This post is not intended to be a vocal lesson on nasal singing but rather a constructive approach to singing and sound reinforcement.
As many of you might know, pronounced nasal qualities in a voice often originate in a weak soft palate. Sometimes it can hang too low and accentuate nasal tones. The typical way to approach this problem is to strengthen the soft palate, usually by doing some yawning exercises that add muscle tone to the area.
All those nasal sounds get more pronounced when singing into a microphone.
Disclaimer: I am not a sound engineer – but I do know how to fix common PA problems in nine out of ten situations. Fixing a nasal sound is a small part of the skill referred to as “ringing out the PA” where all sound problems you encounter are solved and the overall sound is optimized.
First things first: practicing proactive sinus maintenance is the best advice I'm giving here.
The more stuffy your sinuses are, the more nasal your sound will be. Daily use of saline nasal spray never hurts, almost always helps, and keeps your sinuses wide open.
Make sure your mic is squarely in front of your mouth. You need to “eat the mic” which means your lips are so close to the mic that you will be occasionally brushing up against the mic grill.
Not all mics are created equal. Use a good mic with reliable frequency response - something like a Shure SM58.
Don’t have your PA volume too high.
Be certain that the speakers are in front of the mics and pointed toward the audience.
Using EQ
If you are singing into a mic and the nasal characteristics of your voice are too pronounced, try adjusting the EQ (equalizer) first on the vocal channel and then on the master EQ.
If the nasal sound is just on vocals, look to the channel strip EQ to fix the sound.
If all the vocals and instruments have an abundance of nasal qualities, the solution will be in the mater EQ.
To do fix those nasal sounds with an EQ, you’ll need at least an 8-band master EQ and/or a three or four band channel strip EQ.
A channel strip with two simple bass/treble knobs won’t be much help.
Better boards will often have a three or four band channel strip EQ as well as a mid-range parametric EQ, enabling to fine tune frequency selection.
While a four-knob channel strip EQ will divide the audible frequency range of the channel into four large chunks, parametric EQs let you boost or cut an exact, narrow band of frequencies.
If the offending tones are in every channel, it is time to adjust the master EQ.
Use an eight-band or parametric EQ and isolate the offending nasal frequency. Start with investigating the usual suspects: 800Hz, then 1,100Hz, and then 250Hz.
Begin with a flat EQ on both the channel strips and master EQ.
Sing a short phrase containing the offending tones over and over as someone slowly raises/boosts the above frequency bands on the master EQ.
If there is no change in the sound, return the slider or knob to flat.
When you find the slider/knob that accentuates the problematic sound as you boost it, you’ve found the culprit! Return it to flat and slowly lower it a few dB.
If you are adjusting the master EQ, dropping the fader any more than five dB can have deleterious results on the overall sound of the PA.
You always want to be conservative when adjusting EQ. Any severe cuts or boosts can lead to a “wack-a-mole” situation with your sound: adjusting way too many sliders with too few solutions.
The solution is almost always in one slider.
If the vocal EQ sounds smoother or you would actually like some more 800Hz, 1,100Hz, or 250Hz, there is one other thing I want you to experiment with that can slightly color the sound: how you position the mic grill between your mouth and nose.
Usually we eat the mike when we sing – dead on with our lips. But try positioning it a few eighths of an inch higher, a little closer to your nose and sometimes brushing up against it.
I’m not saying park the mic in one place and leave it but find the notes that get sweeter when you move the mic head tad closer to or away from your nose.
You will able to add some ‘umph’ to the vocal sound if needed.
I’m not saying this will work with every voice but I think it’s an invaluable experiment.
If you’ve never experimented like this before with your mic placement and EQ, you just might like the results.
As many of you might know, pronounced nasal qualities in a voice often originate in a weak soft palate. Sometimes it can hang too low and accentuate nasal tones. The typical way to approach this problem is to strengthen the soft palate, usually by doing some yawning exercises that add muscle tone to the area.
All those nasal sounds get more pronounced when singing into a microphone.
Disclaimer: I am not a sound engineer – but I do know how to fix common PA problems in nine out of ten situations. Fixing a nasal sound is a small part of the skill referred to as “ringing out the PA” where all sound problems you encounter are solved and the overall sound is optimized.
First things first: practicing proactive sinus maintenance is the best advice I'm giving here.
The more stuffy your sinuses are, the more nasal your sound will be. Daily use of saline nasal spray never hurts, almost always helps, and keeps your sinuses wide open.
Make sure your mic is squarely in front of your mouth. You need to “eat the mic” which means your lips are so close to the mic that you will be occasionally brushing up against the mic grill.
Not all mics are created equal. Use a good mic with reliable frequency response - something like a Shure SM58.
Don’t have your PA volume too high.
Be certain that the speakers are in front of the mics and pointed toward the audience.
Using EQ
If you are singing into a mic and the nasal characteristics of your voice are too pronounced, try adjusting the EQ (equalizer) first on the vocal channel and then on the master EQ.
If the nasal sound is just on vocals, look to the channel strip EQ to fix the sound.
If all the vocals and instruments have an abundance of nasal qualities, the solution will be in the mater EQ.
To do fix those nasal sounds with an EQ, you’ll need at least an 8-band master EQ and/or a three or four band channel strip EQ.
A channel strip with two simple bass/treble knobs won’t be much help.
Better boards will often have a three or four band channel strip EQ as well as a mid-range parametric EQ, enabling to fine tune frequency selection.
While a four-knob channel strip EQ will divide the audible frequency range of the channel into four large chunks, parametric EQs let you boost or cut an exact, narrow band of frequencies.
If the offending tones are in every channel, it is time to adjust the master EQ.
Use an eight-band or parametric EQ and isolate the offending nasal frequency. Start with investigating the usual suspects: 800Hz, then 1,100Hz, and then 250Hz.
Begin with a flat EQ on both the channel strips and master EQ.
Sing a short phrase containing the offending tones over and over as someone slowly raises/boosts the above frequency bands on the master EQ.
If there is no change in the sound, return the slider or knob to flat.
When you find the slider/knob that accentuates the problematic sound as you boost it, you’ve found the culprit! Return it to flat and slowly lower it a few dB.
If you are adjusting the master EQ, dropping the fader any more than five dB can have deleterious results on the overall sound of the PA.
You always want to be conservative when adjusting EQ. Any severe cuts or boosts can lead to a “wack-a-mole” situation with your sound: adjusting way too many sliders with too few solutions.
The solution is almost always in one slider.
If the vocal EQ sounds smoother or you would actually like some more 800Hz, 1,100Hz, or 250Hz, there is one other thing I want you to experiment with that can slightly color the sound: how you position the mic grill between your mouth and nose.
Usually we eat the mike when we sing – dead on with our lips. But try positioning it a few eighths of an inch higher, a little closer to your nose and sometimes brushing up against it.
I’m not saying park the mic in one place and leave it but find the notes that get sweeter when you move the mic head tad closer to or away from your nose.
You will able to add some ‘umph’ to the vocal sound if needed.
I’m not saying this will work with every voice but I think it’s an invaluable experiment.
If you’ve never experimented like this before with your mic placement and EQ, you just might like the results.
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