Vocal recording cut outs and fade outs

Hello everyone,

I am experiencing cut out / fade out issues while recording vocals in Cubase Elements 10.5.20. I use a Lewitt LCT 240 PRO microphone and the Steinberg UR22 mkII interface with Cubase.

I should say right away that I have also recorded acoustic guitar, keyboards (I don’t have a synthesizer so I recorded it with the microphone), and cajon with the microphone and I had ZERO issues. In fact, I didn’t do more than just place the mic, adjust the peak level and start recording and it worked flawlessly.

So here is what I tried regarding the vocals:

  • I recorded with different distances from the microphone and adjusted the peak levels accordingly
  • I have used both the Yamaha Steinberg USB ASIO and the ASIO4ALL driver
  • In “Studio Setup”, I switched between the standard and stable modes and tried different buffer sizes for both
  • For project setup, I use the record format 44.1 kHz - 16 bit
  • I uninstalled and reinstalled the software
  • I recorded vocals with Audacity and it worked as simple and fine as with the instruments mentioned above

That is as far as my knowledge regarding recording and studio software goes. I tried google but I couldn’t find anything relatable at all.

Thanks a lot for your help.

Any plugins being used? A “gate” of some sort, perhaps?

Yup, you are absolutely correct.

I found out that the problem was the vocal track from the project preset selection. There is a gate effect which does not work with the mic (or any mic maybe?). I did not see the forest for the tree there because I wouldn’t have thought that a preset vocal track would give me an issue regarding recording vocals.

Thank you very much for your reply! :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

It only does because your signal is not strong enough to fully open the gate with the current settings in the gate. Remove the gate or adjust the threshold. You always gets better result with manually editing out the noise on a recording than you do with a gate.

Thanks! :slight_smile:

I recognize this issue, as I have the same as I select the “Piano and vocal” settings to create a new project. I do have a annoying treshold that works like a noise-gate but in the channel strips all gates are turned off.
If I create an empty track from scratch there is no issue. But neither are there all the goodies from the preset.
What setting am I missing??

Can I share in your joy? I have the same issue, but I have cut down all the trees now and still see no forest…
(I shut down every gate I can find but the effect stays, unless I create a new track from scratch)
Where is it, that I should look for this stubborn gate?

Likely in the channel strip.

In “VST Dynamics”