Adding Effects To Vocals

[robbyallegro]

Newbee here to Tracktion 2.

Does anyone have any tips on basic vocal effects? I tried to mess around with Chorus, Reverb, and Final Mix, but I'm making the vocals worse.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Robby Allegro

[IIRs]

Depends whats wrong with the recording, and what type of sound you want to achieve. We might be able to offer more suggestions if you post up a clip..

[jens]

yeah - very broad topic and very difficult to achive satisfying results - after more than three years of trying/experimenting/learning I'm just starting to be confident about my vocal productions - that shouldn't stop you though...

[rpc9943]

1. buy a good condenser mic
2. get a good singer, or practice a lot
3. go get the free buzcomp tools, drag and drop grancomp on a vocal track.
4. sweeten with whatever sounds you want
5. double track vocals, that is, have the singer sing the same thing.

RonC

[diverdee]

Record them well in the first place.
Like RonC said - good mike, good preamp, compressor etc.
Dude I work with borrowed a TLA Tube thing off a guy we know who runs a studio (& has more gear then he knows what to do with) - the difference it made to the vocals was undeniable - they instantly sounded thick & warm.
A lot depends on what kind of effects you are looking for - I used to have to a lot of double tracking & then we'd cut pieces out reverse reverb them, apply delays etc. - a remix we had done for us the guys used pitch shifting & flangers on the vocals - I personally thought it sounded excellent, made the vocals realy dark & menacing.
record the vocals in a nice dead space also.

[rich_h]

Personally I always find that if you use chorus on vocals, it needs to be very subtle else it sounds crap.

[jens]

actually it depends on the voice what mic sounds best - sometimes a good dynamic mic like a SM58 is more appropriate than a condenser mic... - what is good for one voice isn't neccesarily good for another one as well - there's nothing like a general recipe (even if Ron thinks there is) - that's what makes it so difficult - but as Dan (IIRs) wrote:

post a short mp3 and we'll probably be able to help you....

[digitalmessiah]

5. double track vocals, that is, have the singer sing the same thing.

RonC

what about just copying the same vocal track (apply efx or delaying by a few ms) wouldn't that save some time rather than recording the same thing 2x?

cheers!

[jens]

5. double track vocals, that is, have the singer sing the same thing.

RonC

what about just copying the same vocal track (apply efx or delaying by a few ms) wouldn't that save some time rather than recording the same thing 2x?

cheers!

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic ... 49&start=0


actually this thread was posted in the wrong forum b.t.w.

[rollasoc]

Here are my tips.....

http://www.hairthieves.com/tip/rec/vocals.htm

It has some links to better resources at the bottom.

Good luck

Rollasoc

[oxbee]

1) Use a real good mic, condenser or a razor-shaped one, like my friends say when they see my mic.
2) Take care of the environnement where you do the take.
3) Compress slightly. Use Mackie comp, they are good or Buzcomp. They are good too.

Then, it's production tips.
EQing is essential to insert the voice in the mix. Get rid of the very low freq. We don't care. Play with your parametric EQ to find an interesting freq to focus on.

So, what I often do:
- use a slight chorus (and double the voice on some parts) like Classis Chorus. It's one of my favorite.
- use a slapback echo to make this pre-recorded analog feel on "rock" voices.
- Better use an echo than a reverb.
- If you want depth and air (depends on your style of music), use a reverb for the voice, but use the same program than the one used for your drums, if any, or for your main instrument. The one that hooks.

Change the order of the FX to fit your need BUT always use the compressor as the first link of the chain.

Well, maybe it's full of bullshits, but well it's how I do for a long time.

[IIRs]

1) Use a real good mic, condenser or a razor-shaped one, like my friends say when they see my mic.

I would rather say "take care to choose a mic that suits the singer's voice". Usually that means a large diaphragm condenser, but not always..

2) Take care of the environnement where you do the take.

Specifically, try to cut down the amount of room reverb spilling into the mic, as this will colour the sound enormously.. strategically placed duvets can work wonders.

3) Compress slightly. Use Mackie comp, they are good or Buzcomp. They are good too.

The amount of compression needed will depend on the performance, the mic technique of the singer, and the mix it needs to fit into..

Then, it's production tips.

If you recorded the voice well and you want a "natural" sound, then compression, EQ & reverb are probably all that you need..

[rpc9943]

what are you accusing me of recipe's? he asked for tips, i left some.

damn

RonC

[jens]

[djsubject]

5. double track vocals, that is, have the singer sing the same thing.

RonC

what about just copying the same vocal track (apply efx or delaying by a few ms) wouldn't that save some time rather than recording the same thing 2x?

cheers!

NEVER EVER DO THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i like to get 2 backing takes & pan them

BUT THAY MUST BE DIFFERENT TAKES!!!!!!!!

otherwise it will just phaze


Subz