Problems w/ recording vocals & clipping (Bluebird, M7 & Mbox 2)

killablksmi

killablksmi

New member
Hello everyone, I have been experiencing issues with distortion and recording vocals recently. I've tried every trick up my sleeve and nothing gets rid of the distorted vocals (It only happens when My female vocalist or I sing very emotionally and with a lot of vibrato, etc.) I have tried using my blue bird, and an M7 going through my mbox2 and I experience clipping with both mics. Even when I sing far away from the microphone and with the gain on the mbox2 all the way down it STILL distorts. Do you guys know if this is a problem with my mics or my interface or both? Is there anything I can do to fix it or do I need to buy new equipment?

P.S. I'm recording into Logic 9 with my buffer all the way up in low latency mode and I have a pop filter.


Any input would be greatly appreciated and I will return the favor on your post to the best of my ability.
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So the gain is all the way down - source (your voices in this case) has been moved back from the mic - and it only happens (clipping - not mix-clash) when tracking a 'certain type' of vocal ?

Assuming you get the same result on both preamps on the mBox, I guessing that your voices are hitting a frequency that your room doesn't like... Your mics don't record your voices - they record the room with your voices in it...

If you've already got some room treatment it might not be positioned quite right... If you haven't got any room treatment you should consider getting some...

I have have a couple of Timber frames, packed with rockwool slabs and wrapped in old double duvet covers that work pretty well - They're moveable and I have 2 positions for them - the first for tracking acoustic guitar & percussion and the second for mixing. I've also got a reflexion filter and my vocal mic (SE2200II) is pretty much permanently mounted to it.
 
Yes, samples would be great. I do like I'mNoGuru's suggestion, but it's really hard to tell without hearing what you're hearing.
Have you checked input settings on your DAW (I'm assuming it's Pro Tools due to the MBox, but...)? Have you checked your master input/output section on your computer? I doubt that both mikes are bad at the same time, and you shouldn't have to turn your interface/preamp gain all the way down and stand across the room and still get distortion; something else is going on.

GJ

PS-- Just an aside, but an important one that folks often miss-- when you are setting-up gains/mike checking, use real world signals to find out where your peaks are. I see people all the time setting levels by standing somewhere they aren't really going to (too close, too far away, moving around), then whispering into the microphone "Check, 1-2, 1-2; check, check 1-2." Then it comes time to rap or sing something, and they hit a high note with lots of plosive attack blasting directly into the microphone diaphragm, and of course it blows the meters out of the water. Find your best position (and mark it if possible), and sing into the mike like you're actually going to sing the song (or rap with intensity, as the case may be). This is the only way to get decent levels set right (pretty close to) the first time.
 
Do the meters clip or does it just sound distorted?
 
I'mNoGuru said:
So the gain is all the way down - source (your voices in this case) has been moved back from the mic - and it only happens (clipping - not mix-clash) when tracking a 'certain type' of vocal ?

Assuming you get the same result on both preamps on the mBox, I guessing that your voices are hitting a frequency that your room doesn't like... Your mics don't record your voices - they record the room with your voices in it...

If you've already got some room treatment it might not be positioned quite right... If you haven't got any room treatment you should consider getting some...

I have have a couple of Timber frames, packed with rockwool slabs and wrapped in old double duvet covers that work pretty well - They're moveable and I have 2 positions for them - the first for tracking acoustic guitar & percussion and the second for mixing. I've also got a reflexion filter and my vocal mic (SE2200II) is pretty much permanently mounted to it.
Click to expand...


Hi I'mNoGuru, thanks for the reply! I've actually figured out a solution to my problem, what Happened with me was I was normalizing and I was only getting the distorting when I normalized. Now I'm using the Change Gain function in logic to turn up some of the soft vocals and turn down the parts that sound distorted but it only distorts in the DAW, it's not actually distorting from the input.

I don't have any room treatment in my room which i know is stupid I'm going to have to save up to buy some!!!

How much do you think room treatment would cost just for recording vocals with my bluebird and my mbox? (i want to get a better vocal chain probably in the 1,000 price range in the future)

P.S. I'm recording in my garage lol so the acoustics r probably pretty shitty to begin with

Thanks again for the reply!! Luckily I tried a bunch of things like switching cables, and inputs on my Mbox and using the PAD button and I finally figured that my problem was the NORMALIZINg. :)
 
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rhythmgj said:
Yes, samples would be great. I do like I'mNoGuru's suggestion, but it's really hard to tell without hearing what you're hearing.
Have you checked input settings on your DAW (I'm assuming it's Pro Tools due to the MBox, but...)? Have you checked your master input/output section on your computer? I doubt that both mikes are bad at the same time, and you shouldn't have to turn your interface/preamp gain all the way down and stand across the room and still get distortion; something else is going on.

GJ

PS-- Just an aside, but an important one that folks often miss-- when you are setting-up gains/mike checking, use real world signals to find out where your peaks are. I see people all the time setting levels by standing somewhere they aren't really going to (too close, too far away, moving around), then whispering into the microphone "Check, 1-2, 1-2; check, check 1-2." Then it comes time to rap or sing something, and they hit a high note with lots of plosive attack blasting directly into the microphone diaphragm, and of course it blows the meters out of the water. Find your best position (and mark it if possible), and sing into the mike like you're actually going to sing the song (or rap with intensity, as the case may be). This is the only way to get decent levels set right (pretty close to) the first time.
Click to expand...

Hleoo, Rhythmgj, thanks for the reply!!

You're right, i really shouldn't have to record a foot away from my mic with the pre amp all the way down and still have distorting haha i found out that my problem was I was NORMALIZING in my daw!! (logic)

My solution is using the change gain function instead of normalizing. I realized that the distortion was not coming from my input but just out of the daw!


Thanks again for ur reply!! When i was testing my mic out i was belting at the top of my lungs haha to make sure that my artist who's a vocalist could have total creative freedom when she's recording :D
 
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tappz said:
Do the meters clip or does it just sound distorted?
Click to expand...


A lot of times it just sounds distorted and unpleasant to the ear but isn't neccesatily clipping.. This is the only problem that I still have that I was considering getting new/better equipment to fix.

The other problem that I was having where it was clipping was just clipping in the DAW and it was caused by my normalizing but I fixed it with the Chain Gain function in logic. :)

thank u for ur reply! Do u have any tips I could try to prevent resonant vocals from sounding harsh in the ears at times???

Or do u have a suggestion of a vocal chain in the 1000$ range for powerful singers that I could try for the future, that could give my vocals an overall cleaner, less distorted sound? :)
 
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killablksmi said:
I don't have any room treatment in my room which i know is stupid I'm going to have to save up to buy some!!!

How much do you think room treatment would cost just for recording vocals with my bluebird and my mbox? (i want to get a better vocal chain probably in the 1,000 price range in the future)

P.S. I'm recording in my garage lol so the acoustics r probably pretty shitty to begin with
Click to expand...

reall depends on the size of your space.... US cars tend to be a lot bigger than UK cars so I figure your garages are bigger too...

Rockwool is a cheap and effective solution

I'd say (just for vox) rockwool behind the mic, behind the singer and above...
For the room in general - bass traps in all 4 corners and panels behind monitors (don't have your monitors against the wall), on the back wall behind you when you mix and at the points of first reflection on the left and right - this will undoubtably create improvement.

rockwool is pretty cheap - make frames (I think I used 3x4 timber) so the slabs (60cm x 120cm slabs about 4 inch thick as I remember) slot right in - wrap in duvet covers/bedding (steal or buy from goodwill - whatever)

My own room is pretty small, in the attic, odd shaped, full of stuff but sounds pretty good. I make do with 2 movable unmounted frames.
 
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