Nathy
Joined: 01/12/08
Posts: 295
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Female Vocal Comp
#996042 - 03/07/12 10:55 PM
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Hello Im about to engineer for a folk band, quiet on stage which is always
useful but with a female singer of which I always seem to have problems with EQ and
compression. Im not a massive fan of compression anyway, but its got to be
done I guess. I am wondering what sort settings are used to get that "studio pop music"
esque vocal. Thanks 
-------------------- Nathan Stewart | Freelance Sound Engineer
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Bob Bickerton
active member
Joined: 20/12/02
Posts: 2513
Loc: Nelson, New Zealand
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Re: Female Vocal Comp
[Re: Nathy]
#996054 - 04/07/12 02:07 AM
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Quote Nathy:
Im not a massive fan
of compression anyway, but its got to be done I guess.
Not at all - just use it if you need it. I
would rarely use compression on a folk vocals unless there's a specific reason why I'd
need to use it.
Quote Nathy:
I am wondering what sort settings are used to get that "studio pop music" esque
vocal.
Is that what they
want?
It might be that you need a different mic to match the voice, which I
prefer to using lots of EQ.
Can you describe the voice some more?
Bob
--------------------
www.bickerton.co.nz
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Mike Stranks
active member
Joined: 03/01/03
Posts: 3055
Loc: Oxford, UK
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Re: Female Vocal Comp
[Re: Nathy]
#996073 - 04/07/12 08:35 AM
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As is so often the case Mr Bickerton and I are of one mind...
Most of my work
is folk/acoustic and I very, very rarely use any compression. Most good folkies have good
voices and know how to use a mic. If I'm having problems with vocal clarity my first
thought is always to change the mic - just like Bob says. Of course, if you're not able to
have a soundcheck you just have to wing it... But try to invest in a range of different
vocal mics and get to know their characteristics. (Hint: I find that an SM58 rarely brings
out the best in a female folk vocalist.) That way you can often choose the 'right' mic
even before the singer has sung a note.
HTH
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Nathy
Joined: 01/12/08
Posts: 295
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Re: Female Vocal Comp
[Re: Nathy]
#997038 - 10/07/12 04:46 PM
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Sorry guys! Just noticed your replies..!
The main reason for compression is
because the vocalist is very quiet and, the studio pop sound was just something I wanted
to find out how to achieve anyway with other gigs.
Unfortunately I only have 3
types of vocal mics. - D5, SM58 and a DAP copy of 58.
Thanks.
--------------------
Nathan Stewart | Freelance Sound Engineer
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Sheriton
Joined: 27/01/03
Posts: 1554
Loc: Leicester, UK
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Re: Female Vocal Comp
[Re: Nathy]
#997058 - 10/07/12 07:15 PM
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If the singer is very quiet, compression won't make her louder, it'll just reduce your
headroom before feedback. Compression just makes the louder bits quieter; the makeup gain
than makes those bits, along with the quieter bits, louder again. In the studio, feedback
isn't an issue so a quiet, breathy vocal can be compressed to sound very intimate and
close. Live, that's a bit trickier.
--------------------
There's nothing we can't face... Except for bunnies
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turtles
Joined: 22/10/04
Posts: 235
Loc: Notts, mostly.
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Re: Female Vocal Comp
[Re: Sheriton]
#997525 - 12/07/12 10:59 PM
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Just a thought... do you have anything else in your mic box that you hadn't considered
trying as a vocal mic?
If you have time to try it, and your singer is
relatively static on stage, an appropriately pop-shielded cheap SDC of the
stick-it-on-an-instrument-or-overheads variety, can give surprisingly sweet results with a
quiet female vocal on a live stage.
Feedback can be a fiddle but overcome
with a couple of notches on the monitor EQ.
Failing that, in the el cheapo
dynamic budget range, a second-hand Sennheiser 835 is around £40- I'd have an 800 series
over an SM58 for a female vocal any day.
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shufflebeat
Joined: 09/12/07
Posts: 2268
Loc: Manchester, UK
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Re: Female Vocal Comp
[Re: Nathy]
#997526 - 12/07/12 11:24 PM
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If I understand you correctly...
The only way I can think the compressor would
be useful is if you've got her vocal turned right up and the compressor is keeping any
unexpected shrieks under control. In this case I'd be looking at soft knee (less
obvious), fairly high ratio but also high(ish) threshold so the comp is usually not doing
anything, only kicking in when problems arise.
It can be useful but decent mic
technique, even for a quiet voice is much better.
What kind of venues?
--------------------
Ohm's Law states, "Your PA isn't as powerful as you think it is".
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