Hi
 
I use Sonar X3 Studio.
Last year I spent more than $1200.00 to improve my vocal tracks.   I bought an Avantone CV-12 tube condenser mic ($500.00), a Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 ($250.00) and an Aurelex Roominator kit for sound re inforcement ($500.00).  Please listen to this track and tell me what I'm doing wrong with the vocal:
https://johnbowen.bandcamp.com/track/she-doesnt-play-that-game
I think this sounds terrible!!  There's a kind of distortion on the vocal track that I just cannot stand anymore (even though I record with very LOW gain).  I'm seriously considering trashing all my gear and giving up this damned frustrating hobby for good unless I get some answers soon.  What am I doing wrong?  All I want is a cleaner vocal sound.  This sounds like an absolute joke.  I hear a dirty gritty sound on this vocal I hate!  Seriously, I've heard better sound quality from a cheap $20.00 dynamic mic!  Would appreciate any and all help on this.
 
John B.

you have it positioned in the right direction I assume.
would try to rule out that the distortion comes from the mic (try a different cable, differenct input channel so you know it's not a bad mic port on the focusrite). Ofcourse it could be there's a bad connection in the mic.
from what I've read, microphones often have a tyypical sound/color....so it might be you need a different flavor for your voice.
also sounds to me you're a bit far away from the mic (that's also I could emagine the mic is facing wrong direction).
 
don't give up, you'll fix it....the music sounds nice too !

if you have the gain on that preamp box real low, that could be the problem maybe, the signal might be so weak then that it's fighting to come through properly. Have you tried to raise the gain on the box, and reduce it on the focusrite ?
or try to plugin the mic directly into the focusrite, so see if the problem is in that red preamp box.
if the preamp box or mic are giving you that distortion you could try to return it under warrenty I hope.

Thanks Sheanes
 
Actually, it doesn't matter how low or high I have the input gain, or how close or far from the mic I am.  Still the same dirty and disgusting noise.  Sometimes I think maybe it's psychological because sometimes, in my mind, it doesn't sound too bad and other times I think it just sucks.  I was hoping that some here would listen and give me their impression of it.  I've contacted reps at both Sweetwater and Avantone who are telling me (after hearing samples) that the mic is doing its job fine.  So it's either in my mixing, tracking or room.  I have two other mics (another cheaper condenser and a dynamic) and another interface that don't sound much different.  BTW-The "red box" does not contain the volume in/output.  The knob on it is a 9 position polarity switch.  Before you ask, I tried all 9.  No difference.  The only gain control is on the Scarlett.
 
Also, thanks for liking the music.
 
JB
 
 

Is there any way to try another PC?  I had a PC that made everything sound bad.  Upgraded/switched PCs and it fixed it just fine.  It seems the only common denominator in your path.  That and your monitoring setup...
Just spitballing here.

patm300e
Is there any way to try another PC?  I had a PC that made everything sound bad.  Upgraded/switched PCs and it fixed it just fine.  It seems the only common denominator in your path.  That and your monitoring setup...
Just spitballing here.

how can that happen? the PC just stores the 0s and 1s ...
 

Johnbee58
Hi
 
I use Sonar X3 Studio.
Last year I spent more than $1200.00 to improve my vocal tracks.   I bought an Avantone CV-12 tube condenser mic ($500.00), a Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 ($250.00) and an Aurelex Roominator kit for sound re inforcement ($500.00).  Please listen to this track and tell me what I'm doing wrong with the vocal:
https://johnbowen.bandcamp.com/track/she-doesnt-play-that-game
I think this sounds terrible!!  There's a kind of distortion on the vocal track that I just cannot stand anymore (even though I record with very LOW gain).  I'm seriously considering trashing all my gear and giving up this damned frustrating hobby for good unless I get some answers soon.  What am I doing wrong?  All I want is a cleaner vocal sound.  This sounds like an absolute joke.  I hear a dirty gritty sound on this vocal I hate!  Seriously, I've heard better sound quality from a cheap $20.00 dynamic mic!  Would appreciate any and all help on this.
 
John B.

Hi John,
 
you should be posting a try recording of just the vocals to have others see if the problem is indeed with the recorded vocals or with the mix. I just a very brief listen and your mix is boomy and instruments are right where your vocals are sitting. IMHO there is a lot of collision which can easily color the vocals quite badly. i would start trying to carve a vocal sound first and see if you can get something you are happy with, then bring in the band and make sure they all stay clear of the vocals ...

@ptm300e-Thanks for your observation, but I would agree with SoundRehab.  The PC could be a factor in a case where there is low memory resulting in the clicks and pops that you get when the processor is overtaxed but that is not my case. Plenty of memory.  @SoundRehab-Thanks for your idea.  On this particular mix the vocals are purposely low only because having the vocal track higher in the mix is more annoying because you hear the dirty filthy grit around the vocal track more.  IOW-making the track louder also makes the anomaly louder.  I see it like the difference between feeling a smooth piece of wood as opposed to a piece of wood that hasn't been properly sanded down to smooth the rough edges.  And I've been EQing all over the place.  Is anybody else hearing this, or is it just me?  Am I perhaps being a bit too critical of my own work?  I could isolate the vocal track if that would help you judge.
 
JB

Hi John,
 
Listened to it again, I can't hear any nasty things in the vocals or mix, the mix certainly sounds fine.
 
To really spot if there's something wrong in the recording stage (mic or anything else), perhaps you could load just the vocals on soundcloud or anything.
If people could listen to the raw vocals recording only (without EQ etc) it would be easier to tell if there's a prob or not.
 
hang in there !

I couldn't hear any distortion, yeah maybe post the vocal alone

I don't hear any obvious distortion in the vocals either.... There's a certain harshness there though.

What first struck me is that the vocals and piano are fighting over the same space, so eqing the piano to reduce it a bit innthe frequencies it shares with the vocals might be worth trying.

Secondly the vocals sound like they've been boosted around the high-mid "telephone" frequencies which often makes voices sound thin and harsh. Try letting more of the lower vocal fundamentals and harmonics through.

Finally, are you sure what you're finding unacceptable isn't simple how your voice sounds? That may sound harsh, but as a pretty ropey singer myself it's something I've had to learn to live with. When we speak or sing what we hear is mostly our voice transmitted through the bones of the jaw and skull. That gives us pretty accurate pitch information but no real idea of tone quality at all. Which is why most people find recordings of their own voice a bit of a shock and a little unsettling when they first hear them.

And don't forget the possibility you may be having a "bad tone day", when things just sound wrong and horrible even if they sounded fine all last week....