Need help recording vocals...

[MIKEYeffinPOWELL]

Hey guys, first off im new so please be gentle with my imaginary internet newb recording anus. My name is Mikey and im the vocalist for a band called Conducting from the grave and im VERY interested in learning to record vocals (and maybe other stuff as well) from my home to save on studio costs and just to screw around when im bored. I use studio one, have a cheap usb audio interface (Multimix8USB by Alesis) and use a akg condenser (c5) to record. I know its not the best equipment in the world, im looking to upgrade in the future of course but thats not why im here. Im here to ask this, how do you properly compress vocals, i know the basics of compression but i feel like im screwing up the sound, like its not dynamic enough, yet i dont want the volumes to be jumping around either, im well aware that screaming has a natural compression to it, but im just trying to get the best sound outof what i have right now.

Also, in terms of adding effects (and compression), how would i go about doing that to a track? would it be better to individually compress and eq each track? or would it be better to have all of a certain type of screaming (in this case my low growls) go to a bus with compression and eq already set, and then make an fx channel for verb/delay.

Lastly, im trying to find a good way to add some tone to the vocal tracks, i have decapitator and it just seems to add a "fuzz" gain to the vocals but does not actually help shape the tone or make it more "robust" is there any plugins that could help me attain this? or am i not using the plugin properly.

Sorry for the harry potter novel, im very new and any help would be appreciated, thank you very much. looking forward to hearing your tips and tricks. (also sorry if i posted this in the wrong section)

 

[Skinny Viking]

oh for fucks sake ...

http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/andy-sneap/262441-useful-links-faq-please-read.html

http://www.google.com/cse/home?cx=007593470310830667409:4qw46y8lnza

c'mon dude ... it really does take only the barest amount of effort

 

[Skinny Viking]

and I know some of you newer dudes are gonna pop in here as usual (OP excluded) and think you're a better person by acting like I'm a dick and like this topic DOESN'T have a million threads already waiting to be read through ... fuck the lot of ya

 

[Derpsicle]

and I know some of you newer dudes are gonna pop in here as usual (OP excluded) and think you're a better person by acting like I'm a dick and like this topic DOESN'T have a million threads already waiting to be read through ... fuck the lot of ya

I think it's good to have a guy yell at all the lazy fucks. It keeps the air fresh and the board tidy.

 

[MIKEYeffinPOWELL]

no worries, haters gon hate i suppose, and trollers gon troll. good thing i dont take things personally =] thanks for the link!

 

[Skinny Viking]

Thats why I say "OP excluded"

the 2nd link is gonna be your best friend ... custom google search that only links to topics in this forum

 

[Tommy Evans]

Conducting From The Grave Fuck Yeah! I'm a fan

 

[MIKEYeffinPOWELL]

Thats why I say "OP excluded"

the 2nd link is gonna be your best friend ... custom google search that only links to topics in this forum

thanks, does this include plugins and stuff to help shape a screaming tone? im looking for more personal opinions on them as to which ones are really good for that kindof thing.

 

[MIKEYeffinPOWELL]

Conducting From The Grave Fuck Yeah! I'm a fan

thanks alot man!

 

[Skinny Viking]

thanks, does this include plugins and stuff to help shape a screaming tone? im looking for more personal opinions on them as to which ones are really good for that kindof thing.

have you even tried the custom search?

 

[MIKEYeffinPOWELL]

im on my phone right now and its not exactly agreeing with it haha, i will when i get home, thank you.

 

[rob w]

Get a pop shield!

 

[MIKEYeffinPOWELL]

Get a pop shield!

yeah im gonna get one when i upgrade my recording equipment, i know it sort of de-esses the tone a little bit and filters strong points in b/p/s's as well, but will that really help with the overall shape of the tone? like i said im extremely new to all of this, and i really shouldof paid attention when i was in the studio and asked questions then but it didnt even cross my mind while i was recording our album the first time

 

[The StabbinCabin]

Dude just record with BOB AT MAYHEMNESS MANNNNNNNNNN

 

[TheWinterSnow]

Dude just record with BOB AT MAYHEMNESS MANNNNNNNNNN

This! Mayhemness is the shit!

Well if he doesn't want to drop money every time the band records some scratch tracks or whatever, he will still have to learn the ropes.

Either way, as much information that there is on the topic, I don't thing there is really anything definitive or simple. My approach fr vocals has always been, get the mic setup, get the pop screen (which you will need if you care enough about the sound in which you are doing post processing) an inch or two away from the mic, keep the vocalist about another inch or so from the mic, set your levels so that the vocals don't peak -6dB, and typically average -18dB or so. Post processing if the recording was done right can be fairly simple, in most cases a high pass filter anywhere from 150-250Hz will do the trick, I just use my ears, and compress the fuck out of it with a single compressor, attack sits around 5-10ms, release in the 50-100ms area, in terms of eq, I generally don't touch unless there is something weird going on. Other than that a mild splash of a hall reverb and that is about it. Of course you could get more advanced for final mixes with automation and other stacked effects, but that is something you should stay away from as a beginner. You should really learn how compressors and eqs work before getting into shit like that.

In terms of different style vocals, record them on different tracks, that way you can have different compression, eq and reverb settings that fit better.

If you are trying to record for an album, I would advise against it, go to a studio and learn the ropes from an engineer who is willing to give out advice, and learn recording techniques with scratch tracks/demos and eventually when you get good enough you should be able to do all that on your own.

Again like others have said, the search function is a great tool, keep using it and stick around here, you will be pleased to find a lot of good information.

 

[The StabbinCabin]

Mayhemness is the shit!

I was being totally sarcastic- I hope you were too...

 

[tempe]

Guys I know stuff like this has been covered a lot but really some of this behavior is pretty full on, we probably should be welcoming to new members of the community as I know when I first joined and asked questions, no matter how stupid I got a pleasent response, even if it was just being told to search.

To the OP, don't split up certain kinds of screams to different busses, you wouldn't process low and high notes of a singer differently would you? Generally a good starting point is De-ess first, High and Low pass and any other subtractive EQ, compress to taste, additive EQ, Saturate, limit. Use all your FX on sends

 

[TheWinterSnow]

I was being totally sarcastic- I hope you were too...

I have heard stories. Can't say I have dealt with them.

 

[The StabbinCabin]

I have heard stories. Can't say I have dealt with them.

You don't need to hear stories man- hear his mixes uke:

@Mikey
But in all honesty dude, doesn't your band rehearse at the same warehouse Bob's in...? You're in CFTG, you're pretty much allowed to just walk in with your Steven and bitch slap the bands he's recording. Ask him and he'll probably show you the Bob way to process vocals. Or have Steven ask him instead, to get an appropriate response. I'm not sure how things work there anymore...