Vocal Recording

Hi Guys n Gals

Im having massive problems recording a vocal sound that i like. Ive gone through every available preset in cubase, and just wish i had a more simplistic approach. For example, a flat vocal, with a simple pre reverb and post reverb. It all seems so complicated. I should probably add that I’m new to cubase.

Kindest of regards,

Stevie

I should add that i find the built in reverb plug-ins difficult to work with

Might be worth going to Waves and downloading a trial version of the Abbey Roads Reverb Plates, have a play with that, is on a good price if you decide to buy. Is a massive CPU killer so depends on your systems power, but certainly worth a play. Good luck.

Professionals don’t record vocals with reverb except for the headphone mix. Reverb is added after the recording…
Most pros record vocals with compression and maybe gate that’s all.

If you’re new to Cubase I suggest watching a basic tutorial on how to record basic vocals and instruments.

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Also give up using the presets. Fact is your results will be highly dependent on the specific mic you use, the room you are in, the singer’s voice, the instrumental arrangement, etc. No preset is capable of taking any of that into account and just creates a false sense that you are doing “the right thing.” You are better off to start recording the mic flat, nothing added - that’s your baseline. Experiment with the singer’s location & distance from the mic (a few inches can make a huge difference) and using different mics. Next judiciously apply tools like EQ, compression, reverb, etc. to modify the sound for the better. The general rule here is less is better. Don’t use a tool just because “you should”, instead only use a tool because it helps you achieve a sonic goal.

Audio recording is an art that takes time to master. There is no shortcut.

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And before spending money on another reverb, the included are excellent btw.
You can use the convolution reverb in Cubase and use it with the free Bricasti impulse response library.

Well I can’t speak for everyone but from my experience I used to semi process track on the way in ,but now not so much ,but I do print vocals thru a compression hard ware unit ,usally the 1176 ,just a touch just to get a good level …does anyone else? Or a softer compression like the neve 30369 …again longer attack times just tickling the gr meters…then when mixing vocals I compress and eq if needed the choose effects…also very easy to over process vocals …whatever the song needs…I know with all these great plugs and hardware today you only have about 6 million options for a sound…my advice is just to try to get the best sound going in with nice levels …then you have a good base to start getting a sound…try different pres,mics…

Thanks for the replies and advice everyone, flat recording it is!