Where high latencies can't be avoided, you can still get around the delayed monitoring problem by taking a second feed from your preamp. If you can't get this setting down to 128 or less without problems, then it's probably best to switch Software Monitoring off (right) and use direct hardware monitoring. The I/O Buffer Size in the Logic Preferences (left) needs to be kept low in order to minimise latency, which can be distracting for the performer when recording vocals. Note that plug-in delay compensation seems to be switched off when you first configure Logic, in which case you'll need to turn it on in Logic 's Audio Preferences. Most of Logic 's processing plug-ins introduce only very short delays, but there are exceptions such as the new linear-phase equaliser. You'll also suffer greater monitoring latency if any of the tracks in your existing song use any plug-ins that themselves generate large delays, as Logic 's plug-in delay compensation will (if active) delay all the other tracks to match. Most singers don't perceive this delay, but please be aware that if you are using any DSP-assisted plug-ins such as those hosted by the Universal Audio UAD1 card or TC Electronic's Powercore, the latency will double and is then likely to be noticed. Software instruments place the greatest drain on CPU resources and Logic 's Freeze function can help you here by rendering these instrument tracks as temporary audio files to free up CPU power.Īs a rule, I record with a buffer size of 128, which amounts to a latency of around four milliseconds (by the time you've added in the delay attributable to the A-D and D-A converters) at 44.1kHz and 48kHz sample rates - roughly the time it takes sound to travel four feet. Most reasonably modern computer audio systems are happy to work with buffer sizes of 128 samples or lower, Logic included, but you may need to increase the buffer size if the computer is being forced to work particularly hard. Nobody can give their best performance when what's coming back through the headphones is delayed to a noticeable degree. The next issue with any computer recording system is to see whether you can get the latency value low enough for the singer to feel comfortable when monitoring the output from your audio interface. If your mic preamp has a low-cut switch, it may be worth using that to exclude very low-frequency sounds, such as passing traffic, but try a test recording with and without the filter to ensure that it doesn't compromise the low end of the voice in an unacceptable way. The same applies to EQ - it's much easier to add it than to undo the effect of inappropriate EQ, so it's safest to record everything flat and then EQ while mixing if you need to. If you feel you must compress while recording, then at least make sure that you under-compress slightly rather than over-compress, as you can always add a bit more compression when you come to mix. In the bad old days, we needed to compress while recording to tape in order to maintain a high average recording level that would mask the tape noise, but with 24-bit recording you can easily leave 12dB or more recording headroom and not lose any quality at all. You may have a rack compressor that always sounds absolutely fantastic with your voice, but my inclination would usually be to avoid any form of processing while recording. If you're using a capacitor mic, then the preamp or mixer must have phantom power - unless you're using a tube mic that is. Of course the choice and positioning of the microphone is just as crucial as in any other recording situation (see the 'Getting A Good Recording' box for some pointers). The process starts with getting a microphone signal into Logic, which usually means connecting a suitable mixer or mic preamp to the line input of your audio interface, or using an audio interface that has a mic preamp built in. Recording vocals, in a generic sense, has been covered in Sound On Sound on numerous occasions, but this time we're going to look at the process of recording and processing vocals using Apple's Logic. So here we'll be giving you the advice you need to produce that big commercial sound. Getting great recorded vocals can seem like rocket science, especially with all the complicated editing and processing tools that Logic now provides.
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