If you have access to a large space to record vocals and a couple of mics, you can get some fantastic results. Tony Visconti used a close mic and a distance mic on David Bowie to get the excellent vocal ambiance in “Heroes” (the effect is re-created in the very cool Tverb plug-in from Eventide); Steve Albini did something similar for Nirvana’s “All Apologies.”
You’ll need to bring a minimum of two microphones. One you place right up to the singer, as you would in any vocal booth or recording studio setup. The other mic (or more, if you have them — a wide-spread stereo pair back in the room can give an awesome ambient effect!) you’ll place ten or more feet back, to catch the ambience. You’ll need to have a capable microphone preamp to pump up the distant mic before it hits your DAW, as that signal will need more gain than the close mic will. And you’ll also need to control noise in the space when you’re recording — if someone is banging on the wall near your distance mic, it will end up sounding louder than your vocal!
But once you’ve got your mics set up, you can record both the close, dry vocal and a take with a true, rich, real room ambience. Blend to taste!
Or, if you don’t have a large space that’s quiet enough to record in, give the aforementioned Tverb plug-in a try!
