Noise Reduction and Breath Removal

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HomelessDave

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I've been messin around with the plug-ins and everything trying to figure out how to get my breath out of my vocals. Nothing seems to do the job without really cuttin down the volume on the track, which leaves everything sounding kinda odd when I amp it up.

Any suggestions on which plug-ins and in what order I should put them in to get those breaths out without choppin into the vocals?
 
Do you have a Gate or Expander plug? I'm not familiar with CEP, but this is what exanders are for- set the threshold lower than your vocals and a little higher than your breathing. Adjust attack and release for a natural sound.

The other option (which I tend to use more often) is to manually reduce the volume on the breaths. Volume automation. This gives you more control and, though its much more labor intensive, often gives a more natural sound.

in the future, back away from the mic when you draw in a breath. Makes it much easier later on. :)

take care,
Chris
 
Unless your breathing distracts from the track substantially, removal could cause the track to sound unnatural. Mebbe post an example?
 
Are you using a pop-filter? If not, that is a definate must.
 
I leave my breathing on about 99% of my vocal tracks. I think it helps the tracks, uh... breathe.

But if I want to remove something really distracting, like a gasp or a burp or something, I use volume envelopes. Zoom in on the section of the track that has the 'breathiness' you don't want. Use the volume envelope to cut the volume of the vocal track just for the segment you don't want to hear, then boost it back up again. Oh, and sometimes when I do that, I don't cut the level down to zero; sometimes I just cut it by enough decibels so that it doesn't sound so prominent. Like I said, I like vocal tracks to be natural. I've got vocal tracks where you can hear me slurping wine or whisky between verses. Why not?
 
oh man, what about when you just get ready to do some recording and then you get a lovely case of the hickups. i love when that happens.
 
Thanks and another couple questions: Where about should my vocals be when I record them? Should I do noise reduction before or after I normalize my vocals?
 
Why are you normalizing your vocals?

Noise Reduction if needed, compression, and reverb are about all you should have to do to a vocal track.
 
I was normalizing because I tend to shift around a lot when I'm rapping so sometimes I 'm rapping more into it or less into it, sometimes I might run out of breath or something and when I try to stick with the beat I rap the next part of line louder or something. Basically a lot of times I start quiet and get louder and louder if I start really getting into my lyrics. A lot of times I just come off with levels that are incosistent and a little too much so to ignore.
 
compression would probably be better for that instead of normalizing. but it would be even better if youd work on being consistant with your volumes in the first place. the less you have to edit the better.

and if you can get the volumes right when you record them, then you wont have to turn them up in software which will increase noise. set your recording volumes (software and preamp) so that the volume is already loud enough when you record, then try some small compression if you cant get it consistant.
 
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