Recording Vocals (part 2)

[e-vashu]

Hello Again,

I posted about having problems recording vocals recently. Problem was that I was only getting signal in one channel.

I was able to find a solution. Here was my work-around. I plugged my mic into a Rane vocal pre-amp that I have with phantom power on. Then I go out of the pre-amp into my dj mixer mic input. Then the main stereo out of the mixer into my M-audio USB interface. Then USB from interface to Mac. With this setup I was able to get signal in both channels and recorded my first vocal track in Live!

However, a new weird thing is happening where the vocal track has a delay effect on it and the effect is carrying over to other tracks in the arrangement. When I mute the vocal track, the delay effect disappears.

So now I'm able to record vox in stereo which is great but the phantom delay effecting the rest of the arrangement is not great.

Any idea what I might be doing wrong or how I can solve this so that I have a dry vocal track that doesn't effect the rest of the arrangement.

Thank you!

[4.33]

you just need another preamp now which will compensate for the delay

[e-vashu]

Why am I getting the delay at all? Another preamp to compensate for the delay? More information is greatly appreciated.

I'm already putting the vocals through a Rane preamp (with phantom power on), a Numark mixer (which I assume counts as a preamp) and an M-audio interface (with phantom power on). Do I really need another preamp?

Thanks!

[tylenol]

Hello Again,

I posted about having problems recording vocals recently. Problem was that I was only getting signal in one channel.

I was able to find a solution. Here was my work-around. I plugged my mic into a Rane vocal pre-amp that I have with phantom power on. Then I go out of the pre-amp into my dj mixer mic input. Then the main stereo out of the mixer into my M-audio USB interface. Then USB from interface to Mac. With this setup I was able to get signal in both channels and recorded my first vocal track in Live!

However, a new weird thing is happening where the vocal track has a delay effect on it and the effect is carrying over to other tracks in the arrangement. When I mute the vocal track, the delay effect disappears.

So now I'm able to record vox in stereo which is great but the phantom delay effecting the rest of the arrangement is not great.

Any idea what I might be doing wrong or how I can solve this so that I have a dry vocal track that doesn't effect the rest of the arrangement.

Thank you!

This doesn't answer your immediate question, but I'm very confused by your description of your workaround after looking at your older question. Are you actually using a stereo mic? This seems unlikely if you are recording a vocal track. If not, then you should use the dropdown above "Monitor" in the IO section of the mixer controls to select the proper mono channel, and record the audio as mono. A mono waveform will play back through both stereo channels, with the same signal going to each channel.

If you have already recorded stereo audio that only uses one channel, one workaround purely within live is to use a utility device with the channel mode set to either left or right (depending) to convert it to a mono signal playing in both channels (though it will be saved as stereo).

On preview, I think 4.33 might be making a joke about the complexity of your workaround.

[e-vashu]

Hello Again,

I posted about having problems recording vocals recently. Problem was that I was only getting signal in one channel.

I was able to find a solution. Here was my work-around. I plugged my mic into a Rane vocal pre-amp that I have with phantom power on. Then I go out of the pre-amp into my dj mixer mic input. Then the main stereo out of the mixer into my M-audio USB interface. Then USB from interface to Mac. With this setup I was able to get signal in both channels and recorded my first vocal track in Live!

However, a new weird thing is happening where the vocal track has a delay effect on it and the effect is carrying over to other tracks in the arrangement. When I mute the vocal track, the delay effect disappears.

So now I'm able to record vox in stereo which is great but the phantom delay effecting the rest of the arrangement is not great.

Any idea what I might be doing wrong or how I can solve this so that I have a dry vocal track that doesn't effect the rest of the arrangement.

Thank you!

This doesn't answer your immediate question, but I'm very confused by your description of your workaround after looking at your older question. Are you actually using a stereo mic? This seems unlikely if you are recording a vocal track. If not, then you should use the dropdown above "Monitor" in the IO section of the mixer controls to select the proper mono channel, and record the audio as mono. A mono waveform will play back through both stereo channels, with the same signal going to each channel.

If you have already recorded stereo audio that only uses one channel, one workaround purely within live is to use a utility device with the channel mode set to either left or right (depending) to convert it to a mono signal playing in both channels (though it will be saved as stereo).

On preview, I think 4.33 might be making a joke about the complexity of your workaround.

I'm using a Sure SM57. I'll try selecting the proper mono channel in the dropdown you described and see if this works. This is helpful information, thanks.

Do you have any idea why I am getting a delay effect on the vocal. Possibly because I'm recording the vocal in stereo?

[Winterpark]

your solution is one that will compromise the signal path, and seems pretty long winded.

i don't know what your original problem is... are you unable to select input 1? not input 1/2?

check live's audio preferences, and click on the "input config" button. ensure that 1(mono)& 2(mono) are highlighted.

[e-vashu]

your solution is one that will compromise the signal path, and seems pretty long winded.

i don't know what your original problem is... are you unable to select input 1? not input 1/2?

check live's audio preferences, and click on the "input config" button. ensure that 1(mono)& 2(mono) are highlighted.

Yes, my original problem is that I was plugging in my mic to one of my interface's xlr inputs but was only getting signal in one channel. So I went through my mixer that has stereo outs to the interface which gave me a signal in both channels but a weird delay on the vocals and the other tracks in the arrangement.

Yes, I can select either input 1 or input 1/2 in my preferences but it didn't make a difference.

Someone earlier suggested I change a setting to mono where I will still get signal in both channels but just not in stereo. I'll fiddle with that and see what happens. Thanks again.

[Winterpark]

selecting input 1, instead of input 1/2 will make a difference... It will enable the channel you are recording to be recorded in mono.

re: the strange delay... that sounds like the latency of your soundcard to me. Try turning monitoring Off on channel you are recording into.

also, give the manual a bit of a re-read. page 198 is sort of about what i am taking about.

[Khazul]

For mono recording, make sure you havea single mono input selected. If one isnt availble, goto audio input settings in preferences and make sure the mono 1+2 as well as stereo input is selected.

When you select a mono input, ableton feeds it to both channels inside Live.

[e-vashu]

thanks for all the advice.

[Radio Arcade]

Sounds like the delay is the out put of the soundcard as well as the monitor, you can mute the soundcard return from the software that came with it