Members UstadKhanAli Posted May 8, 2006 Members Share Posted May 8, 2006 Like Alcohol (the poster, not the drink), mics probably make the single biggest difference in getting clear, clean, "sparkle" tracks. And obviously, mic preamps and good converters make a huge difference as well. Last year, I was doing a recording session with some very talented 20 or 21 year olds. The vocalist was excellent. He sang through my Lawson L251 > FMR RNP > Apogee Rosetta 800 converters, a very good, solid audio chain. After the first song, he asked, "How are you getting my voice so huge and clear sounding?" I started to answer, but before I could, he continued, "What plugin are you using?" ~~~~~~~~~~~ Obviously, if you get the right equipment, you're pretty much there. I think almost everyone here knows that. But I fully recognize that not everyone has the means or the reason to get this kind of equipment (I'm sick in the head - that's why I do it). So some of this "boosting at 13-16kHz" advice is with that in mind. Clearing up the mud, as Lee Flier suggested, is also obviously a great way of doing that, and that advice can be applied to the entire mix. And I'll also mention another thing. These boosts, although they certainly help in lifting any vocal a bit or providing something that resembles "air", sound especially good when you put them on longer, more sustaining notes or when someone is singing more intimately or with breathiness as opposed to say, someone totally Cookie Monstering. I'm not saying that it's not effective on Cookie Monster vocals or hardcore, just saying that the "air" is often more obvious to the listener when the vocals are sustained, intimate, or breathy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GZsound Posted May 8, 2006 Author Members Share Posted May 8, 2006 Thanks again everyone. After reading the comments and doing some critical thinking and listening I think the problems I am trying to solve are more a matter of individual track attention then overall sonic changes to the mix. As Lee said, even having pristine tracks can cause clarity problems when stacked in the same space with others that have the same sweet spot. I need to keep in mind what the house will look like while building the foundation.. Thanks again.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted May 8, 2006 Moderators Share Posted May 8, 2006 Originally posted by UstadKhanAli I started to answer, but before I could, he continued, "What plugin are you using?" "Oh yeah... and that new plugin from wavesofwrath.com called Vox Humongus. It uses the new VST XX-Large format. It's HUGE!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted May 8, 2006 Members Share Posted May 8, 2006 Originally posted by GZsound As Lee said, even having pristine tracks can cause clarity problems when stacked in the same space with others that have the same sweet spot. Yeah, that's definitely true, one of the reasons a really minimal arrangement can have huge sounding vocals (and other things). EQ as she suggested will go a long way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted May 8, 2006 Members Share Posted May 8, 2006 Originally posted by Lee Knight "Oh yeah... and that new plugin from wavesofwrath.com called Vox Humongus. It uses the new VST XX-Large format. It's HUGE!" I should have said something like that. Or "Well, this is a secret cool plug-in that I designed...you can't get this anywhere else. It has nothing to do with that big giant microphone." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GZsound Posted May 9, 2006 Author Members Share Posted May 9, 2006 Hey I already got that plug in. I have this friend see, and he has a buddy that gets cracked versions of all the coolest stuff and so he got me this ripped off copy of this new plug in that just makes any vocal track sound like it was done with a ten thousand dollar mic and a five thousand dollar preamp.. And it was free.. I already KNEW about THAT.... I was just checking to see what all you poor folks do who don't happen to have that particular plug in... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lee Flier Posted May 9, 2006 Members Share Posted May 9, 2006 Well it helps to crank up the "talent plugin." A lot of people have tried to krack that one, but it's very secure and has only been licensed to a limited number of users. Barring that, I'd suggest you download the "suck knob" and try turning it down as much as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GZsound Posted May 9, 2006 Author Members Share Posted May 9, 2006 I have racks full of "suck" knobs.. All of which get used frequently. The problem is that they only provide control over "suck" and none of them have an "off" setting. It's always more or less "suck". I think I am going to try putting one of them out of phase to see if that cancels "suck".. At least then I would have "no suck" and could start working on "talent".. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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