E
EvanE
New member
aight I record vocals and have decent equipment but I'm not too impressed with my sound quality is there any filter in cool edit pro I can put on it or somethin to make it sound really nice...lemme know
scrubs
Not of sound mind
No. If it doesn't sound good when you record it, there's very little you can do to make it that way. Do you have a clip of your sound and could you be more specific about what you don't like about it? Also, what "decent equipment" are you using?
E
EvanE
New member
ok...I have:
Mic: MXL 990 Condensor Mic
Mixer: Behringer Eurorack UB1002
Soundcard: Sound Blaster Audigy 2
Software: Cool Edit Pro 2.0
And in being more specific, I don't really like that my vocals seem a little muffeled, like there's really no "sparkle" if that makes any sense. It like the high end EQ isn't high enough, but when I make raise the EQ it starts resonating really bad and it's just way too high...I can't seem to find the perfect fit I guess, so my vocals mostly sound muffeled
Mic: MXL 990 Condensor Mic
Mixer: Behringer Eurorack UB1002
Soundcard: Sound Blaster Audigy 2
Software: Cool Edit Pro 2.0
And in being more specific, I don't really like that my vocals seem a little muffeled, like there's really no "sparkle" if that makes any sense. It like the high end EQ isn't high enough, but when I make raise the EQ it starts resonating really bad and it's just way too high...I can't seem to find the perfect fit I guess, so my vocals mostly sound muffeled
J
jonnyc
New member
Not to be an ass, but none of the stuff you have is decent, its pretty close to bottom of the line especially your soundcard, that has to go. Your recording chain may be giving you really bad results and the most important thing is that you can actually perform well. While you soundcard you have is great for gaming(i own it for that) its horrible for recording. With what you have you really shouldn't expect it to be much more than an avenue for you to lay ideas down. Again I'm not trying to be harsh just realistic because a year and a half ago when i had nearly the exact same recording chain I would've loved to know about this forum and for someone to have told me that my chain sucks.
scrubs
Not of sound mind
EvanE said:
To be quite honest, Behringer mixer preamps are among the most horrible things I've ever heard (at least the ones in my behri mixer - which now resides in my closet, never to be heard again). They are dull, lifeless, and noisy. That would be my first upgrade. Depending on how much $ you can afford to upgrade, you might look into the M-Audio DMP3 (a nice, inexpensive 2-channel preamp) or Studio Projects VTB-1. If you need a mixer, the Soundcraft and Yamaha mixers tend to get better reviews, although I don't know that they would be a giant leap up from what you're using.
The soundcard, as johnnyc has indicated, is not designed for recording audio and should also be replaced with one that is.
The MXL 990 mic is about the most inexpensive condenser mic available, but I have a couple and think they are decent for some stuff. You may want to upgrade the mic at some point, but I would say that it is not your weakest link at this point.
Cool Edit is a decent enough program and should not be limiting you in any conceivable way at this point.
M
mixsit
Well-known member
This is just a wild stab of course, but how close are you singing into the mic? If it's too close it could help to back away a bit to thin out the low end ( = more relative highs).
Wayne
Wayne
Blue Bear Sound
New member
The first fundamental rule of recording: garbage in = garbage outEvanE said:
The 1st corollary to that rule: Plug-ins and gear can't make up for lack of skill/talent...
The 2nd corollary: Plug-ins and gear don't make the sound...
northsiderap
New member
Beh*Ring*er Preamps
You might be able to get away with the B*Ringer preamp if you had a very very nice mic. They make the top end grainy and the low end muddy. Sometimes the mids even get honky.
Or you might be able to get away with the 990 witha nice preamp.
Those two multiplied leaves a high and low end of mush. I've worked with the 990, and it actually sounds OK through my API 312 preamps. It also sounds decent to analog tape, cuz tape is rolling off somewhere around 15kHz.
My advice to maximize the setup you got is:
Sing a whole passage.
1) Go to the waveform editor and go to:
Analyze -> Show Frequency Analysis
Make sure the vocals are selected, then hit 'Scan.' You can also choose different scanning methods, try them out.
You are looking for a pretty much flat frequency response. Don't go nuts with your EQ, just a bump here and there oughtta do it.
Maybe roll of the bass -3dB below 85Hz. Roll up above 5KHz for 'airy' sounds. Experiment with different EQ settings.
2) Add some compression.
I usually hit about 3:1 and take make sure the threshold is @-9dB lower than the peak audio. See what sounds good for you.
3) Delay/Reverb - - -
Experiment with your reverbs, delays, and chorus. Depending on the voice, usually a touch of delay or chorus combined with a bit o' reverb does the trick.
4) Make sure your room sounds OK
Don't sing in a crappy room. Yes, you can hear the room even through a MXL 990 and a B*Ringer preamp.
5) Don't give up
You'd be suprised at the sounds you can get through consumer level equipment if you push it just the right way.
You might be able to get away with the B*Ringer preamp if you had a very very nice mic. They make the top end grainy and the low end muddy. Sometimes the mids even get honky.
Or you might be able to get away with the 990 witha nice preamp.
Those two multiplied leaves a high and low end of mush. I've worked with the 990, and it actually sounds OK through my API 312 preamps. It also sounds decent to analog tape, cuz tape is rolling off somewhere around 15kHz.
My advice to maximize the setup you got is:
Sing a whole passage.
1) Go to the waveform editor and go to:
Analyze -> Show Frequency Analysis
Make sure the vocals are selected, then hit 'Scan.' You can also choose different scanning methods, try them out.
You are looking for a pretty much flat frequency response. Don't go nuts with your EQ, just a bump here and there oughtta do it.
Maybe roll of the bass -3dB below 85Hz. Roll up above 5KHz for 'airy' sounds. Experiment with different EQ settings.
2) Add some compression.
I usually hit about 3:1 and take make sure the threshold is @-9dB lower than the peak audio. See what sounds good for you.
3) Delay/Reverb - - -
Experiment with your reverbs, delays, and chorus. Depending on the voice, usually a touch of delay or chorus combined with a bit o' reverb does the trick.
4) Make sure your room sounds OK
Don't sing in a crappy room. Yes, you can hear the room even through a MXL 990 and a B*Ringer preamp.
5) Don't give up
You'd be suprised at the sounds you can get through consumer level equipment if you push it just the right way.
Fenderville
New member
Good Room > Good Mic > Good Singer = Good Recording
Myriad_Rocker
New member
You know, without coming to a forum like this, I would not have known that some of those Creative cards wouldn't give me great results either. They market them in such a way that it seems they are "the real deal" a lot of times. In fact, their price tags are often more than a decent soundcard that is meant for recording.
I'm sympatheic to this guy. But I do think he should heed the advice that has been given to him.
I'm sympatheic to this guy. But I do think he should heed the advice that has been given to him.
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