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About Kyle Aylor
Expertise
U.S. View Profile I can answer in-depth technical and creative questions regarding studio/home recording and mastering. Questions to me should limited to these areas.

Experience
I owned and operated a recording studio for 7 years and currently own a digital mastering and duplication facility.

Organizations
National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences

Education/Credentials
Bachelor's degree in Business Management

Past/Present Clients
One Less Reason, Jerry Lee Lewis, Joan Red, Scott Sudbury, SoundRight Productions, Avari Williams, James Burton, Mr. Del, Skinny Pimp, Ty Oliver, Jean-Michel Danton, Canton Jones, Justin Posey, Epoch of Unlight, Kurt Clayton, EZ Rock, Otis Redding III, True, Cool Ace, Al Gamble, Will Graves, Da Ladie, Mea Culpa, Tommy Wright III, A440, Clayton May, Mickey Utley, Holy South, John Williams, B.B. Cunningham...

You are here: Experts > Computing/Technology > Home Recording > Home Recording > mixing & mastering

Home Recording - mixing & mastering

Expert: Kyle Aylor - 11/5/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi!
Im a singer/songwriter/ rapper and im trying to help my music sound at least a little bit professional. Its very hard I use vocal compression, eq(add a little bass and take out some mid) my voice. I also use gate but for some reason it just doesn't sound right??? If you could please go to my music page at www.myspace.com/cardiemusic you could see what im talking about and further help me.

Thx ALOT

ANSWER: Deirell,
I listened to a few of your tracks and I do hear what you are talking about. The vocals are little loud in the mix, they sound uncontrolled and they have a "horn like" sound to them. Let me ask some questions before I answer your questions.
1. What type of mic are you using?
2. Are you recording directly to a computer or are you using an audio interface?
3. Do use a seperate mixer or a computer based one?
4. Where are you placing your mic when you record?
5. Are you using an external compressor or a computer based one?
6. Now, what sounds like the main problem. What are your compression settings? Threshold, ratio, attack, release and output?
These should help me fix your issues.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for replying so prompt and taking the time to listen im recording in a walk in closet at my home and im using a Samson C03U condenser mic. Everything is ran through the computer the mic is directly ran into the computer and the mixing is computer based, everything is computer based all im using is a mic and computer im currently recording on Acid Pro 7.0.

These are my compression settings..
A preset of 2:1 compression starting at -18dB
Output and input gain(dB) at 0
Threshold(dB) -10.0
Amount(x:1) 2.0
Attack(ms) 5
Release(ms) 50

I really appreciate you helping me thank you soooo much

Answer
No problem. Let's start at the beginning and forgive me if I have to ask more questions as we go.
The end result of a recording is only as good as it's weakest link. Your mic is fine. Make sure you are using the cardioid setting. Experiment with mic placement. The slightest movements can make a really big difference. Singing directly into the diaphragm can sometimes make it flutter so a slight downward angle usually works better for me. Also, if possible, don't sing against a flat wall. Building a vocal corner tends to work better. Pad up a corner as heavily as possible and sing directly into it, playing with its distance from the corner.
I am not a fan of recording directly to a computer. I think you a more natural sound if you can invest in a mid-high quality mic, a mic pre, an outboard compressor, and an audio interface, but I do also understand monetary constraints do not always allow for this.
Compression is one of the most misunderstood aspects of recording and it totally depends on the individual vocalist. Just remember, you can add it, but you can't take it away. I normally compress in stages. A little at recording then a little at mixdown seem to work best for me. What I noticed in your recordings is the vocal is not under control. It doesn't really "fit" in the track. The track is steady, but the vocal is not. That should be your goal. Try a little more, 3:1 or 4:1 and adjust your threshhold as you go. -10 is a good place to start though. Don't get me wrong 2:1 may be a good place to start, but you probably need more at mixdown.
The hornlike quality I'm hearing sounds like a midrange issue around 1k-2.5k probably. Be careful adding much around there. If you have the optimum setup and compression settings, you will probably need very few, if any EQ adjustments.
Your original question was titled mixing and mastering. Mastering your own material is something I highly discourage and not because I am a mastering engineer. The reason is a second set of ears is very important to achieving the maximum final results. If you would like to hear examples of this see my myspace at www.myspace.com/riverwalkmultimedia. Hope all this helps. Let me know how it turns out and feel free to ask any other questions along the way.

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