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Post by tkaitkai on Jan 28, 2023 18:11:00 GMT -6
Did a quick comparison today that I've been meaning to do for a while, and got some pretty interesting results. I'm pleasantly surprised.
Would love to get your thoughts. Which one do you like more?
Tried to level match, but I think 2 might be a bit louder? You decide.
Oh and FWIW, both performances are kinda messy. Some tuning artifacts here and there, too.  |
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Post by mcirish on Jan 29, 2023 10:52:33 GMT -6
They are very close in tonality. Can you give a little more background on this? I'd love to hear it in the mix as well.
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Post by tkaitkai on Jan 29, 2023 14:51:23 GMT -6
Hey mcirish , thanks for checking it out. So this is actually a comparison between a high end signal chain vs. cheap interface and plugins. I've been wanting to do this ever since getting my Apogee Element 24. Both takes are my Upton 251. Vocal 1 = Wunder PEQ2R, Grace M102, Lavry Blue AD Vocal 2 = Apogee Element (compressed & EQ'd with plugins) I don't really have a serious mix for this one, just a VERY rough demo. Loads of clipping/pumping/distortion, plus wacky timing & tuning. Basically threw this together in a rush so I could play around with tones. It came out sounding like radio rock — not my favorite, but oh well. Here it is: https%3A//soundcloud.com/tkaitkai/dead-generation-rough |
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Post by mcirish on Jan 29, 2023 17:37:26 GMT -6
In a mix I doubt anyone could ever hear a difference. The sound of the mic is the most defining element in this. Just my opinion.
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Post by Vincent R. on Jan 29, 2023 21:10:23 GMT -6
It’s funny, I was going to say 1 had a touch more clarity. I have found that to be the case when comparing good plugins vs gear.
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Post by hadaja on Jan 29, 2023 21:36:34 GMT -6
I found listening on my ipad that vocal 2 seemed to have a bit of air around the sound. Like not completely flat or squashed. But mind you it was not night and day difference. Either one is fine.
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Post by tkaitkai on Jan 30, 2023 9:01:24 GMT -6
In a mix I doubt anyone could ever hear a difference. The sound of the mic is the most defining element in this. Just my opinion. I totally agree. The demo above uses Vocal 1 (the analog take), and if I leave the processing the same but swap in Vocal 2, I can actually hear a small difference. BUT the thing is, if I'd started with Vocal 2 instead, I probably would've made slightly different processing choices and came to the same end result. It’s funny, I was going to say 1 had a touch more clarity. I have found that to be the case when comparing good plugins vs gear. This was my conclusion as well. It's subtle for sure, and as mentioned, probably doesn't matter much in the final mix. But I can hear and appreciate the difference. I'm definitely keeping my outboard, haha. Still, this humble little Apogee interface is impressive. I found listening on my ipad that vocal 2 seemed to have a bit of air around the sound. Like not completely flat or squashed. But mind you it was not night and day difference. Either one is fine. Interesting! I don't remember the exact compression/EQ settings, but I did boost the high end on Vocal 2 to try and bring it closer to 1. It was a tiny bit darker to begin with. I agree — not night and day at all. Thanks for listening. |
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Post by christopher on Jan 30, 2023 17:22:52 GMT -6
Love these thanks for sharing. You have real talent for this genre.
Vocal 1 is flawless to me, more like an instrument than a vocal. I didn’t really care about the lyrics at all the melody is what matters.
Vocal 2 is more human. For some reason the lyrics are more impactful than the production.
I’d try to keep Vocal 2 for verses and impact on chorus, Vocal 1 for reinforcement, backing tracks, and outro.
Unless- you want the vocal to sit like a sample, then V1 just kinda make the melody way more important than human aspect. Which I hear in pop 24/7/365
(Edit: after posting I read and see the chains you used. Pretty crazy what the gear does, wow. Kinda incredible it did that much. Well I wonder if backing off settings a little on hardware will get a similar lyrical vibe as V2.)
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Post by tkaitkai on Jan 31, 2023 9:09:29 GMT -6
Love these thanks for sharing. You have real talent for this genre. Vocal 1 is flawless to me, more like an instrument than a vocal. I didn’t really care about the lyrics at all the melody is what matters. Vocal 2 is more human. For some reason the lyrics are more impactful than the production. I’d try to keep Vocal 2 for verses and impact on chorus, Vocal 1 for reinforcement, backing tracks, and outro. Unless- you want the vocal to sit like a sample, then V1 just kinda make the melody way more important than human aspect. Which I hear in pop 24/7/365 (Edit: after posting I read and see the chains you used. Pretty crazy what the gear does, wow. Kinda incredible it did that much. Well I wonder if backing off settings a little on hardware will get a similar lyrical vibe as V2.) Thanks so much for listening christopher, I appreciate the kind words.
That's a really interesting take on things, I hadn't thought to look at it like that. It's cool to see how tone affects the way people respond to lyrics + performance. I'm actually pretty bad at paying attention to lyrics, even when I'm the one writing them lol!
I definitely admit to being biased towards the HW, but if I'm being 100% transparent, it probably has a lot to do with the fact that I just like gear. The Apogee is good enough to make records with. Just feels more fun to use the outboard.  |
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Post by donr on Jan 31, 2023 9:43:16 GMT -6
I'd imagine 1 would fit better in the mix. Nice work! Don't mind the 'tuning at all, in the context.
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Post by tkaitkai on Jan 31, 2023 10:53:53 GMT -6
I'd imagine 1 would fit better in the mix. Nice work! Don't mind the 'tuning at all, in the context. Thanks donr ! I also feel like 1 sits better. I could probably do some slightly different processing on 2 and get it to a similar place. Glad to hear the tuning isn't too obnoxious lol! |
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