Log in to post
|
Print Thread |
|
|
|
|
Post your own Tips and Tricks here
|
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,992
Expert
|
OP
Expert
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,992 |
tips...028. A REAL RECORDING SESSION WITH POWERTRACKS.(cont.). youll sometimes hear the term "conditioning" used amongst recording folk. and this is appropo to lead vocs....(and lots of other types of traks also.). what does it mean. ?? to draw a parallel...u know how sometimes u use a "conditioner" on your hair in the shower n u get this nice "sheen" to the hair ??..lol. similar idea. you take the raw recorded sound of a trak and condition it with triks that hopefully will make it sound better. sometimes the style of music will dictate how much conditioning to do to the trak. for example...mebe with underground or grunge type styles, (done a few of those for a giggle..lol.), u might leave the trak pretty raw and full of emotion. but other vocal styles might dictate conditioning of the lead vocals. once again..decisions...decisions. what does the song call for ?? some of it is carefull application of eq together with subtle sprinkles of fx. mebe some carefull use of compression. mebe a custom plug in. from what ive seen, a lot of it can be achieved by carefully editing by hand the lead vocal tracks. for example putting a sheen on certain letters like an "S" at the end of a word. even going to extremes like eq'ing that one word with the "s" in it. or mebe a phrase...it depends on what is needed. cos each trak is different. this is very very detailed work. and can be done in ptw's audio edit window. for example bring up the final lead vocal 1 ....tr 31 in ptw's audio edit window, and pay attention to every word and syllable. if u notice the ptw 10 band eq extreme right fader is for the very hi end treble. mebe try just a hint of a boost with then some mild compression n see where that gets you. on lead vocs of this type...i will typically cut the extreme left eq fader at the very low end cos lots of grunge lives down there. some final vocs need more warmth, so mebe subtle boost of the bass area is needed. once again there are no rules of course. but try and gain some experience working with ptw's 10 band eq. and running tests on a particular vocal. mebe also try the para eq. then there are third party plug ins with 31 bands for example. but i would say if your beginning, start off simple. also the choice of lead vocal fx will affect things and how u choose to eq the fx. choices and decisions. for example...on some types of vocals mebe if the fx dialogue allow you.....you might want to cut out the low muddy end of the fx....cos u want a hi eq fx sheen on the final vocs.
now lets talk about the "quality" of recorded vocals. some big studios will have a hi end signal chain for everything includeing final vocs. 2k mic into a 2k mic pre into very expensive convertors costing prolly thousands.
just to show u i'm human.... my own biggest weakness is better ADA convertors. but i have other family responsibilites, like a lot of people. so they are out of my range. price wise. but one alternative u might consider for final up front lead traks like vocal finals etc is maybe renting a hi end signal chain. and assessing whether you really hear much sound quality difference over plugging your shure mic into a behringer mixer feeding a audiophile sound card by maudio for example. for example a great river mic preamp into say a hi end sound device like a lynx or whatever. mebe also rent a hi end mic also. if u do this ONCE..it will give u an inkling of how much your signal chain is lacking or mebe not. for me with my crazy little songs, and given its an mp3 world i didnt feel it was worth it. once again u need to ask yourself will the normal consumer notice much diff ?? mebe a hot audio engineer will. but will a consumer ?? the way to really put yourself at ease, so u cease worrying about all the gear u dont have for lead vocs is mebe run a blind test. one vocal thru your normal set up and one thru the rented hi end signal chain. if u do this ONCE in your life, u might just rest easier at night. on the other hand if u notice a huge difference, u will know your weak spots. and gradually over time save up for a nice signal chain. ive done it both ways. done final vocs into a hi end signal chain , right thru to useing low end gear. and , as i listen often to the songs ive done with hi end and low end , frankly its a tough choice. sometimes u just luck out with good vocs thru cheap gear and often its the vocal performance itself that matters. also...some people i talk to have an opposing viewpoint. they tell me that now they have gone to ultra pure expensive signal chains, they find everything is just TOO PURE. so they end up putting some "dirt" back in say the vocals. which is why there are quite a few plug ins around to do this. frankly i think the REAL ANSWER is there is no perfect answer and never will be. all i'm trying to do is lay out OPTIONS for you. like renting a hi end signal chain and seeing whether its worth your while laying out huge buks in a rapidly changeing tek world. they ARE lovely on lead vocs. but do u need it ?? only u can decide. but i WOULD at least once in your life rent a hi end signal chain , cos worst case u might just sleep better at night. the other reason being....technology is trickling down SO FAST, that a LOT of what is termed "semi" pro gear is actually getting extremely good. it HAS TO BE. otherwise it wouldnt sell. renting will let u assess things objectively on final lead vocs without a super huge investment. (more to come.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box® 2024 Review: 4.75 out of 5 Stars!
If you're looking for a in-depth review of the newest Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows version, you'll definitely find it with Sound-Guy's latest review, Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows Review: Incredible new capabilities to experiment, compose, arrange and mix songs.
A few excerpts:
"The Tracks view is possibly the single most powerful addition in 2024 and opens up a new way to edit and generate accompaniments. Combined with the new MultiPicker Library Window, it makes BIAB nearly perfect as an 'intelligent' composer/arranger program."
"MIDI SuperTracks partial generation showing six variations – each time the section is generated it can be instantly auditioned, re-generated or backed out to a previous generation – and you can do this with any track type. This is MAJOR! This takes musical experimentation and honing an arrangement to a new level, and faster than ever."
"Band in a Box continues to be an expansive musical tool-set for both novice and experienced musicians to experiment, compose, arrange and mix songs, as well as an extensive educational resource. It is huge, with hundreds of functions, more than any one person is likely to ever use. Yet, so is any DAW that I have used. BIAB can do some things that no DAW does, and this year BIAB has more DAW-like functions than ever."
Happy Easter! Holiday Hours...
2024 is well underway - it's already Easter Weekend!
Our Customer Service hours this weekend are:
Friday, March 29: 8-4
Saturday, March 30: 8-4
Sunday, March 31: closed
Regular hours resume Monday, April 1st - no joke!
Convenient Ways to Listen to Band-in-a-Box® Songs Created by Program Users!
The User Showcase Forum is an excellent place to share your Band-in-a-Box® songs and listen to songs other program users are creating!
There are other places you can listen to these songs too! Visit our User Showcase page to sort by genre, artist (forum name), song title, and date - each listing will direct you to the forum post for that song.
If you'd rather listen to these songs in one place, head to our Band-in-a-Box® Radio, where you'll have the option to select the genre playlist for your listening pleasure. This page has SoundCloud built in, so it won't redirect you. We've also added the link to the Artists SoundCloud page here, and a link to their forum post.
We hope you find some inspiration from this amazing collection of User Showcase Songs!
Congratulations to the 2023 User Showcase Award Winners!
We've just announced the 2023 User Showcase Award Winners!
There are 45 winners, each receiving a Band-in-a-Box 2024 UltraPAK! Read the official announcement to see if you've won.
Our User Showcase Forum receives more than 50 posts per day, with people sharing their Band-in-a-Box songs and providing feedback for other songs posted.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed!
Video: Volume Automation in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows®
Video: Audio Input Monitoring with Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows®
Video: Enhanced Melodists in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows®!
We've enhanced the Melodists feature included in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows!
Access the Melodist feature by pressing F7 in the program to open the new MultiPicker Library and locate the [Melodist] tab.
You can now generate a melody on any track in the program - very handy! Plus, you select how much of the melody you want generated - specify a range, or apply it to the whole track.
See the Melodist in action with our video, Band-in-a-Box® 2024: The Melodist Window.
Learn even more about the enhancements to the Melodist feature in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows at www.pgmusic.com/manuals/bbw2024upgrade/chapter3.htm#enhanced-melodist
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forums66
Topics81,398
Posts732,549
Members38,442
|
Most Online2,537 Jan 19th, 2020
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|