Help with distortion on Vocals

[rhythmtech]

Originally Posted by Sorrrell

Hi there.im a producer and i have a small studio.I not new in production and mixing i did it 10 years.

So what is my problem..

I have a lot of rap accapelas like 50 cent dre busta and so on.Now..every single vocals have some kind of distordion on top mid high frecuencies especially on esses and shh words.I cant get that effect no matter what i did.

i searched a lot on gearslutz how to make this sound but every tip i tried was not the same.

first please tell me if it is a hardware effect.I tried a lot of parallel hp eq and distorsion and a lot of distorsion plugs.the effect is almost the same but not that effect.i mean if i cut frquencies with a hp to lets say 6k or 7 k and distrot that and add that to the main vocal its sounds something like that but on all the words not only on the shh and esses and the distorsion is not creammy its more like irritating.it is like adding a hi distorsion wich is present on all the words and i dont like it.i even tried to put a parralel de esser and put that on monitoring to hear only the esses and distort that but sound very bad.I tried all the exciters on vst area (working in logic) nothig sonds like that period.

the effect im looking for is like when the vocalist say some word with an ess or shh its like the "shh is hitting some harmonic overdrive and it sounds...perfect.not like a vst distrorsion.on some acapellas the effect is very very loud and i really like it.if you listen to the acapellas you tend to say that the vocals are not recorded well but in the mix...the distrition is not that present.Just please listen to some acapellas.



im curently have a neumann u87 and im recording thru spl gainstation retubbed with telefunken tube.Should i record hotter?should i record with fet limiter on and drive the signal hard?

i just dont know.if you want i can post some examples.

my vocals sounds so undistorted so clean no matter how many parallel comprssion and no matter how hard im compressing.and i dont like .I want THAT sound.

So again its the rcording stage sounding that way?or the post production.

Any good advice will be great.thx all

seriously dude, lay off the crack!

what you're hearing is either badly recorded vocals or really bad mp3 conversion. either is to be avoided at ALL costs.

do yourself a favour and listen to some raphael saadiq - beautifully lush vocals with just a hint of ear pleasing saturation. thats the quality we should all be aiming for.

here, ill even make it easy for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udPZwivhERY&feature=fvst
YouTube - Lucy Pearl - Dance Tonight

(and before anyone says anything about the first link "not being hip-hop", go and search discogs for raphael saadiq and his credits.)

[RyanC]

So you would go for a beautifully lush vocal sound for DMX? For Immortal Technique? For Tech N9ine? Jay-Z?

Obvoisly Nikka Costa, and Kelis' engineers/producers are idiot crack heads too.

YouTube - Kelis I Hate You So Much Right Now

YouTube - Nikka Costa - Like A Feather

You ever look at THD specs for a Fairchild, an LA2A, 175b? They distort way more than a behringer comp. One reason people pay big bucks for these things is because they make nicer square waves.

Distressor is short for distortion/compressor.

Also keep in mind that not everyone around here is a native English speaker. . .

I'm mean do whatever you will, and some people may not like that sound, but to say that it's wrong? Or bad for every song?

[rhythmtech]

Originally Posted by RyanC

So you would go for a beautifully lush vocal sound for DMX? For Immortal Technique? For Tech N9ine? Jay-Z?

Obvoisly Nikka Costa, and Kelis' engineers/producers are idiot crack heads too.

YouTube - Kelis I Hate You So Much Right Now

YouTube - Nikka Costa - Like A Feather

You ever look at THD specs for a Fairchild, an LA2A, 175b? They distort way more than a behringer comp. One reason people pay big bucks for these things is because they make nicer square waves.

Distressor is short for distortion/compressor.

Also keep in mind that not everyone around here is a native English speaker. . .

I'm mean do whatever you will, and some people may not like that sound, but to say that it's wrong? Or bad for every song?

read what i said again dude, nowhere did i say distortion is wrong BUT its the type of distortion thats used that matters. and any distortion that is very audible (especially on esses) is not going to be the nice type.

So you would go for a beautifully lush vocal sound for DMX? For Immortal Technique? For Tech N9ine? Jay-Z?

of course i would. the best sound possible. if i choose to add some harmonic distortion afterwards (or even on the way in) then thats all good but that isnt what the OP is talking about, is it?

[RyanC]

As I'm reading this, that is exactly what he is talking about. Which was confirmed when I posted two clips and he said "yeah man thats the sound". I dont see how it's relavent where in the chain you do it, but whatever. He correctly identified that there is distortion and was simply asking how to obtain it. I don't see why everyone is dogging him out so bad.

[rhythmtech]

I dont see how it's relavent where in the chain you do it, but whatever.

its hugely important. you dont just slap it on wherever you feel like.

I don't see why everyone is dogging him out so bad.

possibly because of the way he worded it at first? whether his english is good or not doesnt matter. his wording made sense (although looking back over the thread, not quite the sense he intended).

anyway..

[RyanC]

What I meant is I don't see how it's relevant to what the technique is, but now I'm curious; where is the correct place to slap it on?

[rhythmtech]

Originally Posted by RyanC

where is the correct place to slap it on?

wherever it sounds best is the honest answer.

but it can make a differance pre/post eq, its gonna sound differant applied pre/post console input etc etc.

[Jonkr]

Originally Posted by RyanC

What I meant is I don't see how it's relevant to what the technique is, but now I'm curious; where is the correct place to slap it on?

I usually use distortion on rap vocals either on a copy of the lead vox(or a bus) or on the doubled lead vox turned way lower. It helps the vocals to cut through without actually hearing the distortion. And where in the chain depends on where it benefits most... I experiment...

[9th Ward Records]

replace one piece of gear with another piece of gear and work your way down the chain until you find the culprit.

[RTR]

Originally Posted by phillysoulman

This is the craziest shit I ever heard....even on GS.

Where is this dude from???

+1..and why are you using other artists vocals, I know this is hip hop and ripping off artist's is the norm but what are you wanting to do with them?

[RyanC]

So basically you guys are saying you just slap it on wherever you feel like? Haha-

Sorry couldn't resist. That was kinda my point though. There's definitely no rule saying do it this way every time.

I always call this technique the fryer, and it is easy to make things a little to crispy so to the OP, if you are going to do it with hardware track both (dry and fried), that way you can mix them later.

Also to the OP: one other part of that sound, that I suspect you are also looking for is a little real room sound. Not a dead closet, or tiny iso booth.

RTR- he's not using the acapella's he wants his vocals to sound more like them.