Recording a good vocal

Hi Guys,

I need your help on this one.

I'm trying to record a song that we play live quite a lot. We've always had good feedback on the song and particularly on the vocals. 

When I tried recording the vocals last week however, I didn't get the sound i wanted:

1) It was a bit pitchy

2) I didn't get the texture I was after - It had a harsh croak, that I think was caused by compression.

3) I got clipping on the loud parts of the song


Part of the problem was caused by being too close to the mic, and by having a poor mix in my headphones.

Other than standing further from the mic, and changing the headphone mix, what other steps can i take to improve the performance/recording of my lead vocal? 

I've thought about playing the melody on piano so that I have a guide to follow, but I'm worried this may lead to a mechanical sounding  performance, lacking personality.

Any advice would be deeply appreciated.

1st - get a good mix in your headphones, even a great singer can be pitchy if
the mix is bad,  ( some like to hear lots of themselves others hardly a thing)
2-set gain at loudest part to peak at -6 db
3- hopefully you have a decent mic, but start by testing spots in the room
and distances away from the mic for the best sound.
4-yea, the practice thing :) 

Practice.  Doing stuff live and getting feedback is good, but the studio is a different beast where control is more important than sheer emotion.

Try doing harmonies in the studio, as opposed to live.  Most likely they will suck - or that has been my experience w/ bands.  What sounds fine live is ... problematic in the studio.  A lesson in how to burn time.

Once you get the performance down you can work on the engineering aspect.  As always w/ acoustics, once you get past performance it is the room, mic and preamp (most conversion these days ain't going compromise the recording).  All the first three act in common and your recording will only be as strong as the weakest link.  A good room means you can back off the mic so good "air" (ie. the room) surrounds the voice.  Obviously if you depend upon promixity effect, most of the following doesn't apply.  Back off the mic - that will help w/ the overs.  The energy falls off by the square, not double.  A foot or two is better than an inch or two.  A good mic should be able to handle the loud parts if it is set up right.  A good preamp will provide enough gain for the quieter parts and not crap out on the loud. 

A compressor/limiter (set lightly) can also help even out the sound - that is its purpose pre or post recording.  Someone that knows the song and your part can also ride the levels a bit - the important thing is a bit.  If you are moving the fader more than 5 dbs you proably need to redo your gain staging for most songs.

Most modern equipment - even interface preamps and a sub $100 mic should be able to give you a good replica of a good performance.  You just need to experiment w/ what you have to find the correct position vis-a-vis the mic and levels.  You can do that while practicing your performance.  Get someone to help w/ that while you work on singing if possible (preferably somone w/ musical talent).  It will go faster, you'll get better and then start wanting to buy better gear.  It is a sickness that can squeeze a few percentage points of goodness into your song - but the main thing is the performance.  Only us sickos would rather listen to a bad song well recorded than a good one badly recorded, and that is only if we are in engineering mode.

@

For me, a live vocal delivery will not be the same as a studio vocal. Live dynamic range is not the same as recorded. I've been learning to control my voice more for a recording, working on "sounding louder" in my tone while trying to maintain a more even SPL. The vocal will take less overall compression. I would still recommend a little on the way in tho. ----------------------- About sounding pitchy, make sure you can hear yourself adequately. Maybe try the "one headphone on/one off" approach, or lower the music in the cans. HTH.

Are you using the same microphone in the studio that you use for live performance? If you use an SM58 on stage but an LDC in the studio, try using the 58 and hold it in your hand if that's what you do live. Feel free to move around and get right up on the mic like you'd do onstage.

With LDCs you'll generally get better, more consistent results by backing off the mic. The downside is you also get more of the room, and if you don't have a great-sounding room that may not be desirable. In that case, position some absorption around you. Packing blankets if that's all you have, ideally some 703 panels, in a pinch even an SE Reflexion Filter - anything to reduce reflections.

The clipping issue is easy: do test recordings and keep turning down the input gain on your interface until the clipping goes away. Don't worry about recording too quietly, that's far less important than avoiding clipping. You might also consider investing in a hardware compressor and compress the vocal going in. 

Some people have ****ed about the technique used in my latest? 

I like to sing "the lead" and then double it in places? (as closely as possible) With the doubled part, cloned? With dbl A, panned 100% <---- Left, and clone B panned 100% right ------> The dbl-A you shift a few cents (or 1) left, the dbl-B you shift a few cents (or 1) right... Then you send all three to the lead vox bus? And treat accordingly, verb, delay, etc...

I think you can get a phat sound using this technique. But the singer has to be disciplined... The double has to be spot on. You can comp it to make it so, and as a last resort, use editing tools like melodyne. 

Some will disprove of these techniques? But I say, give them a try.


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One thing to consider is when doubling/tripling? You have to be sure to ride the fader or use a limiter on the LV bus. To make sure the tripled vox don't overwhelm the single vox. 


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I have an example of this technique up on the songs page now, called "Soft Truths." So you can see what I'm talking about. I think it's pretty good.