general vocal recording question.

R

roflcopter

New member
is there a good all-purpose signal chain for recording vocals? i know there are infinite combinations to tailor a specific sound but i'm just trying to find out what to do with the raw WAV file to make it sound more full and sit better in the mix.

for example, what EQ curves are commonly used with vocals? compression? what type of reverb should i use? etc etc etc.
 
The biggest part is the front end - The core sound and how it's captured. 95% of it should be "there" at that point. Everything else is "mix specific" -- There are no presets, there is no "typical" anything.

I'd argue that if you *find* a "typical" something, then change the front end so it isn't an issue anymore.
 
Here's a blurb from an on-line recording magazine....

"Vocal recording and effects chains include, depending on the performance, a de-esser, a noise gate, an equalizer, and a compressor. Frequently, engineers also add effects like chorus, delay, tape saturation (unless recording to tape, of course,) and reverb, to enhance the sound."

This paragraph was the beginning of an article explaining a decent "free" chain for recording vocals. The author does report the names of the plug-ins used, but does not specify the exact settings used with the plug-ins. That's because there is no one tweak, no default setting, or preset, that is right for every recording. Nor is the use of every plug-in always correct for every recording. However, I think it's a good idea to have, at least, one of every type of effect mentioned in the paragraph. Then experiment and learn what is appropriate for the particular recording you are working on.
 
I use a BBE Sonic Maximizer to "brighten" the signal of the vocal, because i have a mediocre mic, and after record the signal i add my EQ by taking out some of the bottom (60Hz to 90Hz) and raise a smidget of the highs (12k - 13k). That usually does the job for the majority of my vocals, im satisfied with that setting. Also, try using a Vocal Plate reverb for the vocals, it's perfect IMO for vocals from a Hip-Hop/R&B perspectiive.
 
roflcopter said:
is there a good all-purpose signal chain for recording vocals? i know there are infinite combinations to tailor a specific sound but i'm just trying to find out what to do with the raw WAV file to make it sound more full and sit better in the mix.

for example, what EQ curves are commonly used with vocals? compression? what type of reverb should i use? etc etc etc.
Click to expand...


Head over to the j. hall forum at prosound web. those guys there helped me a bunch with eqing and compression.

No one size fits all (as the others here have said) but those guys are really helpful.

Also, do search on Ethan Winer EQ He wrote a page somewhere with some great starting points for EQing all kinds of stuff.

Google is your friend.

I like to put a quick compressor first with 2dB of reduction... then EQ... then a slower compressor with 2.5 - 3 dB of reduction.

I do it all in Reaper using reacomp and have been happy with my vocal results.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top