(See part 1 of this series.)

During a session, I remember when an artist was on mic, out in the studio ready to start vocal overdubs, and the producer asked: “how do we look in here from out there?”

Interesting, because he knew the appearance of the control room to the artist might affect the vocal performance. The control room (from the studio) does look like an aquarium with the huge window and the silent action of the animals encased within it.

Reactions to performances reflected in facial expressions and body language are everything to singers and musicians isolated out in the studio.

The concern is that the working in the studio does not feel like being in a Petri dish under the microscopic scrutiny of the control room.

A great vocal sound starts with a good singer who has the artistic goal to perform the best vocal possible. Control room personnel - producer, engineer, assistants, gofers etc. all have a professional responsibility to work towards the pursuit of the artist’s goals.

For the first hour of a new vocal session, everyone in the control room is on a kind of “audition” until the artist feels comfortable and performs well.

It is the producer’s job to create the studio setting - the whole “vibe” to help get a good vocal performance from the artist and to make everyone else produce their best work.

During a vocal session, the producer is the arbiter of the feeling and quality of the vocal performance. The producer is the artist’s confidant, coach, good friend, creative partner, mentor, and most importantly the de facto proto audience - the first public ears on the artist and their music.

Because a well-prepared singer might give immediately the best and freshest performance in the beginning of the day, even during the microphone audition process, the engineer should be prepared and ready to record and capture a great vocal sound. The producer may require those mic audition recordings later and will be thankful for their useable fidelity.

The engineer’s vocal signal chain should be powered up, working and adjusted somewhere in the “ballpark”, the song booted up in the DAW with a new vocal track(s) ready to record, and a suitable monitor mix made and a usable cue mix done and checked in the singer’s headphones.

How Pro Can You Go?
Getting to know your favorite signal chain intimately is very useful for getting good vocal sounds quickly—especially in the case of the aforementioned first takes/microphone audition.

You need to know what different combinations of mic pre-amps, EQs and compressors produce in terms of vocal sound possibilities. Experiment often if time and your clientele’s interest permits.

I find the overarching difference between true pro gear and lower-end products is that professional gear is much more forgiving in it’s operational requirements than cheaper gear.

And that is not to say you cannot record usable sound using a $300 mic pre-amp versus a multi-thousand dollar boutique piece. You’ll have to work a lot harder to get a good sound with the low dollar gear and you can make just as crappy of a recording with either it or with the high-end boxes!

For example, pro gear usually has much more headroom, a lower noise floor and higher dynamic range. You’re less likely to overload the front end of pro mic pre-amps with a signal from a hot mic and a loud singer.

High-end pro gear is also smoother with less harmonic distortion at any operating level so the sound is automatically purer.

Finally, pro gear will more often interface well, i.e., drive any subsequent processor you’d like in your vocal recording chain—from pro to junk.

I try to start with the best gear possible and I have my own collection to use when I’m “camping out” in a studio that does not offer my fave pieces. As an independent engineer, it’s a smart investment to own a high quality professional vocal recording chain you can use anywhere.

Mic Preamps
For more reasons that are not necessary to cover here, there are two schools of thought about the design philosophies and sound of mic pre-amps:
—“Super pristine” and transparent to convey accurately the microphone’s signal
—“Enhancement” - sonic embellishment through harmonic coloration and/or the inherent characteristics of non-linear, small signal amplifiers

Both types have their place in today’s recording but my preference for vocals (unless directed otherwise by the artist and producer) is for a transparent and clean signal chain. My recent choices for clean, discrete transistorized mic pre-amps include the George Massenburg Labs GML 8302, Audio Engineering Associates Audio Engineering Associates RPQ, Avalon Design M5, and Millennia Media HV-3 and STT-1.

For tube-based pre-amps that can be operated in clean modes, I’ve always liked the Manley Mic/EQ-500 Combo, Groove Tube ViPre, DW Fearn VT-1, and old Telefunken V72 units. Tube mic pre-amps, by virtue of the tubes, have a built-in “personality.” They can be very clean but, when overdriven, get into coloration zones unique to each of them.

“Colorful” transistor microphone pre-amps I like are: the old British Neve 1066, 1073 and 1084 modules for their thick-sounding Class-A design and line input, mic input and output transformers; for more punch and purity, I like the API (Automated Processes Inc.) model 512C amplifier for its Class-AB amp that gives a harder and “in your face” presence; the Helios Type 69 mic/EQ unit is ‘60s-era technology and a very “vibey” sounding unit also from England; and the Chandler Germanium, which uses esoteric transistors to produce its unique sound.

Mic and Signal Chain System
When deciding on a vocal recording chain, consider both the mic and mic-pre as a system. If you are looking for a super warm and “tubey” sound try using a tube condenser and a tube mic pre-amp.

Such was my choice for recording Rod Stewart on a couple of albums. He sounded best on a completely stock and original Neumann U67 tube condenser (no pad and no roll-off) into a tube-based Manley EQ500 Mic/EQ Combo that I followed with a TubeTech CL1-B compressor - a slightly colorful and all tube signal chain.

This chain did not accentuate Rod’s raspy vocal quality we all love, yet it kept enough mid-range cut to compete with the track.

A much cleaner and more pristine path might be a Brauner Phanthera FET-based condenser microphone into a GML 8302 mic pre-amp followed by a dbx 160SL compressor that uses a VCA (voltage controlled amplifier) for nearly transparent gain control.

This signal chain would produce a more neutral or uncolored sound that is completely faithful to the source. I’ve found recording choirs with a super-clean chain like this reproduces the rich harmonic content in the best way.

I liked the Phanthera into a Neve 1073 module followed by an UA 1176LN (Rev D) limiter for recording Pat Benatar’s vocal. The Phanthera will handle all the loud level Patty can produce right on top of it without clipping.

The Neve 1073, like all old Neve modules, doesn’t sound good in clip and is a little unforgiving with regard to getting an exact gain setting so I set it a little low for the additional headroom.

After compression, I made up the record level within the very distinctive sounding 1176LN. Between the thickness of the Neve, the gritty edge of the 1176LN, and the pristine sound capture of the Brauner, this is a killer Rock vocal sound signal chain.

EQ and Compressors
Generally adding equalization in the recording is to make up for what the microphone is not giving you. In some studios, there is not a big choice of mics so you have to add or carve out frequencies to try and mimic the sound you’d get automatically with the right mic. Along with a signal chain, owning a few classic vocal mics is an obvious asset for a recording engineer.

Again, unless requested by the producer or artist, I go very conservative when recording with EQ. For example, if you are adding a lot of low frequencies, there is something wrong with the microphone or the pre-amp or more likely the way the singer is addressing the mic.

If you’re finding that adding a lot of high frequencies sounds better then you’ve got the wrong mic, as if you were using an old RCA 77BX ribbon but really were looking for the ultra bright sound of a modern Sony C800G condenser.

The same goes for compression. There is a wealth of sonic possibilities using vocal compression especially with vintage classics like the Fairchild 670 limiter.

I love those sounds but when and how much depends very much on the “bigger picture” - the mix!

If you and/or the producer are unsure, compress only enough (at a low ratio) to get it recorded at a good level without distortion and errant peaks—and then back the compression down from there. For a vibey sound, go with a tube compressor like the TubeTech CL1-B or UA Teletronix LA-2 leveling amp.

Cleaner or more transparent compression comes from VCA-based units such as a dbx 165. You could also record the vocals on two tracks: one with compressor and the other without. I like to provide as many options for the mixer as possible.

Next up: Part 3 - with mic choice and signal chain dialed in, listen to your singer…

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Barry Rudolph is a veteran L.A.-based recording engineer as well as a noted writer on recording topics. Be sure to visit his website, and also check out his related articles, “A Wide Variety Of Microphone Techniques For Recording Drums” and Studio Microphone Techniques To Get A Great Electric Guitar Sound.