How do you set your 1176 when tracking vox?

[jahtao]

Will be tracking vox thru an 1176 next week, soft vox, (she wants to go thru the compressor, i usually track soft vox without compression and last time i tracked vox thru an 1176 i felt like I hit them a little too hard), I'm sure I'll make it work ok but was just wondering if anyone had any words of wisdom for me?

Many thanks to you
Matt

[norman_nomad]

Originally Posted by jahtao

Will be tracking vox thru an 1176 next week, soft vox, (she wants to go thru the compressor, i usually track soft vox without compression and last time i tracked vox thru an 1176 i felt like I hit them a little too hard), I'm sure I'll make it work ok but was just wondering if anyone had any words of wisdom for me?

Many thanks to you
Matt

I have 3 1176's and love them on Vox, but they can be bit heavy handed and I would use them conservatively while tracking.

How do you know you're going to track through an 1176? Are there any other compressors available? I always like to try a few combos before committing and, as a habit, I try not to set up my signal chain before I get a chance to listen to the source material.

Traditionally I like a slower attack and fairly fast release with the lower 4:1 ratio. I may set the compressor up with attack at 1 and release at 7 and then drive the input for the desired sound.

Alternately, if I want an even more controlled sound I may go for a faster attack again with a fast release. Attack at 6 and release at 7 is a great combo for vocals.

Not much else to it. Tweak it till it sounds good. Don't let it choke down too much on the loud parts (fader riding can help).

[princeplanet]

Originally Posted by norman_nomad

I have 3 1176's and love them on Vox, but they can be bit heavy handed and I would use them conservatively while tracking.

How do you know you're going to track through an 1176? Are there any other compressors available? I always like to try a few combos before committing and, as a habit, I try not to set up my signal chain before I get a chance to listen to the source material.

Traditionally I like a slower attack and fairly fast release. I may set the compressor up with attack at 1 and release at 7 and then drive the input for the desired sound.

Alternately, if I want an even more controlled sound I may go for a faster attack again with a fast release. Attack at 6 and release at 7 is a great combo for vocals.

Not much else to it. Tweak it till it sounds good. Don't let it choke down too much on the loud parts (fader riding can help).

try the classic "Bones Howe" settings: 12:1 att 6 -- rel 7. Sure, it gets gritty, but it's part of the sound and remember to always audition in situ as soloing reveals harshness that usually will be masked..

[manthe]

Obviously it depends on the source and application, for me. The last time I used it for vox was on a female singing backup to a male. Her voice was absolutely trouncing his, so I used it as a heavy limiter to (basically) obliterate her voice. Ideally, i would never do that to a voice, but that is just an example of how much it varies. Typically, as the 1st responder said, I am very conservative with it...WHEN I use it for vox. To be honest, I use it more for bass gtr than anything. Regardless of price, I have some other comps that I tend to prefer on a lot of voices.

Believe it or not, the comp built in to the LA-610 is absolutely outstanding for vocals. It is modeled after its big brother, the LA-2A and has a lot of the same sonic character and performance.

Sorry, you didn't ask that, did you?

Slw attack, fast release...usually on 4, *occasionally* on 8 with just a few (2 to 5) db of GR.

[Dick Veign]

Originally Posted by jahtao

she wants to go thru the compressor, i usually track soft vox without compressiont

who's the engineer, you or her? if it's an option, i would mult to another track and just feed her the 1176. then your both happy.

that being said, i personally haven't had much luck with the 1176 on vox and have often wondered the same thing because i know a lot of people like it for that application. i wonder, is there a particular vocal style that likes the 1176?

[drBill]

I probably wouldn't go to an 1176 during tracking for a vocal. Something smoother that wouldn't slam against them so hard. Try an aphex 661 or 651. Extremely transparent and they can reduce the dynamic range a lot without getting "pumpy".

[jahtao]

Thanks. I'm the engineer, she'll be singing very softly, 1176 is the wrong choice really, so I'll have to be very gentle, I don't mind adding a little 1176 colour to the signal, if it feels right. Thanks for the tips!

[PRobb]

I tried a setting I read about here (I don't remember who). 20:1 attack full slow, release full fast and threshold set so it just touches the loudest passages. I like it a lot. Very gentle, natural control.

For aggressive rock vocals, 4:1 with attack and release set about 3 or 4 and let that meter bounce. Definitely audible, but nice!