Distortion for vocals

[Martin Quinn]

I'm lookin to get that edgy "just distorting" PJ Harvey Vocal sound on a
female rock project I'm working on at the moment. I've tried a lot of
settings but does anyone know what she uses for this or does anyone here
have success with a particular box or plugin.

I've got plenty of tools but haven't been able to crank "the sound" out of
them as yet. I don't want it super mangled. Just a little edgy. I've tried
compressing the hell out of it and putting various overdrive/distortion
plugins over it to no avail.

thanks,

Martin

[Scott Dorsey]

Martin Quinn > wrote:
>I'm lookin to get that edgy "just distorting" PJ Harvey Vocal sound on a
>female rock project I'm working on at the moment. I've tried a lot of
>settings but does anyone know what she uses for this or does anyone here
>have success with a particular box or plugin.

I don't know offhand, but I'd suggest using a communications mike. I have
an old Turner one here that works nicely, but your local bad installed
sound contractor probably has a bunch of old ones lying around in the junk
pile.
--scott


--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[Ricky W. Hunt]

"Martin Quinn" > wrote in message
...
> I'm lookin to get that edgy "just distorting" PJ Harvey Vocal sound on a
> female rock project I'm working on at the moment. I've tried a lot of
> settings but does anyone know what she uses for this or does anyone here
> have success with a particular box or plugin.
>
> I've got plenty of tools but haven't been able to crank "the sound" out of
> them as yet. I don't want it super mangled. Just a little edgy. I've tried
> compressing the hell out of it and putting various overdrive/distortion
> plugins over it to no avail.

Have you tried any stompbox plugins? I'm not familiar with her sound so it's
just a guess.

[Chris Hornbeck]

On Wed, 21 Jul 2004 23:26:03 +0100, "Martin Quinn" >
wrote:

>I'm lookin to get that edgy "just distorting" PJ Harvey Vocal sound on a
>female rock project I'm working on at the moment. I've tried a lot of
>settings but does anyone know what she uses for this or does anyone here
>have success with a particular box or plugin.

I've heard the new album's vocals were run through several very
different storage media. Will try to remember where I heard this
and get back to you. Might very likely have been on "Fresh Air"
about a week ago if you can access archives.

Certainly a unique sound.

Chris Hornbeck

[Woodworm]

> > I don't want it super mangled. Just a little edgy.

Try transfering to optical WITHOUT a cross-mod test, and mix the
result with the original track to taste.

[John Noll]

Martin Quinn wrote:
> I'm lookin to get that edgy "just distorting" PJ Harvey Vocal sound on a
> female rock project I'm working on at the moment. I've tried a lot of
> settings but does anyone know what she uses for this or does anyone here
> have success with a particular box or plugin.
>
> I've got plenty of tools but haven't been able to crank "the sound" out of
> them as yet. I don't want it super mangled. Just a little edgy. I've tried
> compressing the hell out of it and putting various overdrive/distortion
> plugins over it to no avail.
>
> thanks,
>
> Martin
>
>

Don't know how hers is done or how it sounds but you
could try the SansAmp rackmount distortion processor. I
have one but can't remember the model number. Works well
for that kind of thing.

Or try a hand held 57 through a splitter. Send one
signal to a mic pre as normal and send the other to a
small tube guitar amp cranked. Print the two signals on
separate tracks for blending later.
--
--
John Noll
Retromedia Sound Studios
Red Bank, NJ 07701

Phone: 732-842-3853 Fax: 732-842-5631

http://www.retromedia.net

[Paul Stamler]

"John Noll" > wrote in message
...

> Don't know how hers is done or how it sounds but you
> could try the SansAmp rackmount distortion processor. I
> have one but can't remember the model number. Works well
> for that kind of thing.
>
> Or try a hand held 57 through a splitter. Send one
> signal to a mic pre as normal and send the other to a
> small tube guitar amp cranked. Print the two signals on
> separate tracks for blending later.

I think John's got the key here, more or less. Another way to do it is to
record a normal track, then do something to it -- run it through a SansAmp,
or a Fender Champ, or a stompbox, or a plug-in, or whatever, and record
another track. Maybe do a couple of different things, make a track for each.
Blend to taste. Don't forget to check for time-alignment between the tracks.

Peace,
Paul

[Scott Dorsey]

Woodworm > wrote:
>> > I don't want it super mangled. Just a little edgy.
>
>Try transfering to optical WITHOUT a cross-mod test, and mix the
>result with the original track to taste.

Damn! Now I know what to do with this Auricon sitting in the dubber room...
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[Mike Rivers]

In article > writes:

> Try transfering to optical WITHOUT a cross-mod test, and mix the
> result with the original track to taste.

Well, of course. Why didn't _I_ think of that?


--
I'm really Mike Rivers )
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo