You want to make sure the vocalist is right up on the mic... Also, sounds like you need to Dampen the sound a bit if you are getting a lot of reverb.. Try Placing some Sound Absorbing foam around the area where you so vocals to try and cut down on Sound reflection. Place a Rug on the floor and dont forget about the ceiling as well, the can all create unwanted sounds.

Also look into Compressors. You could buy or probibly even download a free Compressor to use with digital mixer. Compression can definetly bring out vocal performance.
Use EQ sparingly, if you find yourself having to make massive cuts and boost in EQ, then your mic placement and technique of recording is off..

Good luck....

vocals

Hey man,
I used to have a setup very much like yours. I could never get good sounding vocals. Years went buy, and I kept buying gear. Nothing was ever good enough. My vocal tracks ALWAYS sounded like total ass. I am NOT the best singer, but like you said"the pro's get a smooth & clear sound". And they record mother fuckers who suck too.
So I bought more gear. And when it came time to record our 1st CD we ended up having to go to a studio just to do vocal tracks. So I know what you are talking about.

Well, its 15 years later and the only thing I can tell you is...you will get better, but, you are gonna have to read alot of post (like this one here) and read up on processors. Trust me!!! read like hell. Every chance you get. Ohhh just so you know...I finally got my vocals sounding awesome! Yes sir. You will need a good mic pre-amp (ever heard of Avalon?) Also you will need a good processor (ever heard of Eventide?) In addition you will need a good mic (I see you have a rode---Ive heard good things about them...never used one)---But your mic doesnt have to be awesome if you have a good, damn good, or awesome mic pre-amp. My mic pre-amp was $350.00 at Mars music when they went out of business. It is a good one(not awesome). If you want an awesome one they are about $2000 new and $1300 used. You have to look like hell to find good deals on ALL gear.---try ebay
But...the processor for vocals is the Eventide. It is what they call a "Ultra Harmonizer" .Trust me, when you hear one you will never forget it. I have a DSP 7000 it cost me $3400 new. You can get older units like the Eventide H3000. Now adays they are selling for around $650 to $1000 on ebay. They are older units, but they are better than any other processor out there. There is also one made by T.C. electronic. It might work for you price wise, but you will NOT get pro results. Hope this helps :D
Good luck
go to Eventide.com-------look at Ultra Harmonizers
and also Avalon.com------check out the M5
Ive had great results with the Audio Technica 4033 condensor mics
AND----use mogami cables-----or at least monster cable
5 dollars cables DO NOT cut it. Sorry

hey guys thanks for replying

what exactly does a ultra harmonizer do and dont say harmonize :D just kidding, and i have a mic pre amp already i guess its not good huh? its a troft atc-2 it cost me $1000

An Eventide Ultra-Harmonizer is the absolute ultimate in effects processing. On the upper end units, you are able to design and create your own customized algorthims of simple to very complex complete effects chains instead of just selecting a few variations of a limited set of algorthims like any other effects unit. Just one reason why I own three of them...

eventide

The "Ultra Harmonizer" from Eventide is the name they gave it...instead of "vocal processor and multi effects unit". Try not to get blown away by their crazy names they use. They make other types of units that work O.K. on vocals but are not designed specifically for vocals. Like the Eventide "Eclipse". It is a multi effects processor that can do it all, but it is NOT designed to "Harmonize" on the human voice. That cost more money. I talked to Ray @ Eventide back in Feb. He said, "the human voice is more complicated than any other instrument". So their "Ultra Harmonizers" were designed to do just this.
I bought an eclipse new, then it didnt give me the rusults on vocals I wanted, that's when I called Eventide. I returned the unit and bought a Harmonizer---a DSP 7000
Check it out...price for an Eclipse is $2000 (not a harmonizer)
price for Harmonizer is $3300.
All the new Harmonizers are really up there! Because they are sooo fuckin awesome.
That is why I suggested an older model. An H3000 would only run you $600 to $800.
Hope this helps 8)

Hi Phantom,
IMO you can have the best processor in the world, but if you don't have a good signal feeding it, you can't make a silk purse out of a pig's ear.
Get the best mic that you can afford, and learn to position it well.
Also, how you mix and post-produce the tracks can have a great effect on the finished sound. If you can send me seperate MP3 files of the vocal and the backing, I'll be happy to see if I can do anything with it.

Brian