Recording Vocals

[Creep]

Hi,

Been recording a bit of vocals lately, and I've been having a bit of a problem.

I can't seem to to get the levels right, by which I mean that in some part of the song I'm singing I have to sing quieter to get the sound I want out of my voice, and others louder. However when I go to add the vocals to my song, I realise that parts I've sung louder actually come out louder and overshadow the music around it, because I've had to kind of yell. Is there a technique or way of getting around this?

Cheers,

-Creep

[Almy]

Adjusting it at the voice level is something you'll get over time. But do you mean at the mixing stage? You can use volume envelopes to bring down the louder parts or raise the lower parts.

[Creep]

Ah yep, I've fiddled with using envelopes, I'm going to look into that more. Also, it seems at really loud vocal parts, the sound distorts and crackles (this doesn't seem to happen with instruments though) so do you suggest anything to work around that?

Cheers!

[Almy]

If you're still using reaper, you can just enable a volume envelope on that track and you'll see a line go across the entire track. It is at 0db the whole way. You can then just click on it to add a point, then click after it and lift or lower it to raise or lower the volume.

Without hearing an audio example I would guess that you recorded your vocals too loudly and you have clipped the signal. You want to avoid doing that as it permanently damages the signal and isn't easy to work around in a mix.

There are other things it could be too. But if it's just that you're recording the vocals too hot you can do an easy test fix. When recording be sure your analog hardware stays in the green without going yellow or red. Then make sure your digital gets no higher than around -20 to -10 dbfs. These numbers are only a starting point and ultimately have a LOT of different factors to be precise, so don't use them as something exact.

It can take a bit to get used to recording so 'quietly' but it's worth it. Once recorded you can turn things up at the mixing stage without having to worry about making a clipped signal louder.

[Creep]

Thanks a lot!

[Dani Pace]

A lttle bit of mic technique canhelp a lot too. On the softer parts move a little clocer to the mic, on louder parts move back a little. This will prevent some clipping and improve the clarity of the vocals. For me it is easier to record the vocals a little bit low then increase the volume if i need to when mixing. If the vocal track(s) are recorded to loud and clipping occurs there is very little that can be done to fix it. It is much better (both for sound quality and ease when mixing) to record at lower levels then bring up volumes to fit into the mix.

[Creep]

Originally Posted by Dani Pace

A lttle bit of mic technique canhelp a lot too. On the softer parts move a little clocer to the mic, on louder parts move back a little. This will prevent some clipping and improve the clarity of the vocals. For me it is easier to record the vocals a little bit low then increase the volume if i need to when mixing. If the vocal track(s) are recorded to loud and clipping occurs there is very little that can be done to fix it. It is much better (both for sound quality and ease when mixing) to record at lower levels then bring up volumes to fit into the mix.

Cheers also!

Also, I'm new to Reaper too, can someone tell me where the envelope tool is?

[Almy]

You know where your FX button is on your track? There is a button immediately to the left that looks like a droopy 's'. Left click on that and it will bring up your envelope choices. It can be used for any effects you have on the track. The volume should be your top choice. Just check volume and you'll see the line go across your track.

[Creep]

Thanks a lot Almy!

[Avocado Shag]

I used to have the same problems; the first step was to use some mic technique (as others have pointed out)...vary the distance from mouth to mic as the sounds change in volume. I watch the recording level meter when I sing, so I can gauge the levels as I go.

2nd step was to add a compressor. Light compression when recording will help keep levels from wild fluctuations. I have a fairly inexpensive Symetrix compressor and it does the job. I almost always add software compression afterwards, in the mixing stage; and envelope shaping can help quite a bit for high levels.