[LAU] processing lead vocals

[Kevin Cosgrove]

On 2 June 2009 at 10:42, =?ISO-8859-1?Q?Atte_Andr=E9_Jensen?= <atte.jensen at gmail.com> wrote:

> My question is: how do *you guys* work with processing on lead vocals, 
> mostly in pop/rock setting? We all learn the most the more precise this 
> discussion gets, so if you'd share sound examples and screenshots of DSP 
> chains that'd be great.

Start with a good singer, well practiced, on a good day for them.  
Use a good mic, or a couple mics so you have more options later for 
blending them.  With too many mics, you can't get them all into the 
vocalists sweet spot.  Put the vocalist in a comfortable setting, so 
that they relax and have a good mood and frame of mind for recording.
Keep a good attitude so that they don't absorb any tension from the 
person doing the tracking.  Those things will help to get a good raw
sound into the recording media.  Good raw sound is the best 
"processing".

As for EQ, I've never found any magic.  Every singer is different.  
Even with one singer, the EQ requirements vary from song to song.
I try to be subtle with the EQ; +/-3dB is enough in a lot of cases
to get out of the way of some other instrument or boost something in 
the singer's voice.  Parametric is the way to go to isolate just the 
right band for treatment.  This is all experimental for me.  More 
practice means better hearing and faster laps through the experiments.

As for f/x, my favorite is a good reverb; I really like GVerb.  I'll 
tune up the early reflection stuff first, to get the right room size 
and liveliness.  Then I'll tune up the reverb tail to taste.  Next 
I'll bring up the wetness of the reverb until it's clearly audible as 
an effect on the track.  Then I'll listen to the whole song at those 
settings.  Eventually, I'll pull back the wetness of the reverb until 
it just barely disappears as being an effect.  The result is a reverb 
that doesn't draw attention, unless one really listens for it, but 
does fatten up the vocal track.  Now that I've said that about 
effects, there are times when a song calls for audible effects.

Of course, all of what I wrote depends so much on the context of the 
song that it's hard to make grand statements.  A singer/songwriter
ballad calls for such a different treatment than the vocalist in a 
thrash/metal band.

Cheers....

--
Kevin