Post by rockinronnie on Feb 28, 2014 21:19:42 GMT
From statusquo.co.uk message board: www.statusquo.co.uk/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic; f=2;t=012800
Here goes Radio Quo all IMHO of course
Recording Vocals.....Firstly before you reach for that EQ get together as many different microphones as you can, try each one, match the vocalist/ song to the mic. It doesn't have to be a vintage Neumann U47/49.
I've just finished a project where the most suitable mic for vocalist on several tracks of the album was a dynamic Shure SM7.
...next to your topic of double tracking vocals.
To track it or not? Assuming you got that blinding song and Artist to work with double tracking your lead vocalist still may or may not work. There's no golden rule to this and I don't believe its anything to do with brilliant singers don't need to be tracked. Its simply tonality, pitch, phrasing and timing. I've worked with some vocalist's that where literally too perfect at tracking that you end up with a phased vocal, other's that can never sing the same line twice.
Francis however just has a gift for the perfect blend (not sure about the whisky still waiting for my bottle !) and always produced great sounding double tracked vocals when we had fun together in the early 80's.
On tracks like Lies and Never Too Late that Teleboogie mentions earlier in this thread the set up for Francis lead vocals was as follows.,,, and I'm not saying it would be same today as voice textures, just like guitar pickups have changed and when we last spoke about mics he told me he now favored a Neumann U87.
Anyway here's as it was in the analogue days:
AKG 414EB microphone (newer versions of the 414 just don't sound the same)
Compressor/Limiters either Universal Audio black faced 1176LN @ 4:1, fast attack, medium release or the original DBX160 VU model which had fixed attack and release but again 4:1 ratio.
Board for the vocals at The Glade was a Soundcraft and for Windmill Lane /Marquee MCI JH 500. Tape machines we used in all three studios were MCI JH24's.
And that reminds me I need to finish wiring mine up to the patch bay.
All focus was on achieving the performance on the 1st track sometimes achieved by comping a few takes (a breeze now with Pro tools/Logic etc.) but mostly having one great take and making a few repairs by analogue drop in and outs. Freshness is usually best, don't choose to labor for technical perfection over the magic moment that usually happens in the 1st few takes so be ready with that record button from the get go.
Well once the magic was captured I would playback this track in Francis cans panned half left with his new vocal half right. This helped him differentiate the tracks and place his phrasing against the 1st track.
On my monitors I would pan hard left and right these vocal tracks and analyze all pitch and timing that way. Occasionally we may hit a line that wouldn't work so we'd go back to the 1st track fix the problem line or word and then track it.
Once complete, pan both back to center and just ghost the double track a little under the main track and that's it. Sometimes I'd also switch in the varispeed on the tape machine and drop the pitch just a tad for the double track and there were times when I'd do this for the 1st track as well !
You mention ADT in your topic (Automatic Double Track) achieved by sending the original vocal to a delay line (originally units made my lexicon and eventide, but like everything now software plug ins) with a setting anywhere from 25ms to 40 ms. Worth trying if the double track approach doesn't work or as well as.
Best of luck with your project Radio Quo. Have a great day.
Cheers, PP
Here goes Radio Quo all IMHO of course
Recording Vocals.....Firstly before you reach for that EQ get together as many different microphones as you can, try each one, match the vocalist/ song to the mic. It doesn't have to be a vintage Neumann U47/49.
I've just finished a project where the most suitable mic for vocalist on several tracks of the album was a dynamic Shure SM7.
...next to your topic of double tracking vocals.
To track it or not? Assuming you got that blinding song and Artist to work with double tracking your lead vocalist still may or may not work. There's no golden rule to this and I don't believe its anything to do with brilliant singers don't need to be tracked. Its simply tonality, pitch, phrasing and timing. I've worked with some vocalist's that where literally too perfect at tracking that you end up with a phased vocal, other's that can never sing the same line twice.
Francis however just has a gift for the perfect blend (not sure about the whisky still waiting for my bottle !) and always produced great sounding double tracked vocals when we had fun together in the early 80's.
On tracks like Lies and Never Too Late that Teleboogie mentions earlier in this thread the set up for Francis lead vocals was as follows.,,, and I'm not saying it would be same today as voice textures, just like guitar pickups have changed and when we last spoke about mics he told me he now favored a Neumann U87.
Anyway here's as it was in the analogue days:
AKG 414EB microphone (newer versions of the 414 just don't sound the same)
Compressor/Limiters either Universal Audio black faced 1176LN @ 4:1, fast attack, medium release or the original DBX160 VU model which had fixed attack and release but again 4:1 ratio.
Board for the vocals at The Glade was a Soundcraft and for Windmill Lane /Marquee MCI JH 500. Tape machines we used in all three studios were MCI JH24's.
And that reminds me I need to finish wiring mine up to the patch bay.
All focus was on achieving the performance on the 1st track sometimes achieved by comping a few takes (a breeze now with Pro tools/Logic etc.) but mostly having one great take and making a few repairs by analogue drop in and outs. Freshness is usually best, don't choose to labor for technical perfection over the magic moment that usually happens in the 1st few takes so be ready with that record button from the get go.
Well once the magic was captured I would playback this track in Francis cans panned half left with his new vocal half right. This helped him differentiate the tracks and place his phrasing against the 1st track.
On my monitors I would pan hard left and right these vocal tracks and analyze all pitch and timing that way. Occasionally we may hit a line that wouldn't work so we'd go back to the 1st track fix the problem line or word and then track it.
Once complete, pan both back to center and just ghost the double track a little under the main track and that's it. Sometimes I'd also switch in the varispeed on the tape machine and drop the pitch just a tad for the double track and there were times when I'd do this for the 1st track as well !
You mention ADT in your topic (Automatic Double Track) achieved by sending the original vocal to a delay line (originally units made my lexicon and eventide, but like everything now software plug ins) with a setting anywhere from 25ms to 40 ms. Worth trying if the double track approach doesn't work or as well as.
Best of luck with your project Radio Quo. Have a great day.
Cheers, PP