This is just a question to the guys that do hours of working on vocals …
I’ve always done my vocal “volume leveling” in several steps, usually cutting the vocal track into segments and then manually adjusting the volume, followed by something like an 1176 to grab spiky peaks, then an LA-2A to smooth things out some more … long after using the comping tool to choose the best sounding bits.
But lately I found myself doing some volume leveling using that little square at the top each comping segment, it seems to help make comparisons among segments with different volumes a little easier.
Does anyone else start their leveling process while comping?
No never. When I’m comping all I’m thinking about is which bit of which take is the one to use. After the comp is assembled I’ll generally Render the Track and as part of that task I might adjust some levels. But by that point the Comp Tool is put away and I’m using the Arrow.
EDIT
Also I think the kind of listening that I do while comping (listening in a loop, playing louder than it will be in the mix) is not conducive for making level decisions. Even when I Render like described above, there would generally be a little listening break in-between.
I’m a big fan of taking lots of short breaks whenever doing something that requires critical listening. Gives your ears a little reset.
The part I quoted of you though is the part that has made me reach for that little square … I’m comparing two vocal takes, one is much quieter than the other, and invariably I’m fighting the “louder is better” thing.
My making them closer in volume to each other while comping is my poor man’s attempt to better judge each clip on content …
