Help! recording vocals with 001

[cancedda]

I need help with my vocals setup. I'm going direct into input 1 on my digi 001.
I'm using an AKG C3000B Condenser microphone. For best result, how should I setup my PTLE plugins? Keep in mind that I have no budget for additional equipment. Also, this is a hobby, it won't be used professionally.

[DOUBLE EDGE]

I usually put digi one band eq cutting the low end at about 50-60hz... then ill eq the highs and mids using waves 4 band eq.. then compress with some more waves stuff. on the main vox i also use a stereo imager like waves s1 too spread that vocal wide...
web page

[KamaSutra77]

I usually use just a little compression (ratio) on vocals, unless you want that radio announcer voice. Then maybe some eq- to get rid of any honk in the mid range. With a high pass filter set with a wide q to dial in the low freqeuncy drop off point. Try a little slap delay to get that doubled vocal effect. Then add some room ambeince reverb and youve got a pretty standard vocal.

[s.d. finley]

If you goto setups, hardware, you can enable the high pass filter on channels 1/2 w/ the pres.
Depending on the music, and your track real estate, try doubling the vox, and maybe a 3rd track to accent certain words, or phrases.
Maybe add a little d-verb, try the plate.
Delay is good too, as mentioned by the previous post.

rawk

sdf

[ZA]

What's wrong with your vocals now? If you can tell us that, you're halfway there, and someone can point you in the right direction.

--ZA

[IOP Drummer]

if you EQ a signal, you are changin the dynamics (frequency wise) of a signal. When you compress, the whole band of frequencies is compressed. So, the more you boost 8k, the more you'll just compress 8k. Almost like the eq turns something up, but the compression turns it down. It basically makes your EQ 'innacurate'. You have to completely rely on ears and not dB. It sounds a little more squished to me too. EQing after compression allows the EQ to be accurate. Soundwise it sounds a little more open, making the compression (not the color of the compressor) a little more transparent. These reason's are probably why most choose compression then EQ, but enough people desire the opposite and this is why most devices allow you to choose the chain. They both sound different, and have their purposes. Experiment with vocals. Use the same EQ and compression and just switch the order around.

[cancedda]

Thank you for your replies, it helps a lot. Basically, I've been recording 2 mono audio tracks at once and adding, d.verb, compression (Factory set vocal) and EQ. I think it sounds pretty good but it lacks spaceness or richness.

[where02190]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by IOP Drummer:
if you EQ a signal, you are changin the dynamics (frequency wise) of a signal. When you compress, the whole band of frequencies is compressed. So, the more you boost 8k, the more you'll just compress 8k. Almost like the eq turns something up, but the compression turns it down. It basically makes your EQ 'innacurate'. You have to completely rely on ears and not dB. It sounds a little more squished to me too. EQing after compression allows the EQ to be accurate. Soundwise it sounds a little more open, making the compression (not the color of the compressor) a little more transparent. These reason's are probably why most choose compression then EQ, but enough people desire the opposite and this is why most devices allow you to choose the chain. They both sound different, and have their purposes. Experiment with vocals. Use the same EQ and compression and just switch the order around.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Close but no cigar. Boosting 8khz as mentioned above will not jsut compress 8khz, but the entire signal if it is above threshold.
When you eq, you also change a signals relative level. Cutting will decrease, boosting increase. (grab the eq knob on a channel and watch the post fader meters when you cut and boost, particularly in the low and mid bands.) the lower the frequency, the more energy, os if you boost the lows say +3db, the db level will change overall more than it will if you boots say 5khz. However, compressors (except frequency dependant ones) operate at a certain threshold. Audio levels below that threshold and the compressor does nothing. Once threshold has been reached, then the compressor does it's dynamic thing. But it does it to the entire range of the signal, not just the frequency with the most energy.

It a matter of preference, but I prefer to have my dymanics pre-eq. This way, when I make eq changes I do not make dynamics changes. Going post eq can be a definite hinderance when using gates, causing the gate to either not trigger or trigger too early.

There is no right or wrong way though.

[phamtec]

To make your vocal sounds "wider", use some slap delay, with a slightly different delay left or right.

The other thing to do is to make sure that your vocal(s) are processed through the SAME buss with a single effect, rather than having their own "version" of the effects.

So create two Stereo Aux channels, one called "slap" and one called "reverb", and then put the slap and reverb effects on them, and then buss your vocals through these two.

I would send the main vocal through the reverb and slap back a little more than the others (just adjust the levels on the sends).

Now you can play with the reverb, and all the vocals will sound like they are in the same room, and you can add more reverb and delay in with the Aux sliders individually.

You have so much control dynamically this way that you can get it sounding just how you want.

None of this stuff is new, it's just that sometimes with all the new digital stuff you forget the simple things that were done before.

The temptation to put a reverb and slap plugin directly on each of the vocal channels is hard to overcome sometimes

Paul.

[asterox]

along a related line, why do some people eq before compression and some eq after? what are the philosophies of both techniques? what are people's experiences?