Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 910
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<b>Vocal Sound Q&A with JOHN VESTMAN</b>
Q) Could you please tell me how to get that creamy/silky vocal sound? I use a SM57, or an E-100 patched into an all-tube pre w/eq, then into a compressor direct to my hard disk. Sometimes I use my Mackie"D" to utilize it's EQ, then into the hard disk. Is rolling off the top end the key or is it boosting the bottom? -Nesz
A) When you listen to an outstanding cd with that silky vocal sound, chances are that there was red carpet treatment at many levels, starting with the expertise of the engineer and producer. Let's go from the top to see what could be different, and what you can do in your case.
Level One: The source. The sound of a persons voice (technique and tone) has much to do with the sound on cd, not to mention using the correct distance to the mic (6" to 1' in studio, up to 4' live), how warmed up the person is, how consistent they are from take to take. (More how-to's here.) In my 20 years of studio engineering, I often used eq. Once when recording a live big band, the singer, and older gentleman, quietly agreed when I showed him where to stand next to the mic. When they ran down the song, I was astounded at the sound of this man's voice. It was huge. It was smooth. It was clear. It was bright. It was warm. It was .... perfect. A classic voice that didn't need a shred of eq! His master tape could have been a cassette and it would have sounded amazing.
Start at the source. Your singer should be committed to producing their very best in the studio and on stage. Tons of Grammy-winning artists use the Seth Riggs technique, so finding someone in your area that teaches his method can be a good idea. Key: Don't kid yourself into thinking that 5 or 6 lessons will get you sounding like Celine Dion. Singing is an art - it takes time. I learned this technique from Andrew Boettner, here in Southern California, and my full-voice range increased an octave-and-a-half. Increasing your skill increases your opportunity.
Level two: The mic. Top engineers on the best sounding cds are probably using a vintage AKG C12, Neumann U47, Telefunken, or some other super-exotic mic. There are times when lessor mics are used, but the majority of the time there is a priceless piece at this point. *Your budget is the determining factor here. If your artist is trying to get signed, this isn't a key point. Their performance is. If you are trying to get hired by the majors as an engineer/producer, this is essential. If you are in the studio business, the importance of a priceless mic depends on what your clientele can afford. Sometimes studios rent their prize pieces so that their basic rate is affordable.
Level three: The mic pre's, eq, & compressor. Again, the top engineers are probably using vintage gear like Neve, Teletronix, UREI, DBX 160's, or newer discrete or tube units like Avalon, Prism, Millenia, GT, API or Manley. Some engineers ride automated faders and don't use a compressor at all. Read this * part again in the previous paragraph.
Level three: The monitoring system. Yep. If you don't hear it right, how do you expect to eq it right, much less pick the best sounding gear? Check my article on Studio Monitor Madness and Mixing Solutions, otherwise I'll be writing another page here!
Level four: The multitrack storage device. This varies, but most of the time, top name artists record on 2" analog tape. ADATs and other low-cost digital tape units are improving, especially with better A to D converters. While hard disc recording is excellent at the high-end level (like Sonic Solutions), it has yet to measure up in the low-cost department. The new 24-bit Tascam looks amazing, and time will tell if top-name artists switch over. I know. Roger Nichols says he's never going back to analog, and Roy Thomas Baker aligned his machines at +12. What can I say. Experts all have something different to say. That's why I remind you that Rule #1 is "There are no rules."
Level five: The mixing stage. Once again, I quote Bernie Grundman, one of the top mastering engineers in the world. "Analog is the choice of most high-end mix formats." But if you're mixing to a digital format, it's important to have a good balance of clarity without brittleness, wermth without tubbiness, and the right amount of compression. I favor a little more vocal compression to keep all the lyrics easy to understand (better for radio too).
Does it make a difference to use vintage gear? I think it makes more of a difference to sing in-tune, but the real vintage gear sounds great - otherwise there wouldn't be so many pluggins out there that are imitating it! If it's cost-effective for you, go for it. If not, compare your vocals with the vocal sound on commercial CDs and use your best judgement to get what you like. Great monitors (and/or a great mixing engineer) always help you make the right choices.
You can adjust the enhancement frequencies of vocal eq so that the voice sits in a "pocket" left vacant by the way you have eq'd and panned the instruments. Don't let common frequencies build up - a sweepable eq is important so that you're not adding the same frequency to everything in the mix. I don't recommend rolling off the top at all. That's where the upper harmonics are. I usually added some high end at around 10-15K, and some mids at 2.5K, and some bottom around 100hz, and sometimes rolled off 50hz.... but it varied from voice to voice. When in doubt, SIMPLIFY. Less is more.
Level six (my favorite): The mastering stage. Hand-picked gear and years of experience is the key. The mastering engineer pays close attention to the sound of the vocal when mastering, and many decisions about what gear to use revolves around how vocals sound through it. At this stage, creating a fabulous sounding cd is not just a matter of a one-box-fits-all device like a Finalizer. Musical decisions aren't made by those kinds of devices, and the voice is the prime part of popular music.
One time a client's song had loud cymbal crashes all over the place, and I level-corrected each of them in Sonic Solutions. The unexpected result was that the vocal sounded bigger since all of those harsh crashes weren't getting in the way.
What to know: Getting a great vocal sound is the same as getting a great drum sound or whatever sound. It isn't about *doing* something magical. It's about *being* the kind of engineer/producer/musician who gets a great sound. Be willing to experiment and take time trying new things. Be interested in listening to great sound, and doing the research in order to achieve it. Be open to the feedback of others, and not just stuck in what you think is right. Be a person who doesn't roll your eyes when your client doesn't sing so well - we can learn from everybody. Be persistent when you know your client can do a better take - support them in being all they can be. Be patient with your clients and your process.
Not having $500K worth of gear can be the most discouraging feeling in the world if you need that to do your best work. Instead of "needing" so much, enjoy what you have - that's key to letting go of some frustration which can get in the way of the very success you desire. Great being leads to great doing which leads to great having (more about that here). And frankly, when we understand that what we have already is great, we are happier in our lives. Being happier is a lot more attractive than being bummed out about what's lacking. And since the Universal law of "like attracts like" is always in place, we can always choose our levels of attraction in order to have greater success.
"I am truly amazed at the imaging, separation, and detail that you were able to reveal. On a couple of songs I could swear that you had access to the raw audio and were able to remix the track!!! Thanks also for bringing a warmth and depth to a fully digital recording that I was fairly sure was impossible without starting from analog tape." -Tom Harter - Green Bay, WI
Q) Could you tell me a little about trim, we have it on our board and need to know exactly what it does. -Rick
A) Trim is the gain of the mic or line preamplifier. That is the electronic component that enables you to change the *sensitivity* of either the mic or the line input. Usually the line input stays at one point, but variations are good when a track comes back too hot.
This differs from the faders, in that they brings the signal up or down *after* the sensitivity control. If the trim is set to high and the mic signal becomes distorted, the channel faders bring the entire signal up or down, including the distortion. When you set up your mics, set the fader for "0" or unity gain by sliding the fader up to a little more than 3/4 of the way up toward the top of the fader distance. This is the ideal place for the fader to be when using it as a mic input. Then, adjust the sensitivity of the trim till you hear no distortion at all even in the loudest case, leaving the fader where it is.
You should rarely, if ever, use the fader to control how hot the signal is going to tape. It should stay put and the trim brought down if you hear distortion or break up. Mic pre is a grittier distortion than actual capsule break up at the mic itself. Mic breakup is a tubbier sounding distortion because the capsule is flexing out of its coherent range.
Some consoles will have a meter to actually view the sensitivity setting, but most these days don't have this feature. Some consoles also have leds that light up when clipping is occurring. Pay attention to those lights! They shouldn't come on, unless you want that harsher sounding distortion. I don't recommend it. It's not as cool as creating distortion at the source where it's smoother (like guitars or raspy voice tones, etc.).
If your fader is at unity and a good signal is going to tape, and you've adjusted the trim for a clean sound, the gain structure should be right. |
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