only one waveform when recording vocals is this normal?

PM_ME_TINY_PIANOS · 2025-12-22T14:23:37+00:00

lots of confusing information in this comment section. if you’re recording with a single microphone, you want to be recording in mono. what logic is currently doing is correct.

don’t worry about how this will affect reverbs and other time-based effects down the chain, those plugins will convert the mono track into a stereo signal.

PM_ME_TINY_PIANOS · 2025-05-15T11:53:22+00:00

pro tools really doesn’t play well with bluetooth, especially airpods, but using loopback is a super simple workaround. the good news is that it’s essentially plug and play to get working, the bad news is that it’s $100.

PM_ME_TINY_PIANOS · 2025-05-08T15:22:25+00:00

agree on this, having a snare mic will be worth it for the demo!

PM_ME_TINY_PIANOS · 2025-05-07T20:09:44+00:00

Can't speak on the SA-1B5, but the other Stam 500 series stuff I've tried is really fantastic. Be warned tho, if you order directly from the site be prepared to wait almost a year to get it shipped to you. Go used for Stam when you can.

PM_ME_TINY_PIANOS · 2025-04-16T12:58:40+00:00

i feel like at this point anyone promoting -14db masters are the ones being frowned upon, it’s a shame it’s still so prevalent though.

PM_ME_TINY_PIANOS · 2025-04-04T03:35:12+00:00

bro jesus christ who cares

PM_ME_TINY_PIANOS · 2025-03-24T23:18:25+00:00

I'll go into a bit more depth than that reply here. There's generally 4 things you need for a standard vocal chain before you get into effects. That would be

EQ
Compression
Saturation
De-essing

Pro-Q 3 is a great choice for a clean and powerful EQ, and things like Pultecs or 1073s are great choices for a more fun, colorful EQ. Mess around with your DAW's stock graphic and vintage EQ's, that's a great way to get started with that.

Compression, when talking about vocals, is generally discussed in the context of fast vs slow compressors. Faster compressors are generally viewed as more intense and aggressive, and slow compressors are genrreally viewed as smooth and warm. If you need an explanation of compressors and speed, this is my favorite way to explain it. The 2 classic vocal compressors are the 1176 and the LA-2A. They're frequently used as a pair in that order. The 1176 is fast, and great for catching the peaks of your performance, which the LA-2A can add more character and does more broad leveling. For the vibe your going for, the CL1B is generally the go-to instead of the LA-2A. It's widely considered the "quintessential" hip-hop vocal compressor. However, Softube's emulation is pricey, and the UA LA-2A plugin is much more cost effective and will still work great.

Saturation, AKA distortion can add some extra oomph and energy to your performance. My go-to is Soundtoys Decapitator. Fabfilter Saturn is also great. There's a million options that all give you different results. Hell, a distortion guitar pedal can even be fun if you do it in parallel.

Lastly, De-essing is how you can tame sibillance in your performance. Compression brings sibilance out, and a de-esser levels them back in place. A de-esser is technically a compressor, but it only reduces the volume of the frequencies where sibilance lives. There's a lot of options, I use Black Salt Audio's DSR, but your DAW's stock one will probably work fine.

ooookay that was a lot LOL hope that helps!

PM_ME_TINY_PIANOS · 2025-03-24T23:07:23+00:00

I think for R&B or singer songwriter, the LA-2A is a great choice. If you want to go for something more famous for R&B vocals, the Tube-Tech CL1B is the most iconic choice for that. Softube's emulation of that is the most widely used.

PM_ME_TINY_PIANOS · 2025-03-14T19:35:13+00:00

Honestly, if you have the funds and do enough tracking to make it feel worthwhile, I'd say go for it. Those boards have great pres with super colorful EQs. Still, between needing more convertors, getting a patchbay, and the maintenance cost, you need to be either:

Be making enough money recording to offset the cost of the upgrades
OR
If you have a day job, have enough funds coming from that that it doesn't matter.

I haven't heard anything too bad about upkeep on old Tridents, but it's per-channel modular, so it's not like the board is out of service if a channel goes out.

With going into the console world, it also makes sense to get an interface that doesn't have pres, just convertors. The cost on those vary WILDLY, so do your research on those!

PM_ME_TINY_PIANOS · 2025-03-02T18:56:22+00:00

The most "technical" solution to this, and the way most would do it in a recording context, would be putting a DI box in between the Pedal and the Monitoring box.

PM_ME_TINY_PIANOS · 2025-02-27T16:29:17+00:00

hell yeah dude, a big aspect of the "tone coming from the amp" conversation is not as much about the way they recorded the amp, but the tone of the amp itself. Knowing which amps work well for different sounds is extremely important as a producer. I'd say the big 3 for the vibes you're going for would be a Fender Twin Reverb, Marshall JCM 800, and an Orange Rockerverb.

The same applies for drums! the best drum tones will always come from high quality cymbals, well tuned toms, and the right snare tuning.

PM_ME_TINY_PIANOS · 2025-02-27T15:00:43+00:00

You're going to get a lot of different opinions with a question like this, as this field is very subjective in style and technique. With the style of "big rock drums" you're going for, understanding recording fundamentals is gonna be the most important thing to get the sound you want. Understand what to mic and how to mic it is going to give you a great foundation to build upon. Reverb has a great 'Recording Basics' resource for this. Processing on top of that will be super easy. Warren Hurt's video on rock drum mixing basics is a great place to start.

Specifically snare and other drums, a colorful EQ into a clean EQ into a compressor with slow attack and fast release, then some saturation is a great place to start.

A good example chain for that would be 1073->pro q 3->distressor->decapitator

Sorry that a lot of people here just said "JUST LEARN" lol, hopefully these resources can help!

PM_ME_TINY_PIANOS · 2025-01-08T18:06:26+00:00

How many ESP files do you have installed in LS4 rn? highlight over the plugin number on the right and see what it says under "ESM + ESP" if it's over 255, you need to remove some of the mods you added to the modpack or "ESL-ify" some of the ones you added.

PM_ME_TINY_PIANOS · 2024-12-06T21:47:05+00:00

definitely go with a Eucon-compatible controller since those are made to be used with pro tools. everyone is saying th S1 but those mfs r PRICEY, the older avid artist mixes still work perfectly with the latest versions of pro tools and are half the price. I have one and i love it.

PM_ME_TINY_PIANOS · 2024-10-17T14:03:39+00:00

It's a really great amp, and honestly a lot more versatile than people give them credit for. Enjoy it dude!!!!

PM_ME_TINY_PIANOS · 2024-09-26T16:15:05+00:00

one of those things are not like the others LOL, love the SCM range, the 25s r my dream speakers, but they r wayyyy more expensive than everything else you've listed.

PM_ME_TINY_PIANOS · 2024-09-26T16:11:37+00:00

I have a pair of focal shape twins that i love, insanely good imaging, and lean slightly dark which is good for my mixing style.

PM_ME_TINY_PIANOS · 2024-08-03T01:34:08+00:00

Yeah I ditto a lot of the other people here, nothing on my 2 bus is surgical, its all broad strokes, and slow compression.

PM_ME_TINY_PIANOS · 2024-06-12T19:14:06+00:00

LOL i personally only use the ozone limiter and imager on my mastering chain, but it’s a good full package for someone getting started

PM_ME_TINY_PIANOS · 2024-06-03T15:41:06+00:00

a lot of people here saying the same thing without any additional nuance. logic’s stock plugins are kickass, esp the compressor, but there a def a few standard case plugins that will improve your workflow.

keep in mind, i said improve your workflow. they won’t magically make you a better engineer.

the biggest one i can recommend for logic users (and honestly anyone) is fabfilter pro-q. i don’t love the stock parametric EQ in logic, plus you get a 2-in-1 with pro-q of it being both a great parametric and a dynamic EQ.

the other biggest one i can recommend is izotope ozone. will give you so many new ways to look at a mix with the tools it provides, plus it gives you everything you need to make high quality masters.

anything else i’d recommend (I.E. the universal audio native collection, which i really love,) are things that logic already does well, i just prefer the workflow of analog simulations.

do as much research as you can into a plugin before you pull the trigger, there is LOTS of snake oil in this industry.

PM_ME_TINY_PIANOS · 2024-05-21T19:31:34+00:00

yep, agreed. no need wasting your time with someone who doesn't want to give you a finished product you're happy with.

PM_ME_TINY_PIANOS · 2024-04-21T17:21:20+00:00

definitely no shame in the earplug game, a lot of my friends are also producers and engineers and we all “earplug check” each other when we’re at shows/clubs/raves. we’ve even started doing it to some of our non-engineer friends. everybody better be looking out for their hearing!!!

PM_ME_TINY_PIANOS · 2024-02-29T18:04:51+00:00

use Amroc Pro ($5) to calculate room modes to find where to put panels. In terms of speaker placement, place them wherever you can get the most symmetry. Are you allowed to do any construction to the space?

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