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i was wondering if anyone had some useful information on this. I'm prety sure there would have to be different techniques involved. I'm particular interested in getting that throaty sound that is like vocal distortion caused by the larynxs clashing together, but emphasizing it naturally by proper micing, not by resorting to distortion plugins like so many screaming bands do nowadays.

by the way i use a tube mic, but i have gotten a lot of dark (i dont like using muddy) sounds from it when i scream. singing through it sounds amazing though. so would using a condenser get more of that crispness?

Comments

moonbaby Wed, 01/31/2007 - 09:28

You're already using a condenser mic...
Anyway, few condensers, tube or SS, were designed specifically for screaming. You might try a mic that is designed more along those lines. A Shure SM58, or its studio cousin the SM-7 might be moire to your liking.
Dynamic mics like those can handle the high SPLs you generate when your "larynxs dash together". You also have to take into account the mic preamp you are feeding the mic into....some of these do not like that strong a signal, either.

anonymous Thu, 02/01/2007 - 08:02

yes it is a condenser, BUT tubes and non tube condensers sound completely different, so i put tube mics in a different category. the thing is i want more clarity and detail (more vocal distortion, throat grinding whatever noise) not less (sm58). ive tried the 58 and it just sounds like crap to my ears. to me, they just arent accurate enough.

now the sm7 i have heard a great deal about..maybe i should try testing that out. but what about the records major labels put out that have screaming..or even just local bands who are big and have a nice demo. their screams are very very detailed.

RemyRAD Thu, 02/01/2007 - 13:44

birdyyellow, I think you have birdie brains and birdie crap hearing and information? You got birdie crap, obviously for a microphone preamp as well?

If you want a microphone that they give you some better edge, better crappie vocal sounds to accentuate an already crappie vocal, you might want to consider the Uber Fabulous Sennheiser MD421? Since they appear to have a more extended response than the SM58 and since their advertising back in the 1970s featured a smoking gun in front of the microphone with the claim that his microphone CANNOT be overloaded, by blowing your brains out in front of it. That microphone coupled with its 5 position variable bass cut filter, along with its black phallic form factor, should provide you with that beautiful sound of you, or your client, coughing up their vocal cords!

Just remember, to point the gun into your mouth instead of the microphone?
Ms. Remy Ann David

anonymous Thu, 02/01/2007 - 18:53

"birdyyellow, I think you have birdie brains and birdie crap hearing and information?"

no i dont. i just dont like sm58s at all, and have never really found a use for them.

"You got birdie crap, obviously for a microphone preamp as well? "

yeah, you got me there. i just have the onboard pres for the 002r. i know i should really buy a nice preamp like the fmr rnp. but $500 is a lot of money, even though the quality will be night and day.

hxckid88 Mon, 02/12/2007 - 16:11

Yessss Zao rocks...

Anywho, I just used an SM58, and I think we seriously used like a Radioshack mic or something cause it was a really rough sound. It doesn't sound GREAT but I mean, you're screaming. You can let them hold it and get up and personal. Norma Jean (or was it the chariot?) recorded their vocals like that. He just held the mic and paced around and acted like it was a show, so its more natural and brutal. I added some distortion to it via plugins. It's hard to reproduce that distortion from the PA live. Either that or I'm just dumb. *shrug*

Cucco Tue, 02/13/2007 - 10:14

birdyyellow wrote: yes it is a condenser, BUT tubes and non tube condensers sound completely different, so i put tube mics in a different category.

Sorry...tube or no tube makes very little difference, especially at the price point you're working with.

I've got or worked with tube mics that are as "crispy" as the hottest condenser, yet have owned or do own condensers which are warmer and fuller than virtually any tube microphone.

Just because it has a tube doesn't make it "warm and full."

The presonus tube mic pre is certainly nothing special nor is the FMR. (The FMR is decent, but nothing to write home about.)

A 57 or 58 through a Langevin pre or an API is going to sound damn good on screaming vocals (something with PLENTY of headroom that won't compress on its own - then you can add your own compression to your own tastes.) The pres you have or are looking at getting just don't have what it takes to coax out the best in the performance.

Sorry...it's just a fact.

J 8-)

multoc Tue, 02/13/2007 - 11:49

Recording screams are not hard to do. I use a condensor, an AT (dont remember the model name off the top of my head) and it does the job cleanly and with little pain. Add a bit of de-es and your set, any other problems have to do with your mix skills.
http://multoc.com, http://myspace.com/earthvsthespider,http://myspace.com/yeolderelic, and http://myspace.com/vigildeath...proof is in there, just record it straight and don't worry about it so much, any thing you start worrying about makes it difficult.
good luck!
-Ashton Parsons

anonymous Thu, 03/01/2007 - 18:59

hey what can i say not much i guess cuz im a noob to this site. but an amature to recording. I dot care about my grammer. anyways, MXL 909 with a tube pre. for screaming its a beast and beasts are a good thing. I am told these are NOT top notch gear. But im from small town, WI known as SPOONER ha this place is a hole, but it has its upides. lol ADD anyways... It works. With the right compressor and effects it all comes together nicley. At first i had lil problems but have no distortion or noise just kinda not real good sounding vocals. But i notied it was a monitoring problem and i was just making them sound bad cuz couldnt hear it accuratally

anonymous Sun, 03/04/2007 - 21:36

multoc wrote: If u want frantic crazy music that sounds good and sounds like what tugnut is trying to do listen to the band Unexpect

I have played with Unexpect before (and will be again next month) as well as Tugnut and I love them both. They are polar opposite bands/personalities and are trying to do very different things. But yeah, Unexpect are grand.