Audio editing - is it necessary for all recordings?

Thanks again [MENTION=196982]keith.rogers[/MENTION] . One question; teaching singers on microphone techniques is one thing but how about us, as technical persons, how do we eliminate this issue to minimize retakes? In your case, do you apply something like hardware limiters or compressions during the recording or you just record "as is" then apply necessary editing after recording? Sorry for asking. I tried to search this on youtube but got mixed answers.
In your own recording, a microphone with a larger pattern can help, so someone not using (or misusing) microphone techniques will still be captured. (Avoid hyper/super cardioids.) Use of a pop filter/screen to fix a minimum distance and simple instructions about staying on axis, then using the playback to make suggestions for another take is what I basically do to myself. (Since most of my recording is live performances that cover the entire spectrum of skills, I have to do whatever I can in post.) For my home recordings with friends, if someone is a constant problem so that the fun goes out of it, I'll just stop having them do vocal parts, honestly. (My home stuff is very much "back porch" music, i.e., just for fun and a bit of learning, so the singing is all done by non-singers, pressed into service. I don't think anyone notices if they haven't sung lately, even me :))

I don't use anything going in, save a separate preamp which probably has somewhere around .5dB of compression (wild guess). Don't have any compressors or limiter hardware going in (don't even own one), but I can always put something in the track and have it turned on for monitoring, if it seems necessary to get the person recorded. I can't imagine, honestly, ever needing a limiter on a vocal take in a home studio.
 
The new version with the better piano now gives you the kind of source material you actual can edit!

What I would do now would be to look at those little sections that people have highlighted. The quiet drop offs and examine the waveform. Is the phrase complete? If so you can adjust the envelope of just the weak words to bring those up, and there are a few tiny slips in pitch. If these are also clean, they can be repaired too. You're gilding the lily - making the good better and leaving the excellent alone. I don't think it's a case of slapping anything on the track in an attempt to fix it automatically you're looking at surgical strikes - single words or things like that. This won't work if the vocal track has too much of the original in it of course, but we are talking about small precise edits here.

She has an unusual style - clean steady louder notes then a fast vibrato with a bit of tremolo too - is this natural or deliberate and can she control where it comes in and out? This is something a decent singing teacher can exploit for her. Good singers always respond well to singing teachers.

Next step = decent video! I'd have thought an almost guaranteed youtube audience awaits!
 
...you're looking at surgical strikes - single words or things like that. This won't work if the vocal track has too much of the original in it of course, but we are talking about small precise edits here.

She has an unusual style - clean steady louder notes then a fast vibrato with a bit of tremolo too - is this natural or deliberate and can she control where it comes in and out? This is something a decent singing teacher can exploit for her. Good singers always respond well to singing teachers.

Next step = decent video! I'd have thought an almost guaranteed youtube audience awaits!


Ok, this is going to be into more detailed refining now. Let's see what I can do with my limited audio editing knowledge, otherwise, I'll ask my daughter to retake with better/decent video as well.

About her signing style, yes, she said she can control the vibrato/tremolo. For this particular recording, it just naturally came out as she was just doing it for fun, she said.
 
[MENTION=196982]keith.rogers[/MENTION] ok thanks. Basically we have similar set up except that during my daughter's recording, she did not use the preamp.

I asked about the limiter coz I saw it on youtube and I thought it is necessary during recording. Also, I found out that the Audio Technica AT2020 is more suitable for her voice that's why I put this mic in her room. Anyway, thanks for sharing your ideas. Happy that I've found this forum, I've learned a lot.
 
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