"Sleeping in the Middle" original song

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  [Deleted User] Posts: 2,111

  March 2018

  The song as a whole I liked. It's different in a good way, and you have a good sound to your voice
  
  Your voice is great sounding but was a little pitchy. Other than that no problems with the vocals, but to me it seemed like there was something missing in the mix like it just needed that one thing. Also watch those mid frequencies, they seem kind of high.
  
  Do you ever try compressing/limiting the final mix?
  
  Peace, Tony

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  highmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,357

  March 2018

  Nice song, @KaiEllis !
  It's your best demo, to boot!
  
  Bob

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  KaiEllis Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 215

  March 2018

  Thank you @highmtn !
  
  @videoace Thank you! I'm still figuring out compression, limiting, eq, all that. I was dialing all of the production up waaaaaay too high, way over compressing and limiting all the frequencies. You got any tips for finding the sweet spot?

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  [Deleted User] Posts: 2,111

  March 2018

  What I usually do when dialing up effects is to bring them up just enough to notice they are there, and then turn it down just a hair.
  For compression I look at it this way: You're taking a 3 dimensional sound, and flattening (squeezing) it into a two dimensional sound.
  It's like when you take a picture, and print it on a flat piece of paper. The depth is still in the picture, but its completely flat. You don't want to over compress which is easy to do.
  
  Limiting is setting a threshold for the signal. Once you set the threshold, no matter how much gain is added, it will still not go past that threshold.
  
  A good way to tell if you're over compressing is to play a chord on the guitar, and let it sustain until you can't hear it anymore. Play the track back, and if the signal cuts off before the guitar finishes fading out. It's too much. Once you get used to using it with your sound. It's very quick, and easy to throw in.
  
  Are you compressing during the recording itself, or throwing it on the track afterwards?

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  KaiEllis Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 215

  March 2018

  @videoace Dude your descriptions, especially the way you use pictures and analogies. SO helpful. Thank you!
  
  I'm recording everything as dry and clean as possible, then adding anything like compression in post. That way if I get it wrong... I can just start over haha
  
  The only thing I'm not trying to learn is pitch correction. I fiddled with Melodyne for about ten minutes. Maybe I'm just spoiled by KTVA, but listening to the vocals get fixed versus just getting it right in the first place made me nauseous.

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  [Deleted User] Posts: 2,111

  March 2018

  @KaiEllis
  Yeah, I don't mess with pitch correction or timing correction on my recordings. The better it sounds naturally, the less enhancement effects I need to use which makes for a much more clear recording all the way around. Not to mention it has more emotion/feeling to it than a perfectly quantized recording.
  Plus as you mentioned, if its a dry track, you won't ruin a good take by adding too much effect during the recording itself.
  
  The only reasons to use EQ, and effects is to alter natural sound. Nothing more.
  
  Peace.

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  KaiEllis Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 215

  March 2018

  @videoace So cool hearing how you approach the production side of things. Thanks for your help!!

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