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Author Topic: Nashville Vocals  (Read 41070 times)

compasspnt

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Re: Nashville Vocals
« Reply #15 on: March 21, 2005, 02:38:11 PM »

Another thing to remember about the Nashville stuff (indeed, it holds true for all music as well) is that it is so important what is around the vocal, that is, the instrumentation.  Of course the denseness or openness of the music track will affect the perception of the vocal itself.  In most Nashville releases, the music is being performed by VERY competent, professional session musicians who have a good sense of what to play and where, and what and when NOT to play.  (This is of course bolstered by the Producer's knowledge).
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Bob Olhsson

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Re: Nashville Vocals
« Reply #16 on: March 21, 2005, 03:11:16 PM »

There's a bit of practice involved in riding. I wish I could do it as well as I could when I was doing it every day.

What I did was sing along under my breath and never take my eyes off the singer. I could tune into where they were about to go because I was breathing with them. I used my left thumb and forefinger to keep track of where I'd been moving the fader with my right hand.

Sibilance and popping are the usual problems with off-brand condenser mikes.

And Terry's absolutely right that many arrangers and session musicians, especially drummers and pianists, have won people lots of engineering Grammys.

jwhynot

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Re: Nashville Vocals
« Reply #17 on: March 21, 2005, 09:24:23 PM »

3 words to consider.  High.  Pass.  Filter.

Careful fiddling with HPF can get a close-to-microphone vocal to perk up and enjoy a comfort level in the mix.

Along with everything else of course!  For example I've been into a trick lately where I have a 20:1 limiter followed by something softer like an LA2A or LA4 depending on the victim - setting the limiter so that it does nothing at all except on big peaks - grabbing and letting go as quick as possible - which allows the compressor to remain active without getting swamped by the peaks.

Done right, on the right vocalist, it's like finding a larger parking space for your suburban-sized vocal track.

JW
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Bill Mueller

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Re: Nashville Vocals
« Reply #18 on: March 21, 2005, 09:26:42 PM »

OK Barry,

I was witch ya all the way, till ya bustid on Roy. You 'n me buddy....OUTSIDE!

Best Regards,

Bill
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"Don't take it personally. But this shit is a science." J.J.Blair

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Bill Mueller

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Re: Nashville Vocals
« Reply #19 on: March 21, 2005, 09:34:11 PM »

Terry,

I've been wanting to ask you about this and now is a good time. I have a Shania Twain CD with a track of yours on it. I would love to hear what Mutt's like in the studio and how you go from your more "organic" sound to Mutt's synthetic country sound. BTW, I'm a car fan of Shania. By that I mean that I love her sound in the car, not so much in the control room.

Best Regards,

Bill
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"Don't take it personally. But this shit is a science." J.J.Blair

“The Internet is only a means of communication,” he wrote. “It is not an amorphous extraterrestrial body with an entitlement to norms that run counter to the fundamental principles of human rights. There is nothing in the criminal or civil law which legalizes that which is otherwise illegal simply because the transaction takes place over the Internet.” Irish judge, Peter Charleton

Barry Hufker

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Re: Nashville Vocals
« Reply #20 on: March 21, 2005, 11:00:40 PM »

But-but-but Bill, I was only jokin' see and ah, well ah, I ah, well you know....


Cheers!

Barry
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maxdimario

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Re: Nashville Vocals
« Reply #21 on: March 22, 2005, 06:54:46 AM »

I think country singers have always been the best at producing a full natural voice, compared to pop or rock.

They seem to have the best breathing technique, and the confidential style of delivery makes it so that they are using their voices properly without strain, and they improve with experience (unlike some rock singers).

that really translates to a great vocal recording.

the way the studio musicians can follow the singer's phrasing rhythmically and make him or her comfortable so that the voice is relaxed, also has a lot to do with country vocals.

Although I wonder why anyone would really like to copy a style of recording based on autotune and digital limiting.
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russrags

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Re: Nashville Vocals
« Reply #22 on: March 22, 2005, 09:23:49 AM »

I'm a little late coming to this thread, but as a Nashville Producer I can tell you this....

Mostly getting a GREAT Vocal sound is a combination of a GREAT Sound Source ... along with a GREAT Signal Chain (Upwards of $20,000) .. and Putting in the Time, Recording, Comping, Re-recording and yes even auto tuning.

Although you can hear auto-tuning working on many current country hits, you will NEVER hear it working on anything I do... I'm not saying I don't use auto-tune, because I do.  When done right, you won't hear it working. There's just not a straight across the board single setting to do it.  

I'll share a recient vocal session with you ... day 1:  5 hour vocal session,
day 2: 4 hour session, day 3: 4 hour session ... "OK .. Now you know the song, go home and learn it, come back in a few days"  Now mind you this singer can SING.  Of course lines were kept and used from each session the final 4 hour session on the 4th day produced many great lines that really flowed naturally that were the iceing on the cake.  Now all of this work was for just "one song," not including the BG Voc's.

OK, I may add more to this later, but I've got to get to the Studio.

Russ
http://home.bellsouth.net/p/PWP-russragsdale



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vernier

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Re: Nashville Vocals
« Reply #23 on: March 22, 2005, 10:41:11 AM »

Well its good to hear someone isn't using autotune.
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rush909

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Re: Nashville Vocals
« Reply #24 on: March 22, 2005, 10:44:35 AM »

it's great hearing from all of you re: vocal production...  It's refreshing to know that getting a great vocal sound is a combination of gear, experience, vocalist, editing, and above all HARD WORK.   Sometimes I question all the work I go through to get a good vocal down/comp it/fix it etc... (doing it right now actually...)... it's so refreshing to hear that Top engineers spend time to get things to sound the way they do and that there is no "easy button" solution...

r.
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Hallams

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Re: Nashville Vocals
« Reply #25 on: March 22, 2005, 02:44:11 PM »

[quote title=russrags wrote on Tue, 22 March 2005 14:23 a GREAT Signal Chain (Upwards of $20,000) ..
[/quote]

It's not "just" the gear but at $20,000 it would be interesting to know what  sort of gear you choose.
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Chris Hallam.
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vernier

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Re: Nashville Vocals
« Reply #26 on: March 23, 2005, 08:33:59 PM »

$20,000 could be for the mic alone (Elam 251, a good one).
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John Ivan

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Re: Nashville Vocals
« Reply #27 on: March 24, 2005, 08:32:15 AM »

Nashville certainly has a sound. I like some of the tunes a lot and there is no doubt there are great players there. The Engineers are also great,the gear is great the producers are great the writers in some cases are great also. That is why I don't understand why they have to take every good idea they have down there and beat it to death. I hear auto tune on ALL the stuff coming out of Nashville. The drums sounds tend to be small and everything is very very conservative sounding.

I like things to sound finished but, when I listen to country Radio, I go to sleep pretty quick because I start to be able to predict what's coming around the corner. .....'OK, here come the auto tuned back up vocals that might as well be a synth patch'......... ..


I sing for over half my living and I must say. I don't know anyone who sings every single pitch in tune. It is a shame that tuning this stuff has become an excepted practice. Take Toby Keath {spelling?} for example. He really can't sing. At least, it's not what I call singing. Tim Mcgraw can sing, but, It was a real drag when I heard him on TV and he sang a whole song,out of tune.Is he used to having auto tune do it for him? or was  his in ear mix screwed up so he sang flat? Gretchen Willson sings great but they use auto tune on here too. You can tell it a mile away. I don't like using technology the moves away from human resources, like drum machines and auto tune.


Having said all that, the stuff does "sound good" but it's just over done for my taste.

Hey, who is the lady who sang "Break Down Here"? that tune is really great. the band just nails it. It really sounds like a band playing right there in the room. Who engineered that. I like it.


I don't want anyone to get the idea that I don't respect what's going on in Nashville. I DO! I listen to country radio sometimes because it seems like all the players and writers in pop music and jazz, all the killer players {or most of them} ended up there. What they are ,for some reason, calling R&B these days is un- listenable drum machine demo stuff for me. R&R radio in compressed to death and very whiny.

I love some of the tunes you folks are cranking out down there and you have real talent. Can't ya just do a couple takes and call it good? mix it in a day and shut all that auto this and auto that OFF. You don't need it. You have real talent.
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stevieeastend

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Re: Nashville Vocals
« Reply #28 on: March 24, 2005, 12:06:51 PM »

Besides Nashville,

I got the same feeling for that kind of perfect vocal, level-, tune-, and "anything else you can think of "-wise when listening to the Kanye West record. It is an awesome vocals performance, also the way it is mixed is absolutely outstanding. I had the same feeling as New Orleans Steve mentioned: natural and perfect. Curious if and how much autotune was used on this...

cheers
steveeastend

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Re: Nashville Vocals
« Reply #29 on: March 24, 2005, 12:26:12 PM »

...All along, I thought it was just a Neumann and a lot of verb...

Good thread!

The Nashville "sound" seems to have a shiny sheen on it...synonymous with a U87.
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