Hi. I was wondering, when recording vocals, I noticed that I get fluctuating
volume, obviously from my singer backing away from the mic sometimes then
coming in close. Is there a way to keep the volume constant? I use Cool Edit
proand still can't get the mixing process down. How do I manually raise and
lower volume on a track while "mixing it down"? I'm such a noob but I know
you guys are experts and yo can help me! I'd greatly appreciate it!

Thanks,
Chris

put a compressor on it and push it to 15db.
Steve

xtremenut wrote:
Hi. I was wondering, when recording vocals, I noticed that I get fluctuating
volume, obviously from my singer backing away from the mic sometimes then
coming in close. Is there a way to keep the volume constant? I use Cool Edit
proand still can't get the mixing process down. How do I manually raise and
lower volume on a track while "mixing it down"? I'm such a noob but I know
you guys are experts and yo can help me! I'd greatly appreciate it!

You adjust the volume on the preamp by hand, while tracking.

OR, you get a vocalist with better control.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

"xtremenut" wrote in message
news:2I2zb.7496$Yt4.3669@lakeread05

Hi. I was wondering, when recording vocals, I noticed that I get
fluctuating volume, obviously from my singer backing away from the
mic sometimes then coming in close. Is there a way to keep the volume
constant? I use Cool Edit proand still can't get the mixing process
down. How do I manually raise and lower volume on a track while
"mixing it down"?

You level out the vocal track in Edit view before you mix the tracks down.

How to level a vocal track? Let me count the ways:

(1) You adjust over-all levels with the Amplify effect.

(2) You make spot adjustments with the Envelope effect. One non-obvious
trick here is to make two envelopes. Both start and end at unity gain, but
one peaks in the middle and the other dips in the middle. Just highlight a
region that is too soft or too hot and go for it! You are guaranteed no
quick jumps by the unity gain at both ends of the envelope. You can make
changes in 1, 3, and 6 dB steps as required.

(3) You make dynamic adjustments with the Dynamics Processing effect.

In article ,
(Scott Dorsey) wrote:

Hi. I was wondering, when recording vocals, I noticed that I get fluctuating
volume, obviously from my singer backing away from the mic sometimes then
coming in close. Is there a way to keep the volume constant?

Sounds like a job for a compressor to me.

CT

"xtremenut" wrote in message
news:2I2zb.7496$Yt4.3669@lakeread05...
Hi. I was wondering, when recording vocals, I noticed that I get
fluctuating
volume, obviously from my singer backing away from the mic
sometimes then
coming in close. Is there a way to keep the volume constant? I use
Cool Edit
proand still can't get the mixing process down. How do I manually
raise and
lower volume on a track while "mixing it down"? I'm such a noob but
I know
you guys are experts and yo can help me! I'd greatly appreciate it!

Since the singer moves a fixed amount, the farther he can be kept from
the mike, the less change in volume you will notice. A "darning hoop"
placed a slight distance from the mike will prevent the singer from
moving in too closely.

Norm Strong

Wouldn't a darning needle work better? ;-)

Jim Maxon

normanstrong wrote:

"xtremenut" wrote in message
news:2I2zb.7496$Yt4.3669@lakeread05...

Hi. I was wondering, when recording vocals, I noticed that I get

fluctuating

volume, obviously from my singer backing away from the mic

sometimes then

coming in close. Is there a way to keep the volume constant? I use

Cool Edit

proand still can't get the mixing process down. How do I manually

raise and

lower volume on a track while "mixing it down"? I'm such a noob but

I know

you guys are experts and yo can help me! I'd greatly appreciate it!


Since the singer moves a fixed amount, the farther he can be kept from
the mike, the less change in volume you will notice. A "darning hoop"
placed a slight distance from the mike will prevent the singer from
moving in too closely.

Norm Strong



--
Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level then beat
you with experience.

In article 2I2zb.7496$Yt4.3669@lakeread05 writes:

Hi. I was wondering, when recording vocals, I noticed that I get fluctuating
volume, obviously from my singer backing away from the mic sometimes then
coming in close. Is there a way to keep the volume constant?

Teach your singer about how to use a microphone, give him a good
headphone monitor mix so he can hear what he's doing, and re-record
the vocal. If he's a real singer, he'll sing at the right level for
the song (which may indeed not be constant). If he can't do that,
consider getting another singer.

A compressor can be used to smooth out small variations, but I'll bet
you're talking about changes of 10 to perhaps more than 20 dB. That's
best done by riding the gain with a fader, or if you're doing your
mixing in a DAW, by drawing a volume envelope to push up the level of
the quiet parts. You really shouldn't do this with an "automatic
pilot." The compressor doesn't know how the song goes. The singer
should, and you for sure will by the time you work over his poor vocal
technique.


--
I'm really Mike Rivers )
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me he double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

If he's a real singer, he'll sing at the right level for the song (which may
indeed not be constant). If he can't do that,
consider getting another singer.

There are many "real" singers that engineers are hired to record that don't
have great mic technique.

A good compressor is the ticket along with riding gain.



---------------------------------------
"I know enough to know I don't know enough"

In article 2I2zb.7496$Yt4.3669@lakeread05 writes:

Hi. I was wondering, when recording vocals, I noticed that I get
fluctuating
volume, obviously from my singer backing away from the mic sometimes then
coming in close. Is there a way to keep the volume constant?


You'll need a "good" compressor or you're gonna hear a lot of artifacts that
aren't gonna thrill you. Also, the distance from the singer to the mic is very
important as relates to proximity effects, intimacy, etc.
Controlling the gain/volume is one thing, Controlling the vocal and achieving
good results are another.

On more than one occassion, I have split the mic input to two separate channels
on the board and set the gain so that the soft passages and hard passages were
controllable. You can always mix it to your liking later. Use the compressor
after tracking, not during, to avoid capturing compressor overload. It will
give you more options in getting the best quality of the vocal track. Work it
in a DAW or analog, as others have written in this thread.

Good luck.


--Wayne

-"sounded good to me"-

You'll need a "good" compressor or you're gonna hear a lot of artifacts that
aren't gonna thrill you

Try multiple comps in series.


John A. Chiara
SOS Recording Studio
Live Sound Inc.
Albany, NY
www.sosrecording.net
518-449-1637

I'm not to up on Cool edit pro but if it has some sort of "automation" that
will work with the volume on each track you can most surely get things happy
that way.

In article 2I2zb.7496$Yt4.3669@lakeread05, "xtremenut"
writes:

Hi. I was wondering, when recording vocals, I noticed that I get fluctuating
volume, obviously from my singer backing away from the mic sometimes then
coming in close. Is there a way to keep the volume constant?

If possible, get the singer to hold still. Also try not to have the singer any
louder than necessary in their mix. If they are too loud they will have more of
a tendency to drastically alter volume and this makes your job later much
harder. This is an issue every engineer deals with and it helps to have as many
tricks in your arsenal as possible. Of course compressors can help but then you
have the artifacts from them. Better to correct the problem at the source if
you can.

Garth~


"I think the fact that music can come up a wire is a miracle."
Ed Cherney

I agree with what Garth says, but I find it hard to make the vocal fit in the
mix without compression, and I mean a good outboard one to record and one in the
mix.
As Garth stated, mic techinqe is crucial as well.
Good luck!

In article , Garthrr says...

In article 2I2zb.7496$Yt4.3669@lakeread05, "xtremenut"
writes:

Hi. I was wondering, when recording vocals, I noticed that I get fluctuating
volume, obviously from my singer backing away from the mic sometimes then
coming in close. Is there a way to keep the volume constant?

If possible, get the singer to hold still. Also try not to have the singer any
louder than necessary in their mix. If they are too loud they will have more of
a tendency to drastically alter volume and this makes your job later much
harder. This is an issue every engineer deals with and it helps to have as many
tricks in your arsenal as possible. Of course compressors can help but then you
have the artifacts from them. Better to correct the problem at the source if
you can.

Garth~


"I think the fact that music can come up a wire is a miracle."
Ed Cherney

In article , m2 writes:

I agree with what Garth says, but I find it hard to make the vocal fit in the
mix without compression, and I mean a good outboard one to record and one in
the
mix.
As Garth stated, mic techinqe is crucial as well.
Good luck!

I look at it this way: The closer you can get to not needing any compression on
the way to media, the better. That being said, I do usually use some
compression when mixing because I like the "in yer face" quality it gives, not
as much for the dynamic control. I generally go through the song and iron out
any gross level anomolies using the RADAR software.
The problem with singers who move on and off the mic is that not only does the
level change but so does the perceived tone because of proximity effect and
thats a much more difficult problem to deal with. If you can convince the
singer that its in their own best interest to use good mic technique then
you're ahead of the game because then they're motivated to cooperate.

Garth~


"I think the fact that music can come up a wire is a miracle."
Ed Cherney

Scott Dorsey wrote:

You adjust the volume on the preamp by hand, while tracking.

OR, you get a vocalist with better control.



Oh, you do not.


ulysses

LJM wrote:

Wouldn't a darning needle work better? ;-)


If he gets too close, it'll be a damning needle!

ulysses

Wayne wrote:

You'll need a "good" compressor or you're gonna hear a lot of artifacts that
aren't gonna thrill you.


The artefacts I hear with my "good" compressor sure do thrill me!
That's why I use it.


ulysses

As far as I'm concerned, a vocal compressor is an absolute requirement
for pop music. Even when the singer has brilliant mike technique,
vocals just don't sound right without any compression. Maybe this is
because I've been listening to compressed pop vocals for 30 years, and
they've been doing a lousy job the whole time. But now it sounds
"right" and that means it is.

ulysses


In article , Garthrr
wrote:

In article , m2 writes:

I agree with what Garth says, but I find it hard to make the vocal fit in the
mix without compression, and I mean a good outboard one to record and one in
the
mix.
As Garth stated, mic techinqe is crucial as well.
Good luck!

I look at it this way: The closer you can get to not needing any compression
on
the way to media, the better. That being said, I do usually use some
compression when mixing because I like the "in yer face" quality it gives, not
as much for the dynamic control. I generally go through the song and iron out
any gross level anomolies using the RADAR software.
The problem with singers who move on and off the mic is that not only does the
level change but so does the perceived tone because of proximity effect and
thats a much more difficult problem to deal with. If you can convince the
singer that its in their own best interest to use good mic technique then
you're ahead of the game because then they're motivated to cooperate.

Justin Ulysses Morse wrote:
As far as I'm concerned, a vocal compressor is an absolute requirement
for pop music. Even when the singer has brilliant mike technique,
vocals just don't sound right without any compression. Maybe this is
because I've been listening to compressed pop vocals for 30 years, and
they've been doing a lousy job the whole time. But now it sounds
"right" and that means it is.

Yes, but THAT is a different case. You're talking about a fast compressor
being used to squash the vocal and bring it forward, rather than a slower
compressor used as an AVC to compensate for vocal problems. Different boxes
(or at least different settings) for different jobs.

SOMETIMES you need to use both, one after the other. That's when it's time
to get a new vocalist.
--scott


--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Scott Dorsey wrote:

Yes, but THAT is a different case. You're talking about a fast compressor
being used to squash the vocal and bring it forward, rather than a slower
compressor used as an AVC to compensate for vocal problems. Different boxes
(or at least different settings) for different jobs.

SOMETIMES you need to use both, one after the other. That's when it's time
to get a new vocalist.
--scott

Is an LA-3 fast? That's essentially what I use on vocals. If you hit
it hard enough, it kills both birds with one warm, squishy, breathy
stone. It sounds like music sounds.

ulysses

Is an LA-3 fast? That's essentially what I use on vocals.

Great compressor. I have wondered why U/A hasn't reissued that one.



---------------------------------------
"I know enough to know I don't know enough"

Scott Dorsey wrote:

xtremenut wrote:

Hi. I was wondering, when recording vocals, I noticed that I get fluctuating
volume, obviously from my singer backing away from the mic sometimes then
coming in close. Is there a way to keep the volume constant? I use Cool Edit
proand still can't get the mixing process down. How do I manually raise and
lower volume on a track while "mixing it down"? I'm such a noob but I know
you guys are experts and yo can help me! I'd greatly appreciate it!

You adjust the volume on the preamp by hand, while tracking.

OR, you get a vocalist with better control.

How about increasing the mic distance so that the variations matter
less?

--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

--
************************************************** ***********
* My site is at: http://www.muyiovatki.dk *
************************************************** ***********

In article , Justin
Ulysses Morse wrote:
...Maybe this is
because I've been listening to compressed pop vocals for 30 years,

You might be very surprised by how many pop vocals have not been
particularly compressed.

--
Bob Olhsson Audio Mastery, Nashville TN 615.385.8051
Mastering, Audio for Picture, Mix Evaluation and Quality Control
http://www.hyperback.com/olhsson.html
Over 40 years making people sound better than they ever imagined!

(EggHd) wrote:

Is an LA-3 fast? That's essentially what I use on vocals.

Great compressor. I have wondered why U/A hasn't reissued that one.

Possibly because Bill Putnam, Jr. packed up, moved to Seattle, and is
now working for RealAudio touting the benefits of
www.musicforcubicles.com?

http://www.realnetworks.com/company/...radiopass.html

--Erik

I don't want to be snippy, but I disagree totally.
I might be wrong but this guy is Bull Pullman's son,
right? Might he still be holding the patents and still be a part owner in
the company? He got the ball rolling, and said, What's next. Who knows? I
don't.
Just my take. I sure do dig my 2108 though. ;-)
Tom


"Erik Gavriluk" wrote in message
om...
(EggHd) wrote:

Is an LA-3 fast? That's essentially what I use on vocals.

Great compressor. I have wondered why U/A hasn't reissued that one.

Possibly because Bill Putnam, Jr. packed up, moved to Seattle, and is
now working for RealAudio touting the benefits of
www.musicforcubicles.com?

http://www.realnetworks.com/company/...radiopass.html

--Erik

"Tommy B" wrote:

I don't want to be snippy, but I disagree totally.
I might be wrong but this guy is Bull Pullman's son,
right?

Well I don't know what Bill Pullman has to do with this. I suppose he
was okay in Independence Day, but I really prefer his acting in
Spaceballs.

--Erik

In article . net,
Tommy B wrote:

this guy is Bull Pullman's son,
right? Might he still be holding the patents and still be a part owner in
the company?

UREI was sold to JBL years ago and the studios were sold off to several
different people. JBL still supports UREI products with parts and
manuals. I'm actually a bit surprised that they haven't gone back into
production of the real thing.

--
Bob Olhsson Audio Mastery, Nashville TN 615.385.8051
Mastering, Audio for Picture, Mix Evaluation and Quality Control
http://www.hyperback.com/olhsson.html
Over 40 years making people sound better than they ever imagined!