Couple of questions

A

ajenkz

New member
I've been working on getting my CD together for several months now. After months and months of listening to hundreds of beats, i've finally picked the ones i'm going to use, have most of the lyrics written, and have started recording vocals over them.

Mixing is a problem though because all of the backing tracks are already mixed and on just one track (and I can't get them seperated, trust me i've tried and I can't afford to pay for all of them). The mix of the tracks are all perfectly fine, but blending the vocals is hard.

First of all, I have trouble with volume. I record with a Tascam DP01, and it seems like when I transfer it to the computer, the volume is always too quiet. When I turn up the mic volume, I start to get really bad silibance on my s's, and it stands out badly and I have trouble removing it. Not a lisp thing, its just very loud once the signal volume is increased, and sounds almost watery because of the distortion. Therefore, unless I pan the instrumental track, the vocal signal is always buried, and bringing up the volume causes those same problems. I can double track of course, or use my Antares unit doubler and that helps.

I just need some tips on mixing the vocals and how to get the strongest signal for vocal recording? I would love for a company that I just send each individual track to and they mix it all together, but the ones i've found are just too much money and my budget is almost gone as it is.
 
Your first problem seems to be you confusing your recording level with your monitoring level.

You need to set the recording level of your vocals so you get good levels that don't clip. If you can't hear yourself over the music, turn the music down and turn up your headphones. That will get rid of the distortion problem.

Now, once you have recorded the vocal parts it's time to mix. Recording and mixing are two different processes, you can't do them at the same time.

If the music is peaking anywhere close to 0dbfs, it's too loud. If you add anything to it (like the vocal track), the levels will go into clipping. You will need to turn down the music so it peaks at -6dbfs max. If it's too quiet, turn up your monitors (headphones, what ever you are listing to).

Now mix in the vocal. You might need to add compression to make it sit consistantly in the mix. Once you get it sounding good, render the mix. You will notice that the mix is much quieter than anything in your CD collection, this is normal.

Now it's time to master. If you have the time, take a couple days off from listening to this song so you can come back to it with fresh ears. Listen to the mix, is there too much high end? too much low? anything annoying in the midrange? If so, use an EQ to correct that. Maybe add a little compression to glue the mix together. Then get a limiter and start juicing up the volume with that. Keep listening, because there will be a point when the mix will start to fall apart and sound bad. Take it to that point and back it off a bit.

If you have done a good job with the mix and everything, your CD should be about as loud as commercial CDs.
 
Thanks. I'm actually sending it in to be mastered by someone else, so all I need to do is get a good mix, and your tips have helped. My only issue still is with the S sounds that stick out. Once I get the mic set to a certain volume (usually perfect for everything else), I start getting the really loud S's which distort. Is that just more of a monitoring volume issue then, and I can record at the lower volume and boost it up later?
 
ajenkz said:
Once I get the mic set to a certain volume (usually perfect for everything else), I start getting the really loud S's which distort.
Click to expand...
What do you mean "(usually perfect for everything else)"? You don't set the level of the mic and just leave it, you set the recording level depending on what sound is coming in the mic. If you are recording something quiet, you will need to turn the recording level up. If you are recording something loud, you will need to turn the recording level down. It's not a set-and-forget thing.

The S problem is you. You are over-pronouncing your S's. You can either stop doing that or you can tape a pencil vertically to the mic.
 
I mean everything else as far as the volume of the rest of the vocals being up high enough.

I'll try the pencil thing, but I just feel like it might be a problem with the setting on my PreSonus Tube Pre Amp because i've had a few other people sing into it and I get the same problem except in quiet volumes.
 
ajenkz said:
I mean everything else as far as the volume of the rest of the vocals being up high enough.
Click to expand...
You're still not understanding part of this.

The recording level and the playback volume are two completely separate things. The recording level is set with the gain control on your mic preamp, not in the computer. The fader in your computer sets the playback level. If you record the signal too hot, turning the computer fader down will only take that distorted signal and make it quieter. It will still be distorted.

It sounds like you have the preamp set too high, which should give you recording levels that are too high. Either that, or your preamp is broken.
 
As Farview said, if you're recording, and the meters in your software go into the red then you're probably clipping.

Turning down the fader in the software won't fix this.

You need to turn the volume (gain) down on the preamp. Keep the fader in your software at unity (+0db). Then mess with the preamp gain until you get a good average level (-18dbFS to -12dbFS).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top