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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 11
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 11 |
Hi all,
Hope this doesnt sound like a stupid question, but I am totally inexperienced when it comes to recording and editing vocals.
Basically, I have some recorded vocals, but when I listen to them they seem a bit too clear, if that makes sense. By that, I mean that when you listen to professional artists they seem to sound a little more "distant", maybe this is down to adding reverb or echo?
Basically, all I am asking is what plugins from BIAB 2010 do you recommend me to use to make my vocals sound more professional, and less like a "live" performance.
And what effects do the producers of the pros use?
Hope this doesnt sound stupid because, like I said, I am totally new to all of this.
Thanks in advance.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,893
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,893 |
Quote:
Hi all,
Hope this doesnt sound stupid because, like I said, I am totally new to all of this.
Thanks in advance.
Actually an excellent qustion as getting that right vocal sound is critical to a recording....
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,539
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,539 |
Often in a studio there will be EQ, compression and reverb.
If you want to experiment, right-click you vocal track (track name area) and try a couple 'categories', like male vocal. The FX will be setup in a generic setting that you can then tinker with. That's in Realband.
In BiaB I think you only get reverb to tinker with.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,116
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,116 |
When I first got into home recording, I didn't have access to all of the electronic toys available now. I had what by today's standards was a relatively simple 4 track analog tape deck with simulsync capabilities. The first thing that I learned as a young recordist that made a dramatic difference for my vocals was double tracking the voice; that is doing a second performance of the vocal, as near note for note as possible. The technique thickens the voice, give its more presence, and helps hide some imperfections. You can do the same thing now electronically with automatic voice doubling but I still like to do it the old way myself. As far as "distance", you place instruments and vocals in sonic space for the listener with volume, with panning, and with reverb and echo for the most part. That is somewhat of a simple overview to show you something to try that should make a difference that you can hear immediately. Recording any sound is an art and what you capture on your vocal recordings is determinced by the kind of microphone you use, whether you aim it up or down at the performer's mouth, how much you allow the perfomer to change his/her proximity to the microphone during the performance, and many other factors. If you are a neophyte, you need to make sure that you know how to get the best recorded sound first before asking about effects. If I have to make a lot of EQ changes to a vocal, I feel like I didn't do a good job on the front end with the recording. I just passed 60 and when I learned how to record, the state of the technology, and my budget was such, that I pretty much had to buy one piece of equipment at a time and learn to use it, before identifiying the next need and making antother purchase and learning to use that new piece of equipment. My first recorder came without a mixer, so I learned the recorder first, then purchased a mixer and learned that.....oh.....and I had to walk to school in 4 feet of snow up hill both ways.  Now digital recorders come with a couple of godzillian plugins and features and folks don't understand why the manual can't help them understand them all and why there aren't a few buttons to push to make the recording sound just like it was done at Abby Road. What I'm really trying to get across though, is make sure you learn those basic old recording techniques that were used to get sound onto tape before you start looking around for some kind of magic electronic effect to make your recording sound good.
Keith
2026 Audiophile Windows 11 RYZEN THREADRIPPER 3960X 4.5GHZ 128 GB RAM 2 Nvidia RTX 3090s, Vegas,Acid,SoundForge,Izotope Production,Melodyne Studio,SONAR,3 Raven Mtis
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,730
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,730 |
Some times commercial recordings are a bit over effected to me. Mostly they are right on. One easy way to handle this is to open the mixer in RB, and go to the 1st aux channel, and open the FX bin, and place a reverb plug in there. Then make sure that the send and return on that FX is turned up all the way. Then on the vocal track, there is send knobs slowly spin the first one up until you like the sound of the vocal track. Too much pulls the vocal to far inside the mix, to little sits it to far on top. You want the vocal out front, but you also want to to sound like it is in the same room as the music.
Experiment and have fun.
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB/RB 2026, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 11 , Presonus Audiobox USB96
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333 |
Let me do the vocals for you. They won't be clear anymore. My new normal is pirate growl. In basso profundo. I sound like Louis Armstrong with a bad cold and a sinus infection getting over laryngitis and a karate chop to the throat with a 2x4, complete with canuck/french accent.
John Conley
Musica est vita
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 95
Enthusiast
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Enthusiast
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 95 |
Quote:
Let me do the vocals for you. They won't be clear anymore. My new normal is pirate growl. In basso profundo. I sound like Louis Armstrong with a bad cold and a sinus infection getting over laryngitis and a karate chop to the throat with a 2x4, complete with canuck/french accent.
Ahhh.... the Bob Dylan sound.
Cz...
BIAB,Bandlab Cakewalk,Kontakt, Cantabile, SampleTank4,IK BX-3, VB3, iZotope Suite, IK TRacks, Melodyne Studio
Kurzweil PC4SE, AXIOM-61key & IKiRigPro-32key boards, Roland SD-50 MIDI, Behringer 404HD, Maschine MK3,TC Helicon Voiceworks
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502 |
Quote:
Let me do the vocals for you. They won't be clear anymore. My new normal is pirate growl. In basso profundo. I sound like Louis Armstrong with a bad cold and a sinus infection getting over laryngitis and a karate chop to the throat with a 2x4, complete with canuck/french accent.
Hey.
These days, it'll sell, just be sure to dress weird as well.
--Mac
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,893
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,893 |
Quote:
Let me do the vocals for you. They won't be clear anymore. My new normal is pirate growl. In basso profundo. I sound like Louis Armstrong with a bad cold and a sinus infection getting over laryngitis and a karate chop to the throat with a 2x4, complete with canuck/french accent.
Along these lines, Just listed to a wonderful version of ThunderRoad with Bruce and Melissa:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQpyxh3xpv8
Can't understand a word Bruce is singing  , is it me?, he didn't always sing link this, did he? Can we please hear the lyrics! 
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