VOCAL TRACKING MISCONCEPTIONS!!!!
Almost Christmas!! cant wait. Still grinding on these mixes though. Current and or recent projects include Miggs (WARNER/ROCKRIDGE), Notar (TYRRANOSAURUS), J. Lewis featuring Flo Rida (INTERSCOPE), The Higher (EPITAPH), Portable Payback (UNIVERSAL), King Phaze, Linzee Starr, Lovely Hoffman, One Less Reason, Jocey, Black Lagoon, 13 Yards to Victory, Brandon Beal, Warren Dean, Jamie Wainwright featuring Craig Smart, The Accentrix, Marina Chello, Paul G featuring Akon (UNIVERSAL SA), Carishma and Sunny Khubani, Surefire Music Group, Trillogy, Xtortya. Whew!!! I have been BUSY. If i've been working with you and forgot to mention you, my appologies, its a little hectic right now and i'm working from memory.
OK, on to my blog. One of the BIGGEST misconceptions about audio in general, but specifically about vocal tracking in the digital world is this. If you take a vocal track, and you make a digital copy of that vocal track, THAT IS NOT A DOUBLE TRACK. Making an exact copy of ANY track does absolutely nothing except make it a bit louder (just like pushing up a fader does).
All the time, i get songs in to mix, and for instance, the lead vocal has a "double" track, which turns out to be not a double track at all. just a copy of the original lead vocal track thats labeled "LV DBL". Dear young engineers, artists, producers, people just learning, etc.... please read this blog and understand exactly what i'm saying. Same with guitar tracks, keyboards, basslines, etc... If you want a double track of something, you simply have to perform it and record it a second time. If its not feeling like a double track, then you didnt perform it as closely to the original take as you need to, try again. If it was easy, everybody would make records :-)
I hope this helps clear up a couple of my biggest pet peeve misconceptions about recording vocals. Good luck in your record making endeavours. if i can be of service to you, here I am.
Merry Christmas!!!
-Ken Lewis
OK, on to my blog. One of the BIGGEST misconceptions about audio in general, but specifically about vocal tracking in the digital world is this. If you take a vocal track, and you make a digital copy of that vocal track, THAT IS NOT A DOUBLE TRACK. Making an exact copy of ANY track does absolutely nothing except make it a bit louder (just like pushing up a fader does).
All the time, i get songs in to mix, and for instance, the lead vocal has a "double" track, which turns out to be not a double track at all. just a copy of the original lead vocal track thats labeled "LV DBL". Dear young engineers, artists, producers, people just learning, etc.... please read this blog and understand exactly what i'm saying. Same with guitar tracks, keyboards, basslines, etc... If you want a double track of something, you simply have to perform it and record it a second time. If its not feeling like a double track, then you didnt perform it as closely to the original take as you need to, try again. If it was easy, everybody would make records :-)
I hope this helps clear up a couple of my biggest pet peeve misconceptions about recording vocals. Good luck in your record making endeavours. if i can be of service to you, here I am.
Merry Christmas!!!
-Ken Lewis
posted by Protools Mixing at 11:37 PM
5 Comments:
amazing stuff thanx :)
I want to quote your post in my blog. It can?
And you et an account on Twitter?
Amazing as always
Interesting read and good to know.
So what is the point of doubling up a track? (btw, I'm one of the "new" guys in the digital music world).
I imagine it is to make the instrument, vocal, or whatever to sound more voluminous, emphasized and/or "thick" for lack of a better word. Sort of like rappers will do that on their vocals?
Cheers,
Mike
"Thank You So Much" for this post Ken!!!
Just the other night I had an artist come in and lay a lead vocal on a verse... and then say "Ok double that".
Then on the chorus do one take... and ask me to "copy it 4 times" to make the background vocals.
I tried to explain to him the very principle you have in your blog.... but for some reason... some artist feel it is more important to think that they're right... than it is to improve the quality of their recordings.
Hopefully they will be more receptive to the advice after reading your blog.
"Thanks Again" Ken for sharing so much wonderful information.
F.L. Freeman
111 Entertainment LLC
Detroit MI
Post a Comment
<< Home