# I was Recording Myself Singing Slipknot...



## kamunt (Nov 4, 2009)

...And once I listened to my recording, I found out that it was very scratchy and obviously was recorded at too high of a volume to make it listenable without killing the ears of anyone who tried. How do I fix this? I want to make a little compilation track showcasing all of my different vocal talents, but it's not going to work if I can't record a good take. Do I just have to not deep-throat my microphone, do I have to move it farther away from my mouth? Or can I compress it or EQ it somehow to kill the noise? All I've got are GoldWave, FL9 & ACID Pro 6.0, though.

P.S. Metal is rock.


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## Sedit (Nov 5, 2009)

I've been struggling to get better vox sounds myself.  Heres some of what I've learned:

First off...yes, don't deep throat the mic.  Especially with a hot condensor.  You get proximity effect.  Some people use this (sparingly) for effect, but 9x outta 10 it sounds like shit, and will not do any vocalist justice.  6-8" from the mic at most if not all times is part of good "mic technique".  You definately wanna be comfortable to deliver a good performance, and a little bit of slop in mic technique is definitely favorable to perfect mic technique, but poor/strained performance.  However, consistantly bad mic technique will ruin a great performance, and you really can only polish up so much with post processing.

Compressor/limiters will go a long way to keeping the levels in check.  So, between that and the higher headroom 24bit and up digital recording offers us now, you don't really need to be set loud at all.  Especially when it comes to making a denser mix.  Try to keep all vocals (and instruments too) between -16 and _at most_ -6db.  In the range will lie the sweet spot that gives you good dynamic range, good level with little to no noise floor, and no clipping. 

As for compressor and EQ settings....less is usually more. Try to get everything sounding as good as you can going in, and only use these for minor tweaking and control.  Except for some rare occasions (and they DO exist!), a compressor should only be keeping the levels good and consistent and not clipping.  If you can hear it actually changing the sound ("pumping and breathing" is a good example) it's probably hurting your overall sound.  EQ on vocals should typically only be used to cut frequencies that are not adding anything to sound or mix...like for example everything cutting below 120hz so the sub-harmonics don't interfere with the bass guitar and mud op the spectrum (this would be known as high pass filtering).

There's no magic bullet settings though, as every voice, mic, preamp, compressor etc. is different.  So sit down, take some time to dial everything in real good, know what your looking to accomplish, and stay focused on that.  And ultimately....none of these are really "rules" per se, just good starting points, or guidelines.  Audio engineering is like equal parts science and art....but with art being the ultimate end result.  Meaning, if it sounds good, do it, even if your logic says it shouldn't.  And also, I'm no expert by any means...I'm still learning alot everyday myself.

Helpful hint though....for metal vocals of different types, a popular mic choice is the Shure SM7B for studio work.  Handles growls, and screams like a champ, and retains great articulation. It's been used on records as different as Iron Maidens 'Number Of The Beast' to probably more than 80% of death metal ever made.  It's THAT versatile. I stepped upto using that from a Shure SM57, and the difference was very noticeable to my ears.  However the SM57 or 58 are still great if your on a tighter budget, and many platinum selling artists use them over some very expensive stuff they could easily afford.  But for the kinda vocals your describing, an SM7B is THE number one choice for studio work.


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## Plantar (Nov 5, 2009)

Wow. Thanks for the little mini review. I will definitely use your advice with mixing technique next time. Thanks. : )


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## Aden (Nov 5, 2009)

What Sedit said, and also keep this in mind: The bass of your voice recording exponentially increases the closer you get to the mic. Some artists use this to their advantage, but 9 times out of 10, stay a safe distance away. Also seconding the SM-57.

\And here I just came into the thread to make fun of Slipknot :V


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## Sedit (Nov 5, 2009)

Aden said:


> What Sedit said, and also keep this in mind: The bass of your voice recording exponentially increases the closer you get to the mic. Some artists use this to their advantage, but 9 times out of 10, stay a safe distance away. Also seconding the SM-57.
> 
> \And here I just came into the thread to make fun of Slipknot :V



That what i was referring to....it's called 'proximity effect' and it becomes a huge issue with dynamic mic's in particular.

Yes, some use it for effect.  But maybe only on small parts.  Seriously, THAT much bass in the vocals would really kill most mixes with mud, unless you we're doing something extremely weird and experimental.  Even for death metal vocals...those sub-lows won't help them at all.  In fact, they'd kill any snarl, clarity, and natural punch they'd have.

SM57 is a fine budget mic for heavy vocals and some other styles too (in fact, Dave Grohl of all people uses them exclusively I'm told).  They have a high SPL meaning you can scream bloody murder into them without them clipping.  This is also why there the industry standard for recording loud guitar amps.  However, I contend, if you like the SM57 for vocals, you will LOVE the SM7B.  But I wouldn't gig with an SM7B....it's a studio mic...so it's a bit bulky, and is not a 'hand held' design.  Plus, I'd hesitate to bring a $350 mic on stage at almost any show.  The SM57 by contrast, is alot cheaper, and you could double duty it as a hammer, or a nice blunt weapon.  I'm certain it could easily crack a human skull, and not have it's performance affected in the least.  Also, the SM58 and SM5 Beta are typically better voiced for live vocals...but that will vary from voice to voice and ear to ear.


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## Tovarich Volk (Nov 5, 2009)

Sedit said:


> As for compressor and EQ settings....less is usually more. Try to get everything sounding as good as you can going in, and only use these for minor tweaking and control.  Except for some rare occasions (and they DO exist!), a compressor should only be keeping the levels good and consistent and not clipping.  If you can hear it actually changing the sound (&quot;pumping and breathing&quot; is a good example) it's probably hurting your overall sound.  EQ on vocals should typically only be used to cut frequencies that are not adding anything to sound or mix...like for example everything cutting below 120hz so the sub-harmonics don't interfere with the bass guitar and mud op the spectrum (this would be known as high pass filtering).
> 
> There's no magic bullet settings though, as every voice, mic, preamp, compressor etc. is different.  So sit down, take some time to dial everything in real good, know what your looking to accomplish, and stay focused on that.  And ultimately....none of these are really &quot;rules&quot; per se, just good starting points, or guidelines.  Audio engineering is like equal parts science and art....but with art being the ultimate end result.  Meaning, if it sounds good, do it, even if your logic says it shouldn't.  And also, I'm no expert by any means...I'm still learning alot everyday myself.



 Agreed 100% with this. I hate using Compression except for perhaps as an effect on a BUSS or the final mix. --You should know how to read metering and to trim your input and busses to avoid clipping.

Ideally, EQ other than LF shelving should not be used at all during tracking vocals or most other things. Provided that you have the $$$ on hand you should match the frequency curve of a mic with the person singing. --You, OTOH, should only be using cut EQ very sparingly to get as close as possible to the sound of your natural voice due to the fact that I doubt you have the $$$ on hand to invest on a  collection of studio mics 

 The reason for using no EQ is partly due to the fact that EQ circuits will add noise to what you're recording. This may not be an issue with Computer based recording, but you can bet your ass that phase cancellation and comb filtering issues due to the fact that EQ's invariably always impart a degree of phase shift to anything that runs through them. --On a purely artistic level, comb filtering can either impede or really hinder you.


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## Sedit (Nov 5, 2009)

Crocodile said:


> Wow. Thanks for the little mini review. I will definitely use your advice with mixing technique next time. Thanks. : )



No prob.  Like said....I'm not an expert by any means.  But I've been studying up on alot of this on my own time for awhile now.  So I'm just hoping to pass along knowledge thats helped me out.

On a side note....heres some mics in action:

Vocals tracked with SM57
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2733522/

Vocals tracked with SM7B
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2958434/

Bear in mind these tracks are not fully Mastered yet, plus these are just MY examples....I've heard more seasoned pro's do much better things with both mics (and probably with much better pre-amps and compressors than my Behringer, Nady, and DBX stuff)...but i'm poor....and lo-fi I suppose isn't always a bad thing).

Also, I like to use alot of vocal effects (including overdrives) to accent stuff with weird, unnatural sounds.  But I think you can hear the SM7B retains alot more clarity, and my voices natural tone (shitty as that may be at times), even with a few effects running on it's channel.


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## Aden (Nov 5, 2009)

Sedit we should totally hang out sometime

And we can get angry about audio-geek things like in my loudness war thread


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## Sedit (Nov 5, 2009)

Tovarich Volk said:


> Agreed 100% with this. I hate using Compression except for perhaps as an effect on a BUSS or the final mix. --You should know how to read metering and to trim your input and busses to avoid clipping.
> 
> Ideally, EQ other than LF shelving should not be used at all during tracking vocals or most other things. Provided that you have the $$$ on hand you should match the frequency curve of a mic with the person singing. --You, OTOH, should only be using cut EQ very sparingly to get as close as possible to the sound of your natural voice due to the fact that I doubt you have the $$$ on hand to invest on a  collection of studio mics
> 
> The reason for using no EQ is partly due to the fact that EQ circuits will add noise to what you're recording. This may not be an issue with Computer based recording, but you can bet your ass that phase cancellation and comb filtering issues due to the fact that EQ's invariably always impart a degree of phase shift to anything that runs through them. --On a purely artistic level, comb filtering can either impede or really hinder you.



You know what your talking about!

And yes....except for on instrument amps....EQ should typically only be used for cutting not boosting.  Not only does it add noise when you boost, but unless you got some good ANALOG EQ's or a very transparent digital EQ, boosting any more than in teeny increments will 'cheapen' the tone.

I like high passing and on some things, low passing.  For metal anyway, when your gonna have a dense mix, this helps things sit in there part of the spectrum cleaner, and easier, and avoids the mud.  Andy Sneap is a producer who swears by this, and is VERY good at knowing where to apply this, and at what sweet spots.  In other genres, this will probably not work out so well.  High/low passing is a little bit different than typical EQ applications though.  But goddam does it clean up a big mix really well when you nail it right.  Multi-band compression is good for this too....but I find it overwhelming sometimes, so until I get a better grasp on it, I use it very sparingly.


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## Sedit (Nov 5, 2009)

Aden said:


> Sedit we should totally hang out sometime
> 
> And we can get angry about audio-geek things like in my loudness war thread



You happen to live in the northeast US? LOL


'loudness war'....is this in reference to the modern record industries insistence on making every CD louder than the last at the expense of destroying dynamics and good tone by clipping everything into oblivion?  Metallica's newest being a prime example.....much as I don't care for anything they've done since like 1992, they usually have good guitar tone....but that production KILLED it with the clipping.  I've gotten better guitar tones with a Metal Zone into an old Westbury 2x12 solid state combo amp (I don't miss that rig).  But any CD tracked with Mesa's, Marshall's, and Randalls should NOT sound that shitty....even if a retarded chimp was micing the amps.  And it's completely inexcusable for a band with a budget like that.

Sadly, Slayers new CD has this issue too.  But at least they can still write a song that sounds like there's some real testosterone left in their bodies.


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## Aden (Nov 5, 2009)

Sedit said:


> You happen to live in the northeast US? LOL



Yup. Going to AC next summer, you should drop by. 



> 'loudness war'....is this in reference to the modern record industries insistence on making every CD louder than the last at the expense of destroying dynamics and good tone by clipping everything into oblivion?



You got it. It's funny - I don't get genuinely angry about many things anymore, but bad audio practices still manage to irk me enough to get through.


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## kamunt (Nov 8, 2009)

Hmmm. Well this quite excellent to know. I'm afraid I don't really have much of a budget for purchasing new hardware just yet. (Hell, all my vocal recording I do is with a Logitech USB mic.) But from what I gathered from these replies... well, I gathered a lot and am now much more informed! x3 I try not to do too much death metal, though, as I was trained in classical with some musical theater, so I'm not exactly sure how to support my voice in such a manner without permanently damaging it.


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## Tovarich Volk (Nov 9, 2009)

Sedit said:


> You know what your talking about!
> 
> And yes....except for on instrument amps....EQ should typically only be used for cutting not boosting.  Not only does it add noise when you boost, but unless you got some good ANALOG EQ's or a very transparent digital EQ, boosting any more than in teeny increments will 'cheapen' the tone.
> 
> I like high passing and on some things, low passing.  For metal anyway, when your gonna have a dense mix, this helps things sit in there part of the spectrum cleaner, and easier, and avoids the mud.  Andy Sneap is a producer who swears by this, and is VERY good at knowing where to apply this, and at what sweet spots.  In other genres, this will probably not work out so well.  High/low passing is a little bit different than typical EQ applications though.  But goddam does it clean up a big mix really well when you nail it right.  Multi-band compression is good for this too....but I find it overwhelming sometimes, so until I get a better grasp on it, I use it very sparingly.



Actually, I fucked up on the wording of this, at the very end of of my post, I should have said that the comb filtering caused by phase cancellation can either help a recording, or hinder it, rather than 'Impede or hinder'. --My bad on this.


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## Lowblock (Dec 9, 2009)

>Slipknot
>Sing





I kid, i kid, like a good chunk of their songs, terribly overrated, but really innovative, SPit It Out is awesome


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