Interested in buying this ready-to-record Pro Tools template for $25 USD? Send me a message via my contact form for more information to buy. Click here: www.5piecemusic.com/contact/
Sending love and thanks from Ottawa! So clear and concise. I appreciate how you mentioned that the levels may need to be adjusted as we go. It's nice to know that's not just a rookie mistake of mine, but actually part your professional process.
Thanks for the video. I am recording this song that has a melody at moments too high, notes that I cant really sing softer. When I set my levels for picking at around -10 db my volume on the quiet parts is between -18 and -23. Is this acceptable, as I understand this lower parts can be helped later during compression with the make up gain knob. Appreciate your responses. Thanks
Great question - I've answered this in a few different ways in the comments below so here's my response to Chad that's still pretty spot on: "You may benefit from adding an outboard compressor to your tracking set-up. I would personally rely on compression, and/or strategic clip gain automation to balance out the difference. If you're using UAD stuff, you can also track through their plugins using their unison technology, specifically a compressor on whatever channel you are recording through. This may be a more economical option if you don't want to buy a hardware compressor for recording."
I loved you video! I actually have the same gear as you- Shure SM7B mic and Apollo Twin interface. I have found that it requires a lot of gain, so hearing this in your video helped verify that for me! I will look into the Cloud Lifter, but in the meantime.. I need to record vocals this weekend. Do you recommend without the Cloud Lifter, just to turn up on the Apollo Twin? Are there any disadvantages to this? Also, when levels of a song change over verse, chorus, etc, is it okay to record the song in pieces and adjust gain per section? Does this throw off mixers since it’s inconsistent, or help them, because they have a better signal for each part?
Yes I'd recommend if you don't have the Apollo Twin, you simply record at a louder volume - it's pretty much you're only option at that point. And yes, it's totally okay to record the song in pieces and adjust gain per section if needed. Sometimes you can set the level and forget it for the rest of the song, other times it pays to be conscious of how loud/quiet you are and adjust the mic preamp to compensate for that as you go. It shouldn't throw off a mixer - we're used to adjusting volume manually with automation and clip gain, or even using tools like compressors to even things out while mixing. You may even want to consider using a compressor yourself to avoid having to constantly adjust the preamp. Hope this helps!
Hey Cedrick - it will very much depend. I normally set my fader level to about -10db when recording but it could be louder or quieter depending on the track. If it's very dynamic, you may need it to be louder but if its really loud/limited, you may need the opposite. As long as the vocal cuts clearly on top - you'll be good. Hope this helps.
Great video, tell me please if my RMS is -18db, but peaks can be -5 or even -3, is it ok? P.S i have bad noise isolation in my room and if i will lower my rec. level even more when i will compress vocals noises can be heard. I will appreciate your advice
-3 can be pretty high, especially considering you’ll be adding processing which will likely increase the overall level eventually. I’d focus on the levels I suggested in this video for peaks to avoid all issues. If noise isolation is an issue, I’d consider either treating the room or investing in a less sensitive mic such as a shure sm7b. My room isn’t the greatest but that mic really has helped minimize issues. Hope this helps!!
I'm not sure exactly where you're located but this one on Amazon is cost effective and does the job - www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019NY2PKG/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B019NY2PKG&linkCode=as2&tag=5piece-20&linkId=f32eb08639dcb890b0024cd36c93d4ce
Im currently trying to record an acoustic and vocal only song and Im playing and singing at the same time. I have been recording way too low previously. My song is very dynamic with very soft arts and then some really loud strong parts. If I make the loudest parts to peak around -6 what are my options for the quiet parts? I have been getting in close to the mic and pulling way back while singing but there is still a huge gap. Is this where I just go through and splice the tracks and raise the clip gain on the soft parts to get closer or do I track with some compression and let the quiet parts get around -6 and squash the loud parts? Thanks for any help, im pretty new to this but having a blast. I should mention I'm using a Focusrite 2i2, Rhode Nt1a, and I have the slate everything bundle as far as plug ins.
You may benefit from adding an outboard compressor to your tracking set-up. Otherwise, you have answered your own question just as good as I would have. I would personally rely on compression, and/or strategic clip gain automation to balance out the difference. If you're using UAD stuff, you can also track through their plugins using their unison technology, specifically a compressor on whatever channel you are recording through. This may be a more economical option if you don't want to buy a hardware compressor for recording.
@@5piece Thank you for the reply. I have been getting better results with hitting the negative 6 during the tracking. I use the slate everything bundle mostly and have been using the virtual mix rack. I have often added compression on the track while singing. Is it not actually recording the compression with how I'm doing it? I'm a little confused with what you said about the UAD plugins and the unison technology. Does my slate plug ins not actually record what I'm hearing? I can see the orange line showing me how much the compressor is taking out but if I understand you correctly then my wave forms would show that they have been compressed and would look small to big and all be in similar size?
I'm not so familiar with the Slate plugins (although I've heard great things) so I can't say if they are recording and committing with them on. Just having a plug-in on the channel doesn't commit it to audio. You would be able to disable that plugin, and suddenly the track it was applied to will no longer be affected. Whereas if you record through it, or commit to it in some way, your track will permanently be affected whether or not the plugin is on/off. I know UAD does this with their unison technology - however, you do have to switch a setting from "MON" to "REC" in the Console in order to enable this for UAD. This means I can record a vocal through a compressor in my console, and that vocal will be compressed coming in before it gets committed in Pro Tools (my DAW). Slate may require a similar functionality if you do want to have the compression permanently committed to the audio. I'm sure you can figure it out with some additional research on their website/manuals/tutorials. Overall, this isn't a huge deal. You can compress this way, or achieve a similar sound by compressing after recording during the mixing stage. To answer your other question, if you are indeed recording with compression on, the waveforms should look more compressed. It will be hard to fully know without comparing to an uncompressed version of the same file (unless you're absolutely squashing it, in which case it would look like more like an "audio sausage"). This will greatly depend on the source material though. Hope this helps.
Hey I made the exact same template from your video and I was wandering on the vocal master is that where I would do eq and compression and deeessing or do I just mix each track separately on the vox tracks
I generally do a combination of both. More specific moves on individual tracks, and more broad strokes on the vocal master since you’re affecting everything that feeds that buss. The individual tracks is where you’ll be doing the heavy lifting though. Hope this helps!
@@blakeb8139 not true at all. If you’re only following the top down method of mixing, then yes, but that is really one mindset of mixing. I like to do it on all levels, where applicable, to have the most control of the elements. There’s no right or wrong way here- it’s entirely subject and boils down to preference. Whatever sounds best at the end of the day is the answer.
Is there a way to have the mic simply take it, regarding the dynamics, without needing to think about it during recording? Is there a plug-in in Apollo you’d recommend that’ll do that? Compressor? Limiter?
Hey DK! I answered this at greater length below Chad's comment but to give you the short and skinny.... Your best bet is to gain-stage your mic pre to an appropriate level at the start of your session, and track the audio into an outboard compressor before it's committed in your DAW. Alternatively, you can use the UAD unison technology to record in with a compressor on your channel. I like using the LA-2A on mine. The key is to make sure you have the MON button enabled so it actually records the audio with the compression engaged on the way in. This way, the compressor will catch any loud excessive peaks and hopefully prevent them from clipping. This will still depend on how you set your mic/hi-z preamp in the first place, but should help you not need to think about levels as you're tracking. Hopefully this helps.
I work in hip hip music. How much headroom would you leave for a rapper to add their vocals over a 2 track premaster (or with a 2 track should you master it with headroom for them? I know they could complain about levels once they get it but could also get frustrated with having no headroom/working backwards)
I generally set the volume fader of the beat down to anywhere between -7db and -10db. This obviously depends on the beat but assuming it’s loud and mastered, that should provide enough of a starting point. Use your ears and judgement of course, and you can always increase the headphone volume to compensate for things appearing too quiet to the artist. Hope this helps.
Thanks for the help, I love your video! I would love to see a tutorial where you show how to connect the cloudlifter to the Twin Apollo interface and set up the correct setting for the Twin Apollo interface to record vocals. Every time I select phantom power, my line in display on the Twin Apollo turns off and I can't hear my vocals.. When I disconnect my cloudlifter and turn off phantom power and select input button , the line display reappears and then I can hear my vocals. What am I doing wrong? Please help!
Good question - I recall fumbling with this myself early on. Even though it would make sense to use the Line input, I actually have mine set to the Mic Input (My chain: Mic > XLR cable > CloudLifter > XLR cable > Apollo Twin Mic 1 Input). This allows the 48V to be accessible, and for whatever reason, allows vocals to be heard without issue. I believe that should help solve your problem. If not, you may want to contact UAD and get some more personalized support. Hope this helps!
@@5piece It worked! Your're right I was using the wrong input setup. I went based on their tutorial where there was no cloudlifter being used which caused my confusion. Also when I had it set as line input, it engaged the phantom power on the interface but never engaged in the software which is weird because I should not have to do both. When I changed settings to mic input, I didn't have to engage both it did automatically when I selected phantom power on the interface. Thank you so much for your hep! I'm looking forward to more for your videos.
No problem. Yes, I always try to preserve -6db of headroom. Sometimes it’s a bit louder and quieter since it’s difficult to have it be perfect but as long as you aren’t clipping and are maximizing loudness, you can always turn things up later in the mix. The issue is if you record it too quiet, when you turn it up, the noise floor (hiss/dead air) increases with it so you gotta play with it and find a sweet spot. What I described in the video is what I find to be my sweet spot. Hope this helps.
I talk about that in this video: How To Set Vocal Levels When Mixing ruclips.net/video/ekS4BiFtL2E/видео.html Setting the beat is the first thing you do. It will depend on how loud the beat is mixed so there isn’t a “one size fits all” level here but check that video out for a breakdown on where it should be and how to think about it. I find mine is typically set to -10 to -7 but it varies greatly.
When recording, I am recording through my Apollo preamps (and sometimes through the UAD Console for Unison tech like Neve 1073 etc) into my template in Pro Tools
I just bout equipment and I recorded my song last week. Then I sent it to be mixed and mastered. But the company could not mix it because it was still clipping. I am really new to recording at home. And I’ve never had quality equipment until now. So I’m going to try these techniques tomorrow. I searched all over RUclips and your video is the only video I found that gave great tips for this issue. Thanks again
@@nettetisha6354 awesome! I hope these tips helped. Definitely need to make sure you have headroom for mixing - that's arguably the most important aspect
I believe it is better to be around -18 and peak at max -12 to -9 i get the best results at this setup with natural voice and lower noise floor but thanks for the tutorial it was helpful
Many variables for sure - this isn't meant to be the only way or the "law" in any sort of way. Just what I found to work best in my set up so I can help others like you. Folks in louder rooms or with more sensitive mics may want to back off the gain for sure. As long as there is headroom, we are golden. Thank you for your comment !
@@ernieg Yup - you got it. I mute the UAD console to prevent any phasing during play-back, and I keep my buffer size low while recording to avoid latency problems. I will up the buffer size when finished recording and entering mixing/mastering/listening back.
I was going to say that I no longer have to use a cloudlifter on my Sm7b after upgrading my interface from a focusrite 4i4 to an Apollo Twin, but then you mentioned that you use an Apollo Twin. If you use a cloudlifter, it negates some of the benefits of the Unison preamp plug-ins.
Thanks for the comment. Everyone certainly has their preference. I still use the SM7B + CloudLifter + UA Apollo and am unsure of what you mean by it negates the benefits of unison technology. The CloudLifter simply adds clean gain to a signal, which is important since a Shure SM7B isn't a sensitive mic and requires at least 60-70db of gain to even be audible. For example, without the CloudLifter, I need to have my preamp set to almost the maximum level possible. With the CloudLifter in the chain, I can set the mic level to 25-40% of the way there and achieve more volume than without the CL, while still utilizing the Unison preamp stuff for character. I'm curious to hear what was negated by using the CL - it should really just make it louder and not undo anything the unison tech provides.
@@5piece The cloudlifter removes the impedance loading, so the Unison preamp won’t impedance match the Sm7b and react accordingly. This also means the Mic Z setting will make no noticeable difference. I typically use my Sm7b directly into my Apollo twin through the neve 1073 unison plugin with gain set to about 55-60 and the drive slider raised between 0 and 5, and put an LA-2A as an insert to make up any needed additional gain while softening the transients. This has worked well for me for really dynamic vocal styles similar to Devin Townsend, and I haven’t noticed much noise introduced compared to when I used the cloudlifter. I also prefer the sound I get through this method, at least for my vocals
i'm confused about wtf is two different measurements on the volume meter at WHAT -6 there's 2 of them? help plz! is one measurement on the left input and the right is output?
From what I understand, the numbers next to the meter (right side) are the level of the track in dBFS. The numbers on the left side, next to the fader, are the amount of added or subtracted gain applied by the fader. This is similar to how it appears on consoles. Basically one is the actual volume of the track (right), the other is to show you adding/reducing volume on the track via the fader (left). Hopefully this makes sense.
I feel like if I record at -6 my noise floor is still HECK, I made a booth and stay in a hotel, but between the cheap door and mariachi band outside there is nooooo way to get peace. Imma try n put more blankets around the door, windows...any tips for the noise floor problems? I think its clipping
Super situational so hard to fully say. I would advise if you're in a noisy environment, you get a mic that is more conducive to that such as a dynamic mic with a hyper directional polar pattern. This can help avoid bleed from other sources outside of your control. I personally use the Share SM7B. Also watching your gain on your mic pre will be important. Too high may lead to clipping, but too low will lead to an increase in the noise floor when you turn the track up later as mentioned in the video so you need to play with these settings based on your gear, room and presence on the mic. Other than that, not much you can do except for try to isolate yourself as you sound like you're trying to do with the blankets, and/or find a less noisy environment. Good luck!
Here's a link to my music. You can use my songs and/or vocals for any projects or to use as examples in your videos. U can edit them or whatever u feel. koji.to/LaDon_
I'm using quick keys usually, in this case holding Command (on Mac) then pressing "=" (equals sign) with command still held. You can toggle between both windows easily using this quick key. Another option is to manually go to the top menu in Pro Tools and click Window>Mix or Window>Edit depending on what configuration you're trying to look at.
I'm not sure why you think that as all of my vocal recording tracks (red + pink) in the session are mono - notice how they're only one channel as opposed to two. The only tracks that are stereo are the auxiliary tracks in the session, such as FX, masters, etc. If you want more information on the template used in this video, watch my other one here which will explain this all better: ruclips.net/video/X0VChcTbB8I/видео.html
I was hoping for setting up threshold, attack, gain etc…for uneven music and voice. A lot of unnecessary of information here. Most people here know having headroom to avoid clipping.
Why would you expect I speak about any of that stuff when the video clearly says it’s about HOW TO SET LEVELS FOR RECORDING with a picture of a preamp? Contrary to what you think, many people - beginners especially - don’t know this stuff. You do which is great, but that doesn’t mean other people can’t be helped with more intro-level topics which is exactly what this video is. If you want compression videos, including what you said you were expecting from this one, here’s a whole playlist I have that should with videos that will cover it: ruclips.net/p/PLaysvZXr6sdUDFYvw3TuXMG_WuRrfUMj9
If I did that, you wouldn't be able to hear my amazing bars in the video ;-) Thank you for watching and for your comment, will keep it in mind for future videos.
Interested in buying this ready-to-record Pro Tools template for $25 USD? Send me a message via my contact form for more information to buy. Click here: www.5piecemusic.com/contact/
Sending love and thanks from Ottawa! So clear and concise. I appreciate how you mentioned that the levels may need to be adjusted as we go. It's nice to know that's not just a rookie mistake of mine, but actually part your professional process.
Ottawa in the building!!! I'm glad it was helpful - thank you so much for watching!!!
Useful content thank you.
you're welcome
Spitting bars bro!
Thank you! Just goofing around and spreading the knowledge
Yo 5Piece awesome tutorial! Earned new sub
Thanks man! Happy to help
Aye Bro I subbed because of the verse! Naw Great Content!
Fire verses coming soon don't you worry! I appreciate the support brother!
bro this is so helpful, thank you!!!
happy to help Hunter! subscribe for more helpful videos dropping every week
Lol RUclips
Thanks for the video. I am recording this song that has a melody at moments too high, notes that I cant really sing softer. When I set my levels for picking at around -10 db my volume on the quiet parts is between -18 and -23. Is this acceptable, as I understand this lower parts can be helped later during compression with the make up gain knob. Appreciate your responses. Thanks
Great question - I've answered this in a few different ways in the comments below so here's my response to Chad that's still pretty spot on:
"You may benefit from adding an outboard compressor to your tracking set-up.
I would personally rely on compression, and/or strategic clip gain automation to balance out the difference.
If you're using UAD stuff, you can also track through their plugins using their unison technology, specifically a compressor on whatever channel you are recording through. This may be a more economical option if you don't want to buy a hardware compressor for recording."
I loved you video! I actually have the same gear as you- Shure SM7B mic and Apollo Twin interface. I have found that it requires a lot of gain, so hearing this in your video helped verify that for me! I will look into the Cloud Lifter, but in the meantime.. I need to record vocals this weekend. Do you recommend without the Cloud Lifter, just to turn up on the Apollo Twin? Are there any disadvantages to this?
Also, when levels of a song change over verse, chorus, etc, is it okay to record the song in pieces and adjust gain per section? Does this throw off mixers since it’s inconsistent, or help them, because they have a better signal for each part?
Yes I'd recommend if you don't have the Apollo Twin, you simply record at a louder volume - it's pretty much you're only option at that point.
And yes, it's totally okay to record the song in pieces and adjust gain per section if needed. Sometimes you can set the level and forget it for the rest of the song, other times it pays to be conscious of how loud/quiet you are and adjust the mic preamp to compensate for that as you go.
It shouldn't throw off a mixer - we're used to adjusting volume manually with automation and clip gain, or even using tools like compressors to even things out while mixing. You may even want to consider using a compressor yourself to avoid having to constantly adjust the preamp.
Hope this helps!
Very informational thank you very much but I was wondering what about the instrumental beat where should that be when recording vocals
Hey Cedrick - it will very much depend. I normally set my fader level to about -10db when recording but it could be louder or quieter depending on the track. If it's very dynamic, you may need it to be louder but if its really loud/limited, you may need the opposite. As long as the vocal cuts clearly on top - you'll be good. Hope this helps.
your my guy , you got a new sub da da da da dan do day ! thanks for the tips ! rock on
Thank you!!!
Great tutorial man thank you for sharing.
RUclips addiction
Thank YOU for watching!!!
Great video, tell me please if my RMS is -18db, but peaks can be -5 or even -3, is it ok? P.S i have bad noise isolation in my room and if i will lower my rec. level even more when i will compress vocals noises can be heard. I will appreciate your advice
-3 can be pretty high, especially considering you’ll be adding processing which will likely increase the overall level eventually. I’d focus on the levels I suggested in this video for peaks to avoid all issues.
If noise isolation is an issue, I’d consider either treating the room or investing in a less sensitive mic such as a shure sm7b. My room isn’t the greatest but that mic really has helped minimize issues. Hope this helps!!
5 piece spitting bars 😂😂 I love you man. Thanks for everything
Haha anytime my friend! 🙏🏼
Thanx man.. 💯
you're welcome!
So useful! Was wondering though, what mic stand type do you use? I found it hard to search such things in my country
I'm not sure exactly where you're located but this one on Amazon is cost effective and does the job - www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019NY2PKG/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B019NY2PKG&linkCode=as2&tag=5piece-20&linkId=f32eb08639dcb890b0024cd36c93d4ce
Im currently trying to record an acoustic and vocal only song and Im playing and singing at the same time. I have been recording way too low previously. My song is very dynamic with very soft arts and then some really loud strong parts. If I make the loudest parts to peak around -6 what are my options for the quiet parts? I have been getting in close to the mic and pulling way back while singing but there is still a huge gap. Is this where I just go through and splice the tracks and raise the clip gain on the soft parts to get closer or do I track with some compression and let the quiet parts get around -6 and squash the loud parts? Thanks for any help, im pretty new to this but having a blast. I should mention I'm using a Focusrite 2i2, Rhode Nt1a, and I have the slate everything bundle as far as plug ins.
You may benefit from adding an outboard compressor to your tracking set-up.
Otherwise, you have answered your own question just as good as I would have. I would personally rely on compression, and/or strategic clip gain automation to balance out the difference.
If you're using UAD stuff, you can also track through their plugins using their unison technology, specifically a compressor on whatever channel you are recording through. This may be a more economical option if you don't want to buy a hardware compressor for recording.
@@5piece Thank you for the reply. I have been getting better results with hitting the negative 6 during the tracking. I use the slate everything bundle mostly and have been using the virtual mix rack. I have often added compression on the track while singing. Is it not actually recording the compression with how I'm doing it? I'm a little confused with what you said about the UAD plugins and the unison technology. Does my slate plug ins not actually record what I'm hearing? I can see the orange line showing me how much the compressor is taking out but if I understand you correctly then my wave forms would show that they have been compressed and would look small to big and all be in similar size?
I'm not so familiar with the Slate plugins (although I've heard great things) so I can't say if they are recording and committing with them on. Just having a plug-in on the channel doesn't commit it to audio. You would be able to disable that plugin, and suddenly the track it was applied to will no longer be affected. Whereas if you record through it, or commit to it in some way, your track will permanently be affected whether or not the plugin is on/off.
I know UAD does this with their unison technology - however, you do have to switch a setting from "MON" to "REC" in the Console in order to enable this for UAD. This means I can record a vocal through a compressor in my console, and that vocal will be compressed coming in before it gets committed in Pro Tools (my DAW). Slate may require a similar functionality if you do want to have the compression permanently committed to the audio. I'm sure you can figure it out with some additional research on their website/manuals/tutorials. Overall, this isn't a huge deal. You can compress this way, or achieve a similar sound by compressing after recording during the mixing stage.
To answer your other question, if you are indeed recording with compression on, the waveforms should look more compressed. It will be hard to fully know without comparing to an uncompressed version of the same file (unless you're absolutely squashing it, in which case it would look like more like an "audio sausage"). This will greatly depend on the source material though. Hope this helps.
Hey I made the exact same template from your video and I was wandering on the vocal master is that where I would do eq and compression and deeessing or do I just mix each track separately on the vox tracks
I generally do a combination of both. More specific moves on individual tracks, and more broad strokes on the vocal master since you’re affecting everything that feeds that buss. The individual tracks is where you’ll be doing the heavy lifting though. Hope this helps!
The point of having a vocal bus is so you don’t have to do all of that tedious shit on the individual tracks.
@@blakeb8139 not true at all. If you’re only following the top down method of mixing, then yes, but that is really one mindset of mixing. I like to do it on all levels, where applicable, to have the most control of the elements.
There’s no right or wrong way here- it’s entirely subject and boils down to preference. Whatever sounds best at the end of the day is the answer.
@@5piece I Aprove this lesson- 5
Bro those bars were gas😂😂😂😂
years later, this freestyle still goes down in infamy hahahaha. Appreciate you!
Is there a way to have the mic simply take it, regarding the dynamics, without needing to think about it during recording?
Is there a plug-in in Apollo you’d recommend that’ll do that? Compressor? Limiter?
Hey DK! I answered this at greater length below Chad's comment but to give you the short and skinny....
Your best bet is to gain-stage your mic pre to an appropriate level at the start of your session, and track the audio into an outboard compressor before it's committed in your DAW.
Alternatively, you can use the UAD unison technology to record in with a compressor on your channel. I like using the LA-2A on mine. The key is to make sure you have the MON button enabled so it actually records the audio with the compression engaged on the way in. This way, the compressor will catch any loud excessive peaks and hopefully prevent them from clipping. This will still depend on how you set your mic/hi-z preamp in the first place, but should help you not need to think about levels as you're tracking. Hopefully this helps.
fire bars goat
I work in hip hip music. How much headroom would you leave for a rapper to add their vocals over a 2 track premaster (or with a 2 track should you master it with headroom for them? I know they could complain about levels once they get it but could also get frustrated with having no headroom/working backwards)
I generally set the volume fader of the beat down to anywhere between -7db and -10db. This obviously depends on the beat but assuming it’s loud and mastered, that should provide enough of a starting point. Use your ears and judgement of course, and you can always increase the headphone volume to compensate for things appearing too quiet to the artist. Hope this helps.
@@5piece i turn beat down lower than that so artist dont overly use vocals..i place limiter on master to raise hold song
Thanks for the help, I love your video! I would love to see a tutorial where you show how to connect the cloudlifter to the Twin Apollo interface and set up the correct setting for the Twin Apollo interface to record vocals. Every time I select phantom power, my line in display on the Twin Apollo turns off and I can't hear my vocals.. When I disconnect my cloudlifter and turn off phantom power and select input button , the line display reappears and then I can hear my vocals. What am I doing wrong? Please help!
Good question - I recall fumbling with this myself early on. Even though it would make sense to use the Line input, I actually have mine set to the Mic Input (My chain: Mic > XLR cable > CloudLifter > XLR cable > Apollo Twin Mic 1 Input). This allows the 48V to be accessible, and for whatever reason, allows vocals to be heard without issue. I believe that should help solve your problem. If not, you may want to contact UAD and get some more personalized support. Hope this helps!
@@5piece It worked! Your're right I was using the wrong input setup. I went based on their tutorial where there was no cloudlifter being used which caused my confusion. Also when I had it set as line input, it engaged the phantom power on the interface but never engaged in the software which is weird because I should not have to do both. When I changed settings to mic input, I didn't have to engage both it did automatically when I selected phantom power on the interface. Thank you so much for your hep! I'm looking forward to more for your videos.
@@butterflyj685 No problem! Glad you got it working
I've been trying to find out what's the lowest level that good, then adjust it to a nice peak level, maybe I'm working backwards.
HOW MUCH FOR THE INTRO BEAT?
Thanks 5 Piece! So always strive for that -6 db meter at your loudest because you can always raise the lower vocals in the mix?
No problem. Yes, I always try to preserve -6db of headroom. Sometimes it’s a bit louder and quieter since it’s difficult to have it be perfect but as long as you aren’t clipping and are maximizing loudness, you can always turn things up later in the mix. The issue is if you record it too quiet, when you turn it up, the noise floor (hiss/dead air) increases with it so you gotta play with it and find a sweet spot. What I described in the video is what I find to be my sweet spot. Hope this helps.
@@5piece Definitely did! Thank you! :)
Hi thank you for this... What bout the beat volume? Do you turn it down and to what level
I talk about that in this video: How To Set Vocal Levels When Mixing
ruclips.net/video/ekS4BiFtL2E/видео.html
Setting the beat is the first thing you do. It will depend on how loud the beat is mixed so there isn’t a “one size fits all” level here but check that video out for a breakdown on where it should be and how to think about it.
I find mine is typically set to -10 to -7 but it varies greatly.
@@5piece thanks a lot😊
Let me ask, so are you only monitoring with your Apollo? and using the template ? or recording from the Apollo along with your template?
When recording, I am recording through my Apollo preamps (and sometimes through the UAD Console for Unison tech like Neve 1073 etc) into my template in Pro Tools
@@5piece oh ok! Thanks for replying 💯🙏🏾
Thanks you
you're welcome!
I just bout equipment and I recorded my song last week. Then I sent it to be mixed and mastered. But the company could not mix it because it was still clipping. I am really new to recording at home. And I’ve never had quality equipment until now. So I’m going to try these techniques tomorrow. I searched all over RUclips and your video is the only video I found that gave great tips for this issue. Thanks again
@@nettetisha6354 awesome! I hope these tips helped. Definitely need to make sure you have headroom for mixing - that's arguably the most important aspect
I believe it is better to be around -18 and peak at max -12 to -9 i get the best results at this setup with natural voice and lower noise floor but thanks for the tutorial it was helpful
Many variables for sure - this isn't meant to be the only way or the "law" in any sort of way. Just what I found to work best in my set up so I can help others like you. Folks in louder rooms or with more sensitive mics may want to back off the gain for sure. As long as there is headroom, we are golden. Thank you for your comment !
❤❤
Do you monitor thru Pro Tools or the apollo console. ??
Pro Tools
5piece so you “mute” the console and lower the buffer in pro tools ?
@@ernieg Yup - you got it. I mute the UAD console to prevent any phasing during play-back, and I keep my buffer size low while recording to avoid latency problems. I will up the buffer size when finished recording and entering mixing/mastering/listening back.
I was going to say that I no longer have to use a cloudlifter on my Sm7b after upgrading my interface from a focusrite 4i4 to an Apollo Twin, but then you mentioned that you use an Apollo Twin. If you use a cloudlifter, it negates some of the benefits of the Unison preamp plug-ins.
Thanks for the comment. Everyone certainly has their preference. I still use the SM7B + CloudLifter + UA Apollo and am unsure of what you mean by it negates the benefits of unison technology.
The CloudLifter simply adds clean gain to a signal, which is important since a Shure SM7B isn't a sensitive mic and requires at least 60-70db of gain to even be audible. For example, without the CloudLifter, I need to have my preamp set to almost the maximum level possible. With the CloudLifter in the chain, I can set the mic level to 25-40% of the way there and achieve more volume than without the CL, while still utilizing the Unison preamp stuff for character.
I'm curious to hear what was negated by using the CL - it should really just make it louder and not undo anything the unison tech provides.
@@5piece The cloudlifter removes the impedance loading, so the Unison preamp won’t impedance match the Sm7b and react accordingly. This also means the Mic Z setting will make no noticeable difference. I typically use my Sm7b directly into my Apollo twin through the neve 1073 unison plugin with gain set to about 55-60 and the drive slider raised between 0 and 5, and put an LA-2A as an insert to make up any needed additional gain while softening the transients. This has worked well for me for really dynamic vocal styles similar to Devin Townsend, and I haven’t noticed much noise introduced compared to when I used the cloudlifter. I also prefer the sound I get through this method, at least for my vocals
It's almost as if there's different ways to get good vocals or something
i'm confused about wtf is two different measurements on the volume meter at WHAT -6 there's 2 of them? help plz!
is one measurement on the left input and the right is output?
From what I understand, the numbers next to the meter (right side) are the level of the track in dBFS. The numbers on the left side, next to the fader, are the amount of added or subtracted gain applied by the fader. This is similar to how it appears on consoles. Basically one is the actual volume of the track (right), the other is to show you adding/reducing volume on the track via the fader (left). Hopefully this makes sense.
@@5piece oh ok i understand im using logic so
I feel like if I record at -6 my noise floor is still HECK, I made a booth and stay in a hotel, but between the cheap door and mariachi band outside there is nooooo way to get peace. Imma try n put more blankets around the door, windows...any tips for the noise floor problems? I think its clipping
Super situational so hard to fully say. I would advise if you're in a noisy environment, you get a mic that is more conducive to that such as a dynamic mic with a hyper directional polar pattern. This can help avoid bleed from other sources outside of your control. I personally use the Share SM7B.
Also watching your gain on your mic pre will be important. Too high may lead to clipping, but too low will lead to an increase in the noise floor when you turn the track up later as mentioned in the video so you need to play with these settings based on your gear, room and presence on the mic.
Other than that, not much you can do except for try to isolate yourself as you sound like you're trying to do with the blankets, and/or find a less noisy environment. Good luck!
@@5piece Got it, thanks. Also do you know if parallel compression will help with clipping?
Try a noise gate plugin
You need a noise gate
Barz!!
haha
@@5piece 😀😀😀 keep going bro!
my mans got bars 😂 good shit though fr fr. very helpful
thank you man!!! Working on the bars haha. Super happy to help!
RUclips is addiction lol
Here's a link to my music. You can use my songs and/or vocals for any projects or to use as examples in your videos. U can edit them or whatever u feel.
koji.to/LaDon_
RUclips addiction
How do you get to the second view you clicked to ?
I'm using quick keys usually, in this case holding Command (on Mac) then pressing "=" (equals sign) with command still held. You can toggle between both windows easily using this quick key.
Another option is to manually go to the top menu in Pro Tools and click Window>Mix or Window>Edit depending on what configuration you're trying to look at.
Do you seriously record vocals in stereo
I'm not sure why you think that as all of my vocal recording tracks (red + pink) in the session are mono - notice how they're only one channel as opposed to two. The only tracks that are stereo are the auxiliary tracks in the session, such as FX, masters, etc.
If you want more information on the template used in this video, watch my other one here which will explain this all better: ruclips.net/video/X0VChcTbB8I/видео.html
Why didn't you tell em to use compression???
Because this is a video about setting levels, not using compression. I have plenty of other videos all about compression for those who want it
I'm getting kinda loud... Kinda loud ... Kinda loud!!!...🎵
You know it
I was hoping for setting up threshold, attack, gain etc…for uneven music and voice. A lot of unnecessary of information here. Most people here know having headroom to avoid clipping.
Why would you expect I speak about any of that stuff when the video clearly says it’s about HOW TO SET LEVELS FOR RECORDING with a picture of a preamp? Contrary to what you think, many people - beginners especially - don’t know this stuff. You do which is great, but that doesn’t mean other people can’t be helped with more intro-level topics which is exactly what this video is. If you want compression videos, including what you said you were expecting from this one, here’s a whole playlist I have that should with videos that will cover it: ruclips.net/p/PLaysvZXr6sdUDFYvw3TuXMG_WuRrfUMj9
Definitely useful. However, it could easily have been put in two minutes or less.
If I did that, you wouldn't be able to hear my amazing bars in the video ;-) Thank you for watching and for your comment, will keep it in mind for future videos.
RUclips is addiction lol