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  • VOCAL RECORDING

    K
    K

    Hi

    i am a university student who is currently conducting a project centering around vocal recording, mixing and production in different genres.

    I have no experience in recording and mixing classical vocals and was wondering if anyone could help me in reference to microphones, microphone techniques and mixing tools used for classical vocals?

    Thanks
  • A
    A

     What is the project?

    What microphones, mic pre-amp and tools do you have at disposition? Do you record the vocalist on a concert stage, or in a recording studio?

    Recording of classical music is usually made by trained, real live engineers (not the fader pushers), guys who studied at university, have a solid theoretical understanding of theory and practice, and have the experience and the concepts for live balancing high quality recordings.

    .
  • N
    N
    Come on, Angelo! You sound like one of those overly serious guys at the AES sessions who start hyperventilating at the mere mention of the words "stereo mic technique," and I know that's not what you intended.

    kermeo, I don't think you should be afraid of trying for one minute! Every one of those classical engineers who understands the theory and practice started with no experience. :) And I have at least two fader-pushing friends who can record anything - classical, jazz, rock, whatever - and make it sound great AND also mix incredibly well - including one guy who mixed half the albums in the '80s and is still going strong. They aren't tonemeister types, they're engineers who started as musicians and learned after talking their way into jobs. There were no audio engineering classes when they went to college. As a matter of fact, the other friend I'm thinking of now runs a university program!

    This is music. No one gets hurt if you make pants of it, as the Brits say.

    The thing about miking classical singers is that unlike "pop" vox, the room is part of the sound. So you don't normally want to get too close. My suggestion is to get the best flat mics you can (as opposed to character mics with an opinion) and stick one about three feet away and then another one or possibly two farther back to pick up the room. Where the room mics go is a matter of taste; use your ears to find where it sounds best. You could use more mics, but there's a point at which it becomes a hassle and you start having to worry about phase problems. If you have a small-diaphragm mic and a large-diaphragm one, use the large one for the room and the small one as the spot mic - the one close to the singer.

    To avoid phase problems there's an old adage called the 3:1 rule: when you're using two mics on the same source, the second mic should be at least 3x the distance the other one is from the source. That rule is violated all the time, but it's a good starting point.

    The main thing is to try and make a short test recording before the actual performance so that you can listen to how it sounds and make adjustments. Trust your ears.
  • A
    A

    Nick,

    When kermeo plans to write a short essai for a lecture about recording and mixing classical vocals, my last sentence is perfect to start with. But it will be difficult to make a close to reality text for a person without any experience.

    If he actually want to do a recording of a classical vocalist, there are no fixed rules how to do it. Then he should initially mention what the music is, i.e. Vivaldi, Delibes, Monteverdi. By what is the vox accompanied, what is the composite of the ensemble, i.e. chamber orchestra, a duo with piano, an orchestra. Is it a male vox, female vox, or mixed choir. Is the recording done in a concert stage, what are the dimensions of the room, recording in a church, in a recording studio. Then it starts to make sense going into details.
  • N
    N

    :)

    Don't take anything I post too seriously, Angelo. It's certainly not that I disagree with anything you say - I just understood kermeo was planning on making a recording; telling other people how to do it when you've never tried is a slightly different problem. :)

    And of course I know Bruce Swedien. He's very good, and he has no shortage of interesting ideas - the famous expensive mono mic technique, etc.
  • K
    K
    thanks for the help, appreciate it alot, and i'm sure i'l be on hear for more help over the coming months. in respect to the recordings, as i am at university there isnt a brilliantly wide variety of mic's, for the one which is in the direct line of the vocalist, would something like an AKG C414 be appropriate? its the variety of frequencies in the voices that i want to be able to pick up.
  • N
    N
    The C414 is a little on the bright side, but a lot of people like that. It's a good all-around mic and it'll work well. Experiment with the pickup patterns. You'll probably like the wide cardioid or the omni pattern.
  • A
    A
    last edited
    last edited

    @kermeo said:

    .... for the one which is in the direct line of the vocalist, would something like an AKG C414 be appropriate?

    There is nothing you can do wrong when you recording the vocalist with a single microphone in mono to a single channel, just put the single mic in front of the singer and hit the record button. There is one thing which could affect your vocal mono recording done with a pressure gradient microphone, that is the so called proximity effect, also known as bass tip-up.

    and

     

    NEVER RECORD A LEAD VOCAL ON STEREO !!!!

    .
  • N
    N

    The fun part about recording is that everyone has different ideas - which is what makes it an art. As I said, I'd actually be inclined to record a classical singer with one spot mic and stereo room mics (if the room or hall is up to it).

    And while I haven't ever recorded a pop voc in stereo, I almost always create walls for it in the mix (with stereo hard-panned delays at about 15 and 40ms). So you could make an argument for trying the same as above instead of the delays. But of course you want a more intimate sound with the mic a lot closer for a pop voc.

  • M
    M

    Hi kermeo,

    I just finished a short recording session a few days ago. The mic used for the soprano was a Schoeps MK2 (flat response), the pre was a Great River MP-2NV. It was positioned at mouth level, ~ 50-60 cm from her if I remember well. Most important is WHERE you are doing the recording, and WHERE you put the mic (and the singer of course). Find a good place with either a good natural reverb, or a neutral print (no reverb but some ambiance) if you want to add reverb later. For pop/rock the mic is usually a cardiod, very close to the mouth, but for classical I prefer some distance, some air in between with an omni mic. hope this helps.

  • N
    N

     "the pre was a Great River MP-2NV. It was positioned at mouth level"

    I've also found that all the way in the mouth is appropriate for a lot of singers. Just make sure to take it out of the rack case if you're using one. 
  • M
    M

    [:D][:D][:D]