Vocal Recording Techniques, What makes for good technical vocal Options

[sonickid23]

So I've been doing some reading in this forum and have learned that, yes a large part of a good vocal involves the talent of the singer. However, technically what makes a good vocal recording?...after recording some of my own vocals and comparing to some CD's of mine I realize they need some sprucing up. I've heard about limiters and compressers and equalizers, yet I have NO CLUE what these do. I have fiddled with them a bit and can definitely hear a difference in the sound, but I guess my question is"What is the desirable vocal sound/quality?" and "How is it achieved?"...I'm sure this will spur a multitude of different answers...so I guest every just give your two cents. Thanks

[allears]

Hello,

A compressor is basically a variable gain device, where the amount of gain used depends on the level of the input. The gain is automatically reduced when the signal level is high which makes louder passages softer, reducing the dynamic range.

In the studio, compression is a useful tool when cutting tracks and adjusting the mix. For example, in a session the singer may be moving to and away from the mic, and a little compression will even out the volume changes that would otherwise be recorded. Once the tracks have been recorded, a compressor gives you a way to adjust the dynamic range of the track and balancing the tracks. Using an appropriate attack time, the naturalness of an instrument's sound will get through before the compression sets in. In some cases, compression may even reduce the need for equalization.

A Limiter processes your sound files using a sophisticated algorithm. Single peaks exceeding a user-defined level are softly compressed in such a way that the result cannot be distinguished from the original by the human ear. This permits rising the main volume of the sound file considerably without causing clipping or distortion!

EQUALIZATION (EQ) - boosting or cutting various frequencies in the spectrum of a sound.


That being said... sadly it is going to be difficult to get that "CD" quality vocal sound with a $120 Mic going straight into an inexpensive audio interface.

That "classic vocal sound" that you desire it the combination of very nice gear in the hands of a professional.

Buy the best mic/preamp/ Analogue to Digital Converters / audio interface/ and Monitors(speakers) that you can afford if you really want to get a few steps closer to that sound you desire.

Welcome to the club, the price of admission is high,

Good Luck!