What vocal effects for a metal scream???

Mshinderman wrote:
Hello!

I am an aspiring death metal vocalist who wants to record some stuff just for fun. I recently heard that garageband has stuff like vocal compression and reverb, which I had previously heard a lot of death metal bands use on their vocal tracks.

My question is, what type of vocal compression, and what settings (ie how much reverb, so on and so forth), would I use to enhance my screams (note, not create, I can already do that with my voice naturally) like most bands do when recording their vocals?

Thanks, and stay metal! :-]

Hello MShinderman,

You pretty much said it - compression and reverb.

The type of compression and reverb matters. I personally don't like too much reverb on the type of vocals you're talking about.

With compression, you know, there's different sides of this argument, but you may find the best results from adding an outboard compressor before your vocals ever reach your computer, so they go in compressed (mic -> preamp -> compressor -> interface).

Assuming you just scream directly into the computer, there's a variety of 3rd party compressors that will do a much better job than what comes with GB.

The compressors in GB aren't really great for what you're looking to do, or at least I've never used them with screaming vocals all that well. Maybe with enough time and tweaking you can get what you want.

So basically, if you are going to stay within GB, simply add a compressor, and play with the settings until you're somewhat happy (you'll hear the vocals thicken up as you increase the compression), and then add some reverb (but not too much, or it will sound cheesy). Since you're just doing this for fun, maybe that's all you need. As they say, rely on your ears.

However, if you secretly aspire to be the next Mel Torme or similar death metal vixen, you may want to look at solutions beyond GB - either an outboard compressor or plugin from a 3rd party.

If you're looking for more specific advice, such as specific 3rd party plugs, outboard gear, reverbs, etc. you should probably ask the question at www.gearslutz.com. While not GB-oriented, it's a great place to field questions about techniques and gear.