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Distorted vocals ala Jack White

#2
Sounds like he is using an overdrive effect pedal for that sound. Dunno exactly what he's using but it's a very trebly sound with most of the bass and low mids removed. You could try putting one in a channel insert on the mixer, just be careful with the feedback...
 
#4
bassman1185 said:
I have an ART Tube PAC tube mic preamp with a compressor, and I can get some overdriven vocal sounds out of it. It would probably be a lot more natural sounding than sticking a pedal in the insert loop.
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I have one myself, since 2 weeks. :) It's great! Yes that device gives you a more natural sounding overdrive than if you simply stick a pedal in the insert loop, but I thought that it wouldn't sound the same as in that clip. Hence my recommendation to use a simple overdrive/distortion pedal instead.
 
#7
It's a "bullhorn" or "radio" effect, you get it in a lot of vocal effect processors. Basically you want to super-compress, then drop out the lows entirely, crank the mids a bit, and add some light overdrive.

The easiest way to achieve this effect on stage is to buy a bullhorn, point it at your vocal mic, and sing through it.
 
#8
Whatever you do, avoid putting overdrive effects in the insert. The vast majority of feedback problems come from the monitors. If you put the effect in the channel's insert, it's going to the monitors whether you like it or not, and with all that gain and compression, you're going to get feedback issues. Route the vocal channel through an aux bus into another channel with the effect on the insert or inline from the aux bus (monitor with the original channel, FOH with the aux channel). You could also use the vocal channel's insert to duplicate the signal and route THAT to a separate channel, putting the effect either inline or in an insert. Oh, the versatility of a mixer!
 
#11
I can't watch the video (I'm at work at the moment) but I know he was hugely influenced by Billy Childish, who is probably most well-known for his use of overdriven vocals on most of the countless recordings from his bands over the past few decades. I believe Billy's trademark vocal distortion comes from cranking the volume on an old low-wattage Vox PA.
 
#12
Craig_S said:
Really? How long have you known Jack?
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why do people feel the need to make snarky remarks on the internet?

i know how he likes to use analog gear. his entire studio was really old school, and everything was done pretty honestly.

he uses old sears amps for clean tones and plastic guitars (at least before gretsch started making him guitars). he seems to favor old and nasty.. why not use a carbon mic to get a lo-fi sound?
 

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