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Hey everyone,

I'm having some problems regarding recording vocals, they are:

-Vocals sound on-pitch/in tune with music heard through headphones (Sennheiser HD280 Pro Closed-Backs), but when played back through speakers, they are noticably (in my opinion) out of tune during some parts.

-The mic I use is an Oktava MK 319, which is a very sensitive mic, so much that if I don't position my head/mouth at a consistent location, I am able to hear the difference from take to take. In other words, doing over-dubs is a tedious process. Also, when raising my voice during a take, I actually need to back up from the mic to avoid it being sonically LOUDER than the rest of the parts.

I've heard decent things about this mic, but frankly am having a hard time learning to use it (properly, maybe). Any suggestions would be greatly apprieciated.

I'm also open to learning which vocal microphones have stood the test of time and are as reliable as they are affordable that I may look into purchasing.

Thanks,
Dan

Comments

anonymous Sun, 02/17/2008 - 01:13

Well ill reply to the original topic. Ha yea kids can be a pain in tha ass, So i decided to hang my Ibanez bout two inches out of his reach. He spend hours at a time tryn to reach it, and make it make noises. Then one day he discoverd he can throw thigs at it, and it would make the sounds he was lookn for. So needless to say my insterments are in there own little hiding spot with dead bolts (and constant video servalince). (Im not hooked on phoniks incase you cant tell by my spelling)

Cucco Sun, 02/17/2008 - 06:21

filmmusic2008 wrote: [quote=Cucco]So, because he's out of tune, he should change the modality of his piece?

[quote=FilmMusic2008]
Blues literally means Flat third

HUH?
I took 6 semesters of advanced music theory including 2 semesters of jazz and 20th century theory and improv. I'm PRETTY certain that this is not what I learned. A blues scale is NOT just a flat 3rd.

I WAS going to jump in and state that there was some merit to your statement about flatting thirds in that when compared to a tonic, the major third (if tuned without respect to the tonic) is by nature a few cents sharp and thus must be adjusted downwards to be in tune with the tonic. But now, I'll leave you out there to dry with that one.
.
Blues must be dealt with as a whole, not to be understood as only what is written. It is about what is not written, that is the Blues.

For clarification, nothing in my post is about a specific blues scale. The Blues is bent notes. The Blues is God. A Note is Blue. Playing is Blue.

The Flattened third can exist (in the A chord) by a singer hitting the C# then bending down to a C. Or it can be done by never even hitting the C# and singing the interval from A to C.

What?!?!

Just when I thought it couldn't get more absurd, it does.

Basically, what I'm hearing you say is that you don't know what blues is so it's something intangible. That's BS. There are most definitely defined blues scales and any blues or jazz musician worth a damn knows and uses these scales whether quite on purpose or by happy coincidence.

Of course a flat third can exist in a scale, but this by itself does not make it a blues scale. In fact, a flat third would simply make it part of a melodic minor scale.

Look - you clearly do not know anything about scales. Please stop trying to act like you do. I'd hate to think anyone might actually read what you say and believe it.

anonymous Wed, 02/20/2008 - 03:20

bent wrote: Filmmusic: Stop trolling!

Eric: Thanks, my guitars are hanging by a similar product but the kids still throw stuff at them; they like to throw stuff, all the time, and there's two of them - two monkeys in one house.

I need to get them a toy guitar, or two.

Before my son was born I bought this tiny guitar, like about 2 feet long total and for only $30 from a pawn shop. Its acoustic and I was tuning it to the same octave as a regular guitar. It sounded horrible and became my sons guitar. He likes to bang on it while I play mine, for a bit any ways.

A couple months ago I tuned it up an octave and OMG it sounds good (for a $30 guitar). Its to bad I cant get a high E string to go on without snapping. I might have to steal it back before he knew it was his.

anonymous Thu, 02/21/2008 - 17:50

Cucco wrote: [quote=filmmusic2008][quote=Cucco]So, because he's out of tune, he should change the modality of his piece?

[quote=FilmMusic2008]
Blues literally means Flat third

HUH?
I took 6 semesters of advanced music theory including 2 semesters of jazz and 20th century theory and improv. I'm PRETTY certain that this is not what I learned. A blues scale is NOT just a flat 3rd.

I WAS going to jump in and state that there was some merit to your statement about flatting thirds in that when compared to a tonic, the major third (if tuned without respect to the tonic) is by nature a few cents sharp and thus must be adjusted downwards to be in tune with the tonic. But now, I'll leave you out there to dry with that one.
.
Blues must be dealt with as a whole, not to be understood as only what is written. It is about what is not written, that is the Blues.

For clarification, nothing in my post is about a specific blues scale. The Blues is bent notes. The Blues is God. A Note is Blue. Playing is Blue.

The Flattened third can exist (in the A chord) by a singer hitting the C# then bending down to a C. Or it can be done by never even hitting the C# and singing the interval from A to C.

What?!?!

Just when I thought it couldn't get more absurd, it does.

Basically, what I'm hearing you say is that you don't know what blues is so it's something intangible. That's BS. There are most definitely defined blues scales and any blues or jazz musician worth a damn knows and uses these scales whether quite on purpose or by happy coincidence.

Of course a flat third can exist in a scale, but this by itself does not make it a blues scale. In fact, a flat third would simply make it part of a melodic minor scale.

Look - you clearly do not know anything about scales. Please stop trying to act like you do. I'd hate to think anyone might actually read what you say and believe it.

No, I know what blues is.
Anyone who knows what blues is will be the first
to say it is impossible to play uness you live it.
I never mentioned scales, you did.
Blues is a state of mind, not a style of playing.
Blues is Field Holler and Work Songs, Blues is a bent or flat note.

There were no blues scales or 12 bar form when 'House of The Rising Sun" was written.
That is the blues, a 150 year old work song.

Cucco Thu, 02/21/2008 - 18:42

filmmusic2008 wrote: No, I know what blues is.
Anyone who knows what blues is will be the first
to say it is impossible to play uness you live it.
I never mentioned scales, you did.
Blues is a state of mind, not a style of playing.
Blues is Field Holler and Work Songs, Blues is a bent or flat note.

There were no blues scales or 12 bar form when 'House of The Rising Sun" was written.
That is the blues, a 150 year old work song.

No, you brought up scales when you started talking about lowering thirds. You can't talk about lowering thirds without discussing the notion or concept of a scale.

I am done discussing this with you. Your knowledge of music theory is staggeringly pathetic.

Davedog Thu, 02/21/2008 - 19:56

filmmusic2008 wrote:

There were no blues scales or 12 bar form when 'House of The Rising Sun" was written.
That is the blues, a 150 year old work song.

This is a crock.

Kids, this is an idiot wrapped up as a doofus, pretending to be ignorant.

These 'scales' used in Gawd knows how many differing styles of music for hundreds of years have existed since they put the black keys on the frikin piano.

I have no idea what your agenda is when you come here, Mr.filmmusic, but so far , even though you have pretentions towards it, you ARE NOT the musical guru or expert you seem to think you are.

So if you're not that, then what are you? I take a very dim view of trollish behavior on this site and if you're just here spouting half-truths and heresay simply to get a rise, then you've come to the end of your path.

If you're actually an idiot and need instruction and knowledge then spend more time listening and less time spouting off about things you obviously dont have a clue about.

If it was only here and ONLY about music theory, you'd be pardoned....hell, I cant even remember all that stuff though I was able, at one time, to transpose and sight-read at a rather high rate. Dont use it, lose it.......anyway....You have a lot of skewed opinions popping up all over this site and I'm only going to warn you once ......

Trolls dont last long here.....seen any lately? Theres a reason.................

anonymous Fri, 02/29/2008 - 17:15

hi everyone.

someone else might have ask this question before, but i just couldn't find the answer.
i've been trying to record some song of my own, no problem with the music, but when it comes to vocal, everything went wrong. the vocal i record just doesn't sound like how it suppose to be in recording. sounds more like i'm just singing in some event with a lousy setting.
i'm guessing that i'm missing the effects that could make it better, but i have no idea hows the EQ setting, the reverb, delay or should i use compressor.

all i have is a samson condenser mic, behringer xentx 1002 mixer and connect straight to my computer (using mixcraft for the software). am i missing any equipment?

anyone please help me.

anonymous Sat, 03/01/2008 - 05:05

hi again.
thanks for the fast respond. really appreciate.
that might be the problem. i'm not sure hows the right axis. there are 3 switches on the mic.
one side-
1- the one with 8/O/ and and the mix of that 2.
another side-
2- 0 or -1dB
3- a line or a line with a bend.

witch side should i sing to, as they comes out with different sound.

and what about the effect mixing?
example, matchbox 20.
reverb? delay?

bent Sat, 03/01/2008 - 10:47

Usually you sing into the side that has the nameplate affixed.

I assume this is the mic you have:

The switches are as follows:
8 = Figure Eight (Picks up sound from front and back).
O = Omni (Picks up sound 360 degrees).
(} = Cardiod (Picks up sound at the front, while rejecting sound at the sides and rear).

The other switches are:
/ = High pass (Low EQ Cut).
- = Flat EQ

0 = No Pad
-10 = 10dB pad

That being said, what Cucco is talking about is pointing that nameplate at your mouth and then moving the mic's angle toward and away from you, as well as swiveling it on it's axis clockwise and counter-clockwise, until you find the sound you're looking for.

Also, moving it closer and further away changes the sound, try all those.

Sometimes a mic is better straight on, other times it needs to be off axis a little.

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