distorted vocals FAQ

::rips a juicy fart:: is that what your vocals sound like when they being bumped in a car stereo system, or a home stereo system. well i think i may be able to help you out a little bit.

first thing you need to know, is that you are most likely mixing with either headphones on, or computer speakers. neither of these will have the same effect as they will when the bass is maxing out on some 12"s. when you preview your mix in headphones or comp speakers, you aren't getting the full nelson. you can't tell if the bass is right, cuz you can prolly barely hear any bass. well first off i recommend getting new speakers... no not the cheesy computer speakers, but some studio monitor speakers. now they aren't cheap i think the best deal is some $100 roland moniters. and these little bad daddy's are made for mixing. they will bump just like a home stereo system. and they are pre-amped, so you don't have to worry bout the right volumes coming out.

but if you are listening to it with some decent speakers. i'd say your mixing ain't the greatest. because the bass is most likely way to high in your beat. now a days most producers seem to put way to much bass in the beat. which you can eq yourself. just do a simple little bass cut in cool edit pro. i actually explained a pretty effective way of eliminating bass distortion in my mixing 101 tutorial, check it out.

and if it is still sounding like shit, then my friend, it is time for some new equipment. this actually eliminated our problem. we got a new mic, and mixer to record vocals. and we don't have the problem any more. that saying is soooooo true that "you get what you pay for". man i gurantee a new mic is gonna get you half way there. then if you just wanna stick to computer recording i recommend a pre-amp of some sort, and a soundcard. i will list all the cool shit in my hardware section. but if you are like me and going for the more, studio setup, then you got some money to spend, let me tell you, haha, it is not cheap. but i recommend doing your research heavily... some good sites to check out are musiciansfriend.com and marsmusic.com for price quotes and descriptions on products.

and this should solve your problem, i recommend just keep going back and fixing the problem. untill you think it is clear.