Techniques for Vocal Recording w/o Use of Headphones

[Skinnypuppy]

Greetings All,

Can anyone point me in the right direction for information on techniques to record a single vocalist without using headphones? I am working with a singer who delivers consistently solid performances when singing live in front of an audience and consistently poor performances during recording sessions with headphones. I read something just recently that alluded to a method utilizing a combination of properly placed monitor speakers and baffles which got great results with negligible bleed from the monitors. No additional info was given, so I was hoping someone here might have tried this or at least heard about it in greater detail.

Thanks in advance!

J.

[hackenslash]

I'd say stick with the headphones and get used to it. This is a really common phenomenon. I used to be terrible in the studio, feeling like I needed the feedback of the audience to get a good performance. It's simply a matter of practice.

[sixstringsuperman]

Just like a singer should learn how to sing without holding the mic in a studio, he/she should learn to use headphones. That's just the way it is.

[Skinnypuppy]

Thanks for taking the time to reply and make the suggestions, I appreciate it. Definitely still interested in hearing from anyone who actually knows of this technique.

[kylempetersen]

What I have heard works, haven't really tried it, BUT you can set up a set of monitors in your tracking room, have the singer sing while monitoring through those and then when you're finished, without moving a thing (except the singer of course) reverse the polarity of the mic and record on a new track JUST the bleed from the monitors (make sure you take out the newly recorded vocals from your playback). I heard that when you combine the two tracks the polarity reversed track cancels out the bleed of the track with your vocal performance. Good Luck!!

[RemyRAD]

Yes, a very convenient way to cut vocal You must make certain that the monitor mix does not change and does not include the vocalist. You must also make certain not to move the microphone or the speaker and try not to remove anything else in the room other than removing vocalist.

You then record the room. Later, on your console or in software, you invert the phase. You combine that channel with the vocalist channel and copy that to yet a third track. The background when balanced against the vocal track should null out. Then you can erase the original 2. This works so much better in the land of digital than it did in analog because of the extremely flat response of digital recording. And no flutter to sneak in either.

Further questions can be directed towards me
Ms. Remy Ann David

[Skinnypuppy]

Kyle and Remy - many thanks to you both!!

John