What FX to use ??

[seancfc]

What FX makes your recording sounds 2x as good? I usually use delay at 0.10 and thats it. I don't know what else to use. What do you use? I would like to make my vocals more studio like.. if you know what I mean. It sounds to muddy. Not up to cd standards at all!!

 

[CrowsofFritz]

Wayyy toooo broad.

okay

There is A LOT you can use for your recordings. First, make sure you cut out certain frequencies that you don't need for certain tracks. Bass tracks don't need high frequencies. Cut the high frequencies out.

Some guitar and vocal tracks (not all, but most) don't need low frequencies. Cut those out. This will make a BIG difference and take away a lot of the mud.

 

[grimtraveller]

Wayyy toooo broad

Way, way.
I think what would be good for you to do is to read up on recording and mixing and experiment according to what you read.
It is something of a trial and error thing, because although absolutely tons of information exists in the form of books, forums and video tutorials, only you can really be the one to condense it all and apply it to your tracks. And that takes time and experience. And time. And experimentation. And time. And frustration and failure. And time.
The good news is that at 17, you have plenty of it on your side.

 

[JoNathanDaTruth]

To each is his own on this subject...

 

[bouldersoundguy]

My favorite effects are good sounding, well played instruments. The rest is incremental improvement.

 

[phriq]

My favorite effects are good sounding, well played instruments. The rest is incremental improvement.

Agreed. The whole phrase "You can't polish a turd" is true. Yes, you can use effects, plugs to help a sound, but your source is KEY. Your source is vital.

I have a feeling this is going to be one of those questions where the answer becomes "Whatever sounds best to you". And in all honesty, it is true. A common misconception is that there are certain, plugs, effects that will make your sound more "studio like" but honestly, there are SO many factors that contribute. If you narrow it down however, to "what are your go to plugs for this" or something like that, you may get some "suggestions" but again, it will never be definative.

 

[JimmyS1969]

Agreed. The whole phrase "You can't polish a turd" is true. Yes, you can use effects, plugs to help a sound, but your source is KEY. Your source is vital.

I have a feeling this is going to be one of those questions where the answer becomes "Whatever sounds best to you". And in all honesty, it is true. A common misconception is that there are certain, plugs, effects that will make your sound more "studio like" but honestly, there are SO many factors that contribute. If you narrow it down however, to "what are your go to plugs for this" or something like that, you may get some "suggestions" but again, it will never be definative.

Agreed. There are many ways to polish a turd. The problem is, it will just be a polished turd. The source, and how it is recorded, is absolutely the most important step. The further I get into this recording thing, the less effects I find myself using. That being said, there are effects that are vital to making things work in a mix. This always varies with genre, song, and artist. There is no 'right' way to mix everything.

 

[phriq]

The further I get into this recording thing, the less effects I find myself using.

I also find this to be the case especially with EQ. I find that subtractive EQ is typically ALWAYS better than addative...

 

[bouldersoundguy]

A natural sense of what sounds good and a concrete idea of how to make that happen will always trump a pile of boutique gear and computer full of expensive plugins.

Creativity depends more on the limits placed on the creative mind than on unlimited possibilities. Limits force people onto new paths that would never have been followed otherwise. A lot of what we call technique was invented to overcome some restriction imposed by the technology of the time. If channels and mics had always been plentiful you wouldn't see bluegrass bands crowding around one mic today.

 

[Bobbsy]

If your vocals sound muddy, there's a very good chance that the delay you're adding is part of the problem. Delays and reverbs can add atmosphere to vocals that need such atmosphere...but they're certainly not used to add clarity.

I'm sorry to say that if you want "studio like" vocals the place to start is making your recording space sound like a studio. Obviously you can't spend hundreds of thousands recreating the Abbey Road studio in your bedroom but do have an experiment with your position in the room, the aiming and positioning of the mic, using screens etc. to break up the boxiness, etc. Or, if you are that way inclined, have a read of the helpful suggestions in the Studio acoustics forum.

Once you have your original recordings sounding as good as they can, only then should you start thinking about adding effects. Which effects? It depends on how your originals sound and what you want your final product to sound like.

Some of the things to consider (but certainly NOT all to be used every time):

Compression--to help bring up the quiet bits and keep your vocals competing with the music.

EQ: Reducing some frequencies can help eliminate boxiness. Increasing others (in the mid/upper mid) can increase intelligibility.

Reverb: If your room/vocals are TOO dry, it can help add some presence and fullness. On the other hand, it can be cliche and overused.

So the main thing is...decide what you want things to sound like then use your ears.

 

[grimtraveller]

The further I get into this recording thing, the less effects I find myself using.

Same here. I'm currently remixing loads of songs I recorded in my 'younger' days and the most noticeable thing is that many of the tracks are saturated in effects. So we are talking about a salvage job here ! The stuff I've recorded over the last year or so is minimalistic on the effects front and I like it that way.

there are effects that are vital to making things work in a mix.

This is also true. While it's important to excercize restraint, it doesn't mean throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

 

[Lt. Bob]

A natural sense of what sounds good and a concrete idea of how to make that happen will always trump a pile of boutique gear and computer full of expensive plugins.

Creativity depends more on the limits placed on the creative mind than on unlimited possibilities. Limits force people onto new paths that would never have been followed otherwise. A lot of what we call technique was invented to overcome some restriction imposed by the technology of the time. If channels and mics had always been plentiful you wouldn't see bluegrass bands crowding around one mic today.

^^^^^ This! ^^^^^^


I learned the absolute most important lessons and techniques making 4 track reel to reel do what I wanted it to do. I eventually got to where I was successfully getting up to around a dozen tracks fairly well mixed. You learn a lot overcoming the obstacles to doing that.

Plus ...... there was no 'net to refer to. We all pretty much just tried stuff and found out what worked and, more importantly, what didn't.
Now no one seems to inclined to experiment as much.