May be a dumb question...

[menglind]

I'm pretty much a noob at recording, so I may ask some really stupid questions. I can only ask for patience while I learn.
My question today is this; Is there a tool, software or hardware, that will allow me to lower the level of the instrument tracks when the vocals are present, and bring the instrument tracks back up when the vocals are silent? I have tried it with automation and my computer mouse, but there is no real control over the movement. I don't have the luxury of an an external mixer/controller with faders that will interface with Pro Tools. I simply can't afford to spend thousands of dollars for that.

Is there a better way to accomplish this? A friend suggested that I just make the snare and vocal tracks louder than the guitars, bass, etc. I can do that, but I don't like the way that sounds on a lot of the songs I'm mixing.
Thank you for any response.
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Dell Studio XPS Model 8300
Intel i5 16 gigs of RAM
Windows 7 64 bit
M-Audio ProFire 2626
Pro Tools 9 MP

[albee1952]

Not a dumb question at all. It sounds to me like you just haven't gotten a good grasp on basic mixing strategy yet(but you will). automation is one method(and one of the 2 most important methods) for this process. The other is carving out space for the vocal so it sits well in the mix(not too loud and not too soft). That can be done with EQ(cut frequencies in music so they don't bury the vocal), panning(spread instruments out to the sides and keep the vocal centered), keep the vocal on the dry side(too much verb and/or delay will push it back into the mix), and ultimately, a combination of all 3 is what does best. What you describe as an automatic function is called ducking. That's where you run the music(or certain parts of it) thru a stereo group, insert a compressor with the side-chain enabled, and feed the side-chain from the vocal(each time the vocal hits the threshold, the music gets compressed downward). This can work great for voice over work(TV/radio commercials) but isn't quite as good with music.

Another tool you may try is to compress the vocal(but not too much) which will bring up the softer parts and attenuate the louder parts. A 3rd routine I do is to open up the AudioSuite GAIN plugin, go thru the vocal track and find all the weak parts, highlight them(1 at a time) and AudioSuite process then with maybe 3db of gain(that will make that region louder, and show slightly larger on the screen). The trick is to choose a boost amount that makes it all sound natural and smooth, not so parts jump out. Practice and experiment, and you'll find what works for you

[menglind]

That is fantastic information. I will experiment with each of the techniques you described.
Thank you!

[Emcha_audio]

Originally Posted by albee1952

Not a dumb question at all. It sounds to me like you just haven't gotten a good grasp on basic mixing strategy yet(but you will). automation is one method(and one of the 2 most important methods) for this process. The other is carving out space for the vocal so it sits well in the mix(not too loud and not too soft). That can be done with EQ(cut frequencies in music so they don't bury the vocal), panning(spread instruments out to the sides and keep the vocal centered), keep the vocal on the dry side(too much verb and/or delay will push it back into the mix), and ultimately, a combination of all 3 is what does best. What you describe as an automatic function is called ducking. That's where you run the music(or certain parts of it) thru a stereo group, insert a compressor with the side-chain enabled, and feed the side-chain from the vocal(each time the vocal hits the threshold, the music gets compressed downward). This can work great for voice over work(TV/radio commercials) but isn't quite as good with music.

Another tool you may try is to compress the vocal(but not too much) which will bring up the softer parts and attenuate the louder parts. A 3rd routine I do is to open up the AudioSuite GAIN plugin, go thru the vocal track and find all the weak parts, highlight them(1 at a time) and AudioSuite process then with maybe 3db of gain(that will make that region louder, and show slightly larger on the screen). The trick is to choose a boost amount that makes it all sound natural and smooth, not so parts jump out. Practice and experiment, and you'll find what works for you

A very good post there and can be used pretty much on any solo melodic part of your songs. The only thing I can say about the last technique is to really go molow on it. To much gain or compression and you will lose your dynamic range. For some style of music (metal/rap) that's not a big problem. But if you go in the classical/jazz, this can ruin a good recording.