Production RECORDING VOCALS -- Drop ur techniques and tips!

[Dyce-Kid06]

I mc from time to time at home but jus started goin in tha studio get me:

1) Someone mentioned it earlier in the thread but it does help to know ur barz inside out before you do actually go in tha booth thow coz it consumes less time plus if ya payin tha dude by tha our think about it! lol

2) I ant got much knowledge about where tha mic should be placed but in my experience it elps to to step away frm tha mic n cum back consistently az ur layin dwn ya vocals coz it emphasizes tha velocity n builds motion on tha track

3) And lastly ya breathin control mus b LOCKED DWN coz ya dnt wanna b wilin out on a track den wen it gets 2 tha last seconds chokin coz ya lost ya breath. People who have trouble with maintanin their breath try sum breathing exercises (they do work lol!) thatz wot i try n do.

Newayz ope that helped abit
PEACE!

 

[BeatAssassin]

ok, here my technique for recording vocals.

When I record Emcees, I try to get them as close to the mic as possible. This avoid me from needing to cut up the volume on the input. (Mic Proximity) Check it out..... This give me a very hot signal and help out greatly. I have a AKG Preception 100 and a NT2000 but I use my AKG a lot more. The RODE I use for vocalist more. I don't add compression at first, I found that because I get the Proximity effect when recording the vocals there great. Now, when I doing some Crunk-beyond-Crunk then I may compress a little. I use the Nomad Factory Blue Tube Bundle. The preset are great. Plus, it good for mastering. For the P'S' sounds problem this can be handle many of way. Sometimes it MIC Placement. Or, I'll put a plug-In, De-esser - CUbase SX has a great one.
These simple thing get me good quality vocals.

Vocalist I've try a numbver of methods, I've had them lay on there back. This help's them breath beter. It forces them to use there Diaphram. Place ing the mic slightly left or to the right of them works wonder. I learn these technique and more from reading this book. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/19...=pd_bbs_2/002-1145304-1120818?ie=UTF8&s=books
Someone gave me this book. it a short book but it had tons of info and it come with a cd so you can see the difference in the techniques. The masetering book I also got. It has so great information.

 

[open mind]

i read somewhere that is recommended to PAN the verse part 10% to the left to give its own space in the mix.what do u think about it ?

 

[mono]

there allready is a post about why panning vocals could be useful. its 2 pages back.
keep this thread on point, im already slightly irritated by posts like "thats the shit, but i havent tried it yet..."

heres what i can contribute, maybe a bit off the track, but i think its important, esp. for newbies;

-keep the headphones at levels the artists can hear themselves, recorded tracks and the beat clearly without having to scream. well some people dont like hearing themselves at all, so it depends. However, make it as convenient as possible for the artist. thats golden. a good vibe is by far more worth than any digital trick out there.

-which leads to another point, there are people who by any means want to sound like snoop, or krs, or dmx or pumpkinhead or whoever on the tracks, but they wont, because they aint!
they will push you to turn the knobs, and add compression and effects, to make it bumpy etc. but its all crap. if someone doesnt sound at least interesting without all that recording fuss, somethings wrong right away. try to get out and underline the most special thing in a voice. something thats natural.
listening to some early atcq demos i found lately, or even to that cody chestnut guy, its bullshit recordings but the vibe is stunning. the rest is make up.

-experiment with your mic if you havent got a record booth. muffle flat surfaces, the heating, the windows, whatever might help you to get rid of reflections and echoes. the best setup wont help you if its not used in proper environment. f.e. ive got a good quality condenser mic at home, but i realy have to be overcautious when recording with it, because its so good, i can hear my neighbours piss and my ankles crack if i dont deaden the room a bit.

-contrary to some other people in here, id say always use a bit compression when recording. it saves you work with adjusting levels or even having to do a new take beacause of distorted peaks. yes compression, that thing that aligns loud and quiet parts of an input.

-be sure to have an relaxed artist in front of the mic. usualy recording at night or in the evenings is less advantageous, because the vocal cords get tired through the day. my experience...

-avoid recording parts of a track on different days. if its fat, finish it, if not, do the whole thing tomorrow.

-never use the first take, the voiceover will always sound better. the first take will be a guideline for the voice. its like when you sit in your car singing along to a tune, youll intuitively hit the notes (nearly) right, but you wont be as good 5 minutes later in the elevator, because there is no guideline to orientate


as i said, more likely tips for newbies, but id have been well advised with them back when i started out.
peace
mike

 

[Fade]

From now on, everyone please post only your techniques and tips for recording vocals. Please do not post stuff like "this thread is dope", it just clutters the thread. Let's make this thread a good reference for other members.

Thanks.

 

[open mind]

while u recording u let the artist hear his own voice through the headspeaker or just the beat?
what would u recommend and WHY?

 

[Formant024]

would you like to record the speakers aswell ( along with the mic/vocal ) ???

 

[Hypnotist]

while u recording u let the artist hear his own voice through the headspeaker or just the beat?
what would u recommend and WHY?

Always own voice with the beat thru the cans. The artist needs to hear what's going on.

Now there IS an art to this... You can make the artist louder or quieter depending on what you want him/her to do. Say he's not pushing the envelope and you want him to really use his diaphragm. Turn the beat up and let the vocals bleed thru so that he has to compete with the beat to hear himself. Say he's really pushing it and it's supposed to be a laid-back song, and he's putting too much energy into it. Turn the beat down and let his vocals be the main focus. He'll back down a little and go somewhat softer.

Just some things I've done in the past that have worked.

Oh... the environment for the artist needs to be MAGIC. Dim the lights just right, make the seat/standing spot comfortable, put the music stand just right with a little light right on it, and make sure he hears EXACTLY what he wants to hear. Make sure your headphones are the same ones he has, with the same signal running thru them, so that you hear what he hears. If he says he wants a little more reverb on the snare drum, give him just that, while monitoring it yourself. If it's magic, then the mood is just right, and he will have an experience to remember, and most possibly get the best takes he's ever done. Make him feel like he's in his own chamber, 1,000,000 miles away from all civilization, cars, girlfriends, money, jobs, trouble, cops, beef, and all that other shit. And this dude will come back every day, paying you whatever you ask.

-Hypno

 

[open mind]

Always own voice with the beat thru the cans. The artist needs to hear what's going on.

Now there IS an art to this... You can make the artist louder or quieter depending on what you want him/her to do. Say he's not pushing the envelope and you want him to really use his diaphragm. Turn the beat up and let the vocals bleed thru so that he has to compete with the beat to hear himself. Say he's really pushing it and it's supposed to be a laid-back song, and he's putting too much energy into it. Turn the beat down and let his vocals be the main focus. He'll back down a little and go somewhat softer.

Just some things I've done in the past that have worked.

Oh... the environment for the artist needs to be MAGIC. Dim the lights just right, make the seat/standing spot comfortable, put the music stand just right with a little light right on it, and make sure he hears EXACTLY what he wants to hear. Make sure your headphones are the same ones he has, with the same signal running thru them, so that you hear what he hears. If he says he wants a little more reverb on the snare drum, give him just that, while monitoring it yourself. If it's magic, then the mood is just right, and he will have an experience to remember, and most possibly get the best takes he's ever done. Make him feel like he's in his own chamber, 1,000,000 miles away from all civilization, cars, girlfriends, money, jobs, trouble, cops, beef, and all that other shit. And this dude will come back every day, paying you whatever you ask.

-Hypno

thanks man that helps.

 

[open mind]

When mixing vocals what is recommended a "normal" compressor or a "mutliband" compressor. i used to mix them with a normal compressor but lately i tried a multiband compressor and it sounds way better its more dynamic or something more natural not so flat like a normal compressor.

what is recommended by the pros and WHY? thanks in advance

yo hypnotist where ya at ?

 

[veon]

i could use some advice on voice layering. first i made a duplicate track and moved it a few ms and enveloped the volume for some ends of the verse. the whole project whent to oblivion.

now i take my duplicate track. i bring the + 4000Hz with a hi-shelf, aplly a small delay, and pan it l/r anywhere from 30% to 70%. i can say its an improvment but imn not satisfied with the results.

veon

 

[open mind]

i could use some advice on voice layering. first i made a duplicate track and moved it a few ms and enveloped the volume for some ends of the verse. the whole project whent to oblivion.

now i take my duplicate track. i bring the + 4000Hz with a hi-shelf, aplly a small delay, and pan it l/r anywhere from 30% to 70%. i can say its an improvment but imn not satisfied with the results.

veon

if u want to layer a voice dont move it a few ms it sounds bad IMO just record the same vocals twice pan one to the left and one to the right add some slight delay maybe 2 or 4% not more u gonna be satisfied i promise.


DONT DUPLICATE THE SAME TRACK RECORD IT TWICE TO HAVE A REAL DYNAMIC IF U JUST COPY THE SAME TRACK U DONT HAVE A REAL LAYER BECAUSE IT HAS THE SAME DYNAMICS.

 

[Hypnotist]

if u want to layer a voice dont move it a few ms it sounds bad IMO just record the same vocals twice pan one to the left and one to the right add some slight delay maybe 2 or 4% not more u gonna be satisfied i promise.


DONT DUPLICATE THE SAME TRACK RECORD IT TWICE TO HAVE A REAL DYNAMIC IF U JUST COPY THE SAME TRACK U DONT HAVE A REAL LAYER BECAUSE IT HAS THE SAME DYNAMICS.

Well said, Open.

 

[open mind]

Well said, Open.

i had a good teacher! guess who? yep it was you.
thanks.

 

[open mind]

what technic do u usualy use to make the vocals fit well in the beat? its not enough to just compress the vocals with the beat.when i do it the vocals always sounds like the completely besides the song instead of sitting in the song.

 

[N.Y.S.O.M.]

im about to get the mbox this week and my lab is in my 3rd room in my crib, but i wanna record vocals in my room should i isolate the sound in my room where i make my tracks at or isloate the vocals in my bedroom. just wanna kno some techniques from those of u who record at home

 

[CyrusPhantasm]

Waves Diamond Bundle

There is just so much that can be listed.... Is there anything specific you want to know??

 

[veon]

wich is better to record the whole piece at once or bar by bar ???

 

[Chrono]

what technic do u usualy use to make the vocals fit well in the beat? its not enough to just compress the vocals with the beat.when i do it the vocals always sounds like the completely besides the song instead of sitting in the song.

I had this problem for years. To solve you need to edit the vocals seperately from the beat. In protools, I usuially add 27%Reverb.. maybe a light monodesser.. umm just like a reciepe, experiemnt.. then compress it at 6.8 to 7 too reach correct volume levels. If you experiement enough you can create the vocals where then are anywhere in the beats soundscape. If yu do not use PT then use cooledit or any sound editing program. I never did this in the past because i did not realize the importance of post-recording editing. post-recording editing takes artifacts out of the recording that would allow the listener to "tell" that the recording was seperate from the beat at all.

 

[Hypnotist]

im about to get the mbox this week and my lab is in my 3rd room in my crib, but i wanna record vocals in my room should i isolate the sound in my room where i make my tracks at or isloate the vocals in my bedroom. just wanna kno some techniques from those of u who record at home

Honestly for a home recording setup, you can grab an extra set of headphones, as long as it's only one performer recording at a time. And in some cases, once you get the levels, you don't even need headphones, as long as you monitor the meters so they don't peak. I'm just letting you know how minimal you can keep a setup.

If you're recording vocals in any room, just try to make sure it's not too tight, or that you can actually hear the fact that it's a room. You can drape blankets over picture frames, doors, stand-up lights, and at least make a little corner where the sound going into the mic is dampened a little. Block behind the mic to prevent reflections that will travel around the room, and then block behind the artist to further prevent any reflections that will be in the room that leak through.

wich is better to record the whole piece at once or bar by bar ???

This all depends on the artist. If the artist can do it, then it's a MUCH better benefit to record the whole piece. 1) It sounds consistent; there are no pauses, and pitch, level and intensity of voice will remain constant. 2) It's easier on the engineer, as time is valuable and your ears fatigue. 3) It's easier on the artist's vocal cords.

But if it's a piece that requires impossible breathing (take some of Raekwon's older stuff where he doesn't even place a breath in the verse) then that will require the artist to do it in chunks (depending on where the most natural place to punch in would be). It could be in 2-bar chunks, a couple lines at a time, or he/she can go as long as they can go until they run outta breath and pick it up there.

-Hypno