Audiobus: Use your music apps together.

What is Audiobus? — Audiobus is an award-winning music app for iPhone and iPad which lets you use your other music apps together. Chain effects on your favourite synth, run the output of apps or Audio Units into an app like GarageBand or Loopy, or select a different audio interface output for each app. Route MIDI between apps — drive a synth from a MIDI sequencer, or add an arpeggiator to your MIDI keyboard — or sync with your external MIDI gear. And control your entire setup from a MIDI controller.

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Voice recording workflow?

FlamasoundyFlamasoundy
in General App Discussion

I am planning to record a short story with 2-3 additional audio tracks as background (synthscaper, groovebox etc.) and I was just wondering what's the most sensible workflow to master the voice track. Is it better to edit it first and then process with Brusfri, FAC Transient (No room preset), Maxima? Which should go 1st? Or process first and then edit?

Comments

  • oat_phippsoat_phipps
    edited June 2018

    @Flamasoundy said:
    I am planning to record a short story with 2-3 additional audio tracks as background (synthscaper, groovebox etc.) and I was just wondering what's the most sensible workflow to master the voice track. Is it better to edit it first and then process with Brusfri, FAC Transient (No room preset), Maxima? Which should go 1st? Or process first and then edit?

    It doesn’t reeeallly matter, since your effects (assuming Cubasis or Auria Pro, but I imagine Garage Band as well) will not be applied permanently until you mixdown.

    But, to not worry yourself with problems such as peaks or unwanted noise in parts that would be edited out and not influence your final mix anyway, it’s best to get the final edit of your vocal first.

  • FlamasoundyFlamasoundy

    Thanks @oat_phipps !

  • TelefunkyTelefunky
    edited June 2018

    In speach recording you'll have to deal with (low level) noisefloor, so use 24bit.
    Don't crank input gain to the very top, as noise will jump up exponentially in that range
    (24 bit gives you enough 'downward headroom' - given the mic/preamp combination is up to the task. Speach is a LOT more demanding than singing in this context)

    Check the raw track for highly outstanding peaks and reduce those manually.
    (my approach would be to select a small section around such a peak and normalize it to a level still above most 'other' peaks, but not as extreme as before.)
    This needs an audio editor that supports normalizing (sections) to a target value.
    If that feature isn't available, you can simulate it by using apps like Maxima and Pro-L on the whole track in several steps, subsequently reducing peaks to the desired level.
    (it can be done in one go, but 2 or 3 steps will preserve more of the natural pronounciation)

    Clean up unwanted rumble, clucks etc from the sourrounding, if present.
    Decide if natural backgrund noise in silent parts contributes in to the impression or if it's better to remove it (which may sometimes results in a more artificial feel)

    Bring the cleaned up track to a healthy level, by adding gain and setting the dynamic balance.
    The pre-processing applied before will make this much easier.
    (may read a lot of effort, but it's basically just a routine job)

    I'd stay away from transient processing (unless you have a very 'strange' voice).
    What may sound great (or impressive) on a short section can quickly turn into fatgue when applied over a longer period of time.

    For the audio edit/clean part Twisted Wave would be my app of choice.
    For arrangement I'd choose Ferrite. (both can be tried in free versions, btw)

  • WillWill

    ^ Solid stuff right there.

  • JeffChasteenJeffChasteen

    @syrupcore said:
    ^ Solid stuff right there.

    Yes indeed

  • FlamasoundyFlamasoundy

    Thanks @Telefunky, that's indeed a solid lesson here.

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