Vocals too low on live recording
- Thread starter jmagaro
- Start date
SuperSkyrocket
New member
You can try boosting the vocal frequencies with eq. If there's other stuff at those frequencies this won't work as well.
You can additionally try some compression. This may tend to bring the lower volume stuff out more. Depends on a lot of things.
You can additionally try some compression. This may tend to bring the lower volume stuff out more. Depends on a lot of things.
Thanks...But still need help
Thanks skyrocket. That helped a little(the eq settings), but still the vocals are very low. I played with compression but it did not seem to help
I guess some help understanding why/how this happened would help too. The mix sounded good, voices were loud and clear, but not on the recording.
Any other suggestions?
Thanks skyrocket. That helped a little(the eq settings), but still the vocals are very low. I played with compression but it did not seem to help
I guess some help understanding why/how this happened would help too. The mix sounded good, voices were loud and clear, but not on the recording.
Any other suggestions?
After the fact it's pretty difficult to bring up a specific piece on one track recordings, as I'm sure you discovered. I've seen a few plugins designed specifically for this (they basically mess with the eq), but really, it's pretty limited on what you can do.
As for future suggestions, it depends on how you're recording it. Are all the instraments mic'd and you're recording through the mixer or are you micing stuff or a combination?
As for future suggestions, it depends on how you're recording it. Are all the instraments mic'd and you're recording through the mixer or are you micing stuff or a combination?
andyhix
:dank:
this won't help, probably, but we once did a soundboard recording of a live show in a pretty small venue. turned out crappy as the vocals were way too loud. My theory was that the room sound also inculded the direct sound of the amps, and the sound of the drums, where by and large ALL the vox went through the mixer and came from the PA. So, the soundboard mix was lacking in the guitars and drum because it was the mic'd sound only. An additional room mic or two into the recording device would have solved this, or at least helped a bit. maybe.
ChadNuttall
New member
Preview the Mix
Obv. with a live recording ... it has to sound good to the people in the room ... you can't change the live mix at the expense of the audience for the recording.
However ... I think it is important to preview the mix. We usually play a few tunes during sound check and listen to them in headphones quickly to see how it sounded.
Obv. with a live recording ... it has to sound good to the people in the room ... you can't change the live mix at the expense of the audience for the recording.
However ... I think it is important to preview the mix. We usually play a few tunes during sound check and listen to them in headphones quickly to see how it sounded.
ChadNuttall
New member
Preview the Mix
Obv. with a live recording ... it has to sound good to the people in the room ... you can't change the live mix at the expense of the audience for the recording.
However ... I think it is important to preview the mix. We usually play a few tunes during sound check and listen to them in headphones quickly to see how it sounded.
Obv. with a live recording ... it has to sound good to the people in the room ... you can't change the live mix at the expense of the audience for the recording.
However ... I think it is important to preview the mix. We usually play a few tunes during sound check and listen to them in headphones quickly to see how it sounded.
The Sarasin
New member
First off I know that it is a No No to use Headphones when you are mixing live.
What you get in the head phones does not reflect what the room will project. You can use them as reference to check levels. When you use head phones in a live enviroment you cut out the room reverb and what not that is in a room (Live) when people move that can change a mix or when you have a door open that will change things. It is best as was stated before. go out in the crowd and listen to what the crowd hears and that will give you a good idea of where you are in your mix.
One thing that I have found (Not 100%) is drop all the instrament freq.'s around the vocals. double or triple track that and mix it in with the other tracs.
What you get in the head phones does not reflect what the room will project. You can use them as reference to check levels. When you use head phones in a live enviroment you cut out the room reverb and what not that is in a room (Live) when people move that can change a mix or when you have a door open that will change things. It is best as was stated before. go out in the crowd and listen to what the crowd hears and that will give you a good idea of where you are in your mix.
One thing that I have found (Not 100%) is drop all the instrament freq.'s around the vocals. double or triple track that and mix it in with the other tracs.
Setup
Thanks for all replies, yes I am finding it quite difficult. Imaduck if you have the name of those plugins, I may give them a try.
We basically had three acoustics hooked directly to the mixer, and three mic's hooked to the mixer. The vocals had a touch of reverb. The guitars recorded very well, but for some reason MUCH louder then the vocals did. I normally would do a test, but I was in a pinch (it was last minute), and I was playing, so I just hooked up my laptop and did a real quick test.
I just assumed that if it sounded good through the mixer, I could just record the line out and it ***should*** sound good recorded.
Thanks for all replies, yes I am finding it quite difficult. Imaduck if you have the name of those plugins, I may give them a try.
We basically had three acoustics hooked directly to the mixer, and three mic's hooked to the mixer. The vocals had a touch of reverb. The guitars recorded very well, but for some reason MUCH louder then the vocals did. I normally would do a test, but I was in a pinch (it was last minute), and I was playing, so I just hooked up my laptop and did a real quick test.
I just assumed that if it sounded good through the mixer, I could just record the line out and it ***should*** sound good recorded.
People often play louder at performance time than soundcheck. Actually, people always play louder during performance, and tend to back off their mics, as well.
A lot of times I find with small PA boxes they have a midrange bump to help the vocals. My board tapes then have guitars too loud, as I have to boost them a bit to get them to come through. I also cut a bit out of the mids in acoustics to make a little spot for the vox.
As far as the headphone thing, I find the same problem. I have to boost the guitars so I can hear them in the cans over the PA, and they end up too loud on tape. If you want to be sure, go somewhere quiet after soundcheck and listen to the recording. Eventually you will know your gear well enough to get it sounding good on the fly. At this point, I know if the vocal sounds X amount louder than the guitar in my phones, the tape will sound good.
It does take practice. These days I can make a decent board tape w/o sacrificing the room sound, unless it's a loud band in a small club, and there are only vocals in the PA anyway.
A lot of times I find with small PA boxes they have a midrange bump to help the vocals. My board tapes then have guitars too loud, as I have to boost them a bit to get them to come through. I also cut a bit out of the mids in acoustics to make a little spot for the vox.
As far as the headphone thing, I find the same problem. I have to boost the guitars so I can hear them in the cans over the PA, and they end up too loud on tape. If you want to be sure, go somewhere quiet after soundcheck and listen to the recording. Eventually you will know your gear well enough to get it sounding good on the fly. At this point, I know if the vocal sounds X amount louder than the guitar in my phones, the tape will sound good.
It does take practice. These days I can make a decent board tape w/o sacrificing the room sound, unless it's a loud band in a small club, and there are only vocals in the PA anyway.
The Sarasin
New member
Freq's
You know I do not know the exaxct freq's for drop out. I have always had good luck on the up side for vocals around the 1Hz. But you need to be carefull being that you get a real thin sound if you tweak it to much. That is whay I would suggest laying it down two or three times. You know another trick I learned is have the singer come in and do a seperate track of him doing the vocals and mix it to gather from there. You can under lay the studio version under the live version and get a beter volume and keep the room ambiance. ( sorry about the spelling, Never was very good at it)
You know I do not know the exaxct freq's for drop out. I have always had good luck on the up side for vocals around the 1Hz. But you need to be carefull being that you get a real thin sound if you tweak it to much. That is whay I would suggest laying it down two or three times. You know another trick I learned is have the singer come in and do a seperate track of him doing the vocals and mix it to gather from there. You can under lay the studio version under the live version and get a beter volume and keep the room ambiance. ( sorry about the spelling, Never was very good at it)
The Sarasin
New member
Live
True . But it beats the other of not haveing any vocals at all.
True . But it beats the other of not haveing any vocals at all.
The Sarasin
New member
Freq's
Here is a link that Blue Bear has posted that talk about the different Freq.'s
Lot of information on this site.
Mixing 101
Here is a link that Blue Bear has posted that talk about the different Freq.'s
Lot of information on this site.
Mixing 101
One suggestion I can make, is if the vocals are consistantly lower than the guitars even though they sound good live, you could run the moniter out into your laptop, and then turn the vocals way up on the moniter mix.
I'll see if I can find those plugins...
I'll see if I can find those plugins...
This is also a very good point. I set up all our PA and sound stuff at my band's shows. You really do have to keep checking your levels as you start playing (I usually hook up the wireless on my guitar and go out into the crowd just to make sure everything is sounding alright). If it's coming out too low on recording, it may just be that it's not sounding too well live.boingoman said: