Re: vocals

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: I use pretty much small reverbs(HALL, Studio, etc.). My config has the comp on the sub groups like many others here. The club I work at has a pretty open room that doesn't need much reverb. So, I use a studio trick where I send the vox to the FX unit(post fade Aux send) and return it to a channel on the mixer. Then I can mix a wet and dry signal. Once set, the dry signal does all the work. Since the FX are post fade, they go up and down with the "dry" fader. It works pretty well. It also appears to give a little more db's on the lead vocalist as the channel is doubled. I don't do anything for the backing vocals and no one has ever noticed. I don't like much reverb as the room provides quite a bit for me like I mentioned earlier. I tend to let the vocalist do the work. If they aren't very good, it isn't going to sound real great. There's not much you can do there anyways. That's why the pros are pros and the clubs get the... (you fill in the blanks). I always keep in mind the rules of Audio though...there are none. If a singer asks for something specific, I try to provide them that. Otherwise, just make sure they are heard over everything else and you can't go wrong. : : : Hey all, : : A few thoughts here: : : 1. Take note of everything already stated on the thread thus far; rat personnel tend to know what works. : : 2. Remember that nothing will ever be better than the original source. If your artist is good, they could sing though a radio shack mic and still sound decent to the audience. (Obliviously, adding several thousand dollars of mics, comps, efx, etc, will greatly enhance the quality). : : 3. Make use of *appropriate* effects. Use a style of effect that compliments your artist's sound. The objective focus for the audience is the music, not the processing. Note that this does not mean that you should avoid experimentation. It does mean that you should give thought to your efx before, during, and after use, and try to gain knowledge from your experience. : : 4. Make sure the artist can properly hear themselves, and that *they* believe they sound good. This seems like a moot point, but if the talent’s monitors suck, their performance will be much more limited than if they have proper support. I should note that in some arenas of audio, the talent needs to be educated as to the nature of quality sound. Many churches and educational type artists don't know how to discern sound quality and therefore, time should not be wasted trying to accommodate them. : : 5. Keep an open ear. This may sound like philosophical crap, but if you maintain a level of openness to new sound and style, not writing off a vocalist over one bad sounding song, you might be surprised how much experience and insight you will gain. Long story short, don't become myopic in your listening. Hear the whole picture and analyze is thoroughly. : : 6. Learn from mistakes...(and mistaken people). If there is no end to sound, there is definitely no end to bad sound. When you have to deal with something that you would rather forget that you ever heard, take a step back and see if there is anything that could have been done differently. (Even if you were the one who could have done the job a bit better). : : That's my 1.5 cents. I hope someone can find if useful. : : Isaac Zadoka : : : : Okay now we have routing and technique with utilizing sub groups and compressor's for better sounding vocals. (everybody had good responses thanks for responding) Now I would like to hear from as many people as possible on what effects are you using (brands & model#'s) to enhance the vocals and even if it sounds simple to you post how uilize or route your effects, a lot of people read this message board and others could utilize this info also..... Al >:'o) (keep this board active)

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