Smooth vocals with the 003-R

A

audio_leak

New member
Hey everyone, this will be my first post in the pro tools forums

i just picked up my 003 a few days ago and have just been gettings used to using the 003R interface and using Pro tools.
ive been a cubase LE 4 user for about 3 years
im really loving having all these nice plugins with the upgrade to PT, but im still finding my sound as theres so many options to choose from.

My studio room is well treated so my vocal tracks sound great straight away coming back through the headphones. i record mostly hiphop tracks, so the beats are usually premade on fruity loops, then converted to PT.

but i was wondering what are some good plugin's and plugin presets other pro tools users are using to smoothen out and clean up then vocal tracks for that final polishing on the end mix.

so far ive used the compressor, as you would use any other compressor i guess, and im really happy with it, i dont know if its just my whole new setup running faster and better then my old one, but i think PT's compressor sounds much better then cubase's

ive also used the 7 band EQ to give the vocal track a little boost in the high end.

both of these seem to do wonders for cleaning up the mix, but it still sits on top of the beat too much sometimes.

can you reccomend me any good plugins to start playing with and trying to learn, to improve my vocal tracks with pro tools in the future?
 
me thinks i asked a silly question. haha.


really no one out there can reccomend me some help for my vocals in pro tools?

ive just taken a big step from cubase to PT so its all very confusing to me. im slowly working things out, but id appreciate some advice from experience PT users.

on a separate note, ive just put some instrument tracks in and started messing with some of the instruments you get with PT, im really liking the "boom" drum machine. its an awesome drum loop creator. ive made a few basic beats in PT with just drums, bass, and piano
its nothing like the ease i can do with FL Studio 9 yet, but ive been using FL for years now, so im sure ill learn how to use PT efficiently too.
 
#1 - You don't need any other equipment to solve the problems you're having: take this as good news!

#2 - Vocals can end up sitting on top of a mix vs. in it for several reasons. In my experience, the most common issue is not double-tracking the vocals, followed closely by issues with the instrumental arrangement itself.

First things first, are you double-tracking the vocals (meaning, recording two takes of the vocals)?
 
hey steve, cheers for the reply

#1 of your post, sounds very good to me :)

yes i usually double track the vocals, i setup my vocals as the song calls for, but usually its in this order

Main vocal- i record the same verse three times, chop out bits to get the best sound, or use the one that sounds the best as a whole. (i leave this panned dead centre)

Backup vocals- usually done on two tracks, i emphasize the main vocal in certain spots, at sometimes different, sometimes the same times on each track (then i pan hard to left & right, usually at about 60 cents +)

Adlibs-
any other adlibs, (yeah, uh huh, thats right, come on) are usually done in either 1 or 2 channels, most often its 2 to give the effect of the vocals jumping out from each side (then panned left & right at about 30-40 cents)

after i have the total song recorded, and im happy with it,
i start with the mixdown

i first add some EQ as said above, and put a small boost on high end of the vocal tracks. this is followed by some light compression.

all pretty standard practices for vocals, as im aware of it.

ive had alot more luck with beats that ive made in protools, because even though i can go back and edit my beats from fruity loops, i dont have control over the mix as a whole because the instruments are set in stone by that time.

ive made some beats inside protools, where i just put a drumloop on and play some piano and bass. this way i have total control over EVERYTHING, going on in PT.

am i right in thinking that this could most likely be why my old songs didnt quite mesh with the beat well enough.

ive nearly finished working on the first song ive done with my new setup so ill post a link in this thread, and hopefully i could get some further advice from people based on that mix.
 
Last edited:
Like Steve said, there are many reasons why they might sit too far on top.

I don't think double tracing has much to do with it, though it is probablythe sound you are going for.

I think the main thing is compression. If it's compressed alot it can sit low in the mix and still be gear pretty well. Vs. If it isn't compressed very much, it would have to be louder to hear the quieter parts, butthen the louder parts might stick out too much. You might want to try different settings and definately messing with the threshold on all of those settings to get the right amount of compression. The threshold is basically wherethe compressor kicks in. Gain reduction is what is is doing basically. So keep and eye, and more so an ear on both those. Attack and release times are alot more complicated. I surely haven't mastered those yet. So for now I'd just try the presets in the digi comp for vocals and just mess with the threshold and keep an eye on the gain reduction

also eq is a very important part. Sometimes a narrow boost on the main track somewhere around 2k or so can make them cut through. And maybe doing a very narrow cut on the music in the same place. That should make them be heard, but not jump out at you. I do this alot.

And by the way, these are just my ruff opinions. I'm no pro. Just try these and see what works out best. And remember, don't use stuff just because other people are. If the vocals don't need a compressor, don't use one.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top