audio routing with 2 different people on a song
 

okay so the way ive been routing sessions for just myself is

1.(however many tracks I think ill need for verses,doubles,ad libs. hook, layers etc)
2. I will then have aux tracks for dry verse signal, a verse reverb, verse delay.
3. those will then go into an AUX for a verses sum
4. the same process is applied for the hook as the verses. hook delay aux, hook reverb aux and hook sum aux
5. I will then also have a vocal sum
6. vocal sum goes into master

my question is, im going to be doing a song with a friend within the next week and ill be recording it for us, so when I set his tracks needed for his portion, do I give him his own AUX tracks for his dry signal, reverb, delay etc if needed or do just route his into the same AUX tracks that im using? im sorry if that's a stupid question but ive searched for over an hour and cant find anyone whose asked this question (which means its probably a stupid question lol) I just wasn't for sure if him being routed through the same AUX tracks as me would interfere with how I used them for my vocals, or would that not happen since the time based effects are automated? I guess that would still propose a problem with just the overall levels though. idk lol

Re: audio routing with 2 different people on a song
 

Also, this might be too many Aux tracks anyway, im not sure how most of you do that. I watched a video of a guy lay his technique out, and the "verse sum, hook sum, vocal sum" made sense, he said he prefers is that way bc it gives him control through the whole mix. But I thought the AUX tracks were mainly used for time based effects like reverb and delay. I guess that parts all preference

Re: audio routing with 2 different people on a song
 

For this scenario, I would simply record you to your audio track(s) and the friend to their audio track(s) and send both to an aux track for a touch of reverb while tracking. (and remember that sometimes, feeding aux tracks to aux tracks can make a mess of ADC):rolleyes:

There is no "right" or "wrong" here, but...just because you CAN do something, doesn't mean you SHOULD:D I've been recording for a long time and still just record vocals to audio tracks. Now those tracks will have sends that feed aux tracks for reverb and echo, but I never feed echo back to headphones(it tends to mess with a singer's timing). My audio tracks will have the following plugins in place while tracking: EQ III(set for hi-pass)>BF76(gentle compression at 4:1)>SMACK!(warm optical compression)>Pultec EQ1A(adding "air" at 10K). These 4 plugins only add 1 sample of latency(at mixdown, I swap the Bomb Factory Pultec for the Waves Puigtech that sounds "better" to my ears, but has a bit of latency).

As for separate tracks for verse, chorus and bridge, the only time I record it to separate tracks is if there is overlap between parts, or if I need to deal with a wide dynamics issue(like the singer whispers he verse but belts the chorus out). In most cases, I will simply ride the preamp gain, but recording separate tracks is a perfectly useful solution.

When it comes time to mix, I usually stay with a single track throughout with a second track for doubles in the choruses. A 3rd track for adlibs works fine, but I only do that if there isn't space on the main vocal(I like having all of the "lead" vocal on 1 track whenever possible).

Some people use the aux track with effects as a way to print everything(routing the aux track to an audio track), but I don't see the need(of course, YMMV):o

Re: audio routing with 2 different people on a song
 

Send your vocal to fx via a send off the vocal track, and send your fx aux channel outputs to the main out without going via a 'sum bus' is how i would do it.

I'm more of a have the vocal all on one track kinda guy, but I understand some like to do it the way the guy you described did it. I do that with backing vox though.

Re: audio routing with 2 different people on a song
 

Thank you guys!! The trying to keep it on one track as much as possible seems more suffienct to me, thanks for the responses. I'm trying to record and mix everything myself now, it's taking me away from writing and recording alot more than I wanted, but I'm trying to be as self sufficient as possible. Mostly I keep running into issues during the mixing phase, I'm getting pretty decent at eq on vocals I must say, but recording levels and getting things to set in the beat is a little problematic for me. Even with levels at or around -6 they still sound too loud or too low, vocals might sound drowned out, or too loud over the beat(sometimes dry, or even after some effects) and trying to mix stacks in some of these hooks as far as delay and reverb goes. I do hip hop. I haven't tried to record anything SUPER ambitious in the terms of hooks, but in regards of effects etc something like school boy Q's hook on "gangsta" or the sound on his hook for "F LA"

I get so into writing and envisioning the sound I need, but having so much trouble executing it lol. It kicks my writer/rapper pride right between the legs lol. Or some of eminems bridges/Hooks or kendrick. I can write and perform the things I need, but I have a hard time figuring out what I need reverb, delay, and how to mix the stacks. I'll end up spending 3 hours messing with 2 effects smh lol

Re: audio routing with 2 different people on a song
 

Sounds like you need to get more into dynamics processing, ie compressors. Perhaps check out some youtube videos on vocal compression.