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#989861 - 12/20/04 12:08 PM

PUlling Sharp

cherri
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Registered: 09/10/03
Posts: 731
Loc: N. MI USA

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This weekend we completed recording the instrument and vocal tracks for our new CD. I was having a bit of trouble on the vocals, specifically pulling sharp on my attacks. Our studio cat said that's a common problem. My questions is, how common is this problem?

I refused to call it good and run everything through a tuner. It seems to my ear that the more auto tune on a vocal, the less human it sounds. I pulled the headphones off one ear, and viola - back in tune. I needed to sing hearing my actual room voice, not my reproduced headphone voice. We re-did the takes with the one headphone and got everything where we want it.

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#989862 - 12/20/04 02:25 PM

Re: PUlling Sharp

Muddy Run
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Registered: 05/23/04
Posts: 343
Loc: USA

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Quote:

My questions is, how common is this problem?

Vocals are very hard to nail. If I have a long note and flutter out of tune I have no problem copying a good piece of the note and pasting it over the bad(Pro-Tools)..or nudging it with a little pitch correction. It comes out cleaner if you do it before applying any compression...

I'll take vocals over and over...and even after I have what I think is right I'll still find stuff later on that needs fixing. Creative fader automation can help things too. I'm a better than average singer too and still have to fake it a lot....digital recording doesn't tell many lies... $\:D$

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#989863 - 12/21/04 12:01 AM

Re: PUlling Sharp

blas
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Registered: 03/06/01
Posts: 517
Loc: St. Louis, MO. USA

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Cherri, You are on the right track! Long ago, there wasn't auto-tune, etc. we had the vocalist redo those bad lines as punch in's. There's nothing wrong with you feeling YOU can correct it vocally!
As any good enginner will tell you, we all need to work hard at our craft on either side of the glass. If it came easy, then everyone would be making a living as an engineer or singer.

blas

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#989864 - 12/23/04 08:52 PM

Re: PUlling Sharp

bdbklyn
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Registered: 04/04/01
Posts: 1035
Loc: Los Angeles,CA,UNITED STATES

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Singing or playing a non fixed pitch instrument in tune with headphones on is next to impossible.
With the vocal too loud in the mix you will be sharp, too low and you will be flat. I don't know why that is....but it is!

You are doing the right thing.

Bill

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#989865 - 12/31/04 09:04 PM

Re: PUlling Sharp

kid music
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Registered: 04/17/01
Posts: 212
Loc: ,,UNITED STATES

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I have found it to be the opposite most often - vocals too loud in mix = flat (& vice versa).

Other factors:

if pitch is off, raise the level of harmonic instruments (i.e. piano/guitar... preferably without too many effects)

if vocal timing is off, raise drum level

And experiment with:
- the overall headphone level (up or down might help with vocalist)
- the vocal reverb level in the headphones (record the vocal dry, but feed some reverb to the headphone mix, and boost or lower this reverb level)

Good luck!

-kidmusic

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