having problems producing my metal vocals in th studio :S

[Fishbrain]

i do backing vocals in my band and its all screamy shouty type stuff. Live and in practice it works really well, I can hold the notes for quite a long time and it sounds mean!

in the studio though my vocals sound poor and dry and i struggle to even finish some of the words because i'm running out of breath. is there any reason for this?

live i get right ontop of the mic and in the studio im quite far away and behind a popping sheild, is this why?

thanks

[morf]

Maybe its just psychological. Try to close your eyes and let out a big metal scream to calm the nerves, then proceed to record, maybe itll help.

[Fishbrain]

yeh possibly, i did think that but its my brother recordin me in his own studio an he's also the guitarist/vocalist in the band :S

[bongomania]

Originally Posted by Fishbrain

live i get right ontop of the mic and in the studio im quite far away and behind a popping sheild, is this why?

Yeah, that's a big reason right there. Microphones react very differently depending on how close you get- there's even a technical name for it, "proximity effect". Also, when you get right up on the mic, your mouth becomes more of a resonating chamber and the mic is more able to capture that extra resonance.

You'll probably have to keep using the pop shield, but otherwise try to get the mic positioned pretty close up to your face. Also, a big part of what makes metal vocalists sound "big" in the studio is post-production such as compression and EQ, things your engineer will have to be knowledgeable on (not just a hack with some gear) .

[Stanley Design]

Reallly loud playback in your earphones, close your eyes, grab an unplugged mic and touch it to your lower lip to make it seem like you ARE live.

[Fishbrain]

thanks for all th response!