I realize that sometimes when I'm recording my vocals on a song, my vocals tend to have this real bass distortion kind of sound on my speakers. I normally dont cut off bass in my vocals when I EQ...im not a mixing pro or anything but I learn along the way...Do I have to cut off the bass in my vocals so it can mix better within the instrumental?
Bass in vocal help?
- Thread starter Dr3amz
- Start date
ProfessorLexxBeats
Member
YES!!! Unless you're recording in a completely sound proof booth and have a pre- amp w/ low cutoff filter. U should always eq your vocals in the mixdown.
Cavvy Studios
www.cavvystudios.com
Try using a high-pass filter around 80 hz. Sometimes I use a high pass filter around 90-100 hz for a chorus or for female vocals.
The Beat Pro
i:.M.B.:i
any eq will do.....im sure you have one in the software your recording your vocals with.
Before doing anything to your vocals, identify where the distortion is coming from.
It can be the recording, but it can be either the gear when recording or during playback.
Eliminate the speakers first. Use headphones and listen with the headphones. If your interface or computer souncard has a headphone output, listen through it directly. If it's still there, then it's likely during recording. If you don't hear it, then you may just be overdriving the speakers so you don't really need to do anything other than get a better monitoring system that will handle what you want.
The next thing you can do is watch your distance from the mic when recording. The closer you get, the more bass that the microphone will capture. Also, a microphone that is not so good will itself distort when it can't handle the sound levels from your actual voice. Also, make sure that your gain on the pre amp is not too high. So you need to make sure each little thing in the chain is being used properly. Using a pop filter will help also. Ideally, you want to be 6-10inches from the mic but it depends on your voice and the mic.
I'd guess there's something not right during recording but you're better off eliminating it before you record. Never think you will "fix in the mix", always fix during the recording whenever possible. The last thing it could be is interference, in which case you just need better cables or better gear since cheaper gear can be more succeptible to interference.
For the record, I rarely highpass or lowcut during recording.
It can be the recording, but it can be either the gear when recording or during playback.
Eliminate the speakers first. Use headphones and listen with the headphones. If your interface or computer souncard has a headphone output, listen through it directly. If it's still there, then it's likely during recording. If you don't hear it, then you may just be overdriving the speakers so you don't really need to do anything other than get a better monitoring system that will handle what you want.
The next thing you can do is watch your distance from the mic when recording. The closer you get, the more bass that the microphone will capture. Also, a microphone that is not so good will itself distort when it can't handle the sound levels from your actual voice. Also, make sure that your gain on the pre amp is not too high. So you need to make sure each little thing in the chain is being used properly. Using a pop filter will help also. Ideally, you want to be 6-10inches from the mic but it depends on your voice and the mic.
I'd guess there's something not right during recording but you're better off eliminating it before you record. Never think you will "fix in the mix", always fix during the recording whenever possible. The last thing it could be is interference, in which case you just need better cables or better gear since cheaper gear can be more succeptible to interference.
For the record, I rarely highpass or lowcut during recording.
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This was very informative... but you hit on a key point...im a usb based recorder,thus, I consider my gear fairly cheap I would say. I record with a SE USB1000a which I copped two years ago. I am looking to purchase new equipment but I have a slight dilemma. I was looking to purchase a USB2200a for its versatility as a USB/XLR mic and copping a pre-amp as well or purchasing a regular XLR mic and copping a pre-amp too. Thing is, Im on a tight budget...lets say around 300 bucks and I have been indecisive. any suggestions?
I'm a little bit out of the loop and I'm not too familiar with those mics. I know SE had some hidden gems before. I think it was them that had the Fat Man mic? And that thing was sweet on certain instruments.
Here's my opinion on mics. If X manufacturer has a mic at $200 and Y manufacturer has a mic at $200, chances are that they'll perform similarly. They'll sound different, but that's neither a good or bad thing. Take for example the m-audio Nova and the MXL 990. Both mics are pretty cheap and similarly priced. The MXL990 lacks some definition all throughout and will not do anything great. The Nova has some decent mids, poor lows, and harsh highs and sounds filtered for some reason, but it can work great for plain spoken vocals and horrible with most other things.
The other thing you have to consider: the SM58 is a great mic. It's a cheap mic. But it's a proven mic. It can sound great with a lot of stuff. But, you need a decent pre amp to drive it. Personally, I think it's sort of dull so what I liked to do was drive it a little harder on the pre so that I could get a little added saturation. The problem is that if you do it with a super cheap pre, you'll get a lot of noise and it'll distort. So you pre has to be able to handle it too.
Without ever having used your mic, I'm guessing what you have and what you want to get is almost the same. Frequency response on yours looks like a Rode NT2 clone. I really loved the NT2 for its smooth sound and though it had a spike in the upper range it still sounded really transparent and natural. Without knowing much, I wonder if the USB2200a is the same as the USB1000a since the specs and response are similar except for a difference that may be due to cosmetic design. The SM57 and SM58 are practically the same except the SM58 has the grille and that's what affects its frequency response at the higher end.
Decent pre amps that you might want to consider the is the RNP real nice pre amp (if they still make it). Then there's the M-audio, I think it was the DMP, which was liked by a few people. If possible, get a little mixer and a non-usb mic. I have a cheap art pre amp (which worked okay at first but sucks now) and I'd send one out to a mixer and the other straight to a recorder so that way I didn't go through the mixer. Keep your signal as short as possible. A mixer will help you route the signal that way you have a monitor mix and you can hear what you want to hear while still keeping your signals adequate for tracking.
I see, so basically there is really no difference between products within that price range in terms of performance...everything depends on brand name?
SafeandSound
Mastering Engineer
Could be many things...
Proximity effect if you are eating the mic.(too close)
Are you using a good pop shield (ring with mesh over it?) foam is quite useless.
Make sure you are not seeing red lichts on your pre amp or DAW inputs.
EQ ? set flat?
Gain structure, if you use a compressor check it's not seeing too much level.
I say do NOT high pass them unless there is a rumble/sub sonic issue. Pop shield will resolve any
sub sonic issue that is coming from mouth.
Why high pass? you want the full sound of the voice recorded, not a thin version.
Only HP if you need to high pass, unless you have the bassiest voice known to makind.
Proximity effect if you are eating the mic.(too close)
Are you using a good pop shield (ring with mesh over it?) foam is quite useless.
Make sure you are not seeing red lichts on your pre amp or DAW inputs.
EQ ? set flat?
Gain structure, if you use a compressor check it's not seeing too much level.
I say do NOT high pass them unless there is a rumble/sub sonic issue. Pop shield will resolve any
sub sonic issue that is coming from mouth.
Why high pass? you want the full sound of the voice recorded, not a thin version.
Only HP if you need to high pass, unless you have the bassiest voice known to makind.
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