Voice effects or Microphone???

In some of the songs i have recently recorded on my new mxl 990 microphone the words that have a "S" sound to it are more noticeable than any other word, as in every word is about the same level but when i say a word with a "S" sound to it i can hear the "S" part of the word louder. Is it because im a rapper and i have to find the right microphone to meet my needs or is it the voice fx that i use??

Are you using fx while you're recording?
Do you have the dry ie. the recording without fx?

Usually you record dry. Use the fx only in the monitoring chain. that way you can add whatever fx you want later.

BUT. You have to get the right sound in the first place so that your vocals aren't clouded by unwanted room sounds. ie. the reflections etc from surfaces in your recording environment.

Microphone technique is important too. Too close and you get increased bass response too far away and you get proportionally more room sound.

Some mics are better suited to vocals than others. the 990 is considered to add "top end sizzle" to vocals which might just be marketing speak for it has a high sibilance level (the 'S' sound). I don't know what fx you used?
 
You might need to roll off the high end frequencies to get rid of that sibilance. though depending on what hardware/software you've got you may be able to target the 'S' frequency and notch it out completely. SOANR has eq tools that wil let you do that

The sort of pre amp you use will also have a real big impact on what your mic sounds like in the end.

I've asked more questions than I've answered but there is very little set in concrete in audio. You do what sounds good in very general terms. BUT the best advice I can give you is to make sure that what gets recorded in the first place is the best it can be.

A lot of things can get fixed later but the less that needs to be fixed later the better your overall project will sound. that's why pro's spend so much time in setting up the recording. Things like Room treatment, mic placement, pop filters, control of stray high and low frequencies and their reflections.

when you ask questions like you have it's good to think about what we might need to know to answer you. All the best.

Well i do have a pop filter and i stand about 7 1/2 inches away from the microphone. I dont record dry i record with the fx that i have set at the end of the project. I use an eq, trackplug 5 for a noise gate to block out unwanted sounds a compressor and a little bit of reverb. Everything i made to fit my voice except for the compressor. I use the default setting "Mix Compression" My microphone is connected to the M-Audio Mobile Pre (2nd Gen) and i use Sonar 7 Producer Edition

I dont record dry i record with the fx that i have set at the end of the project. I use an eq, trackplug 5 for a noise gate to block out unwanted sounds a compressor and a little bit of reverb.

If these Fx are plugs which you've inserted into Sonar, then you are, in fact, recording Dry.

The ONLY way you can record WITH Fx applied going into Sonar is by using Hardware in your input chain.

the 990 can be a little harsh.  u can reduce this sibilance using a hardware or plugin de esser.  try the free one posted above.    use the minimum compression ratio required to achieve the desired sound because   it can increase the sibilance.       do not change your performance.  do what u do and dont overthink it.    record your vocals dry, then have the de esser be the first thing in the signal chain.  after that, use an eq and compression.  it  may take u a while to find the sweet spot using your de esser.  many have a "listen" button that allows u to hear only the frequency that your compressing.  experiment.

Have you tried recording with a different mic just as an experiment to see if the sibilants are just as noticeable? Getting a really good mic is unlikely to solve your sibilant problem. You would be better off trying some of the techniques people with some experience in this are giving you.

You already said you are using a pop screen. Have you tried either standing a bit further back than 7 1/2 inches or trying to record slightly off axis of the mic? Just throwing out quick things to try.

Kidlupe93 : that's a 100.00 microphone, as for the S's we used to use a de-esser, google that

http://www.dbxpro.com/286A/index.php

read there...

The cheapest thing is to try different distances or use off axis techniques so the sss don't blow across mic directly.  Putting the mic above your head, pointing down is another.

A new mic is another thing.  If you can't audition several check the plots - most companies supply one.  I can't think of any that dip for silibence, but flat is better.

After the fact it gets tedious but you can fix them some by pulling down the individual s's and using EQ and/or a de-esser.  But it is best to fix it at the source.

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