VP And The Studio.....
Written by Wes Carroll
Thursday, 30 June 2005
Hey howdy hello, and welcome to the very first online edition of the Contemporary A Cappella Newsletter! My column Ask Wes will be continuing in the online edition, interspersed with occasional rants and raves. This time, it's the answer to a letter that came to the Ask Wes editor a few months ago:
hey wes, my a cappella group is going into the studio soon and i was wondering what kind of effects you use for your VP. my goal is to get it to sound as real as possible without taking away from the fact that it's done vocally. if you could help me out with any tips, that would be great. thanks.
p.s. one of our VPs is a girl and i was wondering if you had any suggestions on how to FX her as well ... her kick drum is not as low as the rest of ours. thanks again.
mike
Mike, let me respond to your postscript first. If her kick isn't as low as yours, there are two possible solutions: either get into the natural sound of her voice and let it be, or else have her learn to do it a different way. Trying to change her sound into something it isn't is likely to give you the tired octave-doubled synth-y sound we've all been hearing for years. If her sound comes from her natural resonance, then keep it. It'll be an unusual and compelling addition to a song to have a low woman's voice providing the pulse. On the other hand, if she's trying for a sound that directly imitates a kick drum, she should be using the microphone's diaphragm, not her larynx. A properly-shaped puff of air directly into the capsule of some microphones will produce a very satisfying and believable thump. Note, however, that an SM58 won't do it. Try an inexpensive condenser or a dynamic with good low-end response (e.g. Beyer M88) with or without an extra muppet-nose type pop filter (but definitely *not* with a standard studio pop filter).
As far as specific effects go, that's a matter of personal taste and skill for your engineer and producer. The best advice I know to give you is to get a really clear idea of what you mean by wanting it to be "as real as possible without taking away from the fact that it's done vocally." If you want it to sound real, then leave it as it is and don't change a thing. What could be more real than that? If you want it to sound like a drum kit, then aim for that instead, in which case forget the vocal production aspect.
Maybe what you mean is that you want it to sound like a vocally-produced track, but you want it to play the same role in the final mix that a drum kit and/or drum loop would. In that case, I'm afraid the solution really does depend on your performer's sound and your engineer's skill and gear.
For me, I find that a little EQ shaping goes a long way; that compression can be okay after the fact, but I really don't like recording into a compressor; and that Bill Hare knows a lot more about this stuff than I do... which sort of reinforces that you have to just trust your producer.
Hope this helps. Best of luck with the CD!
PS I'm very glad to report that Mouth Drumming Vol. 1 is now available on DVD, at long last! Check out www.mouthdrumming.com to get your copy. Also, please submit questions to the Ask Wes column using the Ask Wes button at the bottom of the www.mouthdrumming.com site.
Wes Carroll is the vocal percussionist for the House Jacks and All About Buford. His series of instructional DVDs are THE resource for vocal percussionists worldwide
Add as favorites (75) | Quote this article on your site | Views: 3593Only registered users can write comments.
Powered by AkoComment Tweaked Special Edition v.1.4.6www.mamboportal.com
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 07 February 2006 )
Sponsored Ad
