Vocal and Production Help

[ajsla]

I am in need of assistance - I am producing a demo for a major label and am having difficulty with a few areas - any assistance is greatly appreciated.

I am doing pre-production at home on a PC running LE and here is my main issue:

For vocals, my sound is lame. I need a better delay setting - I am used to Logic's Tape Delay and cannot seem to get a delay sound on Pro Tools that is warm and not over affected. Also, what other plugs and settings do you use to get a great sound? Also, my tracks seem to fluctuate and the normalize alone does not solve this issue- any thoughts on how to get a smooth pre-mastered sound? Any thoughts would be great - I am new to producing this level and would like to be able to get more opportunities in the future so this one has to be great - thanks!

AJ
[email protected]

[fire2k2]

I use either just a little digirack delay or my sony outboard effects processor. Try not sending so much signal to the delay, tweak the presets. As far as normalizing, any mastering engineer will tell you not to do it. Try compression and/or limiting. Waves Rennaissance comp is good. Maxim is so so. Compressor bank is good. Try Bomfactorys compressors. Good Luck.

L-Fire
EMO

[dodo]

What are you trying to do with the delay? What genre of music? That would help.

Don't normalize anything.

[duderonomi]

a stereo delay will float the vocal and make it sound bigger. figure what your beats per minute of the song are. then figure what half of a quarter note value is (1st delay) and then what 1/3 of a quarter note value is (2nd delay). the key to this is to mix the delays with the vocal so that they are not noticed, but still there. i.e. setting one delay depth at say 3 to 4 % and the second delay at say 4 to 5 %. By using the Beats Per Minute formula the delay is in time with the song (which helps it to not be so noticabele) and by doing a half note value and 1/3 note value, it thickens it up.

Hope this helps [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[cybership]

For vocals, my sound is lame. I need a better delay setting - I am used to Logic's Tape Delay and cannot seem to get a delay sound on Pro Tools that is warm and not over affected.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">I haven't used the Logic Tape delay but most of the tape delays have quite a bit of roll off on the high end. Have you tried a low pass filter on the delay?

Robert

[rebel peasant]

My experience has been that delay is not always needed. If your trying to make the vocal sound "warm" and not over effected, try a reverb instead. As far as what reverb to use... that's a whole forum unto itself.

Good luck with your Demo.

[bouncing balls]

Hi Ajsla,
I also sometimes double (or even triple) my own take and/or vocal track for depth and imaging. I have also tried things like the DBX pro vocal processor or other "like" units if I want to color my vocals or go for a little mic modeling along with all the other "bells and whistles" available.
Some people might want to "slam" me for these comments- but it comes down to what works for a specific situation.
Good luck and keep singing!

[bouncing balls]

PS.
Also the beauty of Pro Tools can really shine with "comping" vocal tracks- IE..tracking several performances of your vocal part and cutting and pasting or "comping" the most articulate (or best) takes and/or parts together.
Of course it's best to do the several tracks or takes during one session to take advantage of any levels or pre-amp settings or other studio and performance idiosyncrasies so your not trying to match any particular previous settings, moods, levels, etc..Have a good one! B.

[where02190]

Do not normalize the track, use the fader automation ot level out the variances in levels.

Turn down your delay return, and bring it in slowlyuntil it feels right, and make sure the send is post fader, not pre.

Hope this is helpful.