Vocal compress before or after ?

P

Paranfer

New member
When i'm recording vocals, should i pass by my compressor and in my soundcard, or should i record the vocal ( mic preamp in soundcard ) and use
the compressor in Cubase software. I try it both ways, and it sounds better
when i'm bypassing teh compressor, but it makes me mix around 60-70-80
audio tracks in Cubase, each track having to compress in cubase. Man, hours after hours.
 
Whatever sounds best is what you should do. It also depends on the quality of your outboard compressor and what settings you utilize. I do both. I'll apply some mild outboard compression (2:1 or less with the RNC in Supernice Mode) to tame any peaks while tracking. Then, I apply additional software compression, if needed, to level the volumes and make the track fit in the mix better.
 
My outboard compressor is not so good.Compression is like you said 2:1.
Thanks for the help, and nice tracks you posted before, it really sounds good.
 
Personally, I prefer to record clean tracks and then add effects later. You can always add effects (including compression) to a track, but darn near impossible to take them out. Some exceptions apply. i.e. I might compress drum tracks on the way in, but for the most part that's how I generally work.
 
Thanks a lot guys, i really appreciate the explanation. I'm gonna try it both ways and see what sounds better.My outboard compressor is really bad.
Thanks again, that will help me.
 
Obviously it's preference, but I'm suprised at how many people here don't find compression a go-to tool for vocals. As far as mixing goes it would be my "desert island" effect for vocals.

That being said, I'll use my RNC during tracking if the song has some dynamic swings and/or I need to have the preamp hotter than usual, so the RNC is basically a precaution against clipping. Mostly though I use it during mixing. Waves C1 and Rcomp.
 
Paranfer said:
My outboard compressor is really bad.
Click to expand...
You can remedy that by spending $175 on an FMR Really Nice Compressor. It's the 'RNC' that you'll find referred to in almost every thread about compression.

Here's a link to where you can buy it.
 
Thanks a lot for the link, it really looks good, and the price also.So, it seems everybody here would use a little bit of compression before , using a good compressor ( RNC ) ( light compression ), and after used a go-to compression with a C1 compressor In cubase ( C1 plug-ins compressor ).Again, thanks a lot for the guidelines, satisfied with these explanations, any other tips you would like me to know, you're all welcome.Thanks again guys, really appreciate.
 
Paranfer said:
When i'm recording vocals, should i pass by my compressor and in my soundcard, or should i record the vocal ( mic preamp in soundcard ) and use
the compressor in Cubase software. I try it both ways, and it sounds better
when i'm bypassing teh compressor, but it makes me mix around 60-70-80
audio tracks in Cubase, each track having to compress in cubase. Man, hours after hours.
Click to expand...

I'd try doing without but if you need to use very little on the way in. It seems like you're saying that because you don't compress on the way in you need to compress each track individually. That would be 70 tracks that need compression and a sure tale that your singing techniques need adjusting. What you might want to do is track the vocals at -12 to -14db, back off the mic using a windscreen and placing the mic about 30 degrees above your mouth and sing straight forward so you're not blowing into the mic. For loud passages back off even more. Then if you still need to compress the tracks do it in groups instead of individually. Experiment some before you spend more money. Keep in mind once you compress the track on the way in, that's it, you're stuck with it.
 
Yep, i'll try that NY morningstar, i already use a windscreen, but i'll try 30 degrees above the mic.Track the vocal about -12db -14db and make groups out of all that. Any other tips, just post it, you're welcome.Thanks again.
 
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