Wednesday, March 03, 2010
Vocals For “Vandal Hearts: Flames Of Judgment” Theme Recorded With CAD M9
A unique tube mic for an unusual vocal recording.Composer/Sound designer, Doug Brandon wanted a particular sound on the Title theme for “Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment.”
“I’m ‘old school’ when it comes to microphones and voice production in general,” says Doug, “so my first inclination was to try the CAD M9.”
“I like the fact that it’s a tube mic and I have had success using it in the past. Achieving a warm sound was my main focus for the lead vocal on this theme.”
“The M9 emphasized the “human” element that is many times lost in the digital recording environment. My setup also includes a Demeter tube preamp and a Manley tube limiter.“
“I like the audio path to travel through as much warmth as possible and the CAD M9 was the obvious choice for this project.”
As described by Doug, ”’Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment’ a downloadable, strategy role-playing game published by Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc combines the fast pace of the original Vandal Hearts with improved user mechanics and high-quality presentation.
As Audio Director for Hijinx Studios, Doug did the sound design, wrote the music, and worked with the voice talent. As in the original Vandal Hearts, the theme song is sung by a woman (Sarah Brandon). “We chose to stay with the female voice, because it uniquely conveys a solemn, reflective quality that is prevalent in the environment of this battle-driven game.”
Whatever his approach, it seems to be working.
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