Sound Too Hollow - New User!

[wafflepunk]

Hi all, I just started using Cakewalk 9 and was having a few probably very basic difficulties.I'm trying to record a few tracks with an acoustic guitar through a mic and lay a vocal over it,real simple.The trouble is,being as low tech/budget as I am,the vocals are sounding very "hollow",like they're being recorded in a small bedroom with poor acoustics (as they are).I was wondering if there are some easy effects that can be applied to help out a bit.I tried some chorus but it just feels like an echo or something,very artiffical and worse than without it in my opinion.I'm also wondering if there's a way to dampen some of the background static from the room,and a way to lower the input volume or adjust the input treble/bas settings in Cakewalk.I tried bringing down the volume slider in the Windows sound controls for both mic and line in but it had no effect,and wouldn't let me alter the treble/bass settings for some reason.When I'm recording the guitar,it's sounds nice and thick but rattles from the bass occassionaly if i get too loud.I tried moving further away from the mic but the sound gets thin and muddy.Any thoughts? Thanks everyone!

 

[Eurythmic]

Some random thoughts:

You don't really tell us much about what you're using, or how you're using it, so please don't feel insulted by some of these "beginner" suggestions. I'm just making the assumption that you're new to recording in general.

First, if you're using an extremely cheap microphone, for instance something that came bundled with your sound card, go out and buy something better. There's absolutely no way to make a terrible microphone sound good, and you'll tear your hair out trying. Every music store carries Shure SM-57 mics for a little less than $100. The SM-57 is a good mic in that, although it doesn't excel in many things, it isn't bad at anything at all. I've had mine for about three years, and it's still the only mic I own. You'll eventually get to the point where you'll want to have different mics for specialized tasks (such as vocals), but you'll probably never outgrow or want to get rid of the SM-57. It's always useful for something.

Or, maybe you already have a nice dynamic mic. (I'm assuming that you're not using a condensor.) How far away is your mouth from the mic when you're recording? Dynamic mics have this thing called "proximity effect" - they don't pick up a lot of low end unless the source is, say, less than 10 inches away. If you're recording like a foot and a half to two feet away from the mic, that could be the cause of a "hollow" vocal sound.

I wouldn't concentrate too much on trying to fix a bad sound with effects. I like to capture the best sound I can, absolutely try with no treble/bass tweaks - and then, once I've got a good initial recording, then I'll begin with the effects.

Less is more when it comes to reverb, by the way. One thing I like to do sometimes is copy a vocal onto a second track, and apply effects to that track, while leaving the other totally dry - then I'll mix the two together.

I hope some of this helps. Good luck!

 

[catfish11]

NAIVELY I ENTERED THE WORLD OF DIGITAL RECORDING...
TO MYSELF THINKING- "NOW I CAN SIMPLY PLUG IN TO THIS
SOUND BLASTER LIVE AND RECORD MY RECORD, I CAN HAVE A STUDIO AT HOME!!!"
HA!!!!!!
$5000.00 LATER TWO DELTA CARDS, PODS, MARSHALLS,
DIFFERENT PROGRAMS, DIFFERENT COMPUTER, DIFFERENT OS,
DIFFERENT MICS AND I'M JUST GETTING STARTED....
MORE STUFF!!!!
BUT NOW I GOT TO BUY A NEW CHANNEL STRIP, IT SOUNDS KIND OF HOLLOW........
GOOD LUCK!!!!

 

[Eurythmic]

Ah, yes. Another home recordist lured into geargasm.