How do I achieve these?

[studiogenocide]

1.) What plug in do I use to drop off mic noises like "swallowing" for instance, whenever the vocal is not active?

2.) How "hot" should a signal consistently be (dB) input during recording? Is it -6 dB? (I'm not talking about compression here- just straight recording)

3.) Can someone explain noise gates to me in lamen's terms?

4.) At what frequency should I completely cut out on the lower spectrum EQ on all the basic instruments and vocal so it doesn't get in that sub-bass range?

5.) Compress THEN Normalize? Will this distort the sound?

Thanks. Hope that's not too silly or too much.

 

[TexRoadkill]

1. use a noise gate or manually mute or cut those sections.

2. It's a matter of preference and depends on the recording medium. For digital -6 is a pretty good target.

3. It cuts off the track when the volume goes below a set threshold.

4. It depends but as a general rule under 200hz is where you get a lot of mud. I wouldn't drastically cut everything there but it's a good place to start. Under 125hz is a good place for more severe cuts.

5. It depends on what you are talking about but with proper compression and/or limiting normalization isn't neccessary.