Using hardware to Compress Vocals after recording?

[eXampuL_oNe]

Is this possible? I have a dbx 266xl compressor but i dont have a booth so it picks up everything in the room when recording vocals... Also i have a PreSonus Tube pre... Is there a way I can use them after the record take so i can tweak them to where it sounds good? IF so how? Im runninng my mic into my mackie 6-channel and the mixer runs into my soundcard (Delta 1010lt)... Would i connect the pre amp > compressor > XLR's? How would this work, if possible? Also, what is a bus? Im using Logic 5...

 

[Scholar]

To be honest i would send the mic like this MIC---> Tube or DBX--->MIXER---> Sound Card you should get a good clean sound and then just control how hot your signal input is from mixer and youe software App. and here 2 more cent , you may know this but record every thing dry and add effects after it will save you a head ach later... hope i helped.


ONE!!!

 

[ACEBEATZ]

Why you want to use a compressor after recording?

You are supposed to use right after pre-amp to prevent any clipping and to prevent major fluctuation over your audio signal.

Using a hardware compressor AFTER recording, mean a mess of signal, cuz you will go from analog to digital, then digital to analog, then analog to digital AGAIN!!!!lolol.

You'll lose time and it will do nothing less than reduce the quality.

Anyway, a vocal sould be the more natural possible, so tweak your comp just enough to prevent your signal from clipping and keep your recordings that way.

 

[eXampuL_oNe]

Yo good looks Ace... But, its like everytime I record with the pre and compressor while recording (usually i use Logic's compression after the vocal) i get alot of background noise... And it seems like when i use the Logic compressions i dont get that... The reason i wanted to use them after the record take is because when i use the hardware compressor while recording it just comes out shitty, and also the software compressions start to take a toll on my computers memory after awhile along with all the other effects that get put on for the final mix..... I know if a had a booth it would enhance the vocals but i aint got one, i just got a little cubby to put my mic in... But, i did buy that auralex Xpanders pack, which seemed to help alot... Its studio foam thats shaped to go around your mic for better vocal takes...

 

[ACEBEATZ]

The compressor you own is really good. It's an all round piece of hardware you'll find in many studios from small to big, ang on many stage rigs.

That compressor is good and ''suck'' a lot (pumping effect).

A compressor reduce high peaks and increase low ones. Maybe that's the reason why you hear the background noise more loud.

But I'm pretty sure that after gaining your vocals inside your software with virtual effects, the gain of that background noise is almost the same, only you hear it less mixed to your beat.

Maybe not, if you listen to your vocals solo after recording with your dbx, and after using your logic's compressor, maybe then it's logic the best. In that case maybe your compressor is compressing too much. If not and it still increase the background noise a lot, then getting a booth could be the solution.

I recently built one in my studio using two 4X8 feet plywood, in a corner of my room, along with my walls it does a 4X4 feet booth. And I fixed foam inside it, and put a big blanket on top of it. It is really damp and prevent all noise. And it cost me 100$ with 2X4's and screws. I bought a little neon lamp for 8$ at walmart and fixed it inside cuz it was dark.

Try it it sound almost perfectly damp.

 

[eXampuL_oNe]

Yeah Ace i think im gunna build a little booth.. I just got an apartment so im moving out my parents crib and i think i can just build me a little booth for 100$... What kind of foam do u use? Do you think it would be aight if i just went and copped some of that cheap shit from k-mart or would the Auralex be the way to go? How big of a difference?

 

[ACEBEATZ]

Yeah Ace i think im gunna build a little booth.. I just got an apartment so im moving out my parents crib and i think i can just build me a little booth for 100$... What kind of foam do u use? Do you think it would be aight if i just went and copped some of that cheap shit from k-mart or would the Auralex be the way to go? How big of a difference?

I think that auralex is too much expensive fot that purpose.

Auralex products are excellent but made for a precise job : increase the acoustic quality of a room, with absorbers and diffusers.

I used foam matress (eggshell) and bought them for 8$ CAN each at wal-mart.

Using auralex for 1000$ or foam for 50-100$ will do the same job inside a little wood booth.

But for the control room or any room needin acoustical resolution, Auralex or Real Traps are the way to go.

 

[eXampuL_oNe]

Dope, so i can save my pockets the trouble of paying all that dough for some foam then, good looking...

 

[GhostChamberz]

U should Compress before hittin da soundcard so the chances for doin it in the mix is smaller, i got dat same compressor, for the background noise, try gating and de esser.
What Mic and Mic pre do u use?

 

[eXampuL_oNe]

U should Compress before hittin da soundcard so the chances for doin it in the mix is smaller, i got dat same compressor, for the background noise, try gating and de esser.
What Mic and Mic pre do u use?

PreSonus Tube pre http://www.stevesmusiccenter.com/PreSonusTubePre.html

And the 200$ Audio-Technica with the spit screen and pop filter..

 

[ACEBEATZ]

U should Compress before hittin da soundcard so the chances for doin it in the mix is smaller, i got dat same compressor, for the background noise, try gating and de esser.
What Mic and Mic pre do u use?

The goal of compression is to avoid clipping and to reduce signal fluctuations. If your wave clipped at recording then you can't do nothing in the mix. This is the purpose and not to reduce the chance to do it in the mix after. Gating is not the best thing to do on vocal. Gate will be more used over instruments that stays a lot in their db range.

It can be useful sometimes, for creative purpose, you may after a while get to set it right for a record take, but vocals are so much gentle to work with that it's almost impossible to get a preset or to make a motto of using it every time in your voice submixes.

 

[Architect]

The goal of compression is to avoid clipping and to reduce signal fluctuations. If your wave clipped at recording then you can't do nothing in the mix. This is the purpose and not to reduce the chance to do it in the mix after. Gating is not the best thing to do on vocal. Gate will be more used over instruments that stays a lot in their db range.

It can be useful sometimes, for creative purpose, you may after a while get to set it right for a record take, but vocals are so much gentle to work with that it's almost impossible to get a preset or to make a motto of using it every time in your voice submixes.

eXampuL_oNe check your settings on the presonus pre, I have a presonus bluetube (I hate the preamp) and when I've used it I get a lot of noise when turning up the gain and drive. You have to be very moderate with those things don't crank them up all the way or your not going to get a very clean signal. Also on your mackie mixer do you have all of your other channels muted that your not using when your recording your microphone through it? Are you recording vocals with headphones on or do you have the speakers on while recording vocals? If your having severe noise issues you could put a gate on the vocal track but do it softly otherwise you'll kill a lot of the natural dynamics of the vocals.

 

[ACEBEATZ]

eXampuL_oNe check your settings on the presonus pre, I have a presonus bluetube (I hate the preamp) and when I've used it I get a lot of noise when turning up the gain and drive. You have to be very moderate with those things don't crank them up all the way or your not going to get a very clean signal. Also on your mackie mixer do you have all of your other channels muted that your not using when your recording your microphone through it? Are you recording vocals with headphones on or do you have the speakers on while recording vocals? If your having severe noise issues you could put a gate on the vocal track but do it softly otherwise you'll kill a lot of the natural dynamics of the vocals.

Architect the reason why you get noise is cuz of tubes. Any tubes-driven device will do it no matter wut the price.

Tube gives a little compression and a little overdriving, by the same way giving that ''warmness'' everyone talks about.

If you dont drive youre pre-amp more than half, you will get a superb sound. Why you say you hate that pre-amp?? You got one nice piece of hardware from an excellent company. Presonus do great poducts and i highly recommand poeple to buy em.

It make your record take sound phat and warm or any signal to sound more natural and vintage.

 

[Architect]

What's up Acebeatz, I'm familiar with compressors and preamps and the tubes in the Bluetube aren't really anything to write home about. Presonus is a good company but I need something a little bit more on the higher level.

The preamps I really want to get early next year is the Drawmer 1969 Mic Preamp/Tube Compressor. Go to your local music store and listen to that thing and you'll see what I'm talking about utterly amazing. It's the way these things are built and although I'm a big fan of audio plugins they're not as mature as the hardware pieces "YET". The hardware guys have had many years to design, develop, and build the best audio equipment they can. Give the software guys the same amount of time and you'll start hearing amazing plugins, there already are some. I just checked out the Voxengo Analogflux suite, one word "Bomb" these plugins add mad analogish sound to your digital recordings.

Also I really want to get the GML 8304 Mic Pre, outstanding quality engineered to perfection. This stuff is high quality but it's worth it if your really serious about sound quality and get mixes. But anyway the bluetube will do for now.

 

[ACEBEATZ]

If you compare big boi stuff with your pre-amp, I can undestand you say it's sound shit.
But for the price that thing does wut it's supposed to do. And it does it good.

I don't know the piece you talk about. Comin from a mixing desk?
If so, for sure NEVE, SSl or any workhorse desk channel will deliver you fantastic results but it will cost you fantastic price.

If I ever get the money I will buy an old single Neve channel.

You can't deny that's it's a good piece of hardware for the price and for the common poeple home-studio.

I recorded two albums with a Behringer MIC 100. It was the cheapest tube pre-amp i found.

Now I bought a Focusrite VoiceMasterPro. But you always can get result with wut you got, never the equipment will do the job for the engineer.

 

[Architect]

Yeah I feel you man.

 

[ACEBEATZ]

Wut is that piece of hardware you talkin about?

I know drawmer to be well-reputed products.

 

[eXampuL_oNe]

Aight i just hooked my compressor and pre amp back up to try this again, and i am gettin a noticalbe amount of hissing still... I have tried messing wit the settings on the Compressor and pre amp and it just is there no matter what i do... I can turn it down but then it's too low for the performer to hear and then it just gets irratating... What is causing that hiss? The pre amp or the compressor? When i trun the pre-amp down it will lower and the same goes for the mixer and compressor... There is like no way to get that hiss out of my vocals... DAMN THIS IS IRRATATING! Maybe im just a super newb to all of this and i can't figure out a common mistake or something...

 

[ztrax]

Noise issue

If you tried everything and still get noise there is the possibility that there is a problem with one of your pieces of equipment. Let's assume they are working...

The settings of your pre-amp and compressor can certainly cause lots of unwanted noise if they're not properly set. If you don't have noise problems when recording direct through your mixer, the mixer settings are fine. I would try sending the mic through the preamp, then compressor, then mixer to sound card. Try bypassing the compressor (there should be a bypass button) and record with the preamp only. If you're getting noise try lowring the input, gain, output, etc., see how it sounds when they're all set at a medium level. If you can get the preamp to sound good without noise the compressor is the problem...

If the threshold is set really low you will be compressing a lot! the ratio should not be too high either, that will cause heavy compression also. The attack & release can be set to medium (or auto if it has that feature). Try setting the threshold to just below 0dB, and the ratio to 2:1. Sending sound through your mic you will see the compression increasing (gain reduction meter) as you turn the threshold down into the negative range. Over-compression can cause a lot of noise (pumping, room noise, breaths, etc.). Playing with the threshold is the key, it should only be reducing gain (compressing) on the loudest vocal parts. Hope this helps...

By the way, a bus is just a way to send a signal from one place to another. Like your vocal on channel 1 can be bussed to another channel, sound card input, etc.

YZ
http://www.soundclick.com/ztrax