How to get Echo . . . Echo . . . Echo . . .

[TDub]

I am trying to get a sort of delay echo on the last word of a vocal piece. I've tried some delay stuff, but not really getting it. Anyone have any tricks of the trade to achieve what i'm looking for?
thanks
TDub

[Matt Whritenour]

I think you want to use either the long or extra long delay. and just mess around with the settings until you get what you are looking for

[Naagzh]

Create an aux track (mono or stereo), and insert the desired delay on this track. Set the aux track's input to an available buss (let's say buss 1). Now, on the vocal track, create a send to buss 1, and raise the fader on the send (they default to minus infinity).

On the delay plug, the feedback slider controls how many echos you'll get.

In order to make the delay affect just one syllable or phrase, you have to automate the level of the send in the edit window, at the left side adjacent to the aux track. Click and hold on the volume button, and select the send from the pull-down menu. Then, draw the line up where the phrase is, and down after the phrase ends.

Delays often sound cool with some type of filter inserted afterwards (low pass, distortion, whatever), so that they don't resemble the lead vocal quite so much.

[TDub]

That is great, it worked!! Thank you for the advice and explanation!

Hey it made me think of one other question though, in your explanation: You said create aux track and then use SEND from the audio track to the aux. I think i've been doing other things wrong: I've been setting up Aux Track with effect i want but I'm just bussing the output from the aux track to same bus (ie. 1-2) input of the audio track! Not sure if that makes sense. What is the difference in these two methods? It still gives me my effects, but not sure the difference and which is appropriate.


thanks

[spkguitar]

Bussing the output sends all of the output from a track to the effect/aux.

When creating a send, you are basically "splitting" the signal, so that you still have your original dry signal on the track, and you have more options of how much of the original signal to send to the effect, how much of the effect output gets mixed in with the original signal, etc etc.

Does that make sense?

[albee1952]

[QUOTE]
That is great, it worked!! Thank you for the advice and explanation!

Hey it made me think of one other question though, in your explanation: You said create aux track and then use SEND from the audio track to the aux. I think i've been doing other things wrong: I've been setting up Aux Track with effect i want but I'm just bussing the output from the aux track to same bus (ie. 1-2) input of the audio track! Not sure if that makes sense. What is the difference in these two methods? It still gives me my effects, but not sure the difference and which is appropriate.


I think that makes no sense at all, actually. Adding an aux send(to a buss) to any track is a way to send the signal somewhere else(like an aux track with the input set to the same buss). When you put a plugin on this aux track, you will hear whatever the audio is(from the aux-sent track) with whatever effect you added to your aux track. The output of the aux track normally goes to main l/r. You could choose to assign it anywhere, but there is nothing to be gained by sending it back to the track that started it all. Don't confuse aux sends with aux tracks. They are 2 different things entirely. An aux send is a way to send signal from any track. This could be sent to a buss or an analog output(like to a hardware reverb unit). An aux track is a track that can have plugins i.e. effects or softsynths) or a submix of several other tracks for processing(like sending 6 BGV tracks to a stereo aux track for EQ/compression all together). Hope that helps a little.

[TDub]

That totally explains it guys! Thanks to all for the feedback, i get it now.

[Kryst]

A simpler way (for me, a non professional mixer) is also to copy the track, put it into an empty or new track below, and cut everything but the desired echoed section. Then move the lonely section over to your desired placement of echo sound and turn the volume down. You can do this with more than one delayed result, but it may mean opening ANOTHER track and doing the same, comparing the new track to the previous echo one, so that you can have them layer. Though the question has been answered...but anything helps