Honesty, please. Help me, help you.

I did re-record with an LDC in my clutter-filled shed (same place I recorded the instruments). Should I just turn up the gain on the vocal track(s)?

Also, a friend suggested I double the vocals, and that's exactly what you hear in both versions I've posted. Is this a hit or a miss? I suspect I'd need to work on singing it exactly the same on both tracks to make it work a little better. It sounds off to me, that's why I put one of the vocal tracks about 12 dB below the other. Eliminate the second track? Raise the level of the second track? What do you think?
 
HeatSinks said:
I did re-record with an LDC in my clutter-filled shed (same place I recorded the instruments). Should I just turn up the gain on the vocal track(s)?

Also, a friend suggested I double the vocals, and that's exactly what you hear in both versions I've posted. Is this a hit or a miss? I suspect I'd need to work on singing it exactly the same on both tracks to make it work a little better. It sounds off to me, that's why I put one of the vocal tracks about 12 dB below the other. Eliminate the second track? Raise the level of the second track? What do you think?
Click to expand...
How close are you to the mic? It sounds like you're 4 feet away. For lead vocals, close mic at a foot or less. Don't forget the pop filter.
 
Hi there. I think I can offer my oppinion, keeping in mind that I am just a new at recording and mixing.

I heard both versions, and I must say that the second version is a huge improvement over the first.

As for the song itself I wont comment since I am not a fun of this kind of music.

As for the guitars. The main guitar sounds about right. The second guitar on the back sounds a little bit low... I would turn up the volume a notch. Not much, but to give it a little more presence. As for the solo It kind of sounds out of place. Making a whole acoustic song an electric guitar sounds weird. Have you tried recording it with the acoustic? The volume is too loud, Really loud on the first mix and a bit loud on the second.

As for the vocals. I personally don't like the way the double tracking sounds like. To me sounds like someone is singing behind you and not matching it so good. There are moments where the two tracks separate a bit and i didn't like it. The second recording is way better than the first. If it were me I would add a little more reberb, But that is just me.

And last, this is just and opinion, i think a little percution would really give more life to the song. Not a complete drum, but perhaps just a little something. Think about it.

Hope this helps...

Fede
 
GZ: I was a mere 6 inches from the mic, and I had a pop filter. I used the same pop filter the first go-'round, but several people still mentioned that I should use a pop filter. So in the second recording I used the pop filter and then draped a tee shirt over the filter and mic. Still not enough?

What could be making my vocals sound so distant? My signal chain is AKG Perception 220 --> Audio Buddy Preamp --> mic input on my laptop. The preamp is rather low quality. It's finicky in the heat and the red clip light illuminates if the gain is turned to anything greater than about 0.5 out of 10. Could the preamp be the culprit?

Fede: Thank you for your thoughtful and quite helpful feedback! Can you clarify which guitar you are talking about when you say the second guitar is a bit low? There are four guitar tracks. Two of them are acoustic, played exactly the same both times. The third is strumming on the electric and the fourth is picking on the electric. It's kind of hard to pick out the two separate acoustic guitar tracks, so I assume you mean turn up the strummed electric a tiny bit? You've confirmed that I should turn down the electric solo even more.

You've also confirmed that I should double the vocals like that. Or at least if I do, I should do a better job of it. I had a gut feeling, especially when the vocals separate, that the doubled vocals were not a hit.

To all who have given feedback so far: thank you! Your comments are truly appreciated and you're helping me learn quite a bit. It's nice when you confirm my suspicions that certain aspects don't work, and it's nice when you point out things I'd never thought about. I hope that one day my aural palate is as refined as yours! Keep the comments coming and I'll keep experimenting with your suggestions.
 
Also, Fede: I don't disagree that a little percussion might be nice. A full drum kit seems a bit much, but what are you thinking: hi-hat and tambourine? This is in 6/8; I can imagine hi-hat and/or tambourine on the 4 beat. Would that then warrant some sort of bass percussion on the 1? Hmmm....
 
mmm 4 guitars? to be honest I can only hear 3: The main guitar, the one in the back you say is the third guitar and the picking in the front. My opinion is to turn up a notch that third guitar and, if you want to experiment try and redo the picking on an acoustic guitar. Otherwise try and lower the volumen another notch so that it doesn't stand out but just adds melody.

As for percution, I was thinking about something else. I was imagining the same as the acoustic version of Hotel california by the eagles. You tube that song and try and hear the only drum there. But then again is just an opinion.
 
HeatSinks said:
GZ: I was a mere 6 inches from the mic, and I had a pop filter. I used the same pop filter the first go-'round, but several people still mentioned that I should use a pop filter. So in the second recording I used the pop filter and then draped a tee shirt over the filter and mic. Still not enough?

What could be making my vocals sound so distant?
Click to expand...
By the way, I was saying don't forget the pop filter only because you would be close micing the vocals, not because I thought your vocals were overly sibilant. I'd take the shirt off. It must be the room you're recording in. Like I said a few posts ago, some bass traps and broadband absorption will help tame your room reflections tremendously and bring everything into focus much better. My very first interface was a little two channel M-Audio rig like yours. With that mic and interface, you should be able to capture a decent vocal recording. It's not going to sound opulent by any means, but it should be clear and focused. Get yourself some rockwool and start building some bass traps and broadband absorbers. Your recordings will improve immensely. Your mixing will improve, and everything will sound better. Room treatment is just as important if not more than any piece of gear you can buy.
 
Man don't give up !!!James earl jones said he was told if he was bothered by his voice then others would.

I aint paul mcartney or cobain but i have learnt ways to develop what voice i have and remember how i do things.I dont encourage this but stimulants can help raise your timbre like someone whose manic their voice becomes alive and powerful but this is just my exp and i dont condone it!!!!.Record in the morning
Go to a quiet place and scream your head off until you feel your voicebox come alive this realy works and gargle lots of water before.good luck
 
HeatSinks said:
GZ: I was a mere 6 inches from the mic, and I had a pop filter. I used the same pop filter the first go-'round, but several people still mentioned that I should use a pop filter. So in the second recording I used the pop filter and then draped a tee shirt over the filter and mic. Still not enough?

What could be making my vocals sound so distant? My signal chain is AKG Perception 220 --> Audio Buddy Preamp --> mic input on my laptop. The preamp is rather low quality. It's finicky in the heat and the red clip light illuminates if the gain is turned to anything greater than about 0.5 out of 10. Could the preamp be the culprit?

Fede: Thank you for your thoughtful and quite helpful feedback! Can you clarify which guitar you are talking about when you say the second guitar is a bit low? There are four guitar tracks. Two of them are acoustic, played exactly the same both times. The third is strumming on the electric and the fourth is picking on the electric. It's kind of hard to pick out the two separate acoustic guitar tracks, so I assume you mean turn up the strummed electric a tiny bit? You've confirmed that I should turn down the electric solo even more.

You've also confirmed that I should double the vocals like that. Or at least if I do, I should do a better job of it. I had a gut feeling, especially when the vocals separate, that the doubled vocals were not a hit.

To all who have given feedback so far: thank you! Your comments are truly appreciated and you're helping me learn quite a bit. It's nice when you confirm my suspicions that certain aspects don't work, and it's nice when you point out things I'd never thought about. I hope that one day my aural palate is as refined as yours! Keep the comments coming and I'll keep experimenting with your suggestions.
Click to expand...

Don't use the shirt - you don't need it.
Find another interface that has a USB port on it and learn how to send the signal to your recording software via USB.
The microphone input is pure crap on a computer.
 
ido1957 said:
Don't use the shirt - you don't need it.
Find another interface that has a USB port on it and learn how to send the signal to your recording software via USB.
The microphone input is pure crap on a computer.
Click to expand...
Yes, my bad. I didn't notice that the little buddy was just a pre-amp. I thought it was an interface. ^This is correct. Get a decent USB or firewire interface. Should help a lot.
 
Mervyn: Nice tips! Definitely some ideas worth trying!

Yes, I know I should get a real interface. Right now I'm working with Linux laptop though, and I have not found an interface that I am confident will work. I've read a few forums about hacks and drivers that might work, but nothing definitive. Thus far, this is the one and only thing I'd like to be able to do on my computer, but can't because of the OS. I'm hanging on, hoping that with the rise in popularity of open source systems a solution will fall into my lap.
 
Here's another draft. I took out the second vocal track, because I agree that it was distracting. Instead, I took one vocal track and copied it. I brought one of those tracks up 9 cents and panned it all the way to one side, the copy of that track I brought down 9 cents and panned it all the way to the other side. I read about this somewhere as a way to give a fuller sound.

This is all experimentation for the sake of learning. I appreciate any feedback on what works and what doesn't.

View attachment draft3.mp3
 
Not much mention about probably the most important part of the process: The ROOM. Your vocals sound distant most probably because of your room. I would look into room treatment before spending another penny on anything.
 
That's how I track vocals, KCearl. I open a track folder and roughly 5-6 audio tracks. Every track is routed to a vocal master buss which then feeds the two buss. All effects are applied at the vocal master buss level. That way, individual tracks can just hold the dry source data. I then mute all the clips and segment them up phrase by phrase. Once I hear the phrase delivered the way I want it, I leave it un-muted. That way, each phrase could be delivered by any one of the performances, but the compilation is seamless.

This recording showed that you've a long way to go ... but what to pay attention to first and foremost is critical listening. Everything starts there. If it's not right, do it again ... and don't accept, "Good enough" with mistakes in it. Eventually, after lots of practice, practice, practice at listening, you'll start to get things at least close to right the first time.
 
My opinion of not a PRO one like the rest are giving, so take it as such.

I don't like what you've done with the voice. If I were you I would use only one track for the voice centered and just add some reverb. It sounds dry and cold. That second track for the voice makes it sound like a ghost.

I finally like that second guitar in the back, you finally turned up the volume a bit and I could listen to it and distinguish it.

Don't take this the wrong way, but I think your voice lacks feeling. Either force or sadness, you choose, but add something, this has nothing to do with recording or mixing, just the way you sing.

Again, remember that this is just an opinion, a newbie opinion, so take it as such.

Fede
 
Two words: vocal coach. Made a world of difference to me. What I am hearing from you is a lack of confidence that is showing through. That, along with some more time learning how to mix properly will go a long way. It was already stated, but 90% of a good mix is the performance.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top