gridjam

Thanks so much MrLT.It's fun to be here and I have a bunch of saved replies that I am going to post in various areas in the next days.
Ahhh, the harmon and the sound man. Don't get me started. If a singer can get up close and get there lipstick all over a mic and scream or sing at full volume, then why can't we? And we aren't even going to scream! That' why I bring my own VERY expensive mic to gigs and sessions. 5 inches away is too far for most mics, sounds more like a mosquito than a warm fuzzy voice. There are some that are able to capture the sound you (we) are looking for ( I actually used a combination of one with an old ribbon on Maria's new record), let me researce the name for you. In the mean time, best to bring in recordings of the sound you are looking for and have the 'ears' hear them, then convince them to let you play closer (they can bring the gain down in the control room) so they can get a sense of how easy it is to capture what you are going for. If you can do all of this without pissing them (him) off, you are not only going to get the beautiful sound you are looking for- BUT you are a genius! HA, just kidding but we all have had experiences where the sound guy has really limited our expression with his or her lack of knowledge. Good luck.
last suggestion...have the mix set in a way that it is not too high -endy. Roll off some of the top highs, pull up the low end a wee bit and ask for a few notches of high-mid range frequencies- this can give you that airy feeling without sounding messy.