Re: [linux-audio-user] How to get good vocal sound

On Tuesday 06 December 2005 11:05, Bill Allen was like:
> I've been struggling with a technique problem. How do you get your
> vocals to sound good? I know that you can't make a silk purse from a
> sow's ear, but you can make the best of what you've got. What
> combination of plugins and settings do you use to get the best sound
> from vocals particularly in Ardour? I know that this is one of those
> subjective questions for which the best answer is try it out yourself
> and find what sounds best, but there are so many plugins (an
> embarassment of riches), each of which has many settings, that a brute
> force search of all the combinations would take forever - not to mention
> that after a while, my poor ears become exhausted with the effort and
> refuse to hear differences anymore. So what I'm really looking for is
> good starting points to work from.
>
> One combination that I like is GVerb to get depth and L/C/R Delay to get
> width. Even with those two getting the settings right takes time. For
> comunication, I've included a jack rack with some settings I've found
> that work OK. I would love your critiques and suggestions for other setups.

I know this isn't really what you were asking but:

I would recommend going easy on the effects, especially avoiding delays
between about 30 and 120mS long. The most and only really useful plugin in
the sc4 compressor, which I use rather a lot.

Beyond that, the important thing is to get your vocals in time and in tune. In
that order. If your timing is good, people's ears will assume that the tuning
is also. ;) Getting timing right is a question of listening mostly. Things
you can do to help tuning are: Relax, practice breathing from your diaphragm
(belly), this is the only part of you that should be making an effort, you
use your whole body when singing, so don't cramp your style when you record.

Keep your throat and vocal cords as relaxed as possible and remember that it
opens top to bottom, not widthways, therefore if you need to stretch, stretch
upwards towards the top of your head. Some people like to imagine a silver
cord extending upwards from their spine up through the top of the head, from
which your whole body hangs, very relaxed. This is the direction to think in
if you need to improve tuning. Finally concentrate on the resonant cavities
in your face, either side of the nose and around the eyes. Use your eyes to
focus that sound, in this case on the microphone. Use a pop shield if you
tend to splutter.

Getting the right position relative to the mic can make a big difference to
the quality of what you record. Here you have to experiment and let your ears
guide you. Pulling a few monster gurning faces before you start can help get
your face muscles toned. Again, relax and have fun.

It seems to be critical to use a good pre-amp and of course a decent
microphone helps. Try to avoid using effects plugins to cover up
imperfections that only you can hear. ;) One good confident delivery can save
much frustrated remixing. Or as I like to put it: Most people find a leather
wallet much more useful anyway. ;)

-- 
cheers,
tim hall
http://glastonburymusic.org.uk/tim