ULTIMATE VOCALS

[STARSKI]

ADDED AN MP3 OF AN ACAPELLA (NOTE: ACAPELLA IS AFTER BEING MASTERED)

Ok here's the deal, I'm not trying to start another what's your vocal chain thread here. What I want to know is what are peoples total techniques from start to finish as far as recording there vocals. I'm posting this because I am always trying to get a better vocal sound and I'm sure most people on this rap section are as well. So what I want to know is what are you doing for your vocals including signal chain and all the way to mixing. I will post mine as a reference and then if other people want to join in and maybe we can even post examples of the results.

1. My vocal booth at the moment is in a closet covered about 70 percent in auralex with a blanket on the tile floor. I don't have proper cabling ran yet so the door doesn't shut all the way and gets some echo from the hall way which also has tile floors.

2. Have the mc about 6 inches from the pop screen and the pop screen about 4-6 inches from the mic. (using a stedman metal pop screen)

3. Signal chain- Brauner Valvet BE>Neve 1290 Mic Pre (1073 no eq)>Crane Song IBIS EQ (for low cut filter only)>Tube Tech CL1B Compressor (about 4:1 ratio with medium attack and medium release, with about 3-7db of reduction>Universal Audio 2192 convertor recorded pretty hot but not peaking.

4. Mixing- Eq each channel individual with Ren Eqs with Hi Pass filter at around 70, sometimes a slight cut at around 400 hz to get rid of some boxiness, maybe 1 db of cut around 3-5k if there is some harsh mids, then either some hi shelving eq in the ren eq at around 12k or lately i have used the massey plug and boosted the mid and highs about 2b. bus vocals to a a few stereo channels and do about 1-2db of reduction with R-Compressor or BF76 then about 6-7db of reduction in rvox. Then 2 busses sent from the vocal busses, one a reverb plate either rverb or dverb. and the other to a delay with 1/8th note and about 30 percent feedback.

anyways thats how i get my vocals as of now. was wondering what other folks were doing and lemme know if you want me to post an example of an acapella.

[LCD]

good thread... i'd like to see what people are doing.... ^^^ you have any mixes we can hear?

[STARSKI]

Originally Posted by LCD

good thread... i'd like to see what people are doing.... ^^^ you have any mixes we can hear?

Yeah I'll post one tomorrow when I'm at my studio. I think it would be best to just post acapellas right?

[d.dot]

Originally Posted by STARSKI

3. Signal chain- Brauner Valvet BE>Neve 1290 Mic Pre (1073 no eq)>Crane Song IBIS EQ (for low cut filter only)>Tube Tech CL1B Compressor (about 4:1 ratio with medium attack and medium release, with about 3-7db of reduction>Universal Audio 2192 convertor recorded pretty hot but not peaking.

Well you have damn near the finest vocal chain that money can buy. The only weak link is probably your booth. I'm strugling in the same area. I'm using the small walkway about 5'x3.6', between my two closets as a booth. I hung moving padding on three sides and put a slab of 705 on the door that leads to the bathroom. My problem is if I have them more than 6-8" away from the mic, I get that cheap home grown closet reflection sound. So I keep them very close to the mic but the sound is almost too dry. I'm getting better results from the female singers than the male rappers.

Using a Peluso P12 into a focusrite 430 with the digital option.

not really a good example because the vocal has fx, but you can check a sample at my hommies mixtape myspace page. www.myspace.com/undagroundrailroad

[Black Seal]

Is there any way you can run the mic cable under the door when it closed? I know that a lot of doors do not go all the way to the ground. That might be an option. Until you get the room down everything will suffer. Try to find a place that wholesales OC 703/705 or rock wool. But you need to do something. With a small closet you're going to get mud if you try to stack a lot of vox. In a small room the deader the better. As far as my vox chain, it is either my Sytek and/or A Designs MP2 with a MXL V69 w/peluso mod and/or AT4060. After tracking I will use either a Distressor, Demeter VTCL-2, DBX 160x or an Aphex Compellor(background vox) on the mix down. It really on what the song needs.

Perry

[t.dizzle]

Originally Posted by STARSKI

Yeah I'll post one tomorrow when I'm at my studio. I think it would be best to just post acapellas right?

A capella doesn't prove anything unless you're recording Bobby McFarrin. It's really about how your vocal sits in the mix. I think that your chain and techniques are a pretty damn good way to go.

As far as your "booth" acoustics go, remember that that's what your eq is really for - to correct deficiences in your room and/or mic. You can find the nasty stuff coming from the booth and almost obliterate it if you're listening carefully.

I have platinums that were recorded in closets and untreated bedrooms. I was never able to notch out kids yelling in the hallway though!

[thethrillfactor]

Originally Posted by STARSKI

4. Mixing- Eq each channel individual with Ren Eqs with Hi Pass filter at around 70, sometimes a slight cut at around 400 hz to get rid of some boxiness, maybe 1 db of cut around 3-5k if there is some harsh mids, then either some hi shelving eq in the ren eq at around 12k or lately i have used the massey plug and boosted the mid and highs about 2b. bus vocals to a a few stereo channels and do about 1-2db of reduction with R-Compressor or BF76 then about 6-7db of reduction in rvox. Then 2 busses sent from the vocal busses, one a reverb plate either rverb or dverb. and the other to a delay with 1/8th note and about 30 percent feedback.

That's alot of processing for the chain you have.

Also you are low cutting with the Ibis when tracking and Hi Passing with the Ren EQ's when mixing?

And you are cutting 3-5K while tracking with a Neve mic pre/TT CL1B?

Hmmm...

[NesNeedsGear]

damn guys....$5k+ vocal chains and still not much done for treatment???

i use an AT4060 most times, through RNP or API 512.

my other low end setup is a modded MXL V69me ~~> rnp ~> modded ART PRO VLA into 1820m.


vocal EQs vary....from an outboard speck...to plug in URS/SSL/PLParEQ, Voxengo Gliss...

techniques vary from there.

[Dor]

87>1073>Distressor>Rosetta 200>Logic. Usually vocals sound pretty dope if i track with a pass filter taking out excessive lows. Nothing new here. I don't go too crazy with effects but I'll add some delay and compression, if needed. I know it's very cliche, but if your room sounds nice, your vocals will sound nice. The more I go crazy with plugin eq's the more my vocals sound like garbage. Just adding plugins to my vocals seems to make my sh*t sound thinner. Maybe my ears are buggin'.


D

[thethrillfactor]

Originally Posted by Dor

The more I go crazy with plugin eq's the more my vocals sound like garbage. Just adding plugins to my vocals seems to make my sh*t sound thinner.

D

[RoundBadge]

First:Get rid of that goddamn auralex!!tutt
horrible stuff to have in a small vocal booth[especially a closet]..yuck..
some medium damping with some thin 703/704 type acoustic panels covered in an acoustically nuetral fabric[Guilford type stuff].. try leaving some areas uncovered..small carpet on floor maybe..experiment with tuning the room..try hanging maybe some fabric on a mic stand outside the door to control the hall reflections[furniture/moving blankets are good] ..you don't always have to make it totally dead..a little ambience and air can sometimes be a good thing..

Then see how your existing vocal chain sounds.
you might find you won't need nearly as much processing[ie:shitty sounding plugs] in the end when mixing..

Many times.I'll setup some custom made 705/guilford panels on mic stands in a loose semicircle around the singer/singers to create just the right acoustic "air" around the mic
I find with the right room/ baffles and mic and distance..the eq factor[even hi pass] many times becomes unnecessary.

[Eyevanovich]

Record Chain:
U87 or TLM103 or M147 > API 512 > LA2A > SSL9000 Channel for EQ and Filters > ProTools 192.

Mix Chain:
I like to mix through the Studer D950 console. The EQ's are very nice. I usually have the Eventide H3000 on an aux for effects , a Lexicon 480L on an aux for reverb, and a TC3000 for delay on an aux.

For me every mix is different on the vocals as well as everything else in the mix. I don't know about you guys but every artist I have recorded have had different voices and delivered their performances in different way. I try not to do everything in the same fashion or else it just gets boring. Remember to serve the song.

[t.dizzle]

Originally Posted by thethrillfactor

That's alot of processing for the chain you have.

I just wanted to clarify that I think that his recording chain (not mixing) was good. I agree that there's a little too much processing during his mix.

However, you can get a great vocal sound in a room that's not acoustically treated as long as it's pretty dead sounding.

[NesNeedsGear]

Originally Posted by t.dizzle

I just wanted to clarify that I think that his recording chain (not mixing) was good. I agree that there's a little too much processing during his mix.

However, you can get a great vocal sound in a room that's not acoustically treated as long as it's pretty dead sounding.

Dead and Neutral are completely different things.
You do NOT want a dead room, you want a room that doesn't add anything you don't want or need to your vocal (flutter, reverb).

[RoundBadge]

Originally Posted by NesNeedsGear

Dead and Neutral are completely different things.
You do NOT want a dead room, you want a room that doesn't add anything you don't want or need to your vocal (flutter, reverb).

acoustics are a huge factor..his chain certainly is good enough.
..although the Valvet can be hit or miss on certian singers.

[t.dizzle]

Originally Posted by NesNeedsGear

Dead and Neutral are completely different things.
You do NOT want a dead room, you want a room that doesn't add anything you don't want or need to your vocal (flutter, reverb).

Technically (literally) speaking, "dead" would be synonymous with anechoic. There aren't many anechoic vocal booths.

I have yet to hear anyone say, "Man, that booth sounds pretty neutral".

It's nice to have an acoustically sound recording area, but in this genre of music it's not always an option.

[A Fak]

Neumann U87 -> (Great River ME1NV or A Designs Pacifica) -> RNC -> Apogee AD16x

I have Iso booth Gold series.



That setup works for me

[STARSKI]

I have added an mp3 to my original post. The MP3 Acapella is of my song after it has been mastered, if anyone wants to hear the whole song let me know and i will post that as well. Also I'd like to hear other peoples as well so get to posting!!!

[STARSKI]

Originally Posted by thethrillfactor

That's alot of processing for the chain you have.

Also you are low cutting with the Ibis when tracking and Hi Passing with the Ren EQ's when mixing?

And you are cutting 3-5K while tracking with a Neve mic pre/TT CL1B?

Hmmm...

i don't think its the pre or the cl1b but more the mic and the fact of my booth sucking for now. also i'm not cutting much and not always having to do it. usually half to 1 db.

[STARSKI]

So nobody has any acapellas of there stuff? Or comments etc? It's quiet....Too quiet..

[STARSKI]

nobody huh?

[GOT MILK?]

Try tracking in your live room if you have one!

SM7 into 1073 in a great sounding room = thumbsup

[filterayok]

id say the whole high pass thing is not ALWAYS the way to go, ive had it work with CERTAIN vocal sounds, and when i did, it was never above 60...i think 70 is too much personally

[solidstate]

Recording

C800 G/U87ai>CL1B>1073 DPA>Rosetta 200>Logic

I was amazed how much difference(in conjunction w/ some other acoustic treatment) the SE Reflection filter can make! I think the closet isn't such a good idea..you'll end up w/ a boxy vocal sound. And it's a waste w/ your vocal chain!
Another thing to consider is to move the computer/hdd in another room. You simply can't get rid of that low end rumble with a LP filter. This made a big difference in my situation. Get a couple inch closer to the mic might help to decrease the room ambience as well. Personally i don't like to get a xtra hot signal in the way in..You can always increse that later. I rather use low Trsh and low ratios(2-1 or 3-1 perhaps) when compressing on the way in.

Mixing

Although i don't like to say cut here or boost there, 1-2 db a 12k and a LP filter at 80hz it's often all you need. If you have a specific problem, you can easly spot the offending freq by sweeping a 10db boost across the audio spectrum. I like to use logic channel eq(with the analizer on) for this purpose. Most of the times i can get good results with waves ssl e series EQ filters section>UA La2a(a few DB of GR it's all you need)>UA pultec eq or UA 1073. If i need a surgical eq i use the sony eq for powercore. I work at 24/88.2.

Hope this help:-)

[STARSKI]

anybody got any acapellas of there vocals they have recorded with there techniques?

[t.dizzle]

I told you man, a capellas don't mean shit.

[TonyBelmont]

Not an accapella... But, you can check out a freestyle I recorded last night... It's some mixtape shit, so there's less than the usual processing. The rapper is Jae Jump - aka Prov's Champ! Also NO vocalign.

Jae Jump - Scott Storch Freestyle "Do It Like This..."

The mic pre is a vintage 1073.

[InsaneMixaken]

What Mic did you use for that snipp Tony?

[TonyBelmont]

Originally Posted by InsaneMixaken

What Mic did you use for that snipp Tony?

That was a Peluso 251. It doesn't work for everyone, but it works for his voice. No EQ, just a little bit of compression.

The room is very important... It took a LOT of work to get my vocal booth to the point where I was happy with the sound.