I do vocals in my band but I play guitar at the same time...so I've never really held a mic...but at my last practice I did just to mess around and I decided to try that whole mic cupping shit, and it sounded fucking amazing!

I know it's cheating, but I've never really liked my vocals until then...

Is there anything I can do to get that sound without using my hands? Like put something on the mic...or whatever?

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Yeah it sounds sick, Frank Mullen from Suffocation has been doin it since the early 90's. You could tape like a plastic cup on the mic and put your mouth on it when doing vox

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yeah something like that!

I would look like a total weirdo at shows though

I almost considered fnding another guitar player so I could just stick to vocals, but I really love playing guitar. but when I record I'm definitely doing the cupping thing.

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To my understanding, many vocalists look down on those who cup the mic. There is a video of Corpse Grinder on Youtube making fun of people who do. I'm know i'm not a vocalist, but i'd just work on getting yourself to not want to cup the mic. Unless you're in a metalcore band, i'm sure they all cup their mics... just like they cup penises when they enter their mouths.

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well, I play guitar when I sing, so I can't cup it...but I did it at practice and it was cool. I did see the corpsegrinder video. but when we record our demo...I'mcupping the mic...it sounded cool, and I always get told off for having shit vocals anyways....

and I bet all the metaltabbers would call my band deathcore anyways...but oh well...at least I'm in a band.

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When I used to be in a band my vocalist said something about how he thought cupping it was for n00bs or whatever (I don't care)

I think you can have a similar effect by putting more power or more air into it, but i'm not the one to give advice

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They must be morons then. Cups were being mic'd long before stupid youtube kids were around.

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Cups were being mic'd???

anyways. If Frank Mullen does it...it can't be too bad. I guess it's kinda like using drop tunings....

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Cups mic'd LOOL

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It's really just like putting an extra layer and a bit of reverb on it in the mix - very useful if you're beat boxing for example.

But what the fuck, if it works for you go for it, just don't be surprised if people piss at you at live gigs after listening to the record...

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yeah I know...I'm just gonna have to start yelling my ass off.

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That's fucking gay. It simply sounds better when you cup it. It has nothing to do with metalcore or anything like that.

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I believe cupping should not be frowned upon. It is almost like the same as tapping on the guitar, or using your right hand (or hair ties/paper) to deaden the noise from open strings. You are just using an untraditional body part to enhance the sound of your instrument.

Our band just kicked our singer out and somewhat formed a new one. Now the co-guitarist and I will take up vocals and will be running into the same problem.

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Yeah. How DARE you use something to improve your tone!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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you guys should do some Carcass style splits...my band does that with our current guitar player...but he's going to the navy, and our replacement can't do vocals...so I got to handle it all pretty soon.

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...And this is why Corpsegrinder sounds like a wailing retard. Cupping for deep gutturals and inhales is practically mandatory, mids and highs it is not as important. Also, the only people that are really going to know anything about mic cupping are other vocalists, and theres how many of them in the crowd you're playing in front of?

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cupping is just going to give you a different sound, like Innards said. It is in no way 'cheating'. I'd like to see someone do deep gutterals uncupped live and have it sound loud and full. It's just not going to happen. Corpsegrinder makes fun of people who do, but I dont see him doing any deep gutterals or anything like that. It's just a technique to acquire a desired sound. If someone doesn't like your band just because you cup the mic, then they're a fuckin dildo anyway.

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You can always do the one handed stealth cup too if you really care that much about how people think.

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haha, alot of vocallists do that, they halfcup the micrphone and do vocals into the half-cup.

but no; as an experienced vocallist i know; it just creates a different tone, and it's used for different vocal types and sounds.
inhales and lows almost require cupping.
highs CAN be cupped, but they get way too much gain;
i suggest figuring out with the microphone how to make all of your vocal types at the same volume.

note: cupping gives you gain, reverb, and volume.

I cup the mic all the time when I'm not playing guitar. Nothing should be considered cheating, how is using a specific technique to achieve a desired sound and achieving it cheating? It's like saying using a wah pedal is cheating.

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