Coming back to recording again

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ben123

New member
Im still a newbee though. This is more like a hobby. But I'm looking to get a little more serious in it.
Before i was using PC and Pro tools. I now have a

macbook Pro
Logic Pro X (as the DAW)
Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 (interface)
Im still using the Audio Technica AT4033a (not sure if thats outdated or not) for voice.

Really i want to start off by getting the best vocals i possibly can with my set up. And go from there.
If i ever did big projects i would look in getting an interface with more inputs.

SO is are there any good plugins you could recommend for recording good vocals??? Im kinda on a budget, but would upgrading vocal mice make a big difference? I know that its and old dumb question but i feel thats where i want to work on first since it suits what i have at the moment and i want to see if as of 2014 there have been improvements in electronics for recording since 3 years ago. Thanks!
 
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Good vocals are recorded by having a great performer, and a great room to record them in. < REPEAT THIS <

The mic is secondary to these and can vary with the singer as to what is best suited. This is chosen by someone with experience enough to know from their experience, what they think would work the best for any particular voice. Even the most experienced engineer could not or would not tell you what is right for you even if you posted a sample. You gotta either figure this out yourself, or.... The next step is what you are recording with.

You seem to have that worthy.

The last thing that matters is a plugin to make them work. Some of the most sought after mics were made before you were born. Recording is not a 'best by date of production' quality situation anymore really. Even computers do not suffer much anymore from 'last years tech' BS. Most low budget audio interfaces are quality enough to achieve great results.

It is up to you to find what works for your voice. That being said, any of us could recommend a starting point, but it seems you already have that. I would consider what you have a good start. You have to decide from your own experience what is lacking. I could not honestly recommend another mic for you because I do not have you in front of me in my space.

No offense, but there is no magic VST, preamp, or mic to make things sound good. That is all about the performer and room. The other things are just little enhancements to the end result that relies on the most important.

Sorry to be a downer here...
 
See the above. Read it twice. THERE IS NO MAGIC PLUG IN TO MAKE YOU SOUND BETTER!!! Sorry to yell, but this comes up all the time. You and the environment are the biggest factors in the "magic sound".
 
Audio Technica AT4033a

"They" said it was an excellent mic in 1996 and nothing will have changed in the intervening 18years (most of the top studio guys here would sell their grannies for a pair of original STC-4038s!) . So unless you suspect the sensitivity had dropped or it has developed a noise of some sort? Rock on!

Dave.
 
ben123 said:
SO is are there any good plugins you could recommend for recording good vocals??? Im kinda on a budget, but would upgrading vocal mice make a big difference? I know that its and old dumb question but i feel thats where i want to work on first since it suits what i have at the moment and i want to see if as of 2014 there have been improvements in electronics for recording since 3 years ago. Thanks!
Click to expand...

As posted above, there are no magic plugins to help record good vocals. There are just plugins, as there always has been. The question you should ask yourself is "have there been improvements in my singing voice since 3 years ago?" Sadly, things aren't as easy as "a plugin to fix all".
 
To the OP:
You haven't mentioned your recording environment or monitors yet. You'll need headphones, obviously, when tracking with the mic.
 
ben123 said:
Im still a newbee though. This is more like a hobby. But I'm looking to get a little more serious in it.
Before i was using PC and Pro tools. I now have a

macbook Pro
Logic Pro X (as the DAW)
Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 (interface)
Im still using the Audio Technica AT4033a (not sure if thats outdated or not) for voice.
Click to expand...

Nice setup. Should work really well for you. (I won't offer to sell you my granny, though :))

ben123 said:
Really i want to start off by getting the best vocals i possibly can with my set up. And go from there.
If i ever did big projects i would look in getting an interface with more inputs.
Click to expand...

Just a tip for great vocals. Practice much, record little. Get your voice GEARED to the song you're going to sing. Get your breathing right. Get the whole performance right. Take two maybe three good takes and utilize the best of them.

ben123 said:
SO is are there any good plugins you could recommend for recording good vocals??? Im kinda on a budget, but would upgrading vocal mice make a big difference? I know that its and old dumb question but i feel thats where i want to work on first since it suits what i have at the moment and i want to see if as of 2014 there have been improvements in electronics for recording since 3 years ago. Thanks!
Click to expand...

Here's a nice article from those guys at SOS: Better Vocals In Logic
Happy recording! :D
 
thanks for the replies! I thought it would take a week for people to reply cuz most of the forums i visit are usually dead. Any way yes i did figure that. I do think i can sing but I'm to embarrassed to post anything here. I was listening to others and wow no way ha! Ill try putting something up though, maybe

Ok i see, i just thought like a studio that had a $1500 Numean Vocal Mic and a $1000 mic pre amp would have a significant diff as apposed to a $200 Vocal Condenser and a $200 interface? Thats a good question to ask, what diff. does a Numen have against a cheaper $200 audio technica or the like? Right, my room condition is probably not that good. So far i have a beginners setup you could say. Right now i mix with headphones. I am looking at some monitors though.

Some more questions if I may, for vocals do you guys record raw and add compressor, eq, reverb ext later or vice versa? Thank you again!!!
 
ben123 said:
thanks for the replies! I thought it would take a week for people to reply cuz most of the forums i visit are usually dead. Any way yes i did figure that. I do think i can sing but I'm to embarrassed to post anything here. I was listening to others and wow no way ha! Ill try putting something up though, maybe

Ok i see, i just thought like a studio that had a $1500 Numean Vocal Mic and a $1000 mic pre amp would have a significant diff as apposed to a $200 Vocal Condenser and a $200 interface? Thats a good question to ask, what diff. does a Numen have against a cheaper $200 audio technica or the like? Right, my room condition is probably not that good. So far i have a beginners setup you could say. Right now i mix with headphones. I am looking at some monitors though.

Some more questions if I may, for vocals do you guys record raw and add compressor, eq, reverb ext later or vice versa? Thank you again!!!
Click to expand...

A studio with a high $ microphone typically has taken care of treating the room. Without doing that first, you will not likely hear the difference between the lower priced gear and the expensive stuff. $1000 preamp will not likely make a bit of difference if you are recording in a room that sounds like crap. Actually, I would go ahead and say it would be a waste of money.

Most important is to get the sound good at the source. This includes the instrument and the room it is recorded in. A great preamp or mic only take from what it is given.

A $7000 mic recorded through a Neve preamp in a small bathroom, sounds just like a $50 mic through a crappy preamp in a small bathroom.
 
Also, you're probably better off with headphones than monitors in an untreated room. The big thing is the intermix between the two ears that you don't get from headphones. But when you open up to monitors, all you're dead areas and bass buildups are going to make things really difficult. Been going through the process myself. I am surprised at the difference between Rokit 5s and Rokit 8s with some traps and a little foam...My first MP3 clinic stuff here sounds horrible to ME now. Get decent speakers (I wish I'd waited for the Gen 3 8's cause they sound a LOT better).
When you're mixing, make sure you're not mixing with the end game in place. You've got to do it with the end game in mind, but turn off the stereo expanders, final compressors, 5 band eqs. Don't master while you mix! Another of my latest learns... Sounds better if you mix well at lower volumes and THEN master at higher volumes...
 
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