Post your favorite recording tricks here!

Hi everyone,

Just thought it would be fun to hear what everyone's favorite recording tricks are!

Here's some of mine, although they aren't too innovative:

Doubling up on vocal/guitar/shaker tracks. When i'm recording people or myself, I find it always sounds almost beatlesque to record people. The trick is, make sure they are playing/singing the same notes and rhythm. Some variation is good but it sounds so fresh.

Reverse ghost effect. A typical effect used in bands such as Tool (I don't personally like them). Simply done by reversing a wav, then adding reverb or echo effects, then reversing the wav back. I find this tool can be used in many different areas.

Space effect loop- Echo with high feedback - you can get a very spacey sound by extending even a second clip of something and applying an echo many times, and then using dynamic EQ to make early-pinkfloyd/radiohead "ok computer" type space sounds.

Harmonic Underwater/Space Effect - adding multiple reverbs with very high amounts of sustain, and bringing in minimal chorus, will bring out choirs of harmonics, sending notes into a blurry haze of blissful notes. If you keep plodding down these effects, it will sound like an oceanic field of whales/angels singing.

Spacial reverb/compression (for use on guitar mostly)- Taking each side (left/right) and individually applying reverb to create an ethereal, early-U2-ish guitar sound.

"Motown" compression exciter- check out this link http://www.recordinginstitute.com/R2KREQ/excomp.htm.

Please add your favorite effects or tricks here!

Take a read at the RecordingInstitute site and pay attention to what it talks about at the bottom.  

Deadringer method for what we now can easily do in CE/Audition : frequency band splitting.

 

... and in Ozone, for that matter.

Doubling up on vocal/guitar/shaker tracks. When i'm recording people or myself, I find it always sounds almost beatlesque to record people. The trick is, make sure they are playing/singing the same notes and rhythm. Some variation is good but it sounds so fresh.

I find I get better results if I don't hear the previous take.  If I'm hearing the previous take, then I'm too conscious of it and trying to match it.  It sounds a lot more natural when I just sing two different takes and combine them, although there is then a greater chance that some things will be too far off to be useable for a doubling effect.

Reverse ghost effect. A typical effect used in bands such as Tool (I don't personally like them). Simply done by reversing a wav, then adding reverb or echo effects, then reversing the wav back. I find this tool can be used in many different areas.

That reverse ghost is my favorite, and I've used it a couple times now, as in the chorus of this song - http://www.endresnet.com/Monster.mp3

I had some fun with the intro for a track using the dynamic EQ.  There is a laid back intro that kicks into a heavy reggae part, so during the intro the dynamic EQ swirls between different frequencies and then approaches flat line just as the heavier part kicks in, at which point there is no effect and the song continues as normal. It's a nice way to introduce the song, and something I'd have never thought to do until getting CEP.

And a conservative dose of the Ice Cream Truck preset (in Scientific Filters, I think?) can bring out some interesting bell effects when used on acoustic guitar parts.

My favorite "method" is to take low-end out of crap that doesn't need low-end.

post78 Posted:
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My favorite "method" is to take low-end out of crap that doesn't need low-end.

Sounds like some kinda "fairy dust".  I think all my material could benefit from this strange wisdom.  How much you charge?

 

I like to double vocals and pan them left and right. This is good rock metal, or possibly rock vocals. I usually do this if the vocals sound too bland with only one track.

I also enjoy doubling up guitars. If the band has 2 guitar players, they each do their track twice. I notice this gives the guitar a nice tone. And if the guitarist done somethin a little diff with each track, it sounds cool.

i actually took a tip from voodoo that he posted way back on the other board.   when mixing vocals for a chorus, i use 5 copies of the vocal.  pan them, add a little delay (0, .023, .028, .051), make the last track 100% wet reverb, play with the volumes a little, and voila!

twright Posted:
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i actually took a tip from voodoo that he posted way back on the other board.

I'm elated to see that someone was paying attention in class that day!

 

whoa so thats how you make choir's sound so fresh?
i got to try that!

RonC

It's actually an rather old technique that alot of engineers used in the 80's "hair band" days.  Mutt Lange used it quite a bit.

 

post more tips please?

RonC

Here's the vocal process in a little more detail;  Make 4 "unique" copies of your vocal track. Keep the original dry and panned @ -5 of center. Put a 28ms delay on one of the copies and pan it opposite @ +5. Put a 23ms delay on another "copy" and pan full left, with a 15ms delay on a copy panned full right. Now put a reverb on the remaining copy track and leave it in the center. Play around with the volumes on all tracks to build a vocal that is even across the mix. The different delays (while not extremely long) will fatten up the vocal and alot of times help with keeping them legible.

 

Sounds like some kinda "fairy dust". I think all my material could benefit from this strange wisdom. How much you charge?

Mmm, sarcasm... Yummy...  

Thanks rpc9943  

The Motown 1960's Exciting Compressor article made interesting reading. Like with so many things these days, there is an "Exciter" filter in the Sequoia software .. is there something like this in Audition?

Also, there are a number of "Mastering" plugins these days that, to my ears anyway, do a pretty god job of exciting things. I'm not an engineer, I'm a lowly radio 'Voice', so forgive my ignorance in the differences between an exciter and a mastering plugin, hehe. (I only hang around engineers 'cause I have a very curious mind)  

In fact, please see: http://audiomastersforum.net/amforum/viewtopic.php?t=1149

[quote:a295085611]Space effect loop- Echo with high feedback - you can get a very spacey sound by extending even a second clip of something and applying an echo many times, and then using dynamic EQ to make early pinkfloyd/radiohead "ok computer" type space sounds. [/quote:a295085611] I do this with multitap- extend the highlighted area past the wav to be reverbed so the "multitap" effect covers the chosen part of the wav and distance equal up to the wav itself. Example: the end of a guitar lick multitapped into spacy distance receeding into darkness w/ a slightly bright unyeilding edge... Record bass twice. Parametrically EQ differently. Pan -24 / -5 using different volumes. To get a Walking on Water Vocal Effect w/reverb: Take vocals (lead and backing) and mixdown to a mono file. Run this file out of digital through an analog lexicon delay (Alex) using #15 "echo" settings 5 decay / 9 delay / 5 FX Level. Record the wet track back into Audition. Using pan, volume, and wet / dry track balance - you get the delay on vocals giving a presence to the mix which stays right in your face at the same time. Recording acoustic guitar: use two different mics - a condenser on the neck about 12" off the frets, and a dynamic off the body at an angle. ParametricallyEQ , graphically EQ differently. Use pan, volume to add haunting guitar. Use a Telefunken V76 mic pre. The sound says it all.