Recording - February 2015 - 54

By Greg Ogan

input so that my mic is feeding the aux track. I use this vocal aux
input as a starting point in case I want to do any digital processing
"to tape." I'm big on commitment, and a lot of times if I get a sound
that I like, I print it. This could be anything from running a scratch
demo vocal through Auto-Tune and extra compression, to getting a
cool telephone/megaphone sound and just printing it.
I set the output of the aux track to a bus that will be feeding the inputs
of every vocal audio track in the session. Note that 85% of the time I
do use this vocal input track, but there are certain sessions where I
bypass this track altogether and change all the vocal audio tracks'
inputs to my mic feed. See Figure 1: VOXIN is my vocal input track.
Then I set up my system of audio tracks and buses (Figure 1). I
create four audio tracks which will feed a vocal aux input. I set the
outputs of the audio tracks to correspond with the input of the aux
track (eg. vocal aux input is set to bus 1-2, so the vocal audio tracks'
outputs are set to bus 1-2). The idea behind this is that a lot of the
vocal processing will take place via the vocal aux track, and not the
audio tracks themselves. I can EQ, compress, and send to reverbs
and delays in bigger batches rather than putting plug-ins on each
individual track. It saves time and resources, while adding overall
glue to what can become many tracks of vocals. So let's set this up.
First I put on a vocal compressor. There are many vibey compressors
that I love and use for mixing, but for tracking I want something that's
easy, effective but transparent, and not processor intensive. For this, I
use the Waves Renaissance Compressor.
There's a great "vocal" preset, and I set the
threshold to -20 and the output to +7. Then I
put on my EQ; considering my criteria, I generally use the Waves Renaissance EQ. I cut
the lows, boost highs, and I also boost the
high mids. With these EQ and compressor
settings, the vocalists will sound up front, present, breathy, and exciting. When boosting
the high mids that vocal will cut through the
music so they can hear themselves better. I
then lower the output of the vocal audio tracks
to around -5 dB. They're feeding a compressor, so I like the room to raise certain tracks to
hit it harder.
Next I like to setup my vocal reverb and delay. I create two aux
return tracks. For the reverb, I love the sound of the Universal Audio
UAD-2 EMT 140 plate. I set my time for a little under 2 seconds with
no predelay. This reverb is pretty vibey, and if I want something a
little more simple and nice, I'll use the Waves Rverb on the default
preset. It's just a nice hall and gets the job done. I also like Reverb
One or the Lexicon reverbs. For my delay track, I always start with
a simple 1/4-note digital delay with a little feedback and some sort
of modulation on that feedback. Line 6's Echo Farm was my go-to
for years, but no longer-I now use SoundToys EchoBoy or Waves
HDelay.

When I'm sitting in the fire during a vocal tracking session, my highest priority is to create a sound and environment that supports the singer's comfort level so that they can
perform at their peak. Engineering speed and sonic quality
are two key elements to help achieve a smooth flow for capturing vocal takes-and hopefully some magic! My vocal
template gives me the means and ability to perform at MY
best so that any singer can (hopefully) perform at theirs.
Disclaimer: there are many different philosophies and
styles to recording vocals; for example, some engineers
track completely dry so they can hear every nuance loud
and clear. I prefer to record vocals wet with
compression, EQ, reverb, delay etc. This
template can accommodate any music
genre, philosophy, style, personality or
needs of the singer I'm dealing with, even if
it means bypassing my normal methodology. This setup is the culmination of thousands of hours of vocal sessions and tweaking. It should also be noted that every vocal
tracking session is different, and my experience, instincts, and tastes guide me to make
certain choices in different situations. I will
explain my setup in Pro Tools terms, but I feel
the principles can be applied to all DAWs.

Tracks and buses
First I start with my vocal input track. In
Pro Tools, I create an aux track and set the
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RECORDING February 2015

Recording - February 2015

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