{"id":7805,"date":"2013-10-22T10:18:20","date_gmt":"2013-10-22T17:18:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rolandus.com\/blog\/?p=7805"},"modified":"2013-11-14T14:46:53","modified_gmt":"2013-11-14T22:46:53","slug":"recording-tips-part-4-post-production","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rolandus.com\/blog\/2013\/10\/22\/recording-tips-part-4-post-production\/","title":{"rendered":"Recording Tips Part 4 – Post Production"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a04 Tips for the Final Mix Down<\/h2>\n
\"recording<\/a>

Music Post Production Tips<\/p><\/div>\n

Author: Paul White Editor-In-Chief for\u00a0Sound on Sound<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Roland UK Features Team<\/a><\/p>\n

1. Getting the Best Out of Autotune…<\/em><\/h2>\n

The pizza is all eaten, the tracks are\u00a0all recorded, and everyone is satisfied\u00a0that their parts are both in tune and\u00a0in time. If not, it is usually quicker\u00a0to record them again than trying to\u00a0use editing to patch them up in post production. Having\u00a0said that, slight imperfections in vocal\u00a0pitching can be polished out using an\u00a0automatic pitch correction program\u00a0such as Autotune. Autotune, and its\u00a0many imitators, has a correction\u00a0speed slider that determines how\u00a0quickly off-key notes are corrected.\u00a0There\u2019s usually also a little keyboard\u00a0display where you can select the\u00a0specific notes that are in the vocal part\u00a0you\u2019re working on if it strays outside\u00a0one of the standard scales and keys\u00a0that are on offer. The main problem I\u00a0hear is that the correction speed has\u00a0been set too fast and so the pitching\u00a0sounds unnaturally rigid. We\u2019re all\u00a0familiar with the very obviously\u00a0Autotuned sound used as an effect\u00a0but once your ears know what to\u00a0listen for, you start hearing it even\u00a0when the settings are more subtle.\u00a0The trick here is to use the slowest\u00a0correction speed that still gets the job\u00a0done as that will leave the natural\u00a0slurs and inflections, that every singer\u00a0produces, intact.<\/p>\n

Related: Vocal Training<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

2. Post Production: Compression…<\/em><\/h2>\n

Vocals also benefit from a little\u00a0compression to even out the levels\u00a0and to add some density to the sound.\u00a0Less experienced recordists often\u00a0pick a suitably named preset plugin\u00a0compressor, and this is OK but\u00a0with one important reservation. You\u00a0still need to adjust the compressor\u2019s\u00a0Threshold control manually as the\u00a0preset designer can\u2019t know how loud\u00a0your vocal was recorded or what its\u00a0natural dynamics are like. Simply\u00a0adjust the Threshold with the vocal\u00a0playing and watch the compressor\u00a0gain reduction meter as you do so.\u00a0A typical setup will have this meter\u00a0showing little or no activity on the\u00a0quieter parts, maybe 3 or 4dB of\u00a0gain reduction on average level\u00a0sections and perhaps momentary\u00a0peaks of 10dB or more on louder\u00a0sections. Set this way your vocal\u00a0will sound much more even and it\u00a0should sit comfortably in the mix. If\u00a0the vocal starts to sound squashed\u00a0and unnatural, then you\u2019ve probably\u00a0applied too much compression.<\/p>\n

Relataed: Vocal Tools for Improving, Practicing, and Enhansing Singing<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

3. Post Production: Use the EQ (Sparingly)…<\/em><\/h2>\n

If you\u2019ve recorded your separate\u00a0parts well, you should be able to\u00a0achieve a balance without using\u00a0much in the way of EQ other than\u00a0cutting unnecessary lows from non bass\u00a0parts as described earlier. Start\u00a0by balancing your rhythm section\u00a0so the bass and drums<\/a> sound right\u00a0together, then you can add the\u00a0vocals. Once these feel well-balanced\u00a0against the rhythm section, you can\u00a0bring up the supporting instruments\u00a0and your ears should tell you\u00a0when they\u2019re loud enough without\u00a0fighting the vocals. You can now\u00a0think about using panning to create\u00a0a stereo perspective where vocals\u00a0and bass sounds tend to be mixed\u00a0centrally and other instruments\u00a0balanced between left and right. For\u00a0example, if a section has one guitar<\/a>\u00a0and one keyboard<\/a> part, you might\u00a0put the guitar to the right and the\u00a0keyboard to the left. Where panning\u00a0is concerned, if it sounds right it is\u00a0right.<\/p>\n

4. Post Production: Reverb and Delay…<\/em><\/h2>\n

Vocals usually need a little delay\u00a0and\/or reverb to make them sound\u00a0\u2018produced\u2019 and to help them sit in\u00a0the mix, but a common problem\u00a0is simply to add too much effect.\u00a0Modern reverbs have lots of presets\u00a0so try shorter Plate and Ambience\u00a0settings first and judge the level\u00a0with all the mix playing. Once you\u00a0have what you feel is the right level\u00a0of reverb, try switching it off to see\u00a0how much difference it makes. If it is\u00a0a really obvious difference, you may\u00a0still have too much as many modern\u00a0recordings have a lot less in the way\u00a0of “in your face” reverb than records\u00a0made at the end of the last century.\u00a0Mixing is an art so all that matters is\u00a0the end result, but if you follow the\u00a0previous tips you\u2019ll find the whole\u00a0process goes a lot more smoothly.<\/p>\n

\"capture<\/p>\n

Recording Tips \u2013 3 of 4<\/em><\/h2>\n

Get the full\u00a0PowerOn<\/em>\u00a0article available for free at\u00a0Apple\u00a0<\/a>Newsstand<\/a>,\u00a0Google Play<\/a>, and the\u00a0Amazon Appstore<\/a>, and stay tuned to the Roland U.S. blog for more recording tips as detailed below.<\/p>\n