comp/limiting vocals

[bryan_kilco]

I've been getting better results lately using a slightly different method/chain on vox. I'm not sure if this is a good way or bad way, so I figured some of you could help.

I hear a lot of "compress the vocals, then compress them again, and again, etc...."

so I started going something like this:

-comp with like -12dB GR and a high ratio, fast attack and slow release

-comp with about -6 dB GR with slightly lower ratio, slower attack and quicker release

limiter

this seems to let the vocal track sit at a very flat spot and certain areas arent jumping above say -18dB.

Am I doing something terribly wrong? To my ears this seems to make the vocals sound a bit more brootz as well....maybe its the limiter causing some slight clipping?

 

[timislegend]

if it sounds good... it's not wrong.

 

[bryan_kilco]

Yeah that's what I figured....but I'm still a newb who thought he knew some stuff about all this a year ago and I'm slowly learning that the learning rate is sort of insanely slow. Kicking myself in the ass for not getting into this stuff 10 years ago.

 

[timislegend]

we are all learning, brother! ...it's good to have support groups like here and gs... to open the mind a bit!

 

[MetalSound]

-comp with like -12dB GR and a high ratio, fast attack and slow release

if it doesn´t pump with these extreme settings you are fine.....12 db reduction is a lot.

 

[pikachu69]

I

I hear a lot of "compress the vocals, then compress them again, and again, etc...."

The idea behind staged compression, at least I thought, was to avoid hitting a signal with 12db of comp from a single unit as it is more likely to behave badly and to achieve a more transparent compression. When using several comps you distribute the load more evenly. so 4 comps with 3db of gain reduction each will still give you your 12db reduction, but more likely with less pumping/artifacts. using different attack/release times on each comp allows you to control very specific areas of the vocal separately too.
If you really want the compressor to impart its color onto your track and act like an EQ then the heavier compression would give you better results but will be harder to tame and is likely to need attention with track automation to help even it out some more.

I normally track vocals with a very light comp, then when mixing I will use 2 or 3 other comps (Rvox is amazing when using multiple units) and a limiter with each only taking a few db off.

---edit--- Think ala CLA. He is known for using some pretty heavy compression and he is known to say he uses his comps to color his recordings like a form of EQ...

 

[timislegend]

another strong method is to use a tube mic... with an la2a as the "preamp".

there is a lot of gain however you can limit or compress the signal during the tracking process... (which sounds great).


and later, insert other stages of compression during the mixing process.

 

[OneDaySky]

another strong method is to use a tube mic... with an la2a as the "preamp".

there is a lot of gain however you can limit or compress the signal during the tracking process... (which sounds great).


and later, insert other stages of compression during the mixing process.

Interesting
THx for the tip man

 

[John_C]

I tend to go for quick attack and release with vocals, slamming it with a nice character comp. 12dB reduction doesn't sound that hugely extreme, but you'd expect some nasty pumping if you have long release times

 

[Cryo114]

One thing I've been doing lately which has really taken my vox to the next level is, copy every individual track, send one copy to a group low passed around 9khz with a comp/limiter smashing the fuck out of them. With the other copy, I send that to another group uncompressed and high passed at about 9khz. Unless youve got some serious simblance if you mix the two wisely, you can get some very open, clean and uncompressed sounding vocals.

I always find the highs suffer most obviously when compressing/limiting.

For example:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1029645/Cryo114 - Killer.mp3

All the vocals at 2:40 were limited in this way. All the rest were done like this too, but thats best example.

 

[nch3966]

i sometimes use the l1 radically then barely compress i get sweet crunchy tones some times really only works with rap :/

 

[amarshism]

As said before if it sounds good... I think brianhood was saying he often smashes vocals with max comp in one unit. My vocal chain never looks the same because I'm always trying different comps, chains, and thresholds for my gain reduction.

 

[Tommy Gun]

I'm actually doing this lately:

-De-essing with multi band
-Comp -8:1 ratio, 1db soft knee, fast attack/auto-release, -8 to -12 db GR
-EQ
-Rough Rider Comp -medium/low ratio, fast attack, slow release, medium sensitivity (GR), small bit of makeup gain.
-Limiter

That guy was terrible with mic distance and had very inconsistent delivery power though.

 

[bryan_kilco]

can someone explain what a Knee Size is?

 

[nwright]

Knee:

This controls whether the bend in the response curve is a sharp angle or has a rounded edge. A soft knee slowly increases the compression ratio as the level increases and eventually reaches the compression ratio set by the user. A soft knee reduces the audible change from uncompressed to compressed, especially for higher ratios where the changeover is more noticeable.

 

[Ermz]

http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/production-tips/622633-some-vocal-tricks-you.html