Topic: How do you warm up a SBD recording in Wavelab or Soundforge?

[NOLAfishwater]

how do I warm up a soundboard?

I was running 4 channels: 2 subcards at the lip of stage + 2 mono SBD feeds. my only problem is that the vocals were low, so I tried mixing more of the SBD and its sounds very dry and crispy. I want to just fix the SBD so that the vocals are present and it sounds a little warmer/smoother. any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Separate issue from another matrix recording:
I have some clipping coming from a vocal mic, how do I edit that?

[illconditioned]

how do I warm up a soundboard?

I was running 4 channels: 2 subcards at the lip of stage + 2 mono SBD feeds. my only problem is that the vocals were low, so I tried mixing more of the SBD and its sounds very dry and crispy. I want to just fix the SBD so that the vocals are present and it sounds a little warmer/smoother. any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Separate issue from another matrix recording:
I have some clipping coming from a vocal mic, how do I edit that?

Yep, this is a common problem.  So much so, that I rarely record soundboard anymore.  Getting a "natural" sound is a big challenge to me.

What I've tried is adding *a bit* of reverb to the soundboard.  I add enough reverb so that it *sounds like* the mics recording, in terms of room size, delay, and whatever.  Then I add it to the mics.  My objective is to get it to sound like the show was recorded from a single room with a real PA.

I call this the *ambient* sounding recording.  Other people want the *soundboard* sounding recording, everything clear and crispy.  Personal preference I think.

  Richard

[Scooter]

I have done exactly what is stated above, and has worked great.  As far as the clipped track, I have had good luck on a few occasions running the offending track through the Waves L3(or L2 or L1 for that matter) plugin and limiting it by just a few dB.  It seems to slightly round off the nasty edges of the clipping and makes it sound a bit smoother.  Of course you'll then have to alter the track volume to get the same mix...

[muj]

if the vocals are loe in the mic, it will be a lot of work to get the vocals up front, you can always mess with the monofeed by running a ms-mix or by adjusting the phase and width of the tracks.It's all about manipulating what you have.Maybe it's wisert to ask for mono vocal feed instead of mix, when doing these types of recording.

[NOLAfishwater]

thanks for your replies. t's around.

I used the following in Wavelab:

Sony Smooth/Enhance 32bit - set at -1

Sony Reverb 32bit - set at Live Ambience with Reverb Out -41.8, early out -30, attenuate bass frequencies below 100, attenuate high frequencies abouve 10,000, early reflection style mode 6 (36ms), decay time 5 sec., predelay 45.

Multiband Compressor - set at Classic and soft clip On.

The only problem that I have encountered is that when I saved, it magically added 5 seconds to the recording. is that b/c of the decay time set at 5 sec?

[Scooter]

it added the 5sec to get the tails of the reverb in there...

[boojum]

You can also sometimes warm it up a bit with some low mid-range boost.  FWIW

[PH]

Warming a SBD is probably done best using an Analog simulator/compressor/EQ, such the as the Waves SSL compressor, or the API Compressors or 550 series EQ's. Also a plug like PSP Vintage Warmer works great on certain material. Sonic Maximizer is another. The L3 on warm and cozy setting will work fine too, but it's much more transparent than any of the above. Don't be afraid to carve those peaks using the L3.

Putting a bit of light compression, such as 1.5 to 1 and then carving the peaks down to the RMS value or lower will give the mix a "glue" effect. It will also "warm" things up a bit. Follow that with the L3 to maximize and limit the peaks, and then add that to your Audience mix to taste.

Another trick is to use a Stereo Expander type of plug, Waves makes a cool one. You can widen the stereo image dramatically and play with the phase. it works well on certain things.

Another very handy tool is to double the SBD, flip the phase, add moderate compression (4:1), mess around with the eq and then add back to the main mix a bit to taste. This can work wonders to liven up stale material.

it's all about experimenting. Good luck. Phil