What gear or tricks should I use live for a whispering vocal?

[elan]

hello

i need to get good results for whispered voices in live locations. the problem are feedbacks. even during band rehearsal i can't control the feedbacks and i feel i can't get good results because of those feedbacks.

what can i do?

which gear could be useful, i haven't a voice "channel strip" (or comp/eq/or other..dedicated for voices)

so i'm trying to understand which piece of gear should be useful and which settings.

i'm even considering about using two mics, one for whispered and the other normal, one ultracompressed.. maybe distorted (maybe tube :P tell me something about tube) and the other more natural.. for louder parts.

then there's the "ambience problem" even if i compress it a lot, trying to get a rid of feedbacks with some notch.. i feel i lack ambience.. i should find a very intimate ambience, something that gives a lot of sustain, but without blurriness ..

i'm looking for a solution as less depending to the club/stage as possible, and also cheap is a good point )))

tell me what you would use and specially HOW :P

thanks!

[elan]

come on.. no one?

[Studiodawg]

Proximity is probably the key, so do you have access to a headworn mic?

[elan]

i don't have access to a headworn mic.. but honestly i give you a stupid sentence.. i feel dumb with a headworn mic.. i know it's stupid.. but if i feel dumb i can't get a good performance.. honestly i'm looking for something that give me confidence.

i know i have the voice to sing a "standard tune" or even a loud tune.. but i know i can be much more expressive with soft vocals parts, so i need to find a very present, compressed, controlled, voice.. and i can get it in studio, working with a 1176.. but i think it's stupid taking the 1176 live because it's my jewel.. and i want to avoid the on the road life.. i'm scared to damage it.. or that someone can stole it..

[bass man]

REcord whispering parts at home and bring em on the cd or something to the gig ....

[mixedupsteve]

Compression will fatten it up but make feedback worse. You need a Beta 58 or similar mic. Turn the monitors down during the whispered sections too.

[dero]

Originally Posted by mixedupsteve

Compression will fatten it up but make feedback worse. You need a Beta 58 or similar mic. Turn the monitors down during the whispered sections too.

yeah maybe even a beta 87 - they tend to do a little better with the airy top end, but they can be feedback nightmares too. whispered vox can be VERY difficult to make work live.

[Remoteness]

If you're not okay with playing back pre-recorded whisper tracks consider splitting your vocal mic into two console channels one can be set for your normal singing voice and the other can be set for the whispering sections. Add signal processing as needed; maybe even delay that whisper channel a bit.

Your dedicated sound person will need to be on top of it, but it maybe your only "best" solution if the system cannot handle the dynamic range of your vocal parts...

Man, to do this right you would need a very powerful sound system to avoid the gain before feedback scenario.

Perhaps someone will come up with more clever ideas for you to choose from; I must get some rest since I got an early call. It's not enough time to get any REM sleep, but it will have to do.

All the best!


Question:
I was wondering why a head worn mic makes you feel stupid?
Do you really need to hold something to feel more confident?
If so, why not use both a headset mic and a hand held mic?
Then you could have it all dialed in accordingly.

[elan]

Originally Posted by Remoteness

Man, to do this right you would need a very powerful sound system to avoid the gain before feedback scenario.

Do you really need to hold something to feel more confident?
If so, why not use both a headset mic and a hand held mic?
Then you could have it all dialed in accordingly.

I was wondering why a head worn mic makes you feel stupid?

i don't know why.. but i feel stupid thinking about using a head worn mic, perhaps is because britney use it.. :P or maybe just because people can think i'm too much pretentious.. i know a musician shouldn't care about what people think.. but i think this is one point.. and i prefer avoid stuff which make me feel stupid. i think i should feel comfortable to better express myself.. am i wrong? i have nothing with people who use a head worn mic, it's just a tool, but i prefer not using it.

Do you really need to hold something to feel more confident?

i feel the answer is in the previous answer :P isn't the mic.. or the need to hold something, it's more about what people thinks and the fact i don't want to appear pretentious..

i'm open to more suggestions i need to solve this problem as soon as possible..

[Remoteness]

So, I trust a Bluetooth ear piece is out of the question when making phone calls.

I was hoping you would respond to the main body of my post and not just about the stupid stuff.

Oh, well -- all the best!

[elan]

Originally Posted by Remoteness

So, I trust a Bluetooth ear piece is out of the question when making phone calls.

I was hoping you would respond to the main body of my post and not just about the stupid stuff.

Oh, well -- all the best!

well bluetooth is another question, i'm not on the stage, i'm a shy person so i have to avoid things what makes me insecure (i think you can understand this)

sorry i haven't respond to the main body, i just take a note of your suggestion to apply them at the next band rehearsal.. but the problem with your suggestion is that i haven't a dedicated person who can switch the channels.

so considering that, do you know if there's a way with a footswitch to change the channel? maybe using two ableton live channels.

probably i avoided to reply because i considered the same option and i've also tried the last time to sing with a whispered track.. it's ok, just i feel a bit strange and seems not so honest for the public..

but my questions are more technical or specific.. ok two channel, but which settings for compression on the whispered channel? and which kind of delay? e pedal or outboard?

and i forget to ask you (in fact you see i've quoted but not posted the question) what do you mean with that?

Originally Posted by Remoteness

Man, to do this right you would need a very powerful sound system to avoid the gain before feedback scenario.

my problems are firstly in the rehearsal room and secondly i need to find a setup which avoid feedbacks on the stage, usually we play in small stages, small clubs, and even very small. so this is the scenario.

could you better explain me what you mean with that powerful sound system concept? i have to adapt it to a very small stage scenario or middle stage.

thanks!!! and sorry for the last reply.

[AMIEL]

That is easy..whisper the tracks and use HPF .....

then add effx , rev, dist ..to take you where u can go!

[elan]

Originally Posted by AMIEL

That is easy..whisper the tracks and use HPF .....

then add effx , rev, dist ..to take you where u can go!

so you say to make one heavy compressed parallel track and even effected added to the normal track?

but the feedbacks aren't still a problem in the "whispered track"? they happen between 1k and 8k maybe more...

[niceboy]

Originally Posted by elan

so you say to make one heavy compressed parallel track and even effected added to the normal track?

but the feedbacks aren't still a problem in the "whispered track"? they happen between 1k and 8k maybe more...

I dont want to know if you like or not our song Metallic Bear but we were mixing in wispering singing in a hardrock song because we wanted to do so and I dont understand if you wanted to know how much controlled feedback we do or how to do feedback ???

[valleysound]

Technically, you can try splitting the mic into 2 channels and eq, compress, reverb them differently. Compress the vocals through a subgroup, not the input channel. Maybe have someone whisper better.

[mixedupsteve]

Elan,
Have you tried the basics for feedback controll.
Stay On the mic, really on.
Notch out the feedback freq.
If I were you I'd run a second channel for those parts and insert an EQ and notch the hell out of the problem area.
Maybe flip the phase on that channel too.

[M4-10]

This topic recently came up. More information here and here.

[Geert]

If you want to hear wispering loud an clear trough your monitors with a live band playing behind you, then just forget about it. In case you don't believe me and still want to give it a try then these might help:
- A microphone with high gain before feedback, for example the crown CM-310A.
- 3 high quality monitors that require minimal EQ to prevent feedback, for example the d&b MAX 15.
- A very high quality preamp (mixing desk) and power amplifier.
- Minimal spill from the FOH

Geert

[beanface]

Originally Posted by mixedupsteve

. Turn the monitors down during the whispered sections too.

+1. also ride the vox fader up on the fly - but keep your wits about you.thumbsup