techniques for vocal distortion

[dangeorge6]

Hey,

I was wondering what gear/techniques you guys used for getting distorted vocal sounds. Any good plugs out there for vocal fx? Does anyone reamp for this, and if so, what's your chain? Thanks.

[Infernal Device]

SpectraSonics 610.

You can set it so the more they yell, the more it distorts and you can pick the varying degree of distortion, from mildly thick to absolute circuitry meltdown.

I love that unit. It sounds it's best when the red clip light is on all the time and the needles are buried.

[majortom]

I use izotope Trash sometimes. They have a trial version you can download and even some of the presets are usable for vocals with some tweaking.

[el cochino]

I often re-amp a copy of the vocal track by sending it through a JCM 800 or a SansAmp GT-2 before. Works nice with with heavy music to make the vocals sit better in the mix.

[Jim Williams]

So is this why some of these new records sound so bad? Some of these vocalists sound like they are gargling with broken glass.

Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades

[Infernal Device]

[QUOTE=Jim Williams;926657Some of these vocalists sound like they are gargling with broken glass.
[/QUOTE]

I would LOVE to get that sound!

[Makinithappen]

Yeah, Trash is pretty good at it. Usually, I'll make a couple mults and do different distortions on all 3.

Usually one will be run through SansAmp, one through Trash and one through a pretty broad bandpass filter just so you can still understand what they're saying.

Thats how I do it anyhow.

Other times I'll just crank the Vintech to the max and L1 the crap out of it.

[Fletcher]

Originally Posted by Jim Williams

Some of these vocalists sound like they are gargling with broken glass.

Nah, that's because they can't sing and have less than no business ever being in a recording studio... the distortion on a vocal thing can be quite musically pleasing [think Little Richard, Aretha Franklin, etc., etc., etc.]... the problem is that too often distortion is used as a crutch to make up for shitty mics, shitty mic technique, lack of breathing skills, too much fvcking "auto-tune" and a myriad of other crap which all leads directly back to the fact that a lot [and I do mean A LOT] of the people being recorded have no business being recorded in the first place... and they're being recorded via tools that have no place in the world other than to placate some instant gratification requirement by the novice that purchased said crap materials mostly because they wouldn't know good from bad if good walked up behind them and slapped them on the back of the head.

As always, YMMV.

[El Fatso]

Originally Posted by Fletcher

...they can't sing and have less than no business ever being in a recording studio...

thats why we have them gargle glass and tell em it sounds "cool"

[sloper]

I can't believe i'm responding to this old thread...

But not everybody has been making records or performing long enough to be great at it. How do you think some of the newer audio engineers with all of their SH*T gear out there feel when they read a post like this? I certainly wasn't making great records 15 years ago when i started, and i didn't have much gear either. I guess my undeserving ass should have just quit!?? And i understand that the post above may not neccessarilly be directed at people new to the sport, but that's sure how a lot of people are going to read it.

I 2nd multing to the sansamp with a gate in front of it and heavy EQ and comp after it.

-slope

[rayne]

I know this sounds too simple, but it works. If you're using protools, try using lo-fi. kick up the distortion button just a little.