Winning900 Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 You know that thing where a song will have vocals panned to the center, with the instruments around them to create that wonderful music sound? I want to do a cover of a song, I have the musical backing track file ready, and I want to make it sound great when I sing the lyrics and put them into the song. How do I overlay the recording of my voice onto the song and make it sound great, as if my voice is supposed to be on the song? I have Audacity, Fruity Loops studio, and I have no high quality mic. I plan on using a HD recording app on my android phone to record my voice the best it can, and I'll see what I can do with it from there. Also, is there any kind of Echo or Reverb setting or something that will make my voice sound better? The song is a techno dubstep kind of song, but with actual lyrics that can be sung. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skrypnyk Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 I could be wrong, but panning usually refers to moving sound away from center. Panning to center isn't a thing, it's just centering a sound (which, again could be wrong, is usually the default). You overlay it by mixing the vocal sample into the rest of the song. Ideal it starts with a good recording of the voice, that requires knowing about the room you're recording it in, the microphone you're using, the sound of your voice, distance from mic, positioning, etc. etc. etc. I don't think the HD recording app is going to make any difference in terms of recording quality compared to a non-HD app, or any app really. You're limited to what microphone was installed into your phone, which was meant to be used to talk to people, not record quality vocals. Record your voice in mono to have a 'centered' sound, then throw the stem into a daw with the backing track and mix it in. EQ the vocals to make it fit, and add reverb or delay if you think your recording sounds really dry or want to have a neat effect on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dissidia Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 Stereo seperation/width makes a really big difference when it comes to mixing. So I'd advice you to play around with that, Maximus+Wave candy works well for that in my experience (and comparing with similar songs). Rough visualization of stereo seperation: Hopefully somewhat useful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winning900 Posted March 24, 2015 Author Share Posted March 24, 2015 Sweet. By the way, my recording has a setting, it can go from 8 to 44h CD quality. It only gives me an hour of recording instead of 5, but it should be worth it. However, there is no stereo mono setting. What should I do? By the way, if my laptop broke, what would be a good way of raising money to buy a new one? I lose my scholarship if I get a job, my parents kicked me out, and I live at the college dorm full-time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katajun Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Sweet. By the way, my recording has a setting, it can go from 8 to 44h CD quality. It only gives me an hour of recording instead of 5, but it should be worth it. However, there is no stereo mono setting. What should I do? "Stereo-mono" is a nonsense oxymoron as these are terms that mean the opposite thing. The only thing it could possibly mean is that its making a stereo track out of a single mono file, which would do nothing for you. I personally have never seen someone record a vocal line in stereo, it is always a mono recording. It may be panned to a side of the stereo field during the mixing process, but for recording it is no issue. I think you should do some research on basic aspects of audio recording so you can fully understand what you're doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 (edited) Sweet. By the way, my recording has a setting, it can go from 8 to 44h CD quality. It only gives me an hour of recording instead of 5, but it should be worth it. However, there is no stereo mono setting. What should I do?By the way, if my laptop broke, what would be a good way of raising money to buy a new one? I lose my scholarship if I get a job, my parents kicked me out, and I live at the college dorm full-time. It's not worth it. A phone will record at that phone's quality. "CD quality" or "HD recording" are just labels and don't really make it any more impressive-sounding than an actual, good microphone made to record audio. You should be looking for suggestions on what microphone gives you the cheapest, cleanest recorded result with the least amount of effort in treating your room acoustics issues, but at the same time, is not going to make you work too hard at it to EQ it to a good final result you can use. Edited March 25, 2015 by timaeus222 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winning900 Posted March 25, 2015 Author Share Posted March 25, 2015 It's not worth it. A phone will record at that phone's quality. "CD quality" or "HD recording" are just labels and don't really make it any more impressive-sounding than an actual, good microphone made to record audio. You should be looking for suggestions on what microphone gives you the cheapest, cleanest recorded result with the least amount of effort in treating your room acoustics issues, but at the same time, is not going to make you work too hard at it to EQ it to a good final result you can use. Okay, that. That is what I am now asking about. Also, the phone can record up to 44hz, is that good? And what is the best cheap mic under twenty pounds I could get, which can still record in great quality and make my good voice sound good? My voice is already really good IRL, I don't need an autotuner or anything, but anything that can give it either a full natural smooth echoed sexiness would be great. Right now, when I record my voice, it sounds hollow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 (edited) Okay, that. That is what I am now asking about. Also, the phone can record up to 44hz, is that good? And what is the best cheap mic under twenty pounds I could get, which can still record in great quality and make my good voice sound good? My voice is already really good IRL, I don't need an autotuner or anything, but anything that can give it either a full natural smooth echoed sexiness would be great. Right now, when I record my voice, it sounds hollow. You mean "44.1 kHz"? That's a common sampling frequency (44 literal Hz would be inaudible). I would be happy with 16-bit, 44.1 kHz. It's pretty typical to render a 16-bit, 44.1 kHz WAV file. If someone recommends 48 kHz, it may be to reduce aliasing (http://duc.avid.com/showpost.php?p=1630752&postcount=7, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliasing), but they're not that different in perceived quality. Whenever I listen to an audio playback from a phone (specifically iPhone), it ends to lack bass, so maybe that's what you meant when you said "hollow" (it actually refers to a lacking midrange). As for a good cheap mic, I think other people could make better recommendations; zircon has recommended the Shure SM58 for ~$99 before, and Nutritious has recommended the Samson CO1U for ~$109 (or possibly under $80 if you look harder) before. EDIT: In terms of reverb, it's hard to say. It's supposed to make it so the sound fits into the mix, so it depends on the particular song. Edited March 25, 2015 by timaeus222 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winning900 Posted March 25, 2015 Author Share Posted March 25, 2015 (edited) Edit: Sorry, shouldn't have told you about my ear infection. It'll get better in a few weeks anyway, I got some eardrops. Back to the thing this forum deals in: music remixes. My budget isn't anywhere near enough to buy those super mics you mentioned. I have twenty British pounds, which would be around fifty American dollars or several million yen or one euro. (British humour) Edited March 26, 2015 by Winning900 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winning900 Posted March 26, 2015 Author Share Posted March 26, 2015 No, really, what's a good mic I can get for under 40 dollars? Also, have you seen the Ashe videos? He sings songs, we have a similar range, and how does his mic give his voice that smooth all-encompasing warm se- attractiveness? I have a similar voice, my phone-mic just can't pick it up. I can also go high enough for most boyband songs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 (edited) It's hard to find one that cheap that is also good; you can find the Samson CO1U here for $55.48 (which is much better than $109): http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=492446&gclid=CM2WpvG4xsQCFQGTfgodCSAA4w&is=REG&Q=&A=details And a review, with actual singing (yay): (Read the description too)I did find the Samson Meteorite for $39.99, and a review here, but it doesn't seem to be oriented towards musical vocal recording: For $40, it's probably about what I would expect. Anyone else have suggestions? Edited March 26, 2015 by timaeus222 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skrypnyk Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Anyone else have suggestions? Try renting a mic from a music store. Or see if you can make nicey nice with the administrators at a school. Otherwise tell your parents you were really born March 30th and you want a new mic as a gift. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winning900 Posted March 26, 2015 Author Share Posted March 26, 2015 That last one is... not really an option. They kicked me out for being bi. I'm living at my college dorm until I'm done with college and then I'm screwed. If you don't believe this, call bs in one sentence and then return to the main topic. Speaking of which, I like the mics mentioned so far, I'll Favourite that for later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esperado Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 By the way, if my laptop broke, what would be a good way of raising money to buy a new one? I lose my scholarship if I get a job, my parents kicked me out, and I live at the college dorm full-time. plasma donation could work, but it would take quite some time, as they pay 30-50 depending on the place and the scenario. Marrow donation pays the big bucks but it hurts like hell. Theres also various studies and surveys that pay. Lastly you could try to sell your skills as a virtual assistant if youve got the skill set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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