Members Pasz Posted November 9, 2005 Members Share Posted November 9, 2005 Hi, I was wondering what you guys do when recording loud vocals (for loud music). Do you compress (off track) the vocals you send to the singers' headphones? I wonder if this can make the vocalist "lazy" when singing. Maybe not using compression forces the singer to keep a steady volume. What do you think/do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted November 9, 2005 Share Posted November 9, 2005 Well, there's no hard and fast rules IMO, but in general, I tend to use no EQ, and minimal compression when tracking anything... including vocals. Of course, if I'm going for 'wacky" or a effected sound, then anything goes... but I suggest going easy on the compression when tracking, and using only a couple / few dB of gain reduction. Compression, once it's printed on to the track, is pretty much "there forever" and while you can always add more at mixdown, you can't undo it if you use more than you end up wanting at mixdown when you were tracking things. Of course, if the singer wants to "work' off the compressor, and that (the sound of a lot of compression) makes them happy (and they therefore perform better), then by all means, feel free to give them a slammed feed to the cans... but I would recommend doing that only to the cue mix feed and not printing it. Let me know if you need details on how to set that up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Spencer Crewe Posted November 9, 2005 Members Share Posted November 9, 2005 I'm one of these sick folks who uses whatever I deem nessecary to get it sounding good before it hits the A/D converters. Comp/no comp; EQ/no EQ. If it sounds good, I'm going to use it. Now, that being said, I don't go nuts with it. Everything is done very lightly - especially if I'm recording in an environment that I'm not too familiar with. But, In a room that I know like the back of my hand, I'm comfortable enough to do whatever I deem to be beneficial to the sound. That philosophy is certainly not the norm. But, I'm confident enough in my abilities (and 99% of the time, the gear I'm using) to tweak the sound accordingly. Sure, it means that I'm commited to whatever I've inserted in the signal chain (comps, EQ's etc.) But, I'm also blessed to have 1073's and Avalons and other nice toys at my fingertips - tools that I feel comfortable applying in small doses to season the sound favourably. I can't say that'd I'd feel the same if all I had was a Rane Graphic EQ and an Alesis 3630 Cheers! Spencer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members where02190 Posted November 9, 2005 Members Share Posted November 9, 2005 Unless the artist specificially asks for it, or needs their cans so loud you're concerned about them blowing up(inwhich case the bleed would also be an issue probably) I'd stay away from compression on the monitor side. Unless i absolutely need it because of poor technique, I rarely compress when tracking, and nevr ever eq. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitwizz Posted November 9, 2005 Members Share Posted November 9, 2005 Where is right on. Unless a singer keeps going "Henry Rollins" on you, a compressor may not be needed in real time.Try to get as basic, and as hot a signal in, w/o clipping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted November 9, 2005 Members Share Posted November 9, 2005 I've never once thought about compressing the vocals for the cans. Doesn't seem like a great idea to me. Also, I rarely compress vocals while tracking either unless someone's really erratic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members the russ Posted November 9, 2005 Members Share Posted November 9, 2005 i always compress vox going in. a lot of vocalists, especially those with a ton of dynamic range, need it during performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted November 9, 2005 Moderators Share Posted November 9, 2005 Compressed vocals (cue feed only) is a great way to get a timid singer feeling more confident. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitwizz Posted November 9, 2005 Members Share Posted November 9, 2005 Originally posted by Lee Knight Compressed vocals (cue feed only) is a great way to get a timid singer feeling more confident. A swift kick in the shins can also aleviate shyness....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EngineGuitarist Posted November 9, 2005 Members Share Posted November 9, 2005 I compress vocals when tracking, but just a bit. like 2 or 3 dB gain reduction on the loud bits. I wait till mix time till I squash it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted November 9, 2005 Members Share Posted November 9, 2005 Until fairly recently, I was compressing the vocals during tracking by 2-3dB. But lately, I've been preferring uncompressed vocals...this is probably because I've been able to get away with it later. During mixdown, I've been applying really soft compression and gain-riding, and I seem to like the presence and warmth of the vocals more. Obviously, this largely depends on one's tastes and preferences, the type of song, vocalist, etc. Never tried it in the cans, but if I come across a timid vocalist and I've run out of Jack Daniels, I'll give compression in the cans a try! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted November 9, 2005 Members Share Posted November 9, 2005 I tend to use a little limiting/compression going in on vocals, basses, and other highly dynamic sources. In the years since I went 24 bit I've relaxed considerably about what goes into the converters. I usually, but not always, compress vocals more on the back end than in front, since it doesn't lock you in like compressing before conversion or tape. (Back when I used tape, I either used tape compression -- or when I was using NR (and had it switched on) I would use pre-tape compression to keep from crashing the hated dbx encoders...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted November 9, 2005 Members Share Posted November 9, 2005 On the Apogee converters, they have some sort of soft limiting function. I usually keep these engaged, although I rarely see it actually kicking in...only when someone does something totally absurd. If I record heavy metal/hard rock, then I usually slip in a compressor with medium settings and then a limiter in case things get really out of hand. But in general, with 24-bits, I haven't had a problem getting a great sound down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Def_Pearl_Pilot Posted November 10, 2005 Members Share Posted November 10, 2005 Being that I'm a vocalist myself, I don't compress on the hardware input or insert. I'll use a plug-in so I can later adjust the settings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brittanylips Posted November 12, 2005 Members Share Posted November 12, 2005 I've used a nice compressor at times with vocals while recording to tame a bit. I've not used a compressor too - sometimes (I can think of a take or two) it might have been better if I had. -PL&B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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