Panning/Effects for Vocals

[gecko zzed]

I'm brand new to the game here. Do most of you pan your vocals a bit to one side or the other, or keep them dead center? Where's a "standard" place to start with panning and effects (chorus, reverb, EQ, whatever) with a vocal track? Is there an easy answer to this question?

If you listen to commercial recordings, you will find that in most cases, the lead vocal is dead centre. Harmony vocals can vary, sometimes spread wide, sometimes very tight around the lead.

However, there are also a variety of other techniques. For example, a double-tracked lead vocal is often centred, but can also be split left and right for effect.

When mixing a band that has a lead vocal, there are plenty of instruments to spread left and right to fill out the stereo landscape. But when you have a vocal and just one instrument (e.g. a guitar), providing a spatial dimension becomes problematic . . . both vocals and guitar seem to 'want' to be centred . . . but this gives virtually a mono mix.

When confronted with a situation like this, there are three approaches I use:

1 leave vocal and guitar centred, but use reverb to fill out the sides.
2 record the guitar in stereo, and use this to fill out the sides
3 put the vocal slightly to one side and the guitar slightly to the other. This gives some sense of space without it being too weird.

For interest, I recently recorded a CD featuring just banjo and fiddle. The clients wanted these two instruments panned hard right and left. This made me feel very uncomfortable; it was just too extreme for me (because generally, I cluster things fairly tightly about the centre . . . that's just my taste). Nevertheless I went with their wishes (no matter the itching twitch to pull the banjo and fiddle together), though letting them know of my discomfort. In the end, the result was not displeasing, and gave the recording a very intimate feel. However, I got a call from them when they took a test CD home for evaluation. One of the speakers on speakers on their stereo was not working, so they got only one instrument going through!

As for EQ and chorus: I started with having no EQ and no FX. I then adjust as need for EQ. I rarely use chorus (specially on acoustic instruments), but I do agree that it too can add a spatial dimension to a mix.

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Well...you've gone and totally expanded the focus of the original question to talking about mixing/panning of all tracks instead of just the lead vocal. [/QUITE]It's impossible to treat them as separate subjects.

I still say that the majority of Rock/Pop mixes (not counting the early 60s when they were trying to figure it all out) pan vocals pretty much dead-center, and that's what he was asking basically...if there was some standard starting point for panning lead vocals

Nobody disagrees that greater than 50% of rock pop recordings have the vocal centered. But not because it's a "standard", but because that's what the producer/engineer felt the song/arrangement/mix called for. Let's not put the cart before the horse.

But there's are a LOT out there that don't have then centered, for very legitimate reasons.

Just for sake of argument, let's say your 90% centered thesis is true. I think that you are high, but let's take it for a minute. Let's say you have a random playlist in your mePod where the songs average three minutes in length, which is also typical (though NOT a standard ) for rock pop. Now you listen to your mePod for an hour. That means that in a measley 60 minutes there will be, on average, two songs for which the vocals are not centered. Not much of a standard when looked at that way.

That's all the OP is asking...what is the starting point, but you are mostly talking about the end-point of the mixing process.

Ummmm, miro, have you even READ my posts? ALL I have even been talking about is the starting point, and nothing BUT the starting point. You keep accusing me of the exact opposite things; first that I was giving a complicated and overwhelming answer for a poor l'il helpless beginner, now that I'm not even addressing his question.

You START the mix by listening to the song and the arrangement and letting that guide your mix.

If you wind up with vocals centered, so be it; if not, then so be that as well. If he winds up cenerting his vocals 90% of the time or 10% of the time, so be it. At least he'll have done it 90% or 10% of the time for the right reason.

The beauty is it is a simple answer, one that answers the OP's question exactly and directly, one that will lead them on a path that will avoid far more problems and misunderstandings down the road than it will create, and one that's correct 100% of the time.

G.

 

[miroslav]

You START the mix by listening to the song and the arrangement and letting that guide your mix.

Exactly...and when you START the mix for the first time where are you panning your vocal as a "standard starting point"...hard left/right or dead-center?

My contention is that dead-center is the starting point for most people (maybe not for you), therefore, the word "standard" applies perfectly...
...not to mention that dead-center is where it ends up most of the time in Pop/Rock/Country/Rap, R&B mixes.
That's what the OP was asking for...a "starting point standard".

So far...everyone else that's responded has said...dead-center...which certainly further supports the notion of a "standard".

 

[noisewreck]

Exactly...and when you START the mix for the first time where are you panning your vocal as a "standard starting point"...hard left/right or dead-center?

I think Glen's contention is that you should START listening to the mix BEFORE you have recorded (i.e. tracked) even a single note.

With which I'll have to agree. At the same time I'll have to agree that this is a very hard thing to do if you don't have enough experience.

 

[miroslav]

Pre-production is a wonderful thing...I'm usually hearing the song in my head even before it's written.

Most times however, I'm not really hearing things in my head all the way down to minute panning and EQs choices and whatnot.
Not sure who really does???
Instead it's more of an overall vibe that I'm picking up on, and that's what I try to drive the song toward...but I let the song find its way.
So I'm still going to start with vocals dead-center when I begin to mix unless it's something very specific for the song where I have this unusual panning idea already in my head.

But it's a thin line....
If you lock in too hard during pre-production...you're already committing yourself to a preconceived notion of how the song should be...before it's even begun.
If you have NO idea what it should sound like...then you're just tossing parts together and hoping something sticks.

Glen knows what he's doing...I know what I'm doing...a newbie may not know. For them, some basic starting points are in order, IMO…even some structure. I don’t see that as getting use to using canned recipes…it’s just a learning step. There are many things we learn in that manner…starting with basics, following some structure…before being let loose.

 

[mattdee1]

I'm curious; do these kind of questions come up in the songwriter's forum? "I want a professional-sounding song. What chord progression should I use?"

D-A-Bm-G. Everybody knows that!

Assuming we are in fact talking about pop/rock styles, and further assuming that we want to stick strictly to what the OP is asking, I personally don't really buy that there are any dangers in instructing a newbie to use a "standard" or "commonplace" lead vocal panning technique (such as dead center).

It's hard to really arrange a song in your head in a way that can be translated into practical mixing if you don't have any kind of understanding of what is even possible at the mixing console. The more you learn about recording and mixing, the better you're able to integrate the songwriting, performing, recording, and mixing phases into a sleek and efficient process. Proficiency in each of these phases grows in parallel, and as that happens, they start to intertwine. At least, this was my experience.

The more you practice this stuff, the more the subtle details start to reveal themselves to you; and if you have any kind of ear at all, you'll hear them. If you don't hear them, you've probably got the wrong hobby. I think for most people, this hobby ends up being a long concatenation of epiphanies: "Ahhh, I see how that works now." It shouldn't take very long for a "vocal panning epiphany" to happen for a newbie, regardless of where he started.

My $.02

Matt

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Assuming we are in fact talking about pop/rock styles, and further assuming that we want to stick strictly to what the OP is asking, I personally don't really buy that there are any dangers in instructing a newbie to use a "standard" or "commonplace" lead vocal panning technique (such as dead center).

It's hard to really arrange a song in your head in a way that can be translated into practical mixing if you don't have any kind of understanding of what is even possible at the mixing console. The more you learn about recording and mixing, the better you're able to integrate the songwriting, performing, recording, and mixing phases into a sleek and efficient process. Proficiency in each of these phases grows in parallel, and as that happens, they start to intertwine. At least, this was my experience.

Maybe it's not dangerous to phone in the answer, maybe for some it is. Irrelevant. It's still phoning in an answer and missing the opportunity to set the newb off on the right track from the get-go.

The question should not be if something is wrong, but whether something is right. What is *right* about not telling a newb the truth about mixing from the beginning?

As far as the hard-to-mentally visualize idea, maybe it's harder for some than for others, but it seems to me that if one's ears and head don't give them a pretty good idea of what you want to do after you throw the faders up, they probably shouldn't be sitting there.

But more to the point, the strong impression I get is that most people already have 90% what they want the song to sound like in their head. They just haven't consciously thought out the details (like specific panning and level values and such) I'm not asking them to do anything but listen to what their brain is already doing and run with it. That should not be hard for anyone.

Most of the time when newbs ask these "should" questions, it's not so much because they are not capable of working it out, but because they already have a belief (or a worry) that there is a specific formula (some of them "secret" ) behind everything the "pros" do. They're not *really* asking where the pros pan the vocals; if they wanted to know that, all they'd have to do is listen to their CDs and they'd hear that somewhere between 60 and 90% of their stuff is centered. They don't meed us to tell them that. They just want their hand held and to be led in the right direction with how they approach the task.

Should the answer *really* be, "Do it this way for now, and learn the 'secrets' later"? That's just lazily delaying the inevitable and making the whole thing harder for everyone on all sides of the question.
G.

 

[Otterski]

I'd just like to throw my 2 cents in as a complete newbie.

Glen's steering us out of the box. Answering the question with, "start here but know that you'll look elsewhere on occasion" is exhausting. That leads us to wonder about when we'll be looking elsewhere. I have so many questions when I entertain that answer: Why would I look elsewhere? How will I properly recognize the need to err on what will become a comfortable technique?

The answers to those questions are complex, but intuitive, as they depend on what you want your song to sound like. Those questions will HAVE to be answered at some point, by someone, perhaps people will come to the answers by themselves. Glen's answer provides a complete solution, one very beneficial for a novice. I don't want to become comfortable doing something for the wrong reason. I don't want my song to sound a certain way because it's a "safe place to start." I want my songs to sound like my songs, a sound that exists first in my head. Glen's saying, "Well, where's the voice coming from when you listen to the song in your head?" A newbie needs to recognize this! I'd even go as far to say it's imperative information. This is a valuable lesson that avoids many future questions.

People are afraid to screw up. No one wants to produce something that sounds bad, so before getting our toes wet, we ask questions. You can either give an answer, or give us the information we need to answer the question ourselves- one lets us do something, the other lets us do something better. People center the lead vocals because that's what works for the song. It's not a standard, it's a coincidence. I want to be told, straight up, that it's dependent on the song. Circumstance will have it that I'll usually end up centering the lead vocals, but each time I'll center them because the song requires it- not because it's some rule of thumb. That is a very simple concept for me to grasp, and should be for anyone.

And if you can't pick apart what you hear in your head, you shouldn't be entertaining music or audio as a profession or hobby. It's that simple.

 

[miroslav]

Circumstance will have it that I'll usually end up centering the lead vocals, but each time I'll center them because the song requires it- not because it's some rule of thumb.

I get where Glen is coming from...but thing is, many newbies DON'T and many don’t want answers that immediately call up a dozen more questions.
Many want to take it in steps...and uncover answers, one at a time.

Point is...NO ONE here suggested that panning vocals dead-center was a "rule of thumb"...rather, it's a "standard place to start" mainly BECUASE that's where they will end up most of the time anyway.
THAT'S why it's considered a "standard place to start".

My perspective is....that anyone coming to recording should ALREADY have a good amount of music understanding and be able to "hear" the music in their head. In which case...once they have that place to start from...their already developed imagination and musicality should lead them to discover other options on their own.

When I started out recording…there were no audio forums or all kinds of audio magazines or books. Getting information was a difficult process, and that info came in very small bits and pieces…unless you happened to be living next to a pro recording facility.
So most of the things that I learned back then came from trial and error, including where to pan stuff….not as a rule…but where it worked for the song.
Come on now…you sit at the console, and you turn the PAN knobs while listening to the playback over and over…until you find what works for the song.
I mean…isn’t that all that Glen is saying to do….and isn’t that what everyone eventually does anyway?

I think the OP was actually looking for some reaffirmation about what was the more common…”standard” approach for vocals. Sometimes recording newbies forget what they know about music or how to LISTEN to the music…it’s almost like they think recording requires some special approach to music.

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

I get where Glen is coming from...but thing is, many newbies DON'T and many don’t want answers that immediately call up a dozen more questions.
Many want to take it in steps...and uncover answers, one at a time.

What they want for an answer bears no relation to the whatever the actual answer is. They have no idea what the answer is, which is why a) they are asking the question, and 2) they are expecting the wrong kind of answer. It's those kind of condescending answers that do nothing but lead to more problems than they do solutions.

On the other hand, we live in a world where real answers almost always lead to more questions. That's just how things are. They SHOULD ask more questions.

It's simple. If they can't handle the truth, they can't handle the task. The #1 and #2 pieces of gear in this racket are the ears and the brain, and they need to use those from the get-go. If they are unwilling to do so, they have no business getting into this racket to begin with, even as a hobby.
---
For Otterski: Thanks for your support and for a quality post, and welcome to the board. Don't take what I am about to say as a criticism or an attack or anything remotely like that, because that is not what I'm doing.

I just want to say that I don't consider my answer as taking anything out of any box. I have never liked that term, "outside the box", because I don't perceive any boxes anywhere (except under my Christmas tree ). There are no "in the box" or "outside the box" questions or answers, there are only questions and answers, each to be evaluated on their own individual merits.

The only "box" is the Universe, outside of which does not exist.

G.

 

[dodgeaspen]

I will soon be working on a song that will sound like some of the early stereo mixes with vocals on one side and the rest of the band on the other. They were limited on tracks in the early days of stereo and that's why a lot of music was done that way. As far as a normal song goes I'd say put the vocals in the middle.

 

[miroslav]

What they want for an answer bears no relation to the whatever the actual answer is. They have no idea what the answer is, which is why a) they are asking the question, and 2) they are expecting the wrong kind of answer. It's those kind of condescending answers that do nothing but lead to more problems than they do solutions.

Yeah...but telling someone "let the music guide you" (or some such thing)...is IMO an even more condescending answer!
It can sound quite snooty to someone who is asking a basic, simple question.
That kind of answer is NOT the answer that should be given to a total newbie...IMHO…and I doubt it's one he/she will truly understand, in most cases.

With almost ANY skill/discipline...there is a *starting point*…"baby steps"...rudimentary SOPs that are used to teach the newbie and to get him going. After that, imagination kicks in as the newbie moves to an intermediate and finally advanced level.

To just tell a newbie…”use your imagination”…or…”let the music guide you”…while at face value is a *valid* answer…
...it really is a NO answer, answer…IMO.
If they already HAD any amount of developed imagination about recording…they would not be asking the questions in the first place!

This all reminds me of a joke….

**********
Two guys in a hot air balloon end up in a dead-calm over a golf course. They just hover there for awhile…and they're not too high up.
Pretty soon along come a pair of golfers.
So they yell down to them, ”Hello, can you please tell us where we are?”
The golfers look up and yell back, "You are over a golf course”….and off they go.
The two balloonists look at each other somewhat puzzled, and one says to the other, "They’re probably lawyers.”
His buddy looks at him and asks, ”Why do you think that?”
The other guy smiles and replies, ”Because they gave us perfectly accurate and totally useless information.”
**********

Moral of the story….”Let the music guide you.”…might be perfectly accurate…and yet totally useless info for a newbie!!!

 

[Otterski]

Thanks for the welcome. ^,^

There are no "in the box" or "outside the box" questions or answers, there are only questions and answers, each to be evaluated on their own individual merits.

I was using the phrase in a very traditional sense. I was trying to imply that a straightforward answer to this question would apply limitations to what a novice, like myself, could create. Rather than experimenting with what sounds best, I'd just go ahead and center the lead vocals, without even understanding why. I'd do it just because that's what I knew a lot of other people did. The box is a representation of the limitations applied by the strict answer. Freedom from that box, and a versatile sound, is the result of knowing that you pan the lead vocals to wherever they sound best- which will usually be dead center, but could often times be elsewhere.

With almost ANY skill/discipline...there is a *starting point*…"baby steps"...rudimentary SOPs that are used to teach the newbie and to get him going. After that, imagination kicks in as the newbie moves to an intermediate and finally advanced level.

While I can agree that there is definitely a starting point, this question seems to be more of an intermediary one. Once you start thinking, "Hmm, I could put the lead vocals anywhere. I wonder if there's a certain way I'm supposed to do this?" you're probably already wet up to the waist, if you don't mind the silly analogy. It would be easy for someone to simply accept that lead vocals belong in the center and almost never consider it again, which is why I feel that it's best, at least in this case, to treat each piece of work individually. Granted, you'd assume people would understand why the lead vocals are centered, thus acknowledging all the exceptions seems a tiring concept. However, most wouldn't care for the "why," as they're currently amidst a project and looking for a quick answer.

Honestly, this is my first day delving into recording, and I'm much more comfortable now that I'm armed with a "go with what sounds right" mentality, rather than just another answer to another question.

I think the meaning was a bit construed in my earlier post, as I was saying that fewer questions were a result of the more ambiguous answer. I know this seems counter intuitive, but when you tell someone to look to their song for the answer to their question, they're not going to be smattering the message boards with more inquiries. They're instead going to be looking to their song for the answer to that, and many subsequent questions.

We'll learn better when we discover why something is what it is, rather than just being aware of the end result. You provided an answer to the question, Glen provided a thorough understanding. Yes, it's a slightly more complex concept, but it's a healthier answer. It's also not so complex as to cause any headaches. I'd rather be forced to think about what I'm doing then be spoon fed answers that I don't understand.

Sorry if this was all voiced a bit personally, I feel the OP's been pushed to the back. XD

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Yeah...but telling someone "let the music guide you" (or some such thing)...is IMO an even more condescending answer!
It can sound quite snooty to someone who is asking a basic, simple question.
That kind of answer is NOT the answer that should be given to a total newbie...IMHO…and I doubt it's one he/she will truly understand, in most cases.

With almost ANY skill/discipline...there is a *starting point*…"baby steps"...rudimentary SOPs that are used to teach the newbie and to get him going. After that, imagination kicks in as the newbie moves to an intermediate and finally advanced level.

To just tell a newbie…”use your imagination”…or…”let the music guide you”…while at face value is a *valid* answer…
...it really is a NO answer, answer…IMO.
If they already HAD any amount of developed imagination about recording…they would not be asking the questions in the first place!

This all reminds me of a joke….

**********
Two guys in a hot air balloon end up in a dead-calm over a golf course. They just hover there for awhile…and they're not too high up.
Pretty soon along come a pair of golfers.
So they yell down to them, ”Hello, can you please tell us where we are?”
The golfers look up and yell back, "You are over a golf course”….and off they go.
The two balloonists look at each other somewhat puzzled, and one says to the other, "They’re probably lawyers.”
His buddy looks at him and asks, ”Why do you think that?”
The other guy smiles and replies, ”Because they gave us perfectly accurate and totally useless information.”
**********

Moral of the story….”Let the music guide you.”…might be perfectly accurate…and yet totally useless info for a newbie!!!

Well, we just have to agree to disagree. miro; we have two different philosophies of how to lead a newb along the start of the path. I prefer to get them started down the path from step one rather than sending them down a dead end until I deem them worthy of the truth. The earlier they learn the proper mindset, the better. And the proper mindset is NOT that there is an SOP where the truth is there is no SOP.

It is NOT SOP to pan vocals down the middle. I don't care if it winds up being done, 50, 80 or even 100% of the time. It's far closer to 50 than it is to 100 when you get out there and listen to more than one kind of music, but never mind that; even if it were 100% it's NOT because it's a a SOP, it's because that's the answer which the producer/engineer decided was what they wanted for that song based upon it's own merits. It's that DECISION PROCESS that's SOP (or at least should be.)

I honestly see or hear or feel NOTHING snooty about the answer given. It's simple, it's basic, it's entry-level, and my god man, it's the TRUTH. How can that possibly be snooty? And I gave more detail than just "let the music guide you." That's the thesis of it, yes, but I also explained that they are ALREADY DOING THAT, but they just may not really realizing that's what's going on. It's holding their hand and telling them to keep gong the way their going, not giving them some difficult, mysterious answer.

I also simply cannot comprehend how *anybody* who makes and/or records music would find such an answer to be so damn difficult. It's the most natural thing in the world for a musician, and it's what they are probably already doing on some level, even if not consciously. I'm just trying to illuminate that natural process and make it a conscious effort on their part is all, and hold their hand and reassure them that they can and should continue to make their music on the other side of the microphone the same way they did in front of it.

I think you're selling them just as short as they are selling themselves. Or, OTOH, if I'm wrong, and that's not how they have treated their music up to this point, then IMHO they need to step away from the Big Red Button, because they are not yet ready.

---

Dodgeaspen: I'm with you, man. Check out Nancy Sinatra's "Band Bang" for an elegant, simple and great-sounding recording with the vocal on one side and the guitar on the other. If you gave me the original "Bang Bang" tapes to remaster, I would not change a thing.

G.

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

While I can agree that there is definitely a starting point, this question seems to be more of an intermediary one.

I agree. The way I look at it, the starting point was when the artist started writing the song. Recording and mixing the song is not a start, but a continuation of the process. This is especially true of those self-recording and self-producing artists. They're already halfway done making the recording before they even hit the record button, they just don't realize it because they are intimidated by the new technical process.

They already lie in bed at night thinking about what that song will sound like when all is said and done, they just need to critically listen to what's going on in their head and organize that dream into a plan. That shouldn't be rocket surgery.

I'd rather be forced to think about what I'm doing then be spoon fed answers that I don't understand.

Which is why you'll make a better engineer faster than those who want the spoon.

G.

 

[dodgeaspen]

Thanks for the info SouthSIDE Glen, I'll check it out. I'm a Sinatra fan anyway so this will be cool. I remember my dad had the album Boots. I loved the cover before I heard the music. One thing I regret is I never seen Frank in concert. My uncle took his daughter years back and she wasn't even a fan. I was mad about that.

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Thanks for the info SouthSIDE Glen, I'll check it out. I'm a Sinatra fan anyway so this will be cool. I remember my dad had the album Boots. I loved the cover before I heard the music.

I do miss the days of mini-skirts and go-go boots .

I just noticed I typoed on the song name. It's "Bang Bang", not "Band Bang"

I'm still looking for a modern-day tremolo that sounds like that. I used to have an old cheapo Sears amp back when I was a young 'un taking guitar lessons that had a tremolo that sounded fantastic, but I have not found another one like that since.

G.

 

[noisewreck]

Which is why you'll make a better engineer faster than those who want the spoon.

Except when you come to the realization that there is no spoon

I must say, I enjoy those "arguments" between you guys, Miroslav and Glen. Partly because you are both right in your own way, partly because you disagree on the "wrong" things while agreeing on most of the essentials. It's fun to watch

This "argument" is a perfect example of why there are so many differing viewpoints on teaching methods. Some are too dogmatic, or..err... "methodical", while others are too laissez faire. Both can be dangerous. While the "methodical" approach can be efficient, it has a tendency to box a student into a certain mentality or a "way of doing things", while the other can be utterly inefficient although it can promote innovation and creativity.

Another thing that must be taken into account is the student him/herself. Some need the methodical approach, while others do better with laissez faire, while others are just hopeless

You cannot say "put the vocals in the middle because that's what's done on most records" without explaining WHY it is done this way on most records. Conversely while it makes sense to say "do what the song itself dictates", it is difficult for a novice to figure out what to do, even if they hear it in their head, because they simply don't have the necessary technical vocabulary to translate what they hear in their head into an actual recorded sound.

It is fuckin hard. I know this from personal experience, although I've been doing this recording thing for several years now. I have to work very hard to translate what I hear in my head into actual sound. Sure, in my case this is compounded by the fact that I think of in terms of synthesized timbres, and sound design takes a lot of time for me, but even when I have the sounds, it is difficult to create a cohesive mix that "makes sense".

However, I have to keep reminding myself that I used to practice the piano for 4-8 hours a day, every day for years when I was a teenager to be able to translate what I was hearing in my head into actual performance, and it was just one lousy piano part for crissake! I certainly don't put that kind of time into recording music nowdays, because I have a full time job, kid, family.

Sorry, going off on a tangent.

Bottom line, it's OK to say "people often do it in such and such way... BECAUSE of this, that and the other thing"... and at the same time you should force the "student" to think of an answer to their question, while guiding them through the technical details.

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Conversely while it makes sense to say "do what the song itself dictates", it is difficult for a novice to figure out what to do, even if they hear it in their head

I don't buy that. Maybe they may not know *how* to do it because they haven't yet learned how their gear actually works, which is a big part of why forums like this exist. But they had damn well better know or figure out on their own *what* they want to do.

You're right George, different people learn better different ways, but that's *how* they learn. *WHAT* they learn - or at least need to learn - doesn't change. And AFAIC, they NEED to learn, ASAP, is that quality mixing is a matter of continuing the composition and arrangement and carrying it from in front of the glass to behind the glass.

Now, maybe there's several different ways of teaching that concept, sure.. This guy may need to be drawn a picture. That gal may need to walk the process. The other gal may need to understand the science while her hubby may learn by analogy, etc. But please don't change the concept and either lie to them or mollycoddle them into thinking that the way to do it is to ignore the song and just follow some non-existent "standard" procedure.

Is the answer harder for some than others? Of course it is. All real answers are harder for some than others. So the answer is hard? Then work harder to understand it. If one is unwilling to do that, I have no compassion for them.

If one is willing, but unable, that's understandable and unfortunate. Not everybody can do everything and nobody is entitled to do so. That's also life. While it's unfortunate, many folks just aren't cut out for this. Better to understand that early than set up false hopes early by leading them to believe that it's as simple as "just put the vocals here, set the compressor to X, and dial the EQ to Y and you're cooking with gas."

There are several million people in this country who have been led to believe by all the sales literature that they too can be the next Axel Rose or Geoff Emerick, that all they need is the right plug-in or black box. "Psst...hey, buddy, you don't even need to be a musician or singer or even composer any more; I have just the heroin-in-a-box that'll take care of that for you."

The sooner these folks learn that it DOES require skills - some innate, some learned - and the sooner they start exercising those skills, the better off they'll be.

G.

 

[LemonTree]

The songs I hear in my head are all fuct up. That's why I record them and fix them in the mix. There's a preset for that somewhere.