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JohnTodd 17 February 2013

Hi! Been reading, working, recording, and greatly increasing my skills as a recordist.

But I'm having a problem. I'm doing a cover of Stairway to Heaven, and I can't get my lead vox to sit in the mix. It's either too loud or too soft.

When I listen to Robert Plant's vocals in that song, they sound quite small. Still powerful, but small. That way he can do all that ad-lib stuff softly and still be heard. Because of compression and fader riding, I can hear the soft stuff really well while the loud doesn't get blown out.

But my voice recording sounds huge in comparison. I usually low-cut the mics anyway, this time I've tried cutting even more but just get a low quality thin sound. I've changed the compression around, reverb., etc. but to no avail.

Here is a clip of it:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/hmkd5hooh1uewqy/Stairway-test1.mp3

or try this:

https://dl-web.dropbox.com/get/Stairway/Stairway-test1.mp3?w=AAD4mj52I045HVx_DlY7bIO5F5oODjmFl1JAyCOlvm3Gww

The recording isn't finished; I'm still learning the vocal part. Please accept my apologies for singing flat and stuff. It's a work in progress. Go easy!

Mic is an SM57. Tried a ribbon, too. Didn't help. FX = low-cut, gate, Waves vocal rider, Waves API-2500 compressor on the bus, little bit of reverb.

Thanks so much for your help!
-Johntodd

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Comments

anonymous Thu, 02/28/2013 - 06:48

Yup. I worked at a music store back in the mid 80's and it was either Stairway, Smoke on The Water, or a truly butchered version of Van Halen's Eruption.

Gawd help us all.

So many times I had to restrain myself from bitch slapping some kid, grabbing the axe, screaming THAT'S NOT THE WAY IT'S PLAYED!!! and showing them the mistakes.

But I didn't. I just drank my coffee, winced at every clam and ran their credit card through.

;)

-d.

Davedog Thu, 02/28/2013 - 23:28

DonnyThompson, post: 401415 wrote: This was typical of what I heard daily.

Oh my gawd please someone make it stop and for God's sake TUNE THAT THANG!...

Tune it, learn what a BEAT is.

Dont come back until you learn where the notes actually go!

Thats a minute five I'll never get back.....(couldnt do the whole thing)

hueseph Thu, 02/28/2013 - 23:54

DonnyThompson, post: 401415 wrote: This was typical of what I heard daily.

Oh my gawd please someone make it stop and for God's sake TUNE THAT THANG!...

What in the name of goat cheese could we have possibly done to deserve that kind of punishment.

Sorry John, I've avoided this topic because I am a HUGE Zeppelin fan and covering this song is like sacrilege to me.

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