problems recording vocals

W

westermane

New member
Hi all,

I'm having some problems when recording my vocals on my multitrack. It seems as if they are sometimes too soft, and then other times too loud. Part of this is probably since I'm not a great singer, but maybe I also need to invest in a compressor? Will this help solve some of the problems I'm having?

Thanks.
 
yes,

that should solve the problem, although it will add some noise to the recording.

from peoples opinion on this board and others, the RNC is the beast at $175.
It is reputed to sound as good as units costing 5-10x more.

you can also try singing closer to the mic on soft passages and backing away on loud notes. With practice, this can even out vocals a lot.
 
depending on the budget you should really think about a quality pre-amp...and compressor which is a vast improvement over any of the built in shit. A joemeek type dealybob has both and you could do alot worse with some of the crap out there.
 
If you are happy with the sound you are getting of the vocal and the only problem is inconsistant levels, a compressor is all u need....BTW, what mic and preamp are you using?
 
well....

I recently purchased a Korg D16 multitrack. Although you may think that the built in preamps are not high quality, I feel they are good enough for my purpose - in fact the sound of this machine blows me away. However, I am still having trouble getting an even sound from the vocals. This Korg machine also has built in compressor/limiter effects - and they do work - but in the process, the sound seems to lose some of its dynamics. I'm not sure if this is because I'm not using a quality compressor, or that just in general - compressors do that. Thanks!
 
Ditto to meshuggenah.
Be careful not to use the limiter function of the machine b/c that is not what you want. But if you are using the compresssor and it "squashes" it too much you can let up on the attack lower the threshold and put the release around mid. But it would be a good idea to read the ed rei columns that are on the home page to fully understand this stuff and how best to use it.
Good Luck!
 
the info...

So here's my situation. I'm using the Korg D16 that has built in compressors, etc. The voice seems to need some compression, but some people are also telling me that I should put some compression over the entire mix as well. I've tried this and like it because it makes the song hotter, but at the same time, it seems to lose some of its dynamics as you said. Below are the settings for both the vocal compressor and the overall mix compressor:

Vocal:
Sens: 80
LEQG: +3.0
Attack: 20
HEQG: +2.5
Trim: 65
Level: 45

Overall mix: Other users of the D16 recommended the "Studio Limiter" function as it would make the song louder. These settings were:
Attack: 5
SPEQ: Off
Ratio: 12.0:1
Relse: 30
Triggr: Off
Thrshl: -5dB
GLevel: +4dB
Mix: Wet
Fc: 80Hz
Q: 5.0
Gain: 0.0

So those are the numbers. I really could use some advice on what kind of strategy to take here (i.e. which of these effects to use, where to use them, and in what quantity. I would really prefer to keep the dynamics of my song, but that nice loud sound also temps me a bit. But overall, I think the vocals are the only aspect that REALLY need some normalizing. For the rest of the song, it would just help raise the volume.

Sorry to ramble, but I have NO clue of how to go about this and your advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks...
 
Westermane
I'll need to clarify some more details.
Lets continue this via email it will be easier.
Prepare me a mp3 of your vocals as well.
 
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