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ok so i just recorded this really quick. i would really appreciate some advice on setting up and recording vocals, before i record it properly.

so what steps did i follow recording

1.  i set asio to 128 samples

2. i insert my mic into stereo 1 and 2 in this case. sometimes just into one insert then i pan the vocals with fl balance and a plugging called ADT

3. PUT IN MY BEAT

4. add fx to mix the vocals , im learning to be subtle with it and add final touches after the record because it cant be undone once recorded

5. i record

6.i add a light mix and then i export

 

i'm not sure what level the mic should be etc aswell

 

basically i need a crash course :D

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1 hour ago, tunesmithth said:

Since my overall production process is much different than yours, I wasn't going to respond, but then I read over your list of questions.

Regardless of specific process & genre, I'm afraid you're looking at this incorrectly...I'll explain a bit.

  • The initial recording of vocals has nothing to do with "mixing". They are 2 entirely different processes.
  • The idea is to record the raw track first, then worry about the rest.

Your primary concerns should always be...

 

 - Proximity of the mic (in other words, where it is in relation to your mouth as you sing or rap). Recommendations vary by mic & manufacturer, so I recommend referring to whatever literature came with your mic (owners manual, etc). That should tell you where the sweet spots are, how far back you should be, which side of the mic to sing into, etc.

 

 - You should have a pop screen between you and the mic. If you don't own one, get one! They don't cost much.

 

 - Do your recording in a sound-friendly environment. In other words, don't stand facing a mirror or non-absorbent surface that's gonna bounce sound right back at ya'...and at the mic.

 

 - Do not apply any effects to your initial recording. Wait until you've had an opportunity to hear & access your performance without all that crap added to it.

Good or bad, you want to hear it as- is. Once you've decided if the take is a keeper, THEN you can worry about things like effects and panning choices. As I mentioned earlier, those things are not part of the typical recording process. They are part of the production (mixing) process, which doesn't even begin until you have a recorded track that you're happy with. 

 

 - Adjust the input levels on your mic to a level which remains below the point of clipping (distortion). My advice...set an initial level, then stand exactly where you intend to stand for the recording, sing as you intend to sing for the actual recording, record a short snippet of the vocal track (20 seconds or so), play it back and look at where your recorded levels ended up...make adjustment to your settings accordingly. Bottom line - adjustment of your mic level is strictly trial & error. It takes time, but it's time well-spent.

 

 - As you do your vocal  recording, be sure that whatever background tracks you're singing along with don't end up in the vocal recording. Background tracks cannot be played through monitors. Listen through headphones. The only thing you want to hear on that final vocal track is vocals...that's always what you're shooting for.

 

As I said earlier, regardless of your software & exact means of recording, this is the process. 

I'll let members with a better knowledge of your specific process advise you what to add once the vocal tracks been recorded.

 

Hope this helps!

 

Tom

thank you for your detailed response :)

i think i may need to add a few upgrades to my studio after reading this, dont laugh even though ino alot of you will :helpsmilie:but ive been using a sock as a pop guard, because they seemed overpriced for something that stops pops. also i dont have a sound proof setup for recording, i just have the mic in front of the monitors and tv, listening back on my headphones.

i think i could maybe turn up the vocals alot because they never seem to peak the only issue is the song picks up from the headphones if the mic is too loud. im also recording into the side of the mic rather then above, it is labelled back and front.

 

i did post a vocal recording with my post, not sure if you listened but its called wasp

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2 hours ago, tunesmithth said:

Honestly, I didn't because my advice would have been the same regardless. It's more a question of how you approach the variously processes involved & in what order.

 

You'll find that socks & heavy windscreens tend to muffle the vocal too much. They can also change the tone of the recorded voice. Pop screens are much finer material. Seems to me they run around $25 for both screen & mount...not sure, since it's been a while since I shopped 'em.

 

Actually, I had a reference to this in the original version of my response...edited it out to make it a bit shorter. This issue is not uncommon. I'll hazard a guess the your headphones are the open-backed type studio phones? Simple solution, try a pair of closed-back...they allow much less bleed into the mic. I have both in my setup. My Sony closed-back only run about $25-30 a pair and have always worked quite nicely. Keep in mind, you don't high quality phones for this...you simply need contained sound that allows you to hear your background tracks.

 

Doesn't need to be sound-proof, or even acoustically insulated. Just don't position it where you'll be singing or rapping into a non-absorbent surface that's gonna bounce the sounds (or portions of it) right back at the mic.

 

Without seeing your mic, I'm going to hazard another guess...the manufacturer probably recommends singing into the front of it. Directing the sound toward the correct portion of the mic makes a HUGE DIFFERNCE in both volume & tone quality. If you don't know for certain what's recommended for that specific mic, check online. I'm willing to be bet the manufacturer offers online spec sheets. Chances are, singing into the side is why you're having to turn the mic up so loud. Problem solved ! ;)

 

BTW no one's laughin'...always better to find these out & we all had to learn sometime.

Have a good one!

 

Tom

makes alot of sense. thankyou again :)

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2 hours ago, tunesmithth said:

Honestly, I didn't because my advice would have been the same regardless. It's more a question of how you approach the variously processes involved & in what order.

 

You'll find that socks & heavy windscreens tend to muffle the vocal too much. They can also change the tone of the recorded voice. Pop screens are much finer material. Seems to me they run around $25 for both screen & mount...not sure, since it's been a while since I shopped 'em.

 

Actually, I had a reference to this in the original version of my response...edited it out to make it a bit shorter. This issue is not uncommon. I'll hazard a guess the your headphones are the open-backed type studio phones? Simple solution, try a pair of closed-back...they allow much less bleed into the mic. I have both in my setup. My Sony closed-back only run about $25-30 a pair and have always worked quite nicely. Keep in mind, you don't high quality phones for this...you simply need contained sound that allows you to hear your background tracks.

 

Doesn't need to be sound-proof, or even acoustically insulated. Just don't position it where you'll be singing or rapping into a non-absorbent surface that's gonna bounce the sounds (or portions of it) right back at the mic.

 

Without seeing your mic, I'm going to hazard another guess...the manufacturer probably recommends singing into the front of it. Directing the sound toward the correct portion of the mic makes a HUGE DIFFERNCE in both volume & tone quality. If you don't know for certain what's recommended for that specific mic, check online. I'm willing to be bet the manufacturer offers online spec sheets. Chances are, singing into the side is why you're having to turn the mic up so loud. Problem solved ! ;)

 

BTW no one's laughin'...always better to find these out & we all had to learn sometime.

Have a good one!

 

Tom

http://www.proaudiosystems.co.uk/audio-technica-at2020-mic-pack.html

 

this is the mic i use which is plugged into a phantom power

 

this is is the phantom power

http://www.emnordic.eu/produkter/pa-dj-installation/microphones/accessories/48v-psu/leem-phw-22-phantom-adapter

 

and then that is plugged straight into my computer via 1/4 jack

i dont have a soundcard box im sort of confused about that too

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12 minutes ago, tunesmithth said:

NIce mic ! 

If you'll notice, this is one of the statements included in their "product description"...

 You were standing on the side of it, right?

Judging from that statement, my earlier guess seems correct. The sweet spot is directly in front of the mic.

 on the pic of the mic, where it says at2020 thats where back is written,. so i record on the otherside where it says audio tech. i wasnt sure if thats where to record or the top of the mic. i think i started at the top but discovered its louder on the side

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wow! just did a test recording..it opened up my vocal range, the mic wasnt picking up my low voice properly before.  theres a much wider range of frequencies coming through now. it's quieter but workable :) thankyou again

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1 hour ago, ALOPRODUCTIONZ said:

[smiley=vocals.gif]i can actually hear the emotion in my voice now lol

 

I think i just blew my mic :001_huh: audio has gone so quiet its inaudible 

after looking over my setup and wires i found that the issue is most likely the 1/4 jack input i  forgot that it got damaged a while ago, when accidentally stepped on. looking at it again its in very bad condition, so maybe now im recording with more signal its cutting it out or something. gonna get a replacement tomorrow and see if it fixes it

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  • 2 weeks later...

i replaced the adaptor for the mic. the vocal levels are still really low. im not sure if i have it plugged into the wrong input. out of the two inputs i can use one is sound card and one is the computer. the sound card has better latency but picks up noise from the computer and is low, the other input is louder but has bad latency. i want to be able to record normal how i would if i was performing live and not have to keep adapting my voice and style to a poor setup

please someone help!!

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On 5 August 2017 at 6:32 PM, ALOPRODUCTIONZ said:

dont laugh even though ino alot of you will :helpsmilie:but ive been using a sock as a pop guard

 

In the past I've recorded in several studios where they'd made their own pop screen from a wire coat hanger formed into a circle with a nylon stocking stretched over it. Old engineers I've worked with just thought it worked better than many ready made screens.

 

Regarding recording vocals raw Vs with effects - I don't entirely agree with Tom. It is most important to get a good clean recording and you should mix later BUT having an effect on while you sing and having the vocal mixed in a bit can help you in some cases...only sometimes...but for example if it helps you to hear yourself in rather than over the mix, and if you use an effect which reacts to how you sing, sometimes it works nicely to record with the effect on. It can help you get in the mood too.

 

The main thing is that any effect should ONLY be in the DAW and not recorded onto the vocal track...so you're only monitoring the fx not actually recording them to the audio recording.

 

I've not read all comments, so don't know whether this stuff has been discussed. I just read your OP and the first couple of comments.

Edited by MonoStone
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