could anyone tell me about getting the best vocalrecording and editing

  • Thread starter Thread starter insanek9
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All arguments aside, what you're asking is extremely subjective and not a one size fits all answer.

You say, "i wonder how to perfect the vocal?"

What is perfect for you? Are you trying to sound like someone else?? What do your vocals sound like now? What do you want them to sound like? Got any samples we can listen to?

You say, "i use vst plugins to tweak the vocal so its sounds ok"

Which ones?? There are thousands out there. I used to use the free Kjaerhaus classic series, but have since bought UAD stuff. But what works for me may not work for you. It's really subjective.

You say, "im interested to know about recording tricks"

Here it is, the definitive answer for perfect vocals by the Irish Pirate:

To record perfect vocals, start with an awesome vocalist and record that person in a pristine sound environment. (Most people would stop right there)

Use a really expensive mic. If it's got to be perfect, you've got to spend the big bucks. And you'll have to experiment with different mics to match the vocalist. If perfection can be compromised, then you can use a much cheaper mic, but that's not what you want.

Find the best matching pre-amp for the vocalist/mic combo. This is really important to maintain true fidelity. Again, you'll have to experiment to find the one that matches your vocalist.

If you're going into a computer, you'll need the best converter. I can only recommend Lavry. The absolute, undeniable best converters out there. If anyone tells you something different, then they don't know what they're talking about. PERIOD. I've got the black series, myself. (Oh, and if you're going to tape, I can't offer any advice. Sorry)

Once in the computer, you won't want to waste your money on free vst plugs because you won't achieve perfection. From here, which plugs to use becomes a hotly debated topic. No clear winners or obvious choices as each has it's flavor or coloring or lack of. Some people would advise not to even use plugs, but run through outboard equipment for optimal sound.

When you have your vocals recorded, you're going to need the best monitoring system (including room) to mix the vocals. This is a whole different subject. You wouldn't want to take a picture without looking through the viewfinder, and you wouldn't want to mix your perfect vocals without hearing what they truly sound like.

This might be a little tongue-in-cheek, but if you're going ask some vague questions, this is what you're going to get.

A successful pro recording engineer will have many years of experience and the right equipment to get really good vocals, maybe not perfect, but that's totally subjective. He'll know what mic to pull and hopefully will have a nice room to record in. You just can't find that kind of stuff in a forum post.

So when Shellshock tells you 'most people on this site will say the same shit "you have to listen and learn" or "its a trial and error process"blah blah blah' ... that's why. You just can't get a straight clear cut answer to such a question. ther perfect vocal is the holy grail and it's different for each person.

Good luck, have fun and...
Cheers,

(but serious about the Lavry stuff :D )
Pure nonsense. I need to know the SECRET. Stop hiding the SECRET from us. :D :D :D :D :D

:p
 
Pure nonsense. I need to know the SECRET. Stop hiding the SECRET from us. :D :D :D :D :D

:p

C'mon, man. Give me a break. I'm running for city council next year and I'm practicing my "fluff with no substance" approach. :mad: :rolleyes: :D
 
Wow

This thread just doesn't end:p Been following it all day, pretty funny if you ask me
 
Recording Vocals, Editing and mixing them...

anybody here like maybe shellshock can email me some tips on recording the right vocals... cheers

jhelloy@hotmail.co.uk

thanks in advance to all you guys...
 
I somewhat agree with ShellShock... somewhat. (Although I don't agree with his English at all.)

For example, as a side hobby I used to do video encoding. A lot of people would ask "what filters should I use?" and "what should my encoder settings be?" The obvious answer, the one that most of "those in the know" would give is that it depends on your input and input type, the same as what people would say for audio recording. That in order to get good results you should read such and such guide, and research such and such, and read up on the various types of so and so.

Sure that's true, but it's not the whole story. Most of those people are also usually pricks who just don't want to give away their "secrets."

A less time consuming, more immediate way is to obtain the exact settings of someone (or multiple someones) in a similar position to yours. If you're lucky, that might work out and you'll never have to do anything else. If you have multiple settings, you can try each of them and figure out which is best. Yay, no work for you.

Once you do that, you can just try to deal with/read up on any problems you encounter as you encounter them. Eventually you'll be able to derive better/more optimal settings, alternate settings on your own, and actually understand why the original settings you copied were the way they were.

I can gladly say that with video encoding I had originally got "optimal" settings from a awesome encoder acquaintance of mine, and was able to produce encodes that, while not in unbelievably awesome quality, were more than decent. Eventually, I got to the point where I actually understood most guide mumbo jumbo, was able to figure out settings/filter chains on my own, and was able to help other people with their problems. It just helped starting off from an established state.

Also, there's always that filter/software/hardware/trick frequently used in certain situations that everyone established knows about... but a newbie probably wouldn't. For info like this it's usually best to search for that old multi-page threads where it was discussed and taken apart in detail... after which anyone who asked was called late to the game and ignored. :p

So to the OP: The easy way to to find threads with people's setups and try as many of them as possible. If that works out and is good for you, it's good for you. If not, you'll realize that you actually might have to read guides and research more to figure out stuff for yourself.
 
There no "optimal settings" when it comes to recording vocals. Maybe there are "optimal settings" when it comes to video-taping someone recording vocals.:rolleyes:

Not only are there no "optimal settings" when it comes to recording ANYTHING, you will use different settings for every song, singer, microphone and studio environment.

This thread is 5 days old and we're still waiting for someone to post one tip on "Optimal settings". Come on now, there's a huge world out there on the internet, with Google, etc....Certainly SOMEONE should have been able to come back with some list on "Optimal settings". Why hasn't that happened yet. It's because IT DOESN'T EXIST.

What type of answer was the OP looking for????

Something like: "You should EQ your vocals like this for the "optimal" vocal track"??? Or how about "Use these compressor setting for the "optimal" vocal track???? Why hasn't anyone chimed in with any of this yet???? Because it DOESN'T EXIST. If it did, our resident English Major :D would have already posted it, just to prove a cynical asshole like me wrong. We all know he probably spent a day trying to find what doesn't exist because he would have liked nothing more than to come back and shut me up.

Didn't happen. Gee, what a surprise. :rolleyes:

You all just don't want to hear the truth. Get over it already......No, better yet, keep looking for the Holy Freaking Grail, like a bunch of medievel witch-hunters.

Hilarious.
 
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There no "optimal settings" when it comes to recording vocals. Maybe there are "optimal settings" when it comes to video-taping someone recording vocals.:rolleyes:

Not only are there no "optimal settings" when it comes to recording ANYTHING, you will use different settings for every song, singer, microphone and studio environment.

Just to clarify, yes, there is no optimal settings in recording, just like there's no optimal settings in video encoding.

However, there might be settings that people usually use for recording similar stuff, perhaps tweaking there or adding filters there. That's sort of what I meant... his "personal usual base settings." :p

It should also be obvious that when I said that I was assuming it would be the same singer, mic, and studio between recordings...
 
HAHA I love how RAMI jumps every time he see's my name..AHhahahahHA!!!
Gotta love the haterz!:D;)

So yeah Imma e-mail this guy with some TIPS and TRICKS he might consider:D

OH AND KJI
Thanks for seeing it from my point of view..even though you dont completely agree with me..At least you get where Im comin from when I say"SOME PEOPLE ARE JUST LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO START"...Instead of just dismissing the whole idea...Stay up KJI and do yo thang!

HAHAH still cant get over RAMI, he loves to hate me:rolleyes::p


Edit: MY E-MAIL TO Mr. Gellybean....

Okay Im gonna start off by saying Im not a professional yet, but I do know that if you are going to try and mix your vocals, the key ingredients are compressor, sometimes reverb, and EQing... You dont want to overdo your compression because it will take the life out your sound, and you dont want to over do the reverb, cuz that can just sound tacky or ruin the whole sound. EQs are good for adding sound to your vocals...Here are some koo sites I use as references...

http://www.independentrecording.net/irn/columns/gstep/index.php?id=69

http://www.independentrecording.net/irn/resources/compuncomp/index.htm

http://www.hometracked.com/2007/01/11/best-free-vocal-plugins/

http://www.hometracked.com/2007/01/11/best-free-vocal-plugins/

Another thing I did was, I went on youtube.com to check out some videos using keywords like "vocal mixing" or "vocal compression" or "vocal EQs"...But remember, what everyone else does, might not work for you, just watch, learn, and tweak it to your liking....Let me know if this does or doesnt help homie!
Holla back anytime!
 
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Oh yeah! I forgot to ask Mr Gellybean...What kind of music are you doing..rap, rock, pop???

Just asking kuz I can recommend some good plugins for rap music:D

Oh and if your doubling your verses, it may be good to pan one 50 left and the other 50 right...But if your not good at getting your main verse and your doubles on point with each other, it would be best to not double your main verse at all kuz that can make your verse sound really crowded...I stopped doubling my vocals when I learned this and I saw that it made my vocals a lot clearer..
 
Oh my god! I did not read all the post but to go as basic as possible. Need more info. What type of music/song? Screamer or ballad. What mic are you using? What do you have for outboard gear such as compressors? Are you recording to DAW? What is your experience. I don't think we can answer anything until we know more.
 
SOME PEOPLE ARE JUST LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO START
I'm not here to get into any spats or take any sides or any of that crap, just to try and explain some fundamental audio concepts as I see them.

The very first one is that without knowing the destination, it doesn't help a whole lot to provide a place to start. If a guy needs to get to Williamsburg, Virginia, it simply doesn't make sense to start him out with directions on how to get to Kiev, Russia or Santiago, Chile.

This is an old argument is providing support by recommending using presets or canned recipes as starting points. The reality is that starting with the a compressor set to 1:1 and a threshold of 0dBFS - in other words, no compression whatsoever - is just as good and just as valid of a starting point as any other, and that starting with an EQ setting of perfectly flat is just as good of a starting point as ny preset EQ curve is. Having someone start any place else provides no advantage, and can just lead them to believe that there's something "special" or "preferred" about that starting point, and they will be biased to believe that if they stray to far from it that they are doing something wrong.

KJI and jmorris have it right IMHO, the OP question has no meaning unless more info is provided. The question as stated in the OP assumes that there are blanket settings that apply to all audio situations. The only answer to that is to start with someone who can actually sing, knows how to work a microphone, and has a quality microphone in a quality room into which they can sing.

G.
 
still cant get over RAMI, he loves to hate me

Nah, I'm actually starting to like you. You're like the retarded kid at the park who keeps trying, and failing, to prove he's not mentally handi-capped. After a while, you start feeling sorry for him. Eventually, he makes you laugh so much every time he says something, that's it's kind of endearing.

No hate. Just sympathy and affection.:)
 
I've always had a really hard time getting my vocal to stand out on the mix, before I was told I was mixing too loud. Now that my mixes are much quieter, I can push my vocals much louder. I was always trying to turn up my vocals to be louder than the other stuff, but instead I should've been turning everything else down. I know it sounds simple, but it really makes a huge difference. And (allegedly) the gain difference gets made up in the mastering.
 
So, to OP:

Male or female?
High Pitched singing? Low pitched singing?
Do you sing nasally? Breathy?
Recording everything at once or recording with pre-recorded music?
Genre type? Rap? Rock? Blues? Soul? R&B? Death Metal? Opera?
Which microphone(s) are you using?
Where/how are you recording?
Most importantly, what program are you using for recording?
What's your current filter chain?
Can you post samples? (pre and/or post mix?)
Can you even sing? :p
 
So, to OP:

Male or female?
High Pitched singing? Low pitched singing?
Do you sing nasally? Breathy?
Recording everything at once or recording with pre-recorded music?
Genre type? Rap? Rock? Blues? Soul? R&B? Death Metal? Opera?
Which microphone(s) are you using?
Where/how are you recording?
Most importantly, what program are you using for recording?What's your current filter chain?
Can you post samples? (pre and/or post mix?)
Can you even sing? :p
Hum??? That would be least important in my eyes.
I would rate importance as follows...
1) style of song
2) singers experience
3) engineers experience
4) room and gear tied for fourth
 
This thread has turned into pure comedy. :D :D :D :D :D



We're at one week and almost at page 3, and I'm still waiting for ONE "Secret of the Pros". :rolleyes:

This is what I call un-intentional comedic genius. :p


Keep it coming......Please!!!!!!
 
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