Sometimes we would use the Electro-Voice RE20 dynamic mic. What good is a big fat vocal in a dance track if it’s not the main focus of the song, or a small vocal in a big lush ballad that calls for a big vocal because you did not choose the best mic?Now with that being said, in the '80s and early '90s, I used Sanken, AKG 414 EB or C 12, and Neumann U 87 mics a lot. In other words, use a ribbon, dynamic, condenser, whatever works and fits the track. My first response was and still to this day is, “Use whatever you have that sounds the best!” Typically, if you stand in the vocal booth and listen to the vocalist, then go into the control room, it should sound close to what you heard in the vocal booth to maintain the natural color of the vocalist, unless you want to add warmth or a color via the mic, mic pre, or compressor. The producers had to know the art of what to say to the vocalist over the talk-back and in the studio, between takes, to motivate them and guide them to the promised land of the perfect take.
#REGGIE LEVEL EDITOR ADDITIONAL TEXTURES FULL#
To see a room full of guests in the control room could sometimes be nerve wracking, so it helped to know that they couldn’t see you. This also kept them from feeling self conscious and gave them the ability to give an uninhibited performance. The booth was usually dark or dim, in most cases to create the mood and allow the singer to see the music easier. The right headphones were used to keep out as much headphone leakage as possible in the recording. Later, in the '80s, units with short sampling times came along which made that much easier.We made sure that the vocalist had a good headphone mix to prevent any distractions.
We couldn’t assume that we had plenty of warm up time, and punching in to fix a distorted vocal was embarrassing to say the least! The key was to make sure that you kept the dynamics of the vocal without overloading and distortion, to use a pop or wind screen, and having the mic at a good height and angle helped to eliminate plosives and kept you from having to de-ess later.įor the most part, there was no copying and pasting unless you transferred the information to another tape machine, then pressed Play at the right time to record it back to the multi-track. They barely would allow you to get a level.Usually, the first take was the best take or it might have the most creative moments in it, so your levels needed to be close immediately.
Some vocalist would come in ready to go, do one or two takes and that’s it. Back in the days of analog tape, you might have one chance to get it right. If you were loud, or if your harmony stood out, you had to stand back more. When we did anything like doubling or background vocals, the proximity on one track may be closer than on another track, or if background vocalists were recorded together, the blend of the harmonies or levels were based on how close they stood to the mic. This technique provided us with incredible dynamics, and in most cases meant we did not have to heavily compress a vocal.Next, the proximity of where the vocalist stood was key. For example, vocalists like Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, and Gladys Knight will move in and away from a mic, depending on the intensity of thoughts they are singing.
#REGGIE LEVEL EDITOR ADDITIONAL TEXTURES HOW TO#
Of course, you hope that the vocalist coming through the door knows how to “work” a microphone. It depends on how much time you have to try different microphones, gear, or techniques if you’re in a recording studio on the clock, or in the privacy of your own home studio.
Recording vocals can be simple or scientific. Starlight Echo Station Starlight Echo StationĪstra Modulation Machine Astra Modulation MachineĤ-710d Four-Channel Tone-Blending Mic Preamp w/ Dynamics 4-710d Four-Channel Tone-Blending Mic Preamp w/ DynamicsĪbout Find a Dealer Downloads Blog Support Log In Thunderbolt 2 Option Card Thunderbolt 2 Option Card
0 kommentar(er)
