home recording

[jessjess1022]

hey im doing some home recording, using a usb mic for vocals. and usb mic to pick up guitar..

everythings else comes out clear but i was wondering any way to get vocals clearer?

 

[RawDepth]

I'm not sure exactly what you mean by clearer. Are they distorted or do you mean the vocals are not on top and noticeable like they should be?

We generally work on the sound of each track on a case-by-case basis. We only add or tweak what the track seems to need and not what it doesn't need. We would really have to hear your track in order to give good advice on improving it.

In the mean time, here are a few "general" tips that you could consider.

1. You could re-record the vocals using a different mic, different mic placement, or a different room altogether.
2. You could lower the volume of the guitar track.
3. You could brighten up the vocal track by dipping the middle range of frequencies slightly and then turning it up some.
4. You could pan (move) the guitar track to one side and leave the vocals in the center. (This gives a sense of separation.)
5. You could compress the vocal track to strengthen it, (but that requires learning compression skills/techniques.)

 

[TimOBrien]

Basically, stop using a usb mic.

USB mics are for podcasting and have cheap converter chips. They are not optimum for music....

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My obligatory standard reply-for-newbies that I keep in Wordpad so this is just a paste (I don't want to re-type this all the time):

First off, immediately get a good beginner recording book (spend $20 before spending hundred$/thousand$) that shows you what you need to get started and how to hook everything up in your studio:
Home Recording for Musicians by Jeff Strong - $15
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/04...mp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0470385421
(Wish I'd had that when I started; would have saved me lots of money and time and grief)
You can also pick up this book in most any Borders or Barnes&Noble in the Music Books section!

Another good one is: Recording Guitar and Bass by Huw Price
http://www.amazon.com/Recording-Gui...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215734124&sr=1-1
(I got my copy at a place called Half-Price Books for $6!!)

And you can get a FREE subscription to TapeOp magazine at www.tapeop.com

Barnes&Noble or Borders are great places to start --- they have recording books and you can go get a snack or coffee and read them for FREE! Don't pass by a good recording book --- this is a VERY technical hobby and you REALLY want to start a reference library!!!

Good Newbie guides that also explains all the basics and have good tips:
http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/page/computermusic?entry=free_beginner_pdfs
http://www.harmony-central.com/articles/

21 Ways To Assemble a Recording Rig: http://www.tweakheadz.com/rigs.htm

Also Good Info: http://www.theprojectstudiohandbook.com/directory.htm

Other recording books: http://musicbooksplus.com/home-recording-c-31.html

Still using a built-in soundcard?? Unfortunately, those are made with less than $1 worth of chips for beeps, boops and light gaming (not to mention cheapness for the manufacturer) and NOT quality music production.
#1 Rule of Recording: You MUST replace the built-in soundcard.
Here's a good guide and tested suggestions: http://www.tweakheadz.com/soundcards_for_the_home_studio.htm


Plenty of software around to record for FREE to start out on:

Audacity: http://audacity.sourceforge.net (multi-track with VST support)
Wavosaur: http://www.wavosaur.com/ (a stereo audio file editor with VST support)\
Kristal: http://www.kreatives.org/kristal/
Other freebies and shareware: www.hitsquad.com/smm

Another great option is REAPER at http://www.cockos.com/reaper/ (It's $50 but runs for free until you get guilty enough to pay for it...)
I use Reaper and highly reccomend it...

Music Notation and MIDI recording: Melody Assistant ($25) and Harmony Assistant ($80) have the power of $600 notation packages - http://myriad-online.com
Demo you can try on the website.

And you can go out to any Barnes&Noble or Borders and pick up "Computer Music" magazine - they have a full FREE studio suite in every issue's DVD, including sequencers, plugins and tons of audio samples. (November 2006 they gave away a full copy of SamplitudeV8SE worth $150, November 2007-on the racks Dec in the US- they gave away SamplitudeV9SE. It pays to watch 'em for giveaways...)

 

[Dags]

My obligatory standard reply-for-newbies that I keep in Wordpad so this is just a paste (I don't want to re-type this all the time):

LOL!! Why not??
Some good links to get people started there, T.O'B.

Having been a Noob many years ago (before the plethora of info was available on the web) I can say that when you start recording, you generally have to go through the process of learning *why* you need better gear in order to achieve better quality recordings.
Its so handy having input from people who have been there so that the hurdles that usually leap up to smack us early on in the learning stages can be overcome or avoided completely.

Hey, jessjess, I also don't really know what you mean by 'clear' vocals. Were you recording both guitar and vox simultaneously, so had spill from one sound source into the other sound source's mic, or was the vox recorded as an overdub?
This kind of info can really help find an answer for you.

Dags