I don't believe that for a second dude! This is vocal recoding 101. I can't believe you even watched 100 videos on vocal recording lol!!!! It is a very good video though :o)
I’ve been a sound engineer in Hollywood for 16 years and everything in this video should be absolutely studied by people that are just starting out. Great video!
This guy is using a lot of older/budget equipment. he doesn't have a massive console, he doesn't have racks and racks of gear, but.... he really knows what he's doing!! His tips are far more valuable then half the crap coming out on youtube these days. Especially his tips on mic placement and usage, I can't tell you how many people abuse mics because of a video or two that they saw where the singers right up on top of the mic.
I would like to add for some people that may not know is the mic you use will have a big effect on issues. For those that always use a condenser mic that mic will pick up a huge amount of the room. Try using a dynamic mic which will keep room noise very low especially if you have untreated room. In fact there are times that the vocal quality and tone of a singer can benefit more from a dynamic mic than a condenser or ribbon. Expensive mics don't mean the right match to the singer. Many hit songs on vocals were recorded on a less expensive dynamic mic. I hope this helps
hehe yes you are correct! If I could go back and get the audio I lost on the day I would love to! will be much nicer next time promise! (my favourite comment on this I think was that it sounded like the video had been recorded through a potato! 😂)
Your an idiot. We didn't come here to listen to the recording quality of is voice while talking. Negative people like you give me shits! I bet you winge about everything.
Open your closet and you have a bunch of clothes hanging in there. Get your mic right up next to that clothes and sing into the closet. Also make your own DIY Kaotica eyeball and place over the top of the mic or just buy an Electron PF8 for $25 on eBay.
This guy is so clear and lucid in his explanations. He explains everything so well. He would make a brilliant teacher. He doesn't waffle on and really gets to the point. I also like the way he conducts himself. Excellent video!
Extremely helpful, although I’ve been a vocalist for many years both live and studio work I’m a total technophobe. I’m not totally happy with home recording results I’ve had so far. This video however is a game changer. Huge thank you to you both.
Damn, i have used my Pop Filter wrong all the time... And my vocal recordings also allways Turn Out Low End heavy and dull. Its wierd i allways thought i was far away enough. Thank you for this Video
Explain, if you stand at the distance of the microphone or speak not exactly into it, but somewhere to the side or not exactly in the center, are not the particles of the voice signal lost? I always thought that the more accurately you direct your voice into the microphone, the better it will record the voice
one of the comments on here from someone summed things up beautifully stating 'aim the mic at the mouth, not the mouth at the mic'. You are correct if you take this to the extreme and face completely away from the microphone, but using a condensor mic you'll hear how well it captures your vocals. I suggest recording two separate takes for yourself to hear if there's a distinguishable difference. You'll be the best judge on listening back to what sounds best for you! 😊
Hi Michael, I agree. I've bought two brand new Røde NT2000's during a stock sale in my country (Belgium) for almost half the price and I can confirm that these two puppies are simply stunning mics. No need for an U87 at all. 👍😉 The NT2000's are the somewhat bigger brothers of the NTA1's. I record vocals with them, guitars, even soundscapes and field recordings in mid/side configuration and they do sound amazing. The details in the recordings are impressive. I can set the gain of my ZOOM H6 inputs to 10 and still hear no noise at all. You can hear an airplane coming from far away, in my headphone (Beyerdynamic DT1770) , long before you can hear them live. The sens of 3D in mid/side configuration is like in a cinema. With your eyes closed, you can point to where a sound is coming from, really joyfull stuff. For voices they sound very natural and clear, greetings Sven
9:20 Singing across or slightly off axis into the mic to prevent plosives and pops; I've been doing this for years and it works great. Brilliant idea! Thanks for demonstrating this.
Laughed out loud on the 'Lispy' part of the conversation. Brought back memories of me trying to fine-tune the DBS 286 'de-esser' years ago!!! :-) I would add one other issue to your list. Vocalists moving back and forth while they sing - completely changes the volume and tone of the recording. Volume can be fixed but tone is a whole other ball game. Superglue all 'dancing' vocalists feet to the floor! :-)
The more videos I watch on recording and production, the more my growing passion for the art form burns. 8 years ago at the age of 14 I pirated my first copy of FL Studio and started making god awful EDM. I had no idea that now at the age of 22 I would be making plans to build a proper home studio with a view to becoming a producer and mixing engineer. I feel like I have found my calling in life and my knowledge and experience is growing daily. I feel like I’ve learned and practiced enough now to start working on a professional level, and I haven’t felt so passionate about something in years. Thanks for this fantastic video, there’s absolutely no limit to what you can learn.
Dude, reading this just made me so happy. In 2001, I pirated a copy of "FruityLoops" (as it was named back then), and started making the quality of hip-hop beat you'd expect from a 4th grader. 10 years later, I was signed to a small label, making enough to earn a living if I worked hard enough. I still have a nice catalog of artists that I work with (Rittz, Jelly Roll, among others that you may have heard of), and I love seeing comments like these while I continue to learn and get better. Best of luck to you in the future, man.
Абе брат, говорите как да подобрите звука при запис на вокали и сещевременно се чувате все едно в банята сте го снимали тва. Аре стегайте се да не идем!
I just got my 414 XLS and am getting ready to work on technique! Good primer for me here. I'm considering the angle of mic placement for the plosives and wondering if the downward or upward angle may be selected according to the preference of voice type. For instance, the chest resonance of a tenor will show up more with the cardoid pointing toward the lower half of their body as opposed to the ceiling. And a breathy voice can sound even more so, I would imagine, if the mic favored the opposite direction where the nasal and lip smacking sounds may be louder.
Might be a case of experimenting with what works best for each different singer - if you're getting the tone you want then nobody will care how you got there in the end haha!
I absolutely loved Mike's knowledge he so graciously shared. I'm a Indie Gospel Artist. I'm about to purchase a mic and this knowledge was right on time. Bless you for your giving out of what probably took you years of schooling to learn.
This was super helpful, thanks! My mic stand doesn’t allow for tilting so I’m going to try turning it ever so slightly to reduce pops missed by my pop filter.
How do you set GAIN for singing? Cuz obviously they say to make it go MAX ( when singing loudest note 10db and when normal singing 18db.... is that exactly right or no? how is that possible because you can’t exactly sing always making it stay in between them sooo...... Should I sing loudest note and set it by that OR sing my normal loudness and set it by that
we cover this early on in this video - you want to sing your loudest note and come back just shy of that note clipping. From there in post production you'll use a compressor of some sort to even out the overall level of the vocals in your mix (usually). If you have a specific section that's drastically lower or whispered or something like that - I would record that on a separate track, and set levels again specific to that style or section.
Ultragain Pro 8 is a cheap Behringer compressor though? $250 bucks. Compare this to a tube tech for instance or any other well known brand....why are we using this cheapish product?
this is in the studio for exactly that reason - to see how a mix sounds on a very cheap piece of gear haha. Just happened to be the easiest to use to demonstrate the principle we're talking about.
When we talk about style over substance this guy is exactly the reverse. not flashy , not showy not full of himself but what he is saying is absolute gold dust. sensible advice and making 100% sense. I like the cut of his jib !
A compressor doesn't fix any of the issues presented here. The points made here address everything that happens from mic to preamp. Everything in the chain after that will only format what has been taken into the preamp and get it ready for printing to a DAW or whatever recording device you're using. Even the pre that you choose to use is still basically after the mic technique and can only push what you put into it first.
When I first started recording with a condenser mic it sounded awful because I had not set the input gain, eq and compression correctly. I did some research and it made a massive difference. I’d only ever used normal mics before.
for me it's really weird that you guys are talking very professionally about how to setup a home studio, but actually the audio in this video is really just awful.. there are many background noise, and other noises you guys have just mentioned like poping,...etc..
Nobody going to talk about how we are all watching the video because we all care about perfect audio and only hear the noise is on the cameras microphone........?
I think if you scroll the comments you'll see lots of people are talking about it, and then if you read the replies you'll realise I screwed up with this haha. Fortunately we're talking about recording great vocals in a studio and not mistakes on what not to do recording audio for video haha!
excellent question, to which I don't specifically know the answer. You can look at a mic's frequency response and pattern to see if certain angles will increase that specific or area of frequencies though. Usually available if you search '---your mic--- frequency polar pattern'
With my studio headphones i can hear a lot of static noise in the background, is that surpossed to be there?? (In this clip i mean, its not there with other videos)
hey Maximus - you'll see lots of comments with my replies on this haha - my fault totally stuffing up audio on this and was just glad I could save something to make the video haha!
Typically with a dynamic mic they're designed to have you singing much closer to the mic than with the condenser mic's we're talking about here. Dynamic mic's mostly have a small pop filter built into the casing, although if you are still getting issues with plosives you can sing across the face of the mic - similar to what Mike describes here with angling the mic up or down a bit - except angling your voice to the side of the mic instead.
This can easily be reduced or edited in post to suit the flavour/sound you want on the recording. It can sound quite unusual to remove all breath sounds completely, but if they are taking over the recording it might be wise to reduce them individually in the mix - will take a bit of work, but you can still get a great result that you like. 😊
this video is absolutely amazing! SO MUCH GOOD INFO! Especially since making music is hobby for me rather than a job, I don't have a lot of time to put into studying the technical aspects (even though i would love to dedicate more time), so this video is all gold!! And facinating!
Great video. I’m older and just starting out recording as I want to leave some music around for my kids to pass on after I’m not around anymore. Your tips were a great place to start. Thanks again. I’m now a subscriber….
hey Wayne! Love this comment and all the best with your recording - what an awesome reason for it! Reach out at any stage if you think I can contribute or you get stuck 😊
haha so many people had the same experience because I screwed the audio haha. I was just happy I didn't lose it all so we could still share the info. Curious now if you bailed or watched and got something from it haha.
totally understand if you don't want to listen haha. I mucked up the audio so you are 100% correct - it's terrible. The info in this is still excellent though! Have a good day!
I heard someone explain the antiplosive trick as "aim the mic at the mouth instead of the mouth at the mic" and found it a PERFECT explanation to memorize and understand 👏. Great video!!!
I was told to practice speaking as though you’ve had an exorbitant amount of garlic, and you’re on an interview. It takes practice but it helps your popping. (In addition to off axis) This was great… and the interviewer did a masterful job. Really enjoyed this one! Thx for sharing.
Mike's one of the most genuine and generous people in the industry. So happy to be able to share this info with you all. Hope lots of awesome music gets created from it :)
The sibilance thing is a great refresher, loved that example where the “see” is getting ducked. It’s unknowingly something I hear in most songs but have never picked up on.
Dear David Shanhun, I suggest you make a video series of conversations with this audio master. If you and the owner of Manuka studio deal with other topics related to recording and processing audio, I am convinced that the traffic on your channel will increase significantly just like the number of subscribers. I am a complete beginner in this field but I have learned a lot by listening to fantastic tips just like recording and processing audio tips and tricks. Greetings from Split, Dalmatia, Croatia, EU
Hi Zoran! That's been on my mind also - it's been awesome seeing how much everybody has appreciated this info and chat that we filmed, and I think it's on my radar to look at exactly what you've suggested. Out of curiosity - what would be on your mind that you'd want to learn - any specific concepts/tips/areas of knowledge you would appreciate?
@@davidshanhun ...I too am a Newbie to this...Here are a few of my ideas on this subject...1) Setting levels on your interface & DAW for PEAK performance(I'm told -9 to around -15 Db is good and leaves enough Headroom...2) Routing issues with Interface , into DAW , buses , sends ,etc.... Very much needed info for beginners as well ... 3) Different mics and their strengths/weaknesses and the "Best mics For" type of thing 4) Any Mixing Tips/Tricks , etc... He would be willing to divulge lol... 5)Instrument recording(Guitar) and BEST way to achieve sound you want...ie. Amp Sims , What Amps sound like this or that & Mic placement with those Amps ,etc.... Ya know man..ALL THE BASIC STUFF!!!! lol lol ....anyways , Thanks for the video and keep em coming to help all us new-comers out!!! Stay Safe...
I agree with most of the things suggested in this video, except for a few things: 1) Using a reflective shield might cause more issues than it solves. Comb filtering in particular, where some less than perfect shields reflects certain frequencies from the direct signal (your voice) which the mic picks up. 2) All for the mattressing in the corner in a V- or U-shape. Standard, and excellent, practice. But don't sing towards the mattresses/corners - sing outwards in the room. The mic pattern is most likely cardioid anyway so having the back and sides covered is where money/mattresses/duvets should be spent.
Yeah, but regarding the #2, I've found (at least in my case) it's WAY better to do the opposite, because after all your voice won't bounce the hell out of everywhere, as clothing will absorb a lot of its energy. So to me, it's better to sing into a closet instead of doing the opposite trying to make the most of a cardioid pattern.
I don' t think it makes sense to drive a preamp to its maximum just before clipping because you risk the performer accidentally clipping once. The reality is that the noise of a digital interface and computer are negligible compared to analog equipment. I think its safer to go a few notches before clipping and you will still get a plenty strong signal which you can always boost using a gain plugin- this takes care of clipping from proximity effect and the performer' s dynamics.
Valid point my friend. You will know how much to dial back and what works for you to safely avoid clipping - as with most of these things experience usually teaches you good levels and settings that consistently work well for you. Nothing worse than an awesome take and you find you've clipped and have to re-do! Thanks for the input and comment 👌
Turn you’re gain up a little where you’re vocals are recorded barely noticeable and you will get a more intimate vocal , crank your gain just before clipping and you’ll get a smoother warmer lush mid quality vocal... try it, it’s pretty cool
@@davidshanhun in the digital world, if I'm not hitting the orange/ red to avoid clipping - will I lose thee sound quality if I'm not maxing the preamp gain out ? Can they make it louder in the mix without losing quality of the vocal?
This is gold. Seriously been watching so many shorter TH-cam friendly videos from people who I now realise aren't all that experienced. Some Qs too: 1. Any tips for mouth noise? Besides being hydrated etc is there anything one can do with mic placement etc that can help? 2. Thoughts on the Shure SM7b? 3. Is Manuka Studio still running in Orewa and is the $50 mastering offer still on?
Hey Edward! Mike is a legend and so generous with sharing useful info! Glad it's been helpful! I've found with mouth noise if I'm editing in post I go in and remove some of it - have found it most annoying with girls with super slick lip gloss haha! No particularly useful tips from me other than where it's a bit problem I've spent time removing it later! I've never used the SM7b but lots of people rave about it! What are you mainly recording? Manuka studios is still running - would be up to Mike to say yay or nay to the offer - flick him a message at manukastudios@slingshot.co.nz though 👌
As others have said. This video covers the topic better then most on YT. The whole time I'm watching this im thinking of an episode I just watched of Gunsmoke western. Throughout the whole episode there is terrible sibilance or something. It sounded like the echoing Jason noises. I noticed it right away. I had to convince my dad and cousin it was there. Once they finally noticed it they couldn't ignore it, like me. It was so distracting eventually we had to turn it. This is the episode in question if you ever feel the need to revisit the topic again.
love the classic gear like the fostex dat the mackie hr8 i like seeing people using any gear and getting good results 1 luv Reema nyc soundcloud.com/ai-ri4
"Best Vocal Sound" also involves coaxing the best performance from the artist. Unless the song is a cappella, the singer(s) will probably be wearing cans/buds and need some help to hear their own performance. Can you add any wisdom about monitoring for soloists and small groups of singers?
of course 😊. I would personally have them all in cans for control of mixing the audio in post. If not then the goal would usually be to remove as much bleed as possible - think about mic's being positioned close to vocalists, direction of the mic's and the direction of audio they are hearing to perform to.
Love this guy's attitude. On De-Essing: Learning how to make a side-chain setup/effect with a compressor and EQ will do amazing things for those Esses, it really has helped me tremendously and has perfected conquering this to make great vocals whenever this comes on as a problem with one of my own recordings, which all depends on what I need to bring out of the vocal I recorded when mixing...causing me to need to de-ess before hand, but can also depend on the mic I choose to use for a project, and/or micing techniques during recording. Either way, learning to de-ess affords you more freedom in all of these areas.
David Shanhun Fixed my whole world, adjusting dry gain and leaving wet at unity and then playing with the threshold of the compressor works beautifully for me. I use Reaper software in particular.
haha! We actually just chatted about that specifically for recording acoustic guitars... not so much an issue in the control room... unless you're filming a video you're going to put online.. oh... wait! uh oh! hehe! 😜
Learned more about my problem here then a at least 100 other videos I watched.
cool! I'm glad it was helpful to you!
I don't believe that for a second dude! This is vocal recoding 101. I can't believe you even watched 100 videos on vocal recording lol!!!! It is a very good video though :o)
@@davidshanhun This is my first one, so I guess thanks for saving me from having to watch 100 videos!
I have never seen a single video teach so much as this one. Mind blowing. Say thanks to him from me.
bro fr i took notes this shit is a god send
I’ve been a sound engineer in Hollywood for 16 years and everything in this video should be absolutely studied by people that are just starting out. Great video!
This guy is using a lot of older/budget equipment. he doesn't have a massive console, he doesn't have racks and racks of gear, but.... he really knows what he's doing!! His tips are far more valuable then half the crap coming out on youtube these days. Especially his tips on mic placement and usage, I can't tell you how many people abuse mics because of a video or two that they saw where the singers right up on top of the mic.
hehe yep! I'll take the guy with understanding over the guy with the latest gear personally 😉
A lot of studios have big consoles and racks of gear because the client wants to see them. You’d be surprised how much stuff isn’t hooked up!
i agree totally hes down to earth you dont get that often
Thank you for sharing. It makes the research easier when people share their input.
I would like to add for some people that may not know is the mic you use will have a big effect on issues. For those that always use a condenser mic that mic will pick up a huge amount of the room. Try using a dynamic mic which will keep room noise very low especially if you have untreated room. In fact there are times that the vocal quality and tone of a singer can benefit more from a dynamic mic than a condenser or ribbon. Expensive mics don't mean the right match to the singer. Many hit songs on vocals were recorded on a less expensive dynamic mic. I hope this helps
This is the most clear and detailed explanation how to improve my room recordings. Thanks. Two thumbs up 👍👍
Glad it was helpful! 👌 All the best with the new recordings!
What is killing me is we're talking about quality vocal recording yet the voice recording in this video is horrendous.
hehe yes you are correct! If I could go back and get the audio I lost on the day I would love to! will be much nicer next time promise! (my favourite comment on this I think was that it sounded like the video had been recorded through a potato! 😂)
What was the problem you had with this hissing what was causing that?
@@kcynerbt741 i mucked up recording audio and so had to use the dodgy audio from my old camera. or just not publish the video 🤦♂️
Your an idiot. We didn't come here to listen to the recording quality of is voice while talking. Negative people like you give me shits! I bet you winge about everything.
Aaron, you are winge-ing...
Open your closet and you have a bunch of clothes hanging in there. Get your mic right up next to that clothes and sing into the closet. Also make your own DIY Kaotica eyeball and place over the top of the mic or just buy an Electron PF8 for $25 on eBay.
awesome suggestion 👌
I have vocalists at the bottom of my stairs singing into my coats!!!!
@The Doobie Sisters and Sack Blabbath love this comment 💪
This guy is so clear and lucid in his explanations. He explains everything so well. He would make a brilliant teacher. He doesn't waffle on and really gets to the point. I also like the way he conducts himself. Excellent video!
he's awesome eh!
Well put and very clarifying comments. And David, your kind, and I would say, humble attitude, was very nice and appropriate. Than you both!
Thank you 😊
The interviewer would be me. Lol He looks like he loves listening and learning about this stuff.
it's gold 😍
Yeah, his eyes is still like 20 years old
Extremely helpful, although I’ve been a vocalist for many years both live and studio work I’m a total technophobe. I’m not totally happy with home recording results I’ve had so far. This video however is a game changer. Huge thank you to you both.
Damn, i have used my Pop Filter wrong all the time... And my vocal recordings also allways Turn Out Low End heavy and dull. Its wierd i allways thought i was far away enough. Thank you for this Video
Hope you get some great new recordings with this info Philipp 👌
This was incredible. I have had a horrible time with low end on my vocals. This was a God-send. Thanks to both of you!!
So happy to hear this! Happy recording 😊
"Here's looking at you, SM58!"
Me: Looks angrily at my SM58...
Explain, if you stand at the distance of the microphone or speak not exactly into it, but somewhere to the side or not exactly in the center, are not the particles of the voice signal lost? I always thought that the more accurately you direct your voice into the microphone, the better it will record the voice
one of the comments on here from someone summed things up beautifully stating 'aim the mic at the mouth, not the mouth at the mic'. You are correct if you take this to the extreme and face completely away from the microphone, but using a condensor mic you'll hear how well it captures your vocals. I suggest recording two separate takes for yourself to hear if there's a distinguishable difference. You'll be the best judge on listening back to what sounds best for you! 😊
Precious info :). So glad I didn't hear "you need a U87" to get the best vocal sound :)
haha love it!
Hi Michael, I agree. I've bought two brand new Røde NT2000's during a stock sale in my country (Belgium) for almost half the price and I can confirm that these two puppies are simply stunning mics. No need for an U87 at all. 👍😉 The NT2000's are the somewhat bigger brothers of the NTA1's. I record vocals with them, guitars, even soundscapes and field recordings in mid/side configuration and they do sound amazing. The details in the recordings are impressive. I can set the gain of my ZOOM H6 inputs to 10 and still hear no noise at all. You can hear an airplane coming from far away, in my headphone (Beyerdynamic DT1770) , long before you can hear them live. The sens of 3D in mid/side configuration is like in a cinema. With your eyes closed, you can point to where a sound is coming from, really joyfull stuff. For voices they sound very natural and clear, greetings Sven
This was a fantastic interview! Mike looks like a fun guy to talk to!
9:20 Singing across or slightly off axis into the mic to prevent plosives and pops; I've been doing this for years and it works great. Brilliant idea! Thanks for demonstrating this.
Awesome Bob! These things are so handy when you know em eh!
Laughed out loud on the 'Lispy' part of the conversation. Brought back memories of me trying to fine-tune the DBS 286 'de-esser' years ago!!! :-) I would add one other issue to your list. Vocalists moving back and forth while they sing - completely changes the volume and tone of the recording. Volume can be fixed but tone is a whole other ball game. Superglue all 'dancing' vocalists feet to the floor! :-)
The more videos I watch on recording and production, the more my growing passion for the art form burns. 8 years ago at the age of 14 I pirated my first copy of FL Studio and started making god awful EDM. I had no idea that now at the age of 22 I would be making plans to build a proper home studio with a view to becoming a producer and mixing engineer. I feel like I have found my calling in life and my knowledge and experience is growing daily. I feel like I’ve learned and practiced enough now to start working on a professional level, and I haven’t felt so passionate about something in years. Thanks for this fantastic video, there’s absolutely no limit to what you can learn.
I love this Nick! Love to see what you keep creating following your passion and enthusiasm brother!
Dude, reading this just made me so happy. In 2001, I pirated a copy of "FruityLoops" (as it was named back then), and started making the quality of hip-hop beat you'd expect from a 4th grader. 10 years later, I was signed to a small label, making enough to earn a living if I worked hard enough. I still have a nice catalog of artists that I work with (Rittz, Jelly Roll, among others that you may have heard of), and I love seeing comments like these while I continue to learn and get better. Best of luck to you in the future, man.
Абе брат, говорите как да подобрите звука при запис на вокали и сещевременно се чувате все едно в банята сте го снимали тва. Аре стегайте се да не идем!
exactly! Maybe it's all a trick haha!
Every minute of this video was worth to watch. Many thanks.
Appreciate the comment and trust you got some ace new skills for your recordings!
beast or best.... whatever..... I wanna learn...
👌
I like the cadence in your approach when you speak about music production. Your delivery is very philosophical. I like that shit
I just got my 414 XLS and am getting ready to work on technique! Good primer for me here. I'm considering the angle of mic placement for the plosives and wondering if the downward or upward angle may be selected according to the preference of voice type. For instance, the chest resonance of a tenor will show up more with the cardoid pointing toward the lower half of their body as opposed to the ceiling. And a breathy voice can sound even more so, I would imagine, if the mic favored the opposite direction where the nasal and lip smacking sounds may be louder.
Might be a case of experimenting with what works best for each different singer - if you're getting the tone you want then nobody will care how you got there in the end haha!
Amazing video. Thank You
most welcome!
Great interview. Very helpful. And reinforced some of what I've learned the hard way.
awesome!
I absolutely loved Mike's knowledge he so graciously shared. I'm a Indie Gospel Artist. I'm about to purchase a mic and this knowledge was right on time. Bless you for your giving out of what probably took you years of schooling to learn.
So happy for the timing on this for you and wish you all the best. Mike is awesome eh! 👌
Where are you located????
Excellent tutorial. Hats off.
Cheers!
This was super helpful, thanks! My mic stand doesn’t allow for tilting so I’m going to try turning it ever so slightly to reduce pops missed by my pop filter.
nice! Happy recording!
How do you set GAIN for singing? Cuz obviously they say to make it go MAX ( when singing loudest note 10db and when normal singing 18db.... is that exactly right or no?
how is that possible because you can’t exactly sing always making it stay in between them sooo......
Should I sing loudest note and set it by that
OR
sing my normal loudness and set it by that
we cover this early on in this video - you want to sing your loudest note and come back just shy of that note clipping. From there in post production you'll use a compressor of some sort to even out the overall level of the vocals in your mix (usually).
If you have a specific section that's drastically lower or whispered or something like that - I would record that on a separate track, and set levels again specific to that style or section.
Ultragain Pro 8 is a cheap Behringer compressor though?
$250 bucks. Compare this to a tube tech for instance or any other well known brand....why are we using this cheapish product?
this is in the studio for exactly that reason - to see how a mix sounds on a very cheap piece of gear haha. Just happened to be the easiest to use to demonstrate the principle we're talking about.
Starting to engineer my own tracks now…this is very helpful
awesome to hear!
Absolute gold dust! All very clearly explained. Subscribed
Cheers for joining and happy recording!
1:47 I never knew syphilis would affect singing. Explains all the autotune nowadays, though.
Thanks..I should pull out my Shure condenser which I paid 800 bucks for
yes!
When we talk about style over substance this guy is exactly the reverse. not flashy , not showy not full of himself but what he is saying is absolute gold dust. sensible advice and making 100% sense. I like the cut of his jib !
GAIN STAGE TO ASSURE YOU'RE NOT CLIPPING, THEN TRACK YOUR VOCALS WITH COMPRESSION TO TAME YOUR DYNAMICS. (LOL, IM NOT YELLING...)
I love a man who's a fan of caps lock. 😂
A compressor doesn't fix any of the issues presented here. The points made here address everything that happens from mic to preamp. Everything in the chain after that will only format what has been taken into the preamp and get it ready for printing to a DAW or whatever recording device you're using. Even the pre that you choose to use is still basically after the mic technique and can only push what you put into it first.
When I first started recording with a condenser mic it sounded awful because I had not set the input gain, eq and compression correctly. I did some research and it made a massive difference. I’d only ever used normal mics before.
STEP 5 : unplug your refrigerator and turn off your lights
hehe this ❤️
Excellent video-learned a lot as a novice.
10:44- I’ve been doing this the past year or so and wondering why I can’t get it mixed right 😂
aww man I feel ya! Hope this changes things for you from now on then eh!
David Shanhun oh yeah! Night and day difference. It’s amazing what hauling equipment properly does.😂 Thank you for the video!
I can Hear a lot of comb filtering in his control room.
for me it's really weird that you guys are talking very professionally about how to setup a home studio, but actually the audio in this video is really just awful.. there are many background noise, and other noises you guys have just mentioned like poping,...etc..
haha yes indeed - many of my replies to comments are the fact that I lost the original audio 😝
Great recommendations. For the first time My recordings sounds good. Thank you!
yay! so happy to hear this!
Always good to get mic info from a guy named mike...
Just kidding, this is a great video!
haha of course! Mike is great though eh!
Nobody going to talk about how we are all watching the video because we all care about perfect audio and only hear the noise is on the cameras microphone........?
I think if you scroll the comments you'll see lots of people are talking about it, and then if you read the replies you'll realise I screwed up with this haha. Fortunately we're talking about recording great vocals in a studio and not mistakes on what not to do recording audio for video haha!
Thank you very much for this information....It was a great help
most welcome!
the proximity effect effects lows but does it also effect sibilance?
excellent question, to which I don't specifically know the answer. You can look at a mic's frequency response and pattern to see if certain angles will increase that specific or area of frequencies though. Usually available if you search '---your mic--- frequency polar pattern'
I super love this video, it helped me a lot. THANK YOU SO MUCH! cheers :)
Awesome to hear this Patrick! Thanks for letting us know! 😊
I worked radio and took me years to even begin to learn some of those things. ;)
I forget I've been super lucky to hang out with guys like Mike and shortcut a lot of learning! 😊
Sibilance is exactly what I was looking for but didn't kno the name! I have a really baritone voice that carries ssssss
haha perfect!
Just want to say thank you! Any chance that 50 dollar master is still applicable?
hey Jason - you'd have to touch base with Mike - his details are in the description if you want to get in touch 👌
With my studio headphones i can hear a lot of static noise in the background, is that surpossed to be there?? (In this clip i mean, its not there with other videos)
hey Maximus - you'll see lots of comments with my replies on this haha - my fault totally stuffing up audio on this and was just glad I could save something to make the video haha!
Thank you for confirming my bedroom theory, always get the best results - carpets, curtains, clothes = CCC -Recording 😉
haha yes!!
Should you have the mic above you, on level, or below you? If you have a dynamic mic
Typically with a dynamic mic they're designed to have you singing much closer to the mic than with the condenser mic's we're talking about here. Dynamic mic's mostly have a small pop filter built into the casing, although if you are still getting issues with plosives you can sing across the face of the mic - similar to what Mike describes here with angling the mic up or down a bit - except angling your voice to the side of the mic instead.
Best half an hour I've spent regarding vocal recording. Thank you!
awesome!
Using pc how do I get to monitor a mic on my headset can’t find this answer anyway on TH-cam
what DAW and setup are you using into the PC?
Great video,, but for a video on getting good recording results there is a hell of a lot of noise floor.
indeed! - many comments and my responses on this haha.
What an excellent informative video! Thank you!
Glad it was helpful to you! 👌
Irony of providing audio tips in a video with a lot of hissing 😂 great tips however
Haha i know! 🤦♂️😂
What I hate the most is when a singer sing and you hear them breathing between lines. Is it a mix problem or a singer problem?
This can easily be reduced or edited in post to suit the flavour/sound you want on the recording. It can sound quite unusual to remove all breath sounds completely, but if they are taking over the recording it might be wise to reduce them individually in the mix - will take a bit of work, but you can still get a great result that you like. 😊
this video is absolutely amazing! SO MUCH GOOD INFO! Especially since making music is hobby for me rather than a job, I don't have a lot of time to put into studying the technical aspects (even though i would love to dedicate more time), so this video is all gold!! And facinating!
stoked to hear this and thanks for taking the time to comment. Happy recording!
Yeah I tracked in a church hall but for the main tracks I setup towards a corner and used reflection filters to control those takes.
nice
Fab video guys very educational, will make sure i angle the mic
when recording from now on.. thanks guys
Nice one! happy recording!
Great advice...for those who will actually take heed.
this! 👌
Great video. I’m older and just starting out recording as I want to leave some music around for my kids to pass on after I’m not around anymore. Your tips were a great place to start. Thanks again. I’m now a subscriber….
hey Wayne! Love this comment and all the best with your recording - what an awesome reason for it! Reach out at any stage if you think I can contribute or you get stuck 😊
The part when he talks about clipping and mic placement talked to me.
nice! Happy recording!
I come in and hear that signal to noise ration and my first tought is "can I realy learn something here or is it just a waste of time"
haha so many people had the same experience because I screwed the audio haha. I was just happy I didn't lose it all so we could still share the info. Curious now if you bailed or watched and got something from it haha.
The audio in the video is so poor how do i take you seriously? The hiss is louder then your talking.
totally understand if you don't want to listen haha. I mucked up the audio so you are 100% correct - it's terrible. The info in this is still excellent though! Have a good day!
I heard someone explain the antiplosive trick as "aim the mic at the mouth instead of the mouth at the mic" and found it a PERFECT explanation to memorize and understand 👏. Great video!!!
This is an excellent explanation!
@@davidshanhun yes, I found it unforgettable, isn't it?
@@fabiocaetanofigueiredo1353 yes!
Just saw this video and that was Excellent advice! Thank you both so much and I hope you are still doing well
Mike' accent sounds South African?
Correct!
thanks a lot i made many errors with the position of the mike .
ah glad you got some new ideas to improve from this then! happy recording!
Brilliant advice, as I'm new to recording on PC using studio one Artiste I'm having trouble getting a decent vocal so Thank you
Awesome hope it's going better for you now 👌
I was told to practice speaking as though you’ve had an exorbitant amount of garlic, and you’re on an interview. It takes practice but it helps your popping. (In addition to off axis)
This was great… and the interviewer did a masterful job. Really enjoyed this one! Thx for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed this Kevin! 👌
Incredibly useful, thank you
most welcome!
Very nice. Bowing to 0 for this wonderful class.
love it! 😊
Ta fella, learned loads. Just gotta learn to sing...
haha love it!
I put my vocal tracks down INSIDE a wardrobe full of clothes. Very effective vocal booth.
yes!! This is quite likely the best option for many people at home!
Love this. Simple, clear, and extremely useful. Thanks guys!
awesome. Glad you got so much out of it 👌
get a 5x5 canopy tent and trow some blankets
sorted! 👌
This was fantastic. Big-time thanks for being so generous with your knowledge!
Mike's one of the most genuine and generous people in the industry. So happy to be able to share this info with you all. Hope lots of awesome music gets created from it :)
The sibilance thing is a great refresher, loved that example where the “see” is getting ducked. It’s unknowingly something I hear in most songs but have never picked up on.
I'm just starting out and this was so, so, so, so, SO helpful :') THANK YOU!
Awesome Anna! Happy recording!
Dear David Shanhun, I suggest you make a video series of conversations with this audio master. If you and the owner of Manuka studio deal with other topics related to recording and processing audio, I am convinced that the traffic on your channel will increase significantly just like the number of subscribers. I am a complete beginner in this field but I have learned a lot by listening to fantastic tips just like recording and processing audio tips and tricks.
Greetings from Split, Dalmatia, Croatia, EU
Hi Zoran! That's been on my mind also - it's been awesome seeing how much everybody has appreciated this info and chat that we filmed, and I think it's on my radar to look at exactly what you've suggested. Out of curiosity - what would be on your mind that you'd want to learn - any specific concepts/tips/areas of knowledge you would appreciate?
@@davidshanhun ...I too am a Newbie to this...Here are a few of my ideas on this subject...1) Setting levels on your interface & DAW for PEAK performance(I'm told -9 to around -15 Db is good and leaves enough Headroom...2) Routing issues with Interface , into DAW , buses , sends ,etc.... Very much needed info for beginners as well ... 3) Different mics and their strengths/weaknesses and the "Best mics For" type of thing 4) Any Mixing Tips/Tricks , etc... He would be willing to divulge lol... 5)Instrument recording(Guitar) and BEST way to achieve sound you want...ie. Amp Sims , What Amps sound like this or that & Mic placement with those Amps ,etc.... Ya know man..ALL THE BASIC STUFF!!!! lol lol ....anyways , Thanks for the video and keep em coming to help all us new-comers out!!! Stay Safe...
Awesome
😊
I agree with most of the things suggested in this video, except for a few things:
1) Using a reflective shield might cause more issues than it solves. Comb filtering in particular, where some less than perfect shields reflects certain frequencies from the direct signal (your voice) which the mic picks up.
2) All for the mattressing in the corner in a V- or U-shape. Standard, and excellent, practice. But don't sing towards the mattresses/corners - sing outwards in the room. The mic pattern is most likely cardioid anyway so having the back and sides covered is where money/mattresses/duvets should be spent.
Sweet thanks for the good input Rick 👌
Yeah, but regarding the #2, I've found (at least in my case) it's WAY better to do the opposite, because after all your voice won't bounce the hell out of everywhere, as clothing will absorb a lot of its energy. So to me, it's better to sing into a closet instead of doing the opposite trying to make the most of a cardioid pattern.
I don' t think it makes sense to drive a preamp to its maximum just before clipping because you risk the performer accidentally clipping once. The reality is that the noise of a digital interface and computer are negligible compared to analog equipment. I think its safer to go a few notches before clipping and you will still get a plenty strong signal which you can always boost using a gain plugin- this takes care of clipping from proximity effect and the performer' s dynamics.
Valid point my friend. You will know how much to dial back and what works for you to safely avoid clipping - as with most of these things experience usually teaches you good levels and settings that consistently work well for you. Nothing worse than an awesome take and you find you've clipped and have to re-do! Thanks for the input and comment 👌
Turn you’re gain up a little where you’re vocals are recorded barely noticeable and you will get a more intimate vocal , crank your gain just before clipping and you’ll get a smoother warmer lush mid quality vocal... try it, it’s pretty cool
@@davidshanhun in the digital world, if I'm not hitting the orange/ red to avoid clipping - will I lose thee sound quality if I'm not maxing the preamp gain out ? Can they make it louder in the mix without losing quality of the vocal?
Such a great video. Thank you :)
Thanks David 😊
Wow this is the best explanation! Thank you
awesome to hear. Happy recording!! :)
This is gold. Seriously been watching so many shorter TH-cam friendly videos from people who I now realise aren't all that experienced.
Some Qs too:
1. Any tips for mouth noise? Besides being hydrated etc is there anything one can do with mic placement etc that can help?
2. Thoughts on the Shure SM7b?
3. Is Manuka Studio still running in Orewa and is the $50 mastering offer still on?
Hey Edward! Mike is a legend and so generous with sharing useful info! Glad it's been helpful!
I've found with mouth noise if I'm editing in post I go in and remove some of it - have found it most annoying with girls with super slick lip gloss haha! No particularly useful tips from me other than where it's a bit problem I've spent time removing it later!
I've never used the SM7b but lots of people rave about it! What are you mainly recording?
Manuka studios is still running - would be up to Mike to say yay or nay to the offer - flick him a message at manukastudios@slingshot.co.nz though 👌
this is very informative! thank you!
most welcome!
As others have said. This video covers the topic better then most on YT.
The whole time I'm watching this im thinking of an episode I just watched of Gunsmoke western.
Throughout the whole episode there is terrible sibilance or something. It sounded like the echoing Jason noises. I noticed it right away. I had to convince my dad and cousin it was there. Once they finally noticed it they couldn't ignore it, like me. It was so distracting eventually we had to turn it.
This is the episode in question if you ever feel the need to revisit the topic again.
love the classic gear like the fostex dat the mackie hr8 i like seeing people using any gear and getting good results 1 luv Reema nyc soundcloud.com/ai-ri4
This is literally the most in depth and least intimidating educational video on mic placement and vocal takes. Thank you. Home studio gal here!
yay! Happy recording!!
Agreed!!
He somehow is able to break it down for total beginners without talking down to anyone. Really a master w no ego and an obvious love for his craft.
So much useful info. Thanks a lot!
Most welcome Joshua!
"Best Vocal Sound" also involves coaxing the best performance from the artist. Unless the song is a cappella, the singer(s) will probably be wearing cans/buds and need some help to hear their own performance. Can you add any wisdom about monitoring for soloists and small groups of singers?
of course 😊. I would personally have them all in cans for control of mixing the audio in post. If not then the goal would usually be to remove as much bleed as possible - think about mic's being positioned close to vocalists, direction of the mic's and the direction of audio they are hearing to perform to.
Years of practical experience on this, thank you for sharing.
🥰
Love this guy's attitude.
On De-Essing: Learning how to make a side-chain setup/effect with a compressor and EQ will do amazing things for those Esses, it really has helped me tremendously and has perfected conquering this to make great vocals whenever this comes on as a problem with one of my own recordings, which all depends on what I need to bring out of the vocal I recorded when mixing...causing me to need to de-ess before hand, but can also depend on the mic I choose to use for a project, and/or micing techniques during recording. Either way, learning to de-ess affords you more freedom in all of these areas.
Thanks for the de-essing compressing side chain combo 👌
David Shanhun Fixed my whole world, adjusting dry gain and leaving wet at unity and then playing with the threshold of the compressor works beautifully for me. I use Reaper software in particular.
How about squeaky chairs???
haha! We actually just chatted about that specifically for recording acoustic guitars... not so much an issue in the control room... unless you're filming a video you're going to put online.. oh... wait! uh oh! hehe! 😜