Just need some suggestions.
At the moment I'm recording straight from a sm57 into a PreSonus firebox into cubase. Theres not a lot of volume even with the mic preamp jacked.
I've got an ok voice.
I go from very quiet at low register - not a lot of volume - to very loud and powerful as our songs build up. Most of my louder stuff is slightly distorted and I scream when the vocal needs it.
I've only got a bedroom or a warehouse to record in. We're only doing a demo at the moment, but it would be good to get a better idea of how I sound with half decent setup.
Is there anything about the description of my singing that would allow you to make mic and preamp suggestions. I've been looking at a C1 and a PreSonus pretube, so around that price range.
Comments
Cheers for the reply. Havent got as far as mixing yet. I thought
Cheers for the reply. Havent got as far as mixing yet. I thought I was doing something wrong because I back off the mic big time. My low voice must be really weak because I am eating the mic at full on the preamp. Seems like a pretty noisy preamp once you get up above 75%.
I'll get a foam pop filter.
I'm not a fan of the tone I'm getting out of the 57 either.
Is the mic new? 'Cause if its been kicking around in a gig bag f
Is the mic new? 'Cause if its been kicking around in a gig bag for years it might be dirty or not working correctly. How about the mic cord, (you are using an XLR cable, right) a bad cord can cause up to a 50% loss in signal. I find it hard to believe your voice is that quiet but.....
As far as the sound of a 57 or 58 (same mic with a screen) I like it for rock better than low end condensers and with a dynamic mic you don't get as much of the "room" in your sound which can be an advantage if you are recording in less than optimal spaces. Mics are sorta like pie, some like blueberry some like apple. Try mics out at a music store near you.
When going from a whisper to a scream you need to set your gain
When going from a whisper to a scream you need to set your gain for the scream so that it will not distort your loudest signal. I think that more importantly you MUST use good mic control techniques as a singer. The Presonus and the SM57 should be fine as far as ability to record a vocal if that vocalist is using proper distancing. When you are at your quietest you need to be close to the mic perhaps almost eating the mic (using a foam pop filter) and as much as 1 ft. or more during your screaming.
I use 57/58s all the time with presonus equip. all the the time and usually need no more gain than 2/3rds.
I am not familiar with the C1 mic but my experience with condensers in this price range is that I prefer the SM sound for rock vocals. Until you spend upwards of $1000.> on mic and preamp the differences are very subtle and that proper technique using the stuff you already have will yield good results.
Are you using proper compression in mixing on the vocals?