how to get consistent vocals while tracking

[idontxpanic]

when im recording vocals a problem i get is that my verses dont match my adlibes or hooks as far as volume wise. when i mix everything together the hook would play and once the verse plays its just a big drop in volume and you cant hear what i say. i have tried turning up my interface past the point i would usually go, but then my vox comes out distorted plus my mic that i have is very bright on the high end. i could guess my hooks/adlibes are louder because of the energy i put behind them, but if i try to say my verses louder then it kind of throws me off and takes away from the style i wanted to perform it at.



this is how my hook would look majority of the time when its normalized, so its easy to get that to cut through my mix



this is how my verses look majority of the time when its normalized and i cant make that cut through


should i put a compression plugin on the mic track while i record or is there something else i could do ?

 

[Tadpui]

I would recommend becoming familiar with the wonders of:

1. Mic technique (knowing when to back off and when to close in on the mic)
2. Automation (volume automation in particular in this case)
3. Compression

These things will revolutionize your ability to control levels in your songs.

 

[ido1957]

Try an 1176 plugin followed by an LA2A plugin going in.
Slice your vocal track into sections for hooks and adlibs.
Treat each slice individually with regards to mixing level, plugins and their settings.
Send each slice to two buses and set your parallel compression.
Finally send those to a master vocal bus and use plugins according to the track's sonics.

 

[4DBoy]

when im recording vocals a problem i get is that my verses dont match my adlibes or hooks as far as volume wise. when i mix everything together the hook would play and once the verse plays its just a big drop in volume and you cant hear what i say. i have tried turning up my interface past the point i would usually go, but then my vox comes out distorted plus my mic that i have is very bright on the high end. i could guess my hooks/adlibes are louder because of the energy i put behind them, but if i try to say my verses louder then it kind of throws me off and takes away from the style i wanted to perform it at.


View attachment 97861
this is how my hook would look majority of the time when its normalized, so its easy to get that to cut through my mix


View attachment 97862
this is how my verses look majority of the time when its normalized and i cant make that cut through


should i put a compression plugin on the mic track while i record or is there something else i could do ?

Mic technique is a great place to start but it won't always get you vocal to sit up in all stages of your song. Try a compressor chaining on your vocal track after you've applied automation. Essentially the first compressor in the chain should have a fast attack to deal with the initial transients and the second compressor should have a slow attack and release which will deal with the tails of your transients.

If this is not enough parallel compress the vocal by slamming it and blending the signal.
Cheers 4D