What is going on? Vocal Levels.

T

TooHotRecords

New member
Hey Guys,
whenever i finish the song, ill make sure the vocals are in perfect volume with the backing track.
Then i export it too a 320kb/s MP3 with a sample rate of 44100 out of Sonar 8.5 (my recording, mastering and mixing program)
i get the mp3 in iTunes, have a listen and the vocals are too loud.
so i adjust them in sonar and keep exporting until im happy.
i finally get the level that im happy with as an mp3.
then when Ive finished everything ill put the song onto my iPod and the vocals are FAR too loud?
what the hell is going on :\
:mad:
 
Check you iPlop/iTuna EQ settings etc. You may have it optimised for vocal.
Mastering for MP3 is a dangerously tricky slop to step onto.
 
rayc said:
Check you iPlop/iTuna EQ settings etc. You may have it optimised for vocal.
Mastering for MP3 is a dangerously tricky slop to step onto.
Click to expand...

Hey there,
My iPod's EQ settings are on Hip Hop. Which i figured would be the best as i listen and make Hip Hop music.

Its really bugging me.
 
TooHotRecords said:
Hey there,
My iPod's EQ settings are on Hip Hop. Which i figured would be the best as i listen and make Hip Hop music.

Its really bugging me.
Click to expand...
This is just a guess:
You listen to music in your daily life with "Hip Hop" EQ engaged on your playback device. You listen frequently enough that this EQ seems "normal".
Then you go and make your own hip hop song. You make what you think is "normal"...so you essentially make something that has the "hip hop EQ" effect built into it. Then when you put it on your regular player and it actually does apply the hip hop EQ, it sounds way out of whack...like it's twice the EQ that it should be.

Try getting used to listening to music with no EQ curve at all. Then you will be able to make music that sounds neutral enough that it won't fall apart when you actually put EQ presets on it.
 
What Chibi said...
Your monitoring set up should be as flat/neutral as you can make it - that's speakers & room combined. If you add ikpud presets to it then you're messing up your own work. Listening on your can stereo, the living room stereo, ickpood etc should all bring variations but not kill the mix.
The presets attempt to address the failings of your listening device - are you using buds, on or over headphones? The compensation should be specific to the device's failings as well as the headphones failings.
Where they go wrong is making presumptions about the headphones, your tastes, the original mix and, well, everything.
 
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