Vocal Dynamics

  • Thread starter Thread starter smoothwombat
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smoothwombat

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I was recently recording some vocal tracks and noticed afer I started mixing, that the singer's dynamic range was all over the place. Although that is pretty typical, as a newb engineer I was wondering how to level them all out.

Would limiters placed on each track be the way to go? If so, where do I start with settings?

Thanks for any help/suggestions.
 
I wouldn't go near a limiter for that, or even a compressor.

I'd manually write in volume automation to level out the volumes. It sounds much more natural that any plugin.

It's much easier and quicker if you have a control surface with faders or pots, but it can still be done with point and click.

Hope that's useful.
 
I'd manually write in volume automation to level out the volumes.
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Always the place to start. "Riding the faders" (as it were) should be 90% of your volume control before bothering with compression.
 
Hey Massive, Do you think the digital age has killed that a bit?

I mean, I guess guys did it during tracking 'back in the day' yeah?
 
Thanks for the feedback. I will definitely try to do some manual adjustments before I take a stab at some of the plugins with Nuendo. Any good habits I can get used to starting off will help.
 
Personally, I think this is the classic 'rule' that gets missed out.

Getting the volumes and levels right this way makes mixing sooooo much easier.

Hitting the compressors from the word go just makes it harder to get a good sound IMO.

Of course, if your source (singer) has great technique, you shouldn't even need to do anything, but what is this? A perfect world? lol

Good luck.
 
smoothwombat said:
Thanks for the feedback. I will definitely try to do some manual adjustments before I take a stab at some of the plugins with Nuendo. Any good habits I can get used to starting off will help.
Click to expand...

Nuendo? First step I would take: Cut the event between the parts with different levels. Grab the little box at the top/middle of each section, to adjust the gain, previous to any inserts. Get them close before relying on a compressor to do it for you. Much better results this way. If there are whole sections that are obviously sung differently, I would drag them into another track, and treat them separately.
 
smoothwombat said:
Thanks for the feedback. I will definitely try to do some manual adjustments before I take a stab at some of the plugins with Nuendo. Any good habits I can get used to starting off will help.
Click to expand...
I seem to keep mentioning this lately- I guess this makes me an advocate or something :)
But if you have pre fader (and thus also) pre track compression automation, begin your leveling there.
Leveling on the pre gain or clip' corrects volume similar to a fader ride but also the results help smooth out the track before the compressor sees it.
 
jimmys69 said:
Nuendo? First step I would take: Cut the event between the parts with different levels. Grab the little box at the top/middle of each section, to adjust the gain, previous to any inserts. ...
Click to expand...
Hey same same. :D
 
Ooo we got a little feedback loop going there for a sec..:eek::p
 
Steenamaroo said:
Hey Massive, Do you think the digital age has killed that a bit?

I mean, I guess guys did it during tracking 'back in the day' yeah?
Click to expand...
Not at all. Now it's just easier (volume envelopes with a visual reference? We didn't even dream of that until the mid-90's). It's still riding the volume - Now it's just much more precise and perfectly repeatable.

Rarely ever during tracking though... That hasn't changed. As little in the chain as possible with as much headroom as possible.
 
Thanks for all your help with the topic on this thread. Mixsit I think you're right to get levels set pre-recording. This is definitely the right starting point. It makes all the adjustments I'm trying to do right now all that much easier.

I took a look at the tracks after splitting up the sections that fluctuated the most and did gain adjustments using the button you suggested jimmys69, and it made a ton of difference.

I then after practicing a few sweeps of fader riding (and after figuring out the r/w automation settings) I got some pretty consistent volume levels.

Thanks again for helping the newb!
 
No problem man. Just make sure to crossfade between each of your cuts to avoid 'pops'. :)
 
I can only recommend to watch this video.
The guy totally changed my point of view and approach when it comes to using compressors on vocals and other instruments.
Maybe i ll consider riding the fader a bit more.
Compression Overview - PUREMIX
 
so... what? now my lazy ass has to hit the fader? I can't just pop in my compressor plugin and hit the default vocal setting??? Man you guys trying to make me work or something. I'm just going to have to learn to sing at the exact same volume level through the whole track

:mad::mad::mad:


:cursing:
 
I think Compression is the right solution when it's done properly! applying volume automation would be a real drag. just watch this video if you're not convinved : puremix.net/video/tooling/compressors/compression-overview.html
 
Compression "tweaks" -- It's a tailoring / character solution. Applying volume automation (or "riding the faders") has always been the most basic and effective solution to controlling the overall volume.

I'm not saying to not use compression -- But throwing an out-of-control signal (vs. a signal that's been "roughed in" yet still has a reasonable dynamic range) into a compressor seems pretty silly, no?

Automation a "drag...?" Obviously you've never mixed in analog on a normal console where you have 6 guys and a cue sheet crowded around it doing fader movements every few seconds... Volume automation in digital is probably the single most incredible part of digital. Anything but a "drag" by any measure...

I'll use a compressor to compress the dynamic range of the signal -- I'm not going to use it to try to even out the source of the signal...
 
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