Recording Vocals the Right Way - Setting the Compressor

The full course is available on udemy: www.udemy.com/recording-vocal...
In this video we cover how to set your compressor when recording vocals, as well as some common controls found on compressors.
This is just one video from our online course titled "Recording Vocals the Right Way." Please click the link above to find out more information about this course, and to see more sample videos.

Пікірлер: 89

  • @blackusniggus6249
    @blackusniggus62495 жыл бұрын

    I didn’t know Jimmy Fallon was an audio engineer!!! Great video

  • @ChadWork1

    @ChadWork1

    4 жыл бұрын

    I was about to post the same thing.

  • @PapaRainYT

    @PapaRainYT

    3 жыл бұрын

    Okay it wasn't just me

  • @theheilious
    @theheilious6 жыл бұрын

    Yeah, that's pretty much it! Another thing to keep in mind about compression in general is that it is sometimes better to add another compressor to the chain to shave off another 3dB for an especially dynamic vocalist rather than pushing one compressor to -6dB or more of gain reduction. The results make for smoother transitions between the transients as you are just shaving the tops off the louder peaks of amplitude and not hacking the top off of the envelope in one blow. That was a Roger Nichols trick. I had an Opera singer that was especially useful on. it took 3 compressors in the signal chain to 'tame' her but it was pretty 'invisible' and still pleasingly dynamic. Great vid series guys!

  • @chrisw5742

    @chrisw5742

    4 жыл бұрын

    Wow I never thought of that. I gotta go get me a bunch of compressors now. hmmm I have a Tascam DP 03SD and maybe I could record my vocals tracks and export the tracks as wav files and compress in Reaper with multiple compressor plugins chained?

  • @johnforrestal

    @johnforrestal

    4 жыл бұрын

    This is an awesome trick. I'm mixing an album of historical piano and a male castrato singer, and he has a very wide dynamic range. So far I've just automated volume and have been "riding the faders", but this is a great idea.... I'm going to give this a shot, thanks!

  • @venometstue9586

    @venometstue9586

    3 жыл бұрын

    Dope

  • @iqi616
    @iqi6164 жыл бұрын

    Good plain language explanation guys. Too many people are frightened to use compression on the way in. A well-set compressor saves a bunch of time mixing and is even more handy with digital because there's no tape compression like we used to have.

  • @RolyGuacamole
    @RolyGuacamole4 жыл бұрын

    this dude is the best!!! Best Supi I had at school and also one of the best engineers I've heard. Don't sleep on Matt!

  • @dexterphillips9212
    @dexterphillips92126 жыл бұрын

    Great jobs guys, I have had the privilege to study and work with these guys they are real professionals. 1Nation!

  • @andrewtmusic
    @andrewtmusic5 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for the tips. And also great vocals.

  • @katuposengujama1360
    @katuposengujama13603 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for taking your time for us to archive o jobs goal. Much love from Namibia

  • @americangoldking
    @americangoldking Жыл бұрын

    Great Vocal sound and clarity

  • @RachelAnaDobken
    @RachelAnaDobken2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you. This is wildly helpful and straightforward.

  • @Iigotproduct
    @Iigotproduct7 жыл бұрын

    Two of the best!

  • @teashea1
    @teashea12 жыл бұрын

    Good, useful video. Well done. Articulate and organized.

  • @spyconvention2787
    @spyconvention27877 жыл бұрын

    Great song, love the melody and her voice. Great tutorial btw.

  • @bboymac84
    @bboymac845 жыл бұрын

    I like your videos very easy to follow!

  • @harveybrown6409
    @harveybrown6409 Жыл бұрын

    Loving this info guys you are on point!

  • @DiegoRocca
    @DiegoRocca6 жыл бұрын

    What a voice

  • @irpacynot
    @irpacynot Жыл бұрын

    Great video, guys. Thank you.

  • @Azzlad
    @Azzlad6 жыл бұрын

    She has a sweet tone to her voice.

  • @enape42
    @enape42 Жыл бұрын

    Great video, and her voice is great 👍🏽

  • @dannyharpermusic
    @dannyharpermusic10 ай бұрын

    Thanks for this video!

  • @xchump
    @xchump5 жыл бұрын

    great singer

  • @raffyajaaja1122
    @raffyajaaja11222 жыл бұрын

    Beautiful voice

  • @shedricksutton4097
    @shedricksutton40976 жыл бұрын

    I like the artist. Nice voice. Good video. I should have been taking notes but will go back and do so. :)

  • @1ceibaarima
    @1ceibaarima6 жыл бұрын

    Great lesson on the gear. Who was the artist, she sounded great?

  • @pluckthestrings5699
    @pluckthestrings56994 жыл бұрын

    Man do you have a mixing tutorial for this acoustic? I like on how you mix the acoustic dude

  • @ehdr1872
    @ehdr18724 жыл бұрын

    thx so much.

  • @Furybeatsgme
    @Furybeatsgme6 жыл бұрын

    WASSSUP MATT!!! GREAT TEACHER!!

  • @b29237
    @b292376 жыл бұрын

    nice song

  • @futurebeats898
    @futurebeats8984 жыл бұрын

    Whats the vocal reverb ? sounds nicee

  • @QLFProductions
    @QLFProductions4 жыл бұрын

    It's 2020 and I so very much appreciate this video because I'm analog compressing. I want to know what are your thoughts on having the artist sing the loudest part of the song only (chorus or bridge) and set that way? That's the way I've been doing it. Am I missing something?

  • @MattHayes

    @MattHayes

    4 жыл бұрын

    You got a pretty good process imo. The loudest part is where the compressor will be hit the hardest so that makes sense. I usually have them run through the hook/chorus when setting levels because I've found that's usually where they sing the hardest.

  • @QLFProductions

    @QLFProductions

    4 жыл бұрын

    Matt Hayes thanks for taking your time to respond

  • @thepick5663
    @thepick566311 ай бұрын

    It sounds like a compressor controls the peaks, but does it also raise the quieter parts?

  • @nobodymusiq8925
    @nobodymusiq8925 Жыл бұрын

    if i have a focusrite can i track like that with a plugin

  • @gunluv96
    @gunluv965 жыл бұрын

    Greetings, this is an amazing video. I just added a disstressor to my vocal chain send wasr looking for a good video that shows how to track using it. That being said I was wondering do you ever track with your settings in the opto range to add that la2a/la3a sound? Lastly if you track with Just 2 to 1 compression some would ask why comp on the way in at all. What's your view on that?

  • @MattHayes

    @MattHayes

    5 жыл бұрын

    Yeah, I like the opto setting sometimes for the Distressor. It's got a bit more of a vintage sound than the electro. As far as the ratio setting, I think most vocals sound better when compressed with a lower ratio. If you go too high then the compressor gets more aggressive and you can hear it pumping. That can work well if you have an aggressive singer, but most of the time I prefer a lower ratio.

  • @gunluv96

    @gunluv96

    5 жыл бұрын

    @@MattHayes thanks for the speedy response. I am getting use to my distressor still. I was looking at buying a la2a and running it in series to get an amazing vocal chain setup for tracking and mixing if needed. What are your thoughts?

  • @nogoogleplus
    @nogoogleplus6 жыл бұрын

    Surprised you dialed that in with the Verb on her, I always want to here it dry when setting levels/comps

  • @nuuclearrecords6456
    @nuuclearrecords64562 жыл бұрын

    how much did you set the release nob

  • @NowOrNeverRecords
    @NowOrNeverRecords6 жыл бұрын

    @matt hayes - Who's the singer? Trudy what? Her voice is beautiful!

  • @MattHayes

    @MattHayes

    6 жыл бұрын

    She goes by Alex Tru

  • @jonathanwilliams7839
    @jonathanwilliams78393 жыл бұрын

    how do you bypass a La-2a?

  • @billyvalentine4365
    @billyvalentine436510 ай бұрын

    Jimble Kimble

  • @derrickchapman7283
    @derrickchapman72836 жыл бұрын

    How can i hook up my presonous channelstrip to my dbxa compressor to my art pro compressor to my 2i2 audio interface

  • @MattHayes

    @MattHayes

    6 жыл бұрын

    mic in to presonus - line out of presonus to line in of dbx - line out of dbx to line in of art - line out of art to line in of 2i2

  • @etown1002
    @etown10026 жыл бұрын

    My Fav Engineers Brother Matt wats up the word.

  • @chefboyarz1461
    @chefboyarz14612 жыл бұрын

    Hello I have a compressor unit and I would like to add a slight amount of compression for control and to stop clipping. It has 3 knobs threshold, compression ratio and output gain. What would you set it to?

  • @ronaldperry5007

    @ronaldperry5007

    Жыл бұрын

    2:1 ratio -3db of gain reduction using the threshold and bypass bacc & forth to get your volume bacc with the gain

  • @hkr4life
    @hkr4life4 жыл бұрын

    hi guys, my question is: do i need to eq the vocal during the recording or after? i use the avalon 737

  • @hkr4life

    @hkr4life

    4 жыл бұрын

    i forgot to mention my hardware: u87ai, 2 distressor el8x, ssl g-compressor. do i need patchbay for vocal chain?

  • @iqi616

    @iqi616

    4 жыл бұрын

    I would say "it depends". When I record my bass or my sax I use EQ on the way in. There's also the issue that some precautionary EQ might be needed ahead of the compressor. The processing on the way in is to get the recording in the ballpark to save time in the mix.

  • @MariusVideoOfficial
    @MariusVideoOfficial5 жыл бұрын

    Then you think that is best to record the voice tracks using an hardware compressor and not to use the digital plugin on a wet track ond the daw?

  • @MattHayes

    @MattHayes

    5 жыл бұрын

    The hardware compressor affects what is recorded, whereas a wet track in a DAW would only affect the sound after it has been recorded. If you're confident with your settings, then adding compression pre-tape can save you a good bit of work in post-production.

  • @jameswest6410
    @jameswest64106 жыл бұрын

    I see you also have a LA2A ....how does it compare to the Distressor? Very informative video. Thanks

  • @MattHayes

    @MattHayes

    6 жыл бұрын

    The LA2A is a great compressor! But it tends to be less forgiving if the singer suddenly gets loud. It has an audible pumping if you hit it hard.

  • @Jeff-Fox

    @Jeff-Fox

    6 жыл бұрын

    You are absolutely right, I get shouty a lot and the LA2A makes it kind of "grainy" quickly if I push a note.

  • @Jeff-Fox

    @Jeff-Fox

    6 жыл бұрын

    I would use the LA2A more for voice overs I think, more than for singing.

  • @MichaelHill-py6wg
    @MichaelHill-py6wg6 жыл бұрын

    What mic are you using

  • @MattHayes

    @MattHayes

    6 жыл бұрын

    Sterling ST-69. In the full course we do a shootout of 4 different microphones so you can hear how it compares to some other popular models

  • @minstrelofMir
    @minstrelofMir5 жыл бұрын

    here we are with perfect recording these days ,,and everyone swashes it with compression,,,me and the great Alan parsons hate it..i started recording in the 80"s got my first 4 track in 88,,maybe im just too old school

  • @iqi616

    @iqi616

    4 жыл бұрын

    Remember though we used to have tape compression available as a first pass of compression that digital doesn't have.

  • @carlmclean9304
    @carlmclean93046 жыл бұрын

    Why not just use level automation in post? (Audio engineer in training here btw)

  • @MattHayes

    @MattHayes

    6 жыл бұрын

    imo... 2 main reasons: 1) It saves you a lot of time during the mix, and 2) compressors can add some nice flavor that automation doesn't

  • @iqi616

    @iqi616

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@MattHayes exactly

  • @joebuckley9181
    @joebuckley91812 жыл бұрын

    Around the 3:03 mark of the video, the input knob moves by itself, I think you have a ghost helping or hurt you?

  • @leroycoj
    @leroycoj5 жыл бұрын

    That gate ahaha

  • @aztrogezzy
    @aztrogezzy6 жыл бұрын

    Hate the echo reverb sound. How do i remove that.

  • @MattHayes

    @MattHayes

    6 жыл бұрын

    It's being added with a plugin. It's not a part of the actual recording

  • @douglascarneau5454
    @douglascarneau54546 жыл бұрын

    Yes explain the signal killing knobs, yes we just got to have them.

  • @SteelinDan

    @SteelinDan

    5 жыл бұрын

    Douglas Carneau shut up

  • @jameswallace5967
    @jameswallace59674 жыл бұрын

    Wow....thats a ton of reverb on her voice! It's a little distracting to me anyway. I hope that isn't going to tape.

  • @KeenApollo

    @KeenApollo

    4 жыл бұрын

    James Wallace Na it was a plug-in they said it in the preamp video

  • @andyvoice3612
    @andyvoice36126 жыл бұрын

    :) very nice voice lady

  • @douglascarneau5454
    @douglascarneau54546 жыл бұрын

    Some of the best recordings were done with limited equipment like Jazz at the Pawnshop or when Buddy Holly did some of his own recording at his house as demonstrated on the 3 disc set that you can buy now...Point is the fact that these guys think you need to screw with the signal so much is why we get lousy recordings...Think about it that is why they keep remastering it going back to the master tape that hopefully has the least amount of screwing with the signal...I just recently bought Elvis Close Up and on some of those, even though they are old ,, well they sound like you are there...

  • @SteelinDan

    @SteelinDan

    5 жыл бұрын

    Douglas Carneau shut up

  • @MB-ry6ez
    @MB-ry6ez5 жыл бұрын

    Singer girl is hot :P btw good tutorial thanks guys

  • @RICHFOW
    @RICHFOW3 жыл бұрын

    Is that jimmy Fallon?

  • @CareerDropout.
    @CareerDropout.5 жыл бұрын

    Why are her vocals smothered in verb

  • @MattHayes

    @MattHayes

    5 жыл бұрын

    Many vocalists like to hear a lot of reverb and/or delay when recording. As the engineer I want to give the artist whatever they need in order to be comfortable and perform their best. She likes to hear a lot of reverb when recording.

  • @xchump

    @xchump

    5 жыл бұрын

    yeah nice video but way too much reverb. would've been better to feed the verb to her but keep the recording pretty much dry. it would've made it easier to focus on the compression.

  • @truckdriver8310
    @truckdriver83109 күн бұрын

    She need autotune