| Home recording and general music post from the archived Yabb Recording Website Message Board. Some of the info here may be outdated but many of the audio recording and home studio tips are still good. Note: The only tags I made and attempt to convert are italics, bold, center and underline. So if you see some gibberish surrounded by brackets, just ignore it.
Recording Website Archived Yabb board Post
Febuary 2001 Yabb Message Board Archive
Subject: Lead Vocals (that's leed not led)
by xigaa | 06/07/01 at 02:29:26
I've been having a hard time recording consistent vocals lately. I'm recording several tracks of my own material, and may have just run out of mojo. Lately, the problem has been capturing a quality track. The vocals just don't sparkle. I'm using a nice condenser mic through a mackie vlz board, an hhb fat man tube compressor, and into a roland 840 hard disk recorder.
As usual, it's NOT the gear, it's the inexperience. A friend recommended cutting some mid eq, but I think I'm overcompressing and just singing a little shaky.
I need some confidence and mojo, and I'm hoping a pop filter screen will help to keep my face a constant distance from the mic. This question is dangerously general, and varies with musical styles and songs, but any tips or encouragement would help.
How can I liven up the lead vocal tracks? My voice isn't overpowering, but I'm pretty sure I can hold a tune. Things are just a little flat these days.
:'(
Subject: Re: Lead Vocals (that's leed not led)
by DanS | 06/07/01 at 04:29:06
Some voice lessons may not be a bad place to start. ;)
Subject: Re: Lead Vocals (that's leed not led)
by Scobe | 06/07/01 at 07:56:06
Are you having trouble with your singing or your recording skills or both? Is this a new problem or have never been able to produce nice vocals? If this is just some kind of slump, then I'd wager it's just that--a slump. And for both problems, I'd say you just need to wake up your ear a little. Do this--for a day or two, quit trying for the particular sound you've been trying for and instead put lots of effort into some other sound. Pick a singer that has a really distinctive voice and try to sound just like him/her. Use completely different mic techniques--not because there's anything wrong with whatever you're currently using, but just to shake things up.
If you can get some other sound in your head for a while, then when you go back, it'll be fresh and interesting again.
Subject: Re: Lead Vocals (that's leed not led)
by Maury | 06/07/01 at 08:57:16
hi xigaa. what is different about your recording set-up ever since you've been finding the vox muddy? are you recording in a new room all of the sudden? is the eq on your mackie "flat" as you record? try bypassing the fatman and see if anything gets clearer. you could try singing 6" or more from the mic for starters. if you do go thru the fatman, try comping just the peaks with a mild ratio (4:1). try your friend's idea and cut 200hz a little. what mic are you using? is it a battery powered condenser in need of a shiny new battery? just thinking out loud :)
good luck,
maury
Subject: Re: Lead Vocals (that's leed not led)
by BananaHead | 06/07/01 at 09:11:00
Do some crack followed by a 1/5 of Jack... (leave it to BH to offer responsible suggestions). ;D
Doesn't sound like the gear, sounds like the mood. Why don't you go record in a different room that has a different feel/sound... just to hear your voice differently. Or just do something different to get yourself moving. Try jogging a mile right before you step up to the mic. Have the mic all ready to go... then go run... then right when you get back hit record while you're still out of breath. That's my personal fav trick.
Subject: Re: Lead Vocals (that's leed not led)
by Bonafide | 06/07/01 at 09:40:05
You may simply need a rest. Your vocals may be everything that were in the past and you may not be able to tell. That is a common ailment. If you spend too much time on any one thing in the studio you become too intimate with it and you lose all spark. A new song or new idea can help. Taking a day or two off can help also.
If you must record, be sensible about it. Take every trick and tip you know and apply it. It is easy to skimp on the engineering side of things when producing your own stuff in a home studio. It always floors me when someone critiques a demo, not knowing all that a 'single' human has put into it.It is easy to get good sounding demo;s from todays gear, but in reality our gear is capable of 'finished' product, and it can be done if you are willing to learn the techniques. There are some extremely talented engineers out there but they can't sing a lick or write a melody to save their lives. KNOW your gear, it takes time and practice and then more time and practice, and did I mention practice?
Subject: Re: Lead Vocals (that's leed not led)
by mcj | 06/07/01 at 11:06:15
Ditch the mike. Try a standard hand held (EV preferable) and run it through an amp (even a guitar amp set clean) into the board. This should give your voice that extra "umph" and stability.
Subject: Re: Lead Vocals (that's leed not led)
by BananaHead | 06/07/01 at 11:47:10
Hell ya, and why not have the best of both words! Drink a 1/5 of Jack AND blast your vocal through a huge loud ass guitar amp or Public Address system. Keep drinking and turning up the amp till the walls are shaking so badly that you fear doing structural damage to the building... now put a mic in the middle of the room to hear this mega-loud raunch, chug the rest of the Jack and HOWL away! Get-off on the power of LOUD!
Subject: Re: Lead Vocals (that's leed not led)
by xigaa | 06/07/01 at 17:57:51
Wow. There were a lot of responses. That kicks booty!
Thanks for the tips. I have just moved to a new place, so it could be the new room. It could very well be that I'm just a bit shaky.
I'm gonna shake things up a bit and give it a shot this weekend. I think I'll avoid the jack & crack bit, though, I don't want to go out speedballing.
There's a whole lotta love on this site, and I'm feelin' it, man. Thanks again.