I hate the sound of spit. I ussually record vocals with a 4033, a 3060, or a Rode K2. I like the Rode the best, but it picks up the spit the most.

Do you know what I'm talking about? The sound of spit clicking in your mouth as you move your tongue and lips to sing. This new Iron And Wine record has it everywhere.

I've tried easing off the compression, which helps a little, pop filters do jack to get rid of the spit. If it comes before just before the vocal, like when I open my mouth just before I start singing, I can get rid of that.

I don't think that there's anything I can do equipment/engineering-wise. I'm onto trying to eliminate the spit from my mouth. Brushing my teeth just before I sing. Drinking whiskey neat. I've tried swallowing the spit, but that doesn't last.....

Any thoughts?

-n

maybe you need to dry out your mouth. what are those things they use in the dentist's office--mr. thirsty?

sounds like you're probably singing pretty softly/miking closely (iron & wine obviously do). obviously i can't tell you how to sing, but if you project more maybe you won't have to jack the mic level so high that it picks up every slosh of saliva, or you could try backing off the mic.

maybe you should just rehearse a vocal technique that minimizes spit-clicks, like just experiment with the way you move your mouth. sounds pretty dumb, but it'll probably work.

Just before every take, inhale a mixture of 50% corn meal and 50% talcum powder. Daub the corners of your mouth with more as necessary to reduce any remaining moisture.

But yeah, I think gio had it -- sing louder, back off the mic, lower the gain and compression. If your stuff demands an intimate, close in, soft style of singing, then I dont know what to tell you, but definitely have no milk, cheesey bread, or bananas for lunch the day youre doing vocals. SMACKITY SMACK.

although it sounds anti-intuitive, drinking water can help reduce mouth noise. I've been doing radio engineering for years and it's policy to have a glass of water in front of everybody, and tell them to drink some when they start making a lot of mouth noise.
I'm sure Bob Weston can verify this from his NPR work (I work for NPR in NY).

although it sounds anti-intuitive, drinking water can help reduce mouth noise. I've been doing radio engineering for years and it's policy to have a glass of water in front of everybody, and tell them to drink some when they start making a lot of mouth noise.
I'm sure Bob Weston can verify this from his NPR work (I work for NPR in NY).

Wow, that really does make sense. guess it's not the sloshing of saliva you hear--it could very well be the stickyness of a dry mouth with just a bit of saliva in it, which needs to be lubricated.

Okay, this is what I needed, Talcum powder, corn meal, water.

I don't yell, but I do project. It get's quiet sometimes, but it's not whispery stuff either. I've also noticed this problem with other people, on records and when engineering so it's not specific to just me.

The water, though, that's good. Thanks for the tips.

-n

Maybe a de-esser would help as well? Sibilance controller thing?

What is wrong with spit sounds anyway? I have a whole CD of them. I often put them INTO my recorded speech. Makes me sound like I have a three pound tongue.

Hey, have you ever tried squeezing lemon in your water? The acid in the lemon is supposed to offset the spit demons, and in theory should clear it up.. works most of the time... You should also try backing off from the mic, try a foot or even a few... If you are right on the mic, even if you aren't squashing the signal, it will still pick up just about every subtle sound and breath. If you are going for that intimate sound, that could be what you want, but otherwise try out the distance.. You might yield some pleasant results! Just experiment.