Getting The Best Sound For Your Vocals Live

Jeannie Deva

Have you ever had to sing in a live performance where you could not hear yourself through your monitor or if you could, it just sounded horrible? Did you ever have the thought, “Is it me or is it the microphone?”

The best vocal technique can be thwarted and often masked completely when performing on stage with a poor microphone-monitor-PA (speaker/effects/amplification) system.

Vocal technique will help you to be a better singer; use your voice with ease, range, confidence and develop the stamina you need to last. But problems with stage electronics can make it seem as though your technique is non-existent or at best, not as good as it really is.

So what do you do when you find yourself in this situation? Firstly, what you shouldn’t do is panic or get ticked off. You probably know if you concentrate too much to hear yourself, chances are, you'll start to push harder, your throat will tense, and you’ll sound strained and possibly off-key to the audience. What’s the deal with this anyway?

Pretty much all the other musicians in the band have their own volume knobs and can adjust their stage volumes. But you are dependant on a sound person who can't hear what you hear on stage, and may be facing certain sound system limitations because of the feed-back threshold.

Why is it that other musicians have their own volume and effects controls right at their fingertips while we singers try to come up with ingenious ways of signaling to the sound man who often has no clue what our sign-language means. Even if the signals are understandable, given the limitations of equipment, there may be no easy solution to our needs.

What about reverb and other effects that help restore the ambiance of the human voice which has been stripped away by the electronic transference of your acoustic instrument? Do you even have any reverb in the monitor mix? What’s a singer to do?

For years I have been researching ways to empower singers. This has included the related field of electronic manipulation of the voice. Some years ago, I recognized the fact that no matter how well I trained my singers; they would still end up with blown-out voices if the monitors and sound mix were horrible.

I devised a fairly complicated and expensive rack of gear a singer could use right on stage; which would then send the vocal signal to the external mixing board and PA speakers in the performance venue. I even tried to use guitar effects pedals to have some independence in how I wanted to mix my voice. But guitar pedals are not built to interact with the human voice and it was never quite right.

When you step up to the mic, you enter into an entirely new world: The world of electronics. Each element of the electronic transference system should be properly suited to enhance your voice and restore its acoustic qualities. You must be able to comfortably hear yourself so that you have no attention on yourself. If you have achieved a performance level as a singer where your voice really reflects the nuances of emotion you are feeling, then the electronics must be equally capable of reflecting these subtleties. If the equipment is used incorrectly or isn’t of comparable quality to your voice, the emotional subtleties of your voice will be lost in the mix.

I have been looking for a solution to this for a long time and I’m happy to say there is good news. Finally, you can take full control of these situations and have access to your own volume knobs and vocal mix! Have you ever dreamed that you could?

The Solution

Taking control of your vocal sound in a live performance would mean that you have the correct microphone for your voice and you can independently adjust your monitor volume and effects like reverb or delay. How is this possible?

I have finally found vocal processing equipment and a personal monitor system that not only makes it possible, but does it so well, you will be amazed at how you sound on stage.

There are three basic links to the system:

1) Your mic - There are various mic possibilities depending on your voice and style(s). The important thing is to audition the mic and make certain that it is the right fit for you.

2) Your personal monitors – TC Helicon Vocal Technologies VoiceSolo Active Voice Monitor and Control are the best I have heard bar none. Small, powerful and with your own volume controls at your fingertips on stage.

3)Your signal processing – At your feet! TC-Helicon has created magnificent, world class sound for singers packaged in an easy to use foot pedal unit. It comes with everything you need (you add your own cables) to run your mix from the stage to the sound engineer for the club’s PA.

Microphone Choices

The first link in the chain is your microphone. All microphones are not created equal. The expense does not determine how correct the microphone is for you. The popularity does not determine it either. Remember, microphones are a personal choice based on your vocal sound, style, the type of performance venues and PA system you use. Always audition a microphone (yes, in the store) before deciding it is the one for you.

Stage and club noise picked up by your microphone are big contributors to feed-back squeal. In order to avoid feed-back without sacrificing volume, you'll need the right type of microphone

A high-output, unidirectional microphone is most sensitive when it is faced directly toward your mouth. The sides and back end are least sensitive, so it will pick up less extraneous room and stage sounds.

Recommended microphones include: Shure SM 58 or Beta 58; Heil-PR 20; Beyer TG-X480 or TG-X580; Electro-Voice 767A or N/DYM Series; Peavey's PVM 580 TN.

There are a number of other models available that are also worth checking.

Your Vocal Processor

Once your voice is received and converted into electronic signals by the microphone, it is sent to a mixing board and vocal processor. A vocal processor gives you a choice of effects such as reverb and delay. Now what if you had a vocal processor that you could change with the tap of your toe as you went from song to song or even within a song?

I truly believe in developing the ability to sing pitch accurately as part of vocal technique. And as long as you sing pitch perfectly when you perform, you would not need help electronically. But what if you were performing live, and for some reason you got distracted or something just simply went wrong and affected your pitch? What if this processor could correct it instantly and in such a way as to keep you sounding natural? Not all processors sound natural.

The processor that wins all the awards in quality, world-class sound and also gives your microphone sound a special boost is made by TC-Helicon Vocal Technologies. It’s called “VoiceLive.”

“VoiceLive” is a foot pedal controlled unit that has amazing effects and combinations, allowing you to put your microphone through this unit and mix your own effects at a tap of your foot. I could go on for quite a while about the company and this foot pedal, but I’ll let you learn more about them by going to their web site.

Your Monitors

The final link is your monitors. To enjoy the sound of your voice not only because you can hear yourself, not only because you can adjust the volume as you need to; not only because you will no longer have to use sign language to an often unseeing sound man, but because of the simply gorgeous sound quality that is coming out is a pleasure I would truly like for all my fellow singers to have.

TC-Helicon’s VoiceSolo monitors have incredible tone as they are built specifically for singers. World Class sound – And, with your own volume knobs! You can place them on the floor or on mic stands so they are closer to your ears. They are small, compact, and light. You then run your stage sound to the sound engineer who will put it through the club PA for the audience. Nice and clean.

Here’s a success story from a singer in Seattle:

“My show was at Studio 7 here in Seattle, as I was loading in gear the soundman asked me what I was going to use the TC Helicon box for that I had in my hand. I replied, just my vocals. He immediately knew what the box was and how much it was worth. He not only let me use it but was excited that I had brought “Pro Gear.” He said that if I had the “Purple People Eater” (referring to another company’s foot pedal box), he wouldn’t have let me use it because it feeds back too much and is a nightmare to incorporate into the mix.

>We plugged in the VoiceLive and he pointed to the house mic and told me that I could use it. I told him that I brought my own. He had a concerned look on his face at first and asked: “what kind?” I showed him the EV 767A and his response was “oh, you’re good.” I played the show without a hitch and it sounded awesome! I got non-stop compliments all night about how good I sounded. I’m a T.C. Helicon Fan for life!”

Becoming Independent

With this gear, you are completely independent! If you want to turn up, you can do so without feed-back and feel satisfied with the sound of your voice coming through your personal monitors. Being able to hear yourself and liking what you hear, does wonders for throat relaxation and overall improvement of the sound of your voice and the band. You may think it’s a lot to do and may cost more than you can afford.

Consider this: singers are the only instrumentalists who do not have to purchase their instrument. Guitarists, for example, have to buy not only their guitar, but all kinds of other gear to actually amplify and process their instrument. So really, we get off easy.

Remember, it is a balance of good vocal technique so you can use your voice expressively the way you want to sound and communicate your style and then having the electronics that support your voice. Now - isn’t it time to take control of your stage sound, sing freely and love the sound you get?