Singing With or Without Effects ?

[outerspacepop]

I was speaking to a friend earlier which is a singer and has a couple successful songs. He said when he sings he sings with effects on his voice to hear what it'll sound like.

 

I thought you were supposed to sing without any effects on your voice then add them after?

[Jersey Jack]

This is not a hard and fast rule. If a singer can go without effects that's usually better, as he/she will be better able to hear problems and correct on the fly. Some singers, however, are so unsettled by the sound of their voices without effects that the advantage is lost.

 

The point is to get the best possible performance out of a vocalist, and if that means effects, dimming the lights and lighting candles, wine, sunglasses, etc., then you do it.

 

In case you haven't noticed, vocalists tend to be, well, sensitive.

[grace_slick]

I find it easier when recording something to sing with a minimal number of effects (as opposed to none) just so I can hear more accurately what the finished recording will sound like and adjust while singing accordingly to "fit" with how it'll sound when played back. It also makes it easier to hear myself when recording too...

 

If I want to add more obvious effects later, then all good.

[micwalt]

You can always record with the effect(s) on an aux channel (or channels) so you hear them while you're recording, but they're not printed to the track.

I like to record with a touch of reverb on an aux channel, but I'll take it away and add something completely different when I'm mixing.

[grace_slick]

Oh! I didn't know you could do that. lol

[JohnBenussi]

 

I was speaking to a friend earlier which is a singer and has a couple successful songs. He said when he sings he sings with effects on his voice to hear what it'll sound like. I thought you were supposed to sing without any effects on your voice then add them after?

 

 

You're also not supposed to record with the monitors right in front of you, (in close proximity to the mic) but I do it all the time...

 

It's not a question of right and wrong so much as it is:

"What works for you?" =this is what truly matters most:thu:

 

Some vocalists need the reverb/effect while recording

(for whatever reason) like:

 

-It may give them the confidence they may lack if the recording was initially dry....

 

Some setups/studio environments can insert reverb into the headphones without it affecting the recording....

[grace_slick]

I prefer a slight reverb...it's just more comfortable for me. I find it awkward recording a certain way and hearing a certain sound which I then tend to adapt to...and then if the end result is different, it sounds odd to me.

 

I also record with the monitors in front of me. Well, they're sort of on either side of my computer screen...

[Dthraco]

 

You can always record with the effect(s) on an aux channel (or channels) so you hear them while you're recording, but they're not printed to the track.

 

 

I'll bet the singer mentioned in the OP didn't know he was laying down a dry track even though the engineer had a wet one in his cans.

[EightString]

When I'm doing any sort of serious recording, I always record "dry", both in the signal to the recording media and to my headphones.

 

If I get the track sounding good without effects, it'll sound fantastic once they're added.

[micwalt]

I'll bet the singer mentioned in the OP didn't know he was laying down a dry track even though the engineer had a wet one in his cans.

 

[SteinbergerHack]

 

When I'm doing any sort of serious recording, I always record "dry", both in the signal to the recording media and to my headphones. If I get the track sounding good without effects, it'll sound fantastic once they're added.

 

 

This. The more you monkey with the sound you hear while you sing, the less accurate and precise you will be.

[ido1957]

 

When I'm doing any sort of serious recording, I always record "dry", both in the signal to the recording media and to my headphones. If I get the track sounding good without effects, it'll sound fantastic once they're added.

 

 

+1000

[outerspacepop]

Thanks for the feed back !

[MusicalSchizo]

Thanks for the feed back !

 

What, they had taken your feed?

 

Depending upon what device I'm using to record the vocals, I'll record wet AND dry versions at the same time. My POD X3 Live allows me to record a track full of effects as well as a dry one so I can change things later if I want to.

 

But often I'll get it pretty close to right the first time.

 

Overall, I prefer hearing myself almost entirely dry, though, with maybe the tiniest bit of reverb so it doesn't sound weird to me (a little "space" keeps me sane).

Brian V.

[SnowVox]

I like a touch of reverb in my ears and a dry track. It just sounds closer to what the finished is likely to be for me. I wouldn't suggest only recording wet as you then have nothing to go back to. I had a recent session with a new engineer and she had so much stuff going, I guess to start working on the mix in her head, that she kept having system crashes. I was not impressed

[outerspacepop]

What's the difference between adding an effect directly to the vocals and busing the vocals and adding the effect to the track which it is sent to?

 

I've recorded what I've wanted to but in the end the vocals always seems to sit on TOP of the mix and they don'y really blend at all -_-.

[grace_slick]

When I record stuff, I do put slight reverb on there, but I do it in my DAW. So technically, I CAN take it off after and have that track as totally dry. It's just that I prefer having it on there when I record cause it's more accurate to how it'll sound when played back. Cause I like reverb on things, so would put it on after anyway.

 

I generally add more things later though. Too many things on when recording is a distraction.

[dannn]

i think it depends on the type of recording and the genre of music you're singing

 

but generally, i dont like effects

[Sirens35]

This is not a hard and fast rule. If a singer can go without effects that's usually better, as he/she will be better able to hear problems and correct on the fly. Some singers, however, are so unsettled by the sound of their voices without effects that the advantage is lost. The point is to get the best possible performance out of a vocalist, and if that means effects, dimming the lights and lighting candles, wine, sunglasses, etc., then you do it. In case you haven't noticed, vocalists tend to be, well, sensitive.

 

fantastic post..couldnt agree more.