Recording - February 2016 - 34

By Joe Albano
Compared with some of the complex jobs recordists face, recording vocals might
seem to be one of the more basic tasks. You just set up your best mic, get a good level,
hit Record, and you're good to go... at least in theory. Even so, vocal recordings are
still often plagued with a host of problems, big and small, that crop up with alarming
regularity and interfere with achieving the best possible results.
Some might occur during the initial performing and recording stage; other times they
may crop up during mixing. Problems are frequently technical in nature, but musical
issues often show up as well. While some are easy enough to spot and fix, others can
be maddeningly frustrating, leaving both amateur and professional recordists scratching their heads and saying, "Now what?"
So what sort of trouble is an intrepid recordist likely to face when tackling vocals?
Let's run through a few of the common vocal problems that are often encountered, from
initial performance to final mix. We'll also explore potential solutions-some at the
source, as the recording is going down, and some after the fact at the mix stage.

Fig 1. Addressing noise/leakage between vocal phrases-
a noise gate plug-in; The Strip Silence feature
Capturing the voice
We'll start with typical technical problems that crop up while recording. Going right
to the source, one fairly obvious factor is the choice of microphone. If the singer
and/or recordist are more used to live performance situations, it could seem like the
best bet would be to set up the same mic in the studio-usually that old standby of
stage mics, the Shure SM58. And this can work, but in the more controlled playback
environments where studio recordings are commonly heard, this dynamic workhorse
will lack the clarity, air, and openness of a proper studio vocal mic. That would normally be a side-address condenser, specifically a large-diaphragm condenser (LDC), the
gold standard for studio vocals.
Such mics used to be found only at the highest price points; $3000+ mics are still the
choice in larger studios, along with even pricier vintage models. But nowadays, decent LDCs
are available at every price point from $100 up, and for prices from $300 up to around
$1000 you'll find many excellent choices from firms we frequently review in Recording-
ADK, Audio-Technica, Audix, Blue, Ear Trumpet, Lewitt, Mojave Audio, Neat, Neumann,
Oktava, RØDE, Roswell, Sennheiser, Shure, Studio Projects, Telefunken, and others.
If you have no choice but to use a stage mic, or find yourself mixing a vocal track that was
recorded less-than-optimally live, you can try to EQ the recording to have a similar tonal balance to those classic high-end LDCs. Most LDC studio mics have a broad bump somewhere
34

RECORDING February 2016

around 5 to 10 kHz, which adds presence and helps lift the vocal in the mix.
Emulating this can help a little, but you
still won't be able to impart that characteristic LDC air and openness after the
fact. Most small-studio operators invest in
at least one really good LDC-the best
they can afford-and use that mic on
the voice whenever possible.
One other alternative that's growing in popularity is the ribbon mic.
We've recently discussed models from
AEA, Cascade, Cloud, Coles, Royer
Labs, Samson, and Sontronics. They
have a different tonal balance than
an LDC and may work better depending on the vocalist and track.
Keep the noise at bay
Any time you're recording an
acoustic instrument, the recording space
is going to be a key consideration.
Unlike louder instruments like drums or
guitar amps, vocals are usually more
moderate in level, and so the mic is
more likely to pick up noise from both
inside and outside the room. That's
especially true with more sensitive studio
mics. The most obvious strategies would
include using a directional (cardioid)
pattern on the mic and angling the rear
of the mic away from any potential
noise sources, and closing all windows
or recording in an interior room. There
may also be other, less obvious sources
of unwanted sound leakage that you'll
need to address.
The performer may generate background noise without realizing it-jangling jewelry, scratchy-sounding clothing, a squeaky floorboard. The recording equipment, or other mechanical
devices (refrigerator, HVAC, etc.) may
also contribute, emitting hum or buzz.
All of this may be low enough in level
to pass unnoticed in the room itself, but
the mics will pick it up, and it can be
amplified later to the point of distraction, especially when the vocal is compressed and boosted in the mix.
To deal with this at the source
(always the best solution!), having the
performer remove any potentially
noise-making items should be standard procedure. Isolating the vocalist/mic with baffles (there are many

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - February 2016