In Your Face Vocals

Recording.  If it ain't right on capture, it is going to be hard to "fix it in the mix."   Mic, premap, effects and convertor.  Once the vox in in the box, a lot of it is volume - and vol control w/in the song.  Ride the automation to keep it above the rest of the song - but not too much.  I also find the Sonitus comp set on 1176 and tweeked helps sit the vox nicely. 

And if you have some nice hardware it is worthwhile to run the vocals through it post recording.  I'm reviewing the RND Portico II and I can't tell you how good my humble little home studio sounds through it.  Bass, vocals (even my non-technical wife could hear teh difference).  Of course, that is going in these days but I've rerouted some things and it makes them sound just as good.

REverb/delay is like adding a little salt to your steak after it is put on the table.  Delay is good instead, esp. on a busy mix.  Gives the appearance of depth without filling up all the holes.  And back off the reverb if you use it.  Try a convolution reverb w/ a plate and turn it down to about -20% ratio.  If you hear it - it is too much.  When you mute it you should feel the diff.

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For vocals that shine and are upfront and crisp..... it all starts with the mic. Use a good quality mic that will pick all the nuances in your voice. A good level going in to the software is mandatory. A nice interface will have clean pre-amps that allow this to happen.

I tend to record with out adding any sort of FX to the vox track.  Good mic technique will assure an even level going in. I do not use envelopes on my vocal tracks at all. I shoot for a good take, and if I screw up I will delete the track....the clip... or the section that contains the glitch and do it again or on occasions... punch in. Vocals are easy to fix due to the sections of silence between the phrases.  I will also normalize the track as a whole to bring the levels up.

Once I get to this point... I will now insert some FX.... I have a cakewalk ParaQ  that was customized and saved for my vox. I also have a dark plate that is similar. I turn it down to about 15% , the key is enough to add space but not enough to be obnoxious.......  I insert both into the track.

I insert O4 into the master buss and that puts some polish on the whole track.

The key to sparkling vox that set up front..(IMHO) is to have the lows rolled off so they are not booming and muddy, scoop the mids a bit to open the sound up, now, on the highs.... you need enough to make it sparkle and be crisp but not to the point where you get sibilance and harshness. When the EQ and verb is right, then you put the track in the mix.... depending on the genre. Country and CCM tend to be more upfront than rock......

People will give all sorts of advice..... listen to it, learn from the advice.... but the only real way is to apply it to your work....experiment, and keep working. It will take time on the DAW to get it right.

Thanks guys! You've given me exactly what I wanted to know... and exactly what I didn't want to hear. Matt, and example of what I've been trying to accomplish is the "It's Entertainment" cd from Celtic Thunder especially George's songs/voice. The music is mixed nice but the voice just fills the space. You can hear the echos/verb but it doesn't detract and you can hear him breathe without noticing it. ;-) What I didn't want to hear was, "There ain't no magic potion." Still, no stranger to hard work here and I'll give all this a try in the process...  well, as far as the wallet will take me. How much for a soundproof booth these days? @_@

No Drodddey, I'm so far down the food chain on vocal talent that my three dogs stop and stare when I join them in a howling session. Mostly what I (we-wife) try to do is Folk, Contemporary Christian & Country. It's a simpler life.

I too record the vocal with no FX. I suppose in the analogy of salt & pepper, if you know exactly what you're going to get then adding spice to the piece before grilling is better than adding later. While I do consider myself a good griller ^_^ some skills just don't translate. :-/

Thanks again for all your insight. I really do appreciate it!
ETG

1 word:

Pre-Amp