Vocal Mastering Help

[eiyosus]

Vocal Mixing Help

Hey hey, I've got a question. Hopefully someone's got an answer! I've got some vocals my friend did for a track of mine, but his mic isn't really up to snuff. You can take a listen and see what I'm talking about. It sounds a bit "tinny." Does anybody know any little tricks to give it a little more oomph? I'd give him my mic to record with, but unfortunately I live on the other side of the world.

I'm not expecting perfection, but my mastering knowledge is VERY limited so I could be missing something. I've tried fiddling with an equalizer, but it starts to sound a bit muddy. I think there's also some compression on it.

I'm using Ableton Live 7.

http://soundcloud.com/vlantis/prepare-for-mind-war

Note: This isn't the final mix by any means. I fine with speaking parts and the ending vocals (those were recorded using my mic). And yes, the cheese is intentional.

Thanks!
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[todd west]

It sounds to me like his microphone simply isn't picking up (m)any high frequencies, so if that's the case... Really, the only thing I can think of is a high shelf boost / low shelf cut somewhere around 4-7k, but there's a good chance that'll only introduce hiss. Worth a shot, though!

 

[NYMorningstar]

The trick is to retrack it.

 

[Waltz Mastering]

It's vocal "mixing" - mastering is something different.

 

[Massive Master]

Heh... That one was easy.

I'm not expecting perfection, but my mastering knowledge is VERY limited so I could be missing something.

So limited that you don't know the definition...

If it helps, the vocals are the only thing in the mix that aren't badly distorted. That said, it sounds like they were recorded in a closet.

So - Aside from the fact that this has absolutely nothing to do with mastering, can you tell us a little more about what went into the vocal tracking?

 

[miroslav]

If it helps, the vocals are the only thing in the mix that aren't badly distorted.

Are you just being kind?

They are distorted enough!

 

[eiyosus]

Thanks for all the feedback (even the mocking ones)! Right, as you can see, I have no idea about this stuff. All I know about the vocals are that my friend recorded them through his Apple keyboard mic . He's used that mic before and it usually sounds a bit better, so he must have recorded in a different room than usual. I don't think he added anything at all before he sent them to me as mp3's (yeah, I know a wav file is better). I then took his vocals and mixed it into my track. The clipping was in there already so there's not much I can do about that.

I've added an equalizer to get some of the high end out (maybe I should put it back in) and a little compression, but otherwise I left it alone.

EDIT: I took some effects off and added some high end but it pretty much sounds the same. Maybe I'll just have to get him to re-record the thing!

I assuming the badly distorted comment is referring to the compression. If I don't add it, the thing sounds pretty damn weak (I'm sure everybody's just squirming in their seats at this point). How about the other tracks up on my soundcloud page? I've added compression to most but not all of the seperate layers, then added a compressor to the master channel. At first I tried to just use a limiter in the master, but it sounded terrible. I'm not sure what to do. I WILL admit that waveform looks pretty ugly!

EDIT: Just read up on some articles about compressing. Looks like I've been going about it in an embarrassingly wrong way. Hopefully I can get my mix to sound better.

 

[Massive Master]

All I know about the vocals are that my friend recorded them through his Apple keyboard mic

When recording through a built-in mic on a laptop, the expectation of "quality" should be extremely low. I'm a little shocked that it's as clear as it is.

 

[ocnor]

Your friend is extremely tone deaf and should never under any circumstances be allowed near a mic. His attempt at singing has made me nauseous. Not even Mutt Lange could fix that track.

 

[eiyosus]

That was recorded at 3:00 o'clock in the morning and was never intended to be the final version. I knew the final version would be recorded using the same mic, so I went ahead and asked about it. Consider this topic closed. Thanks for the help, looks like there's not much I can do.