vocals vocals vocals

A

Azza666

New member
hey all, just wanted to start a thread on doing vocals in reaper....

whats worked for you? how did u get that perfect pitch? what are some of the effects you wouldnt go without?

on the other hand, what has failed you miserably and taught you a thing or to about the process?

we all sound good singing along in our car but its a total different thing when your voice is the only thing on the track ;)

cheers!!
 
I don't think the method of recording makes any difference on recording vocals, although the technique, effects and talent have plenty to do with it.
 
Practice. There are no "tricks" to making vocals sound good or singing on key. The best vocal tracks have minimal effects on them.
 
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I personally abhor pitch correction. If I can't sing on pitch (which is not infrequent), then I keep trying.

I am a sucker for comping tracks, though. With modern DAWs, there's no reason not to.

I try to record as dry as possible and not use compression on tracking. I try to manage dynamics through performance and distance to the mic.

I always use my killer mic - a Neumann U-89. I am working on Seventh Circle Audio A12 preamps, so i should have a really nice signal path.

For pitch and nuance issues, it usually helps to have only one ear in headphones, the other naked to the room.

I am never shy about multi-tracking unison vocals. You just have to be very precise about execution and often let just one or two of the tracks do the hard consonants.

I usually find that the best vocals have the least affectation - that is to say, I usually lose the edgier performances in favor of the more straightforward ones. What sounds like a cool esoteric idea in my head rarely stands the test of time like a more standard and deliberate performance.

Lastly, singers who know how to perform into a microphone have a huge leg up on singers who don't.
 
I just started using Reaper, just downloaded it today.

Im coming fr0om Audacity. I only wish to do vocals, the beats are pre made.

Can anyone point me in the direction of a tutorial for how to start recording using reaper and also all of the effects/plug ins/ etc. ( anything helps)

Not to thread jack, just seems you all would know.
 
My #1 suggestion for Reaper is to make sure you've got the "grid" on and you are locked into it when recording vocals. That way, it is impossible to get your vocals off. In addition, you can copy and paste parts of vocals and move them to other parts of your song and they perfectly line up in sync.

Other best "trick" for vocals is to have multiple copies of the same vocal track. Put a hard compressor on one and bring it up behind a clean, unprocessed vocal track copy. You'll hear the full vocal mix come to life. For added interest, double your vocals and put the doubled vocal way back behind the other vocal tracks for a subtle thickening effect.

I also like to pan reverb 30-50% left or right rather than right down the middle. It gives the vocals room to breathe and not get lost in a reverb.
 
Forgive me, I'm just a newbie, but how do you go about removing the hard consonants from the other tracks?
 
J_Bursch said:
Forgive me, I'm just a newbie, but how do you go about removing the hard consonants from the other tracks?
Click to expand...

I'm no vocal recording guru, but I assumed he meant "don't sing the hard consonants on some of the layered tracks," rather than cut them out afterwards.
 
mjbphotos said:
I don't think the method of recording makes any difference on recording vocals, although the technique, effects and talent have plenty to do with it.
Click to expand...

it makes a world of difference. If you record in a room with a cathedral ceiling or on a vocal booth you'll get different sounds.

the less you manipulate the signal the better. if you know you want reverb then plan for it in the environment. same for a deader sound
 
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