I know it sounds desperate and it is.  I've been struggling with s**tty sounding vocal tracks for years and I've had it!  If this doesn't improve soon I'm seriously giving up making music.  I ask you to please listen to this track: https://johnbowen.bandcamp.com/track/point-of-view
 
I know it's a bit out of my range and I'd appreciate you not rating the song or the performance.  I don't want to know.  I'm not posting the song for review.  I'd just like to know if you can help me improve the vocal track SONICALLY.  I've tried countless EQ plug ins and settings. I've tried compression. I've tried harmonic enhancers, everything.  I bought a $500.00 microphone (Avantone CV-12) and I've acoustically treated my dedicated room.  The result is what you have here, which is in my opinion a gritty, dirty sounding piece of crap!  All my vocal tracks have this sonic (un)quality.  I don't want the gritty "outer space" sounding thing this is.  I want a nice clean and clear sounding track. I can live with the bum notes, but I can no longer live with vocal tracks that sound like they're recorded off of the telephone. I've taken notice that many of the tracks that you guys upload here sound so much better than this and some of you have a cheaper mic.  Is it perhaps the lack of outboard gear that some have.  I've watched countless youtube videos on the subject but this is going nowhere.  I'm tired of wasting time and money and getting nowhere.  You are my last hope.  I will diligently try any suggestions you give.  Again, please don't review the song or performance.  I really don't want that.  I don't want hear how the instruments sound fake and that I'm straining my voice etc. I don't want to know if you love it or hate it.  Please just help me with the sound quality of the voice track.
 
Thank you so much!
John B

John, what preamp are you using for the microphone? The preamp is sometimes more important than the microphone.

If you could tell us the signal chain that would help.

1. Acoustically treated dedicated room.
2. Avantone CV-12 ($500.00 microphone)
3. Balanced cable?
4. Mic preamp?
5. Compressor?
6. Soundcard?

We can really get to the bottom of this with that information.

idk
 
Different mics are so different. You might want the sound of a different type of mic.
 
LDCs work for some people but not everyone. Some people like the Ribbon sound (me).
 
You don't have to spend a ton of money to get a taste for the different mic type. You can get inexpensive ribbons. Same with Dynamics. 
 
Most people don't sing with as much dynamic range as this sample song you gave. If you're belting it out in a bar, the variance of volume is not as great as when you sing softly like this. No criticism, of the vocal, btw. I thought it sounded nice for what it was. I listened to the end.
 
Things to try...
1. Dynamic Mic
2. Ribbon Mic
3. Lots of tube saturation
4. Lots more compression
4a. I would probably try I high rate of compression and blend it with the uncompressed.
4b. Consider using a multiband compressor and squashing the high end band while also raising it up for more articulation and air.
 
 

Daibhidh

3. Balanced cable?
4. Mic preamp?
5. Compressor?
6. Soundcard?

We can really get to the bottom of this with that information.

 
I assume the mic cable is balanced.  It's the one that came with the Avantone.  I also use a very short one to go from the mics power supply to my interface, which is a Focusrite Scarlett 6i6.  I don't have a mic pre per se.  I just run the mic through the interface (aka soundcard ).  I don't use compressors.  I tried many of them.  I don't have much luck with them, especially on vocals, but that might be because I don't know what the hell I'm doing with them.  It doesn't seem to me that it should be as hard as it is to get a clean sound.  Let me ask you: What do YOU think of the sound?  Lend me your ears ().  Am I just being too hard on myself? 

@gswitz-In addition to the Avantone, I also have a Peavey Dynamic and a cheap Apex condenser.  A few days ago I tested them too and it still sounded crappy (to my ears).
 
I also have a Line 6 UX2 which I set aside 2 years ago for the Focusrite.  Sometimes I wonder if I should dust that off and try that again.

This vocal recording is way, way better than you think it is, you know. It isn't gritty, and it definitely doesn't sound recorded off the telephone. It's very clear, doesn't have weird room artefacts or resonances.
 
There are always ways to improve things, but I think you might be starting from a negative place in terms of your perspective on it. That might be the first thing to fix; how you're thinking about it. Just wanted to throw that in.
 

I think maybe you're being too hard on yourself. 
 
This video shows me singing into a ribbon mic. One take wonder. :P 
 
There are three spectral analysis windows visible.
  The bottom is uncompressed.
  The middle is compressed.
  The top is the compressed and uncompressed blended together.
 

 

Not sure if you have already tried this, or are even interested, but You may try some vocal doubling and mild reverb.  Consider also some plugins that may augment your voice, like Waves CLA vocals.  Lots of different presets to start with, some of which may be appropriate, but of course it can be fine tuned to taste.  

John, I've heard a number of your songs in the song forum over time so I'm familiar with your music.  This is how I hear your vocal right now:  there's nothing wrong with the quality of the sound of the vocal recording.  I mean, nothing.  I hear no dirt nor grit.  I would use this system in a heartbeat. I believe what goes in is what comes out.  Don't be too critical of yourself, but if you have any doubts, try recording someone else and see if you still think it sounds the same.  I've always applauded your songwriting, so keep on moving forward.