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Thread HELP! How do they do it? (vocals)

7 replies
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matttheaxe

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First post

1 Posted on 01/20/2004 at 08:42:37

Can anyone tell me how producers get that vocal sound? You know, the one on just about everything you hear on the radio. Very punchy, hot, breathy, slightly overdriven, compressed. It makes even the cruddiest singers sound good.
I have used expensive mics, modellers, I have lots of plug in effects, but I simply cannot get that sound. It is a formula, I'm sure. Does anyone know the secret?

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Krowms

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2 Posted on 01/20/2004 at 10:11:36

Can you give me an exemple of a song or a group that have the type of sound you want to have?

First, to have a clear, bright and large sound, you must take a condenser mic with an "omni" position. The closer the cell of the mic is from the mouse, the more intimate the sound will be. Generaly, put it 10-30 cm from the mouse, don't forget to put a filter between the mic and the mouse to avoid "pop" sound.
I found an image on google that show a correct position.

After that... you must treat your track: equalisation to make this track compatible with the rest of your music. Compression to ajust the level along your song, and compression to ajust the dynamic compared to the other tracks, and ambiant effect (reberb, delay) to give relief.

Do you have a file that we could listen to find what you did wrong?

gawain_en

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3 Posted on 01/20/2004 at 10:35:38

To me even before talking about gear, the secret is about a great sounding room and a skilled engineer.
Most people underestimate the importance of a good acousticaly treated environment.

Krowms

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4 Posted on 01/20/2004 at 10:47:43

Quote: To me even before talking about gear, the secret is about a great sounding room and a skilled engineer.
Most people underestimate the importance of a good acousticaly treated environment.

I totaly agree!!! nothing is worst than a "bathroom sound" for a vocal track ;-)

matttheaxe

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5 Posted on 01/20/2004 at 22:41:29

I dunno. I was just messing around with a vocal track on a song I recorded. I was in the basement and the monitors were running! (my NR was set at 1 and it filtered out all the noise.
Several people said it sounds as good as anything, but... not to me.

Yes, I do have files (How do I place a file here for you to listen?)

snowlife

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6 Posted on 02/11/2004 at 00:59:00

I was wondering the exact same thing!! I am currently using an oktava mk-319 into a blue tube presonus pre-amp and unfortunately I seem to always have a bit of hollow tinny sound. I was wondering if anyone could offer any advice on how to get a sound like on Nickleback's "someday" track (I know it's overplayed but i love the vocal sound). Also any tips on software compression parameters, or eq parameters, or even gain and drive parameters on my pre-amp would be terrific. I am a real noobie but I love the whole home studio thing.

Thanks you guys this forum is really a godsend.

Krowms

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7 Posted on 02/11/2004 at 00:38:13

Quote: Yes, I do have files (How do I place a file here for you to listen?)

If you have a personal homepage, just put your file on it and give us the link. If you don't, then send me by mail a little mp3 at file @ studioathome.com (remove the space)

dejacky

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8 Posted on 09/10/2004 at 07:40:02

I think nickelback sucks ASS. :shock: . But, I am a fan of those old school Queen recordings. If you want to hear some cool vocals, listen to a song called "I Want To Break Free" by queen.

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