TC-Helicon VoiceTone Correct - Manual (Page 27)

Understanding Live Engineer Effects
27
What's the problem?
1. Dynamics
Vocals in music define the melody and the message in a
song. In professional studio recordings, vocals are always
clearly heard in the mix. In live situations, especially with
full bands, the vocals often get lost.
The human voice is very dynamic, meaning there can be
a very significant difference in volume between the
loudest and softest a person can sing. It's typical for a
singer's volume to vary by about 10dB. In terms of
sound energy, this means a person's loud singing can be
ten times louder than their soft signing. To get a good
mix where the vocal never gets lost during low levels, it
would be necessary to mix it such that the quietest
parts of the vocal are heard. If this was done, the loud
parts of the vocals would be excessively loud. As a
result, without dynamics processing, vocals in live sound
often "bounce" in and out of the mix.
2. EQ
If not treated properly, live vocals often sound:
- Muddy or woofy
- Tinny
- Lacking sizzle, presence or air.
These conditions have many contributing factors,
including the singer's voice. Some singers have lots of
bass in their voices (adds to muddiness) and some have
lots of energy in the upper-mids (adds to tinniness).
Muddiness also occurs as a result of the proximity effect
of cardioid pattern microphones. This occurs when the
microphone is positioned close to the sound source.
The proximity effect can add as much as 12dB to the
low end of a vocal sound. Another reason for muddiness
is the fact that frequencies are less directional as they get
lower. Low frequencies go everywhere while high
frequencies just go where the speakers are pointed. This
leads to far too much bass bouncing around the room.