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Here are some tips and techniques for treating vocal tracks with EQ while mixing. Most importantly: Every voice is different, and every song is different. That advice bears remembering, even if you’ve heard it dozens of times. When you find yourself approaching a vocal mix on auto-pilot, applying effects “because they worked last time,” consider […]
Read the full post ...A few Homerecording.com regulars debate the merits of dithering. The conversation could easily have devolved into a flame war, but the participants kept it civil, and offered some great food for thought. Some engineers even argue over which type of dither is best, claiming this algorithm is more airy sounding that that one, and so […]
Read the full post ...Tags: arrangement, hearing, myths, vocals
Double-tracking a vocal is a tried and true technique for adding character to (or covering flaws in) a vocal track. Here are two threads from homerecording.com on doubling vocals: [Thread 1], [Thread 2]: Double tracking really depends on the vocalist being in control of his/her performance. Some people are good at it and some people […]
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Some thoughts on double-tracking vocals for a better vocal sound: Also, there is a whole LOT of room between center and hard pan. Many a hit has had vocals panned just to one side of center or another – perhaps 30% or so – in order to balance a call and response with a guitar […]
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Focus on noise: Even if you record digitally, electrical equipment in your room can cause interference in your analog gear. 3 common sources of noise: Lights, mobile phones, and monitors. Try recording a track normally, then re-record with your lights and phones and monitors turned off. If there’s a difference, you’ve got noise to eliminate. […]
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Self-recording artists often focus mainly on the instruments in a mix, and pray the vocals will somehow take care of themselves. This is understandable, as many of us started our learning on guitar and keyboard, so it’s these instruments we’re most comfortable mixing. For a guitar player, vocals are sometimes a necessary evil, rather than […]
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Vocal recording and effects chains include, depending on the performance, a de-esser, a noise gate, an equalizer, and a compressor. Frequently, engineers also add effects like chorus, delay, tape saturation (unless recording to tape, of course,) and reverb, to enhance the sound. In a pro studio, most of this treatment is handled by expensive hardware […]
Read the full post ...Digidesign (makers of Pro Tools software) published an extended special on recording vocals in 2004. The series focuses on using Pro Tools to produce polished vocal tracks, but 2 of the articles deal with plugin effects, and the techniques are much more generally applicable. You can use the advice from these articles with any DAW […]
Read the full post ...We’ve all experienced it: 3 seconds into a track you’ve never heard, you know instinctively that it was recorded and mixed in someone’s bedroom. Amateur recordings often sound “amateur.” But what differentiates these hometracked opuses from professional recordings? It’s not just fidelity or sonic quality: Many competent engineers produce lo-fi or distorted mixes on purpose, […]
Read the full post ...Tags: EQ, mixing, performance, production, snare-drum, vocals
Here are a couple of great articles on recording better vocal tracks. Successful Techniques for Recording Vocals from Electronic Musician covers the entire process, from preparing the singer, and microphone selection, to compressing the final track. The 10 tips on page 6 also make a handy reference. I want to dispel the myth that large-diaphragm […]
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Unless your recording room is acoustically treated, you probably capture “room sound” in your recordings. This isn’t necessarily bad: Some rooms have a great ambience which adds natural depth to a mix. But the room sound in smaller spaces, like most bedroom and basement project studios, usually hurts rather helps a track. Ethan Winer outlines […]
Read the full post ...You generally shouldn’t record vocals without a pop filter (also called a “pop screen,” “pop shield,” or “popstopper.”) The bassy pops that result from plosive sounds are difficult to remove once a track has been recorded. But unlike most studio gear, you don’t have to spend lots of money for a professional quality pop filter. […]
Read the full post ...From the article Mixing and Mastering Tips for Your Music, Record flat with no effects and instead find the right microphone for the singer. In the mix, roll off everything below 100 Hz and above 12,000 Hz. Add 2-4dB at 160Hz for male vocals or 320Hz for female voice for warmth. Notch out the mid-range, […]
Read the full post ...This “ambience clinic” from Electronic Musician has some food for thought about creating sonically interesting spaces with reverb and delay: Another way to save CPU resources is to use two instances of a power-efficient mono reverb plug-in to create a unique stereo effect … That approach offers interesting sonic possibilities and also works with hardware […]
Read the full post ...Terry Manning (yes, that Terry Manning,) posted a great breakdown of his vocal tracking and mixing technique on ProSoundWeb: I like to build a special area for the singer, moving tall baffles into a “squared-off U shape” behind and to the sides of the singing area, not only for the purpose of controlling unwanted reflections, […]
Read the full post ...An hr.com user gives a detailed description of his vocal “sweetening” technique, complete with examples: So, what is this “effect”? Simply, it is a stereo effect that pitch shifts one channel up 12 cents, and pitch shifts the other other channel down 12 cents, then uses a delay of about 25ms. The effect, again, is […]
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