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Pahtcub
New member
Send me the instrumental and the vocal track raw and I will handle it.
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Nagela
New member
Thats too kind
But I need to learn how to do this, so for now I will just take everyone's advice, practice, and make it work; especially because I'm going try to continue doing this with other future songs
. Listening to your songs, I must say they are amazing though... the songs in general are superb.
Bobbsy
Boring Old Git
May I make an off the wall suggestion?
I think you may be fighting with your DAW software a bit because Audacity is really designed to be an editor, not a multitracking/mixing package. Yes, they've added on some ability in that direction but it's not the most convenient or intuitive tool.
REAPER is purpose built for what you're trying to do. It's free to try (the trial never expires) and, if you decide you like it, it's only $65 for the full package. I just have a hunch that you might find it easier and more logical to do what you want. There are also hundreds (if not thousands) of users on this forum who can help you out if you have questions.
I think you may be fighting with your DAW software a bit because Audacity is really designed to be an editor, not a multitracking/mixing package. Yes, they've added on some ability in that direction but it's not the most convenient or intuitive tool.
REAPER is purpose built for what you're trying to do. It's free to try (the trial never expires) and, if you decide you like it, it's only $65 for the full package. I just have a hunch that you might find it easier and more logical to do what you want. There are also hundreds (if not thousands) of users on this forum who can help you out if you have questions.
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Nagela
New member
Thanks for the tip ^_^ I will try out reaper (although I know many people who use audacity and make amazing tracks, I really only have myself to blame, but maybe reaper will make the recording + mixing process easier for me).
Would you still recommend I use reaper (Free trial) for recording rather than audacity?
Edit: So far I'm loving reaper, (although i'm not sure if it's free forever, it says 30 days, but ppl. say otherwise). Also, I'm trying to find a guide on what settings are best for overdubbing, and I'm going to start reading what each setting does etc.. but for now I'm having much more success withit because of it's simplicity.
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Bobbsy
Boring Old Git
Glad you're liking Reaper. Audacity is fine as an editor but gets a bit clunky when you try to mix several tracks together.
No, Reaper isn't free forever. After 30 days they want to you buy it. However, the thing is, unlike every other bit of DAW software, Reaper doesn't disable the trial so you can keep on using it. Considering the fact that they are very fair in this and also that the cost to buy it is only $60 (many other DAWs are $300+) I think it's only right to support the Reaper folk and pay the very reasonable cost.
No, Reaper isn't free forever. After 30 days they want to you buy it. However, the thing is, unlike every other bit of DAW software, Reaper doesn't disable the trial so you can keep on using it. Considering the fact that they are very fair in this and also that the cost to buy it is only $60 (many other DAWs are $300+) I think it's only right to support the Reaper folk and pay the very reasonable cost.
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Nagela
New member
I'm probably going to buy it in near future, after I get more practice with it and understand it more
ecktronic
Mixing and Mastering.
Try a compressor if your vocals are getting hidden at times, maybe volume automation might be needed as well if your vocal performance is not tight in the dynamics.
EQ adjustments in the low/ low mids can help give your instrumental more space to shine so you can then boost the vocal (or as Rami said "bring down the Instrumental") ensuring the instrumental is not lost underneath all that low/low mid energy from the vocals.
EQ adjustments in the low/ low mids can help give your instrumental more space to shine so you can then boost the vocal (or as Rami said "bring down the Instrumental") ensuring the instrumental is not lost underneath all that low/low mid energy from the vocals.
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Nagela
New member
Anyone know why when I record and use words like "you" it makes an echo sound and amplifys it to where it sounds like a squeal.
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RAMI
Guest
That simply sounds like you're recording way too hot. I'm pretty sure you need to record at a much lower volume, which will make your vocals come in lower than you're used to. But that's OK. Just turn everything else down too. As has already been said, you can't record too low, only too loud.
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Nagela
New member
Thank you, i've been reading about "harsh booming vocals", and it seems that's what I'm doing. I guess I should lower my recording volume, and just increase the DB to make the sound more clear.
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RAMI
Guest
No. Forget about increasing anything. Increasing the "db" doesn't make anything clearer. In fact, as you've witnessed, it only increases the chances of making something sound bad.
You're too hung up on volume. Record low, mix low, once you're happy with your mix, then you can worry about taking the "finished" product and doing whatever you need to get the overall volume up, but I wouldn't worry about that right now. Get the mix right first, with nothing clipping, or even getting near clipping. The only thing you should be turning up is your monitors, or stereo receiver or whatever you're listening back on.
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Nagela
New member
You're right.
Except my issue atm isn't sound.. it's the plain "echo or boom or whatever" I get when i say the words "to" or "you" no matter what sound level i'm recording. This wasn't happening before, I probably screwed up one of the settings by accident :/.
Maybe it's just the distance and power I was singing before, compared to now.... it's just so frustrating XD. I don't know what causes the sound to just go crazy at these words..
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RAMI
Guest
Ok, that's a different problem. Getting booming "Ooooh's" is most probably a result of either being too close to the mic, or your room itself is the problem.....or both.
But you said this when you described the problem:
A "squeal" is a lot different than a boom-y sound.
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RAMI
Guest
A couple of things.....
Where in the room are you recording? The corner? The middle? etc...
Are you using headphones when you record? Or is the music coming out of your speakers?
You might have already answered those, but I didn't feel like going back over the 4 pages to find out.
Where in the room are you recording? The corner? The middle? etc...
Are you using headphones when you record? Or is the music coming out of your speakers?
You might have already answered those, but I didn't feel like going back over the 4 pages to find out.
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Nagela
New member
A couple of things.....
Where in the room are you recording? The corner? The middle? etc...
Are you using headphones when you record? Or is the music coming out of your speakers?
You might have already answered those, but I didn't feel like going back over the 4 pages to find out.
I'm in the middle of the room, I use headphones so there's no sound but me.
The echo/boom effect comes when I change notes, to like...
If sing the words "Innnnnnnn the cold"
The word IN starts to vibrate and sound obnoxiously loud to the point where it hurts the ear.
Basically it's if I hold out notes I guess.
>:O I want to rage quit this thing so bad XD so many tries I get head aches.
I could avoid this by singing with no notes at all, so it might be the skip between low and high notes.
Although the high notes aren't even that far away... so it's pretty annoying.
I use the at2020 microphone by the way if that makes a diff.
Maybe it's the input for the track?
Is it suppose to be input mono or stereo?
(Using Reaper)
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Pahtcub
New member
Sounds like feedback, are you sure what you're singing isn't coming out of any speakers? Try turning them completely off.
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Nagela
New member
I just tried that and it had no effect.
For now I'll try to build my way up to higher notes rather than jump a few octaves
mjbphotos
Moderator
Maybe it's the way you're singing ... 
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Nagela
New member
Maybe it's the way you're singing ...
I considered that, but I listened to a track I did yesterday, and this never happened. Then I re-corded the exact same way I sung before a bunch of times, and the sounds much more harsh. At the same time you are completely right, with this issue known I should be singing to avoid this issue. Which means rather than holding notes out that vibrate, I should be adapting to my situation.
I've just done about 10 tests again without music, and with music.
When recording w/ music, it's more visible. Even if i mute the instrumental + turn off head phones, speakers while recording, the vocals are still worse
When I record the vocals with nothing there at all, it sounds better, the booming is still there sort of but much less.
I can't find out why is it that with a track, even if the track is completely muted... while i'm recording it sounds worse.
ecktronic
Mixing and Mastering.
Can you post a sample of this so we can actually hear what you mean please?