more (w. Telefunken tubes).

[mdjice]

Now if only I actually said that. I actually said (check my post before you jump the gun) that if he had the money for a Daking preamp (not exactly the cheapest or low end you can go for a preamp) then he should invest in a better mic. How is that wrong? Or have anything to do with being a "Pro?"

first of, $670 IS cheap for a pro pre, very cheap in fact!
Then Of course investing in a better mic would improve the vocal chain but the 58 is not "garbage". Pro recordings can be done.
If you can't do a pro recording with a 58 into a Daking Pre then the problem is not the gear.

"Pros" own 58s/57s AND slutty condensers AND slutty tube mics AND slutty ribbon mics.

Sure but sometimes a 58/57 cuts it better depending on the voice so it really dones't mean anything. An expensive condenser mic MIGHT NOT be better then a 58 depending on the singer and song.

PSM said it sounded "average." If that was the best result a "Pro" could get with my vocals, me and my hard earned coin are going somewhere else. I'm not trying to prove a point on an internet forum, I'm trying to cut records here ya dig?? I'm throwing a 58 on snare drum before I put it in front of a vocalist. Only as a last result am I going for lead vocal with a 57/58. Live is whatever, I use a 58 all the time live.

yes PSM is right, the sound is average but I don't think the gear is the problem. The gear IS pro. maybe not the best but Pro level none less.
Other factors come to mind like room accoustic, experience, mic placement etc...

Sure pull out the Neve 1084, the LA2A (why not the 1176??) and EQ of choice if need be, run it to 2" tape and thru the best converters known to mankind. Its still a 58/57 going thru all that. And this is still rapping we're talking about, we're not talking about a guy 12 inches back singing.

Even though it's only a 58/57 if you know what you are doing you can still get a good recording and make it sound pro once mixed. the base is good enough.

Now for posterity, be honest. WAAAAAY more platinum or Classic HIP HOP records have been cut with Neumann variants, Sony Variants, the occasional Elam 251 and AKG 414s. Care to dispute that??

YES!! I totally agree! in fact I have all mics you mention except the 251 and would rather record with them ANY DAY over a 58 ....BUT if all i had was a 58 ...I could still et something good out of it (and that's the case of the OP, my guess is that the 58 is his only mic)


What I'm saying is that a 58 into a nice pre will give you good quality, if you know what you are doing you don't need an expensive condenser (but I admit that I would of course rather be using one!)

to the OP if you have the money get a better mic but for now you can do some pretty good things with what you have if you understand how recording REALLY work

[moeses]

illacov...i promise i mean no disrepect...i'm really not that kind character
but i'll respond to whay you said and give you some input as well

alright, i didnt get on gearslutz without some serious slutting...here's some of the sluttier gear i've owned
pendulum quartet, vintech 1272, summit audio 2ba-221, soundelux ifet7 and e47, a few aea mics ..shoot i forget what else really
that being said, i run a home recording set-up...not a recording business...im not trying to sound like jay-z or dre...they make millions...ill be lucky ass shit to make 50k, however good my music is...
i sold everything when in some financial dires, and dont regret it...and wouldnt buy most of it back now that i could
ive made it sound great with the best gear...now ill do it with whats good enough....you said you wouldnt go back to a pro studio that gave you this soun...well its a goof thing im not charging myself


now for a little constructive critiscm that i do honestly mean to help
the vocals on your mixxes stick out way too far ahead of the music,,,it soundslike two songs...the vocals and the beat...try going for a little more subtlety and youll have some real nice mixxes

[illacov]

Originally Posted by moeses

illacov...i promise i mean no disrepect...i'm really not that kind character
but i'll respond to whay you said and give you some input as well

alright, i didnt get on gearslutz without some serious slutting...here's some of the sluttier gear i've owned
pendulum quartet, vintech 1272, summit audio 2ba-221, soundelux ifet7 and e47, a few aea mics ..shoot i forget what else really
that being said, i run a home recording set-up...not a recording business...im not trying to sound like jay-z or dre...they make millions...ill be lucky ass shit to make 50k, however good my music is...
i sold everything when in some financial dires, and dont regret it...and wouldnt buy most of it back now that i could
ive made it sound great with the best gear...now ill do it with whats good enough....you said you wouldnt go back to a pro studio that gave you this soun...well its a goof thing im not charging myself


now for a little constructive critiscm that i do honestly mean to help
the vocals on your mixxes stick out way too far ahead of the music,,,it soundslike two songs...the vocals and the beat...try going for a little more subtlety and youll have some real nice mixxes

I take criticism well.

Those mixes are two years old.

As far as doing anything about them. Wellll... we can't stop selling copies of the record so its kind of pointless to do a recall at this point.

FWIW I was always in the middle about doing vocal up vs vocal down versions of those songs. Vocal up mixes won with the people who did listening reviews for us. That's actually an album thats won several awards in Upstate Ny. Funny you mention the vocals. I've been given mad love from guys that have tracked and mixed people from Mary J Blige and Jay Z (former staff at Electric Ladyland for example) and they loved the way I mixed that record. Plus they always gush over the mastering job our ME did.

But you aren't the first person to mention the vocals. I personally hate the way they sound. Rode NT1A into dbx 163x on nuke, into dbx 263x into Pro Vla set for gentle compression with some Colortone Pro added for flava, still can't stand how f**kin essy those vocals sound.

But for some reason, people like it.

My mic locker and signal path is alot more refined now and I can say with honesty that I like turning down our vocals because they have alot more clarity and body without being so in your face like it needed to be for that last record to have any funk to it.

But thats all I can say about that record....Something must have worked I guess.


BTW that instrumental sounds very very very very very familiar.

And while you have owned some gear and sold it in financial duress. I have a secret to share with you about getting back that sound. When you got about 200 bucks and some patience. PM me and I'll teach you how to build a mic that will make you sound fantastic. Perfect for your voice in fact.


Peace
Illumination