bring vocals' volume up -Sound Forge - PC - MAGIX Community Forums Archive

Subject:bring vocals' volume up Posted by: rslack Date:1/7/2005 9:04:04 AM I am using SoundForge. I have a song where the vocals are too low in volume. I need to raise the volume of the vocals to match the music. Is there a way to just raise the vocals and not the music?
Subject:RE: bring vocals' volume up Reply by: MJhig Date:1/7/2005 9:13:25 AM Probably not with quality results. You can try using a compressor (Multiband or Dynamics or Wave Hammer) and bring the threshold down hopefully squashing the louder music. You can also try some EQ, lowering the bands where the vocal is not dominant. MJ
Subject:RE: bring vocals' volume up Reply by: dpvollmer Date:1/7/2005 9:16:49 AM I assume the vocals are mixed in stereo (or dual mono) with the instruments, as opposed to what I call split track where the instruments are usually on the left track and the vocals on the right. The only way I know of to "raise" the vocal level is by utilizing EQ settings, boosting the frequencies of the vocal range of the singer(s). Of course you will also be boosting the instrument frequencies at the same time but you may be successful to some degree. I have used this procedure on occasion when a soloist was buried in the mix. There are many folks in this forum that are far more experienced than I however, and may have better solutions. If so, I would also be interested in their suggestions. David Vollmer
Subject:RE: bring vocals' volume up Reply by: golli Date:1/7/2005 4:37:13 PM So I take it you dont have access to the multi track, to do a vocal up version? If this is'nt a dense mix: 1. You could use the Track EQ and sweap around the 250-400hz and 800-1200hz areas, with a narrow Q. Find the content of the vocal and bring it up, say 0.5-1.5 db. Again experiment with the Q settings, to eliminate the harmonics of the instruments coming to much up with the voice, esp. Snare, Bass and guitars (in a typical pop/rock mix). I would avoid bringing up the 6000-8000hz area to, so as not to bring sibilance and harchness up. If you have a good EQ plug-in, this method should be OK (I find the Q settings in the stock EQ's, to be quite brutal). 2. If you're not OK with results, use that EQ to lower all other freq's, but the one's you're after, by 0.5-1.5db's and the vocal freq's down to zero (and therefore 0.5-1.5db's above everything else). Put the Wave Hammer in, after the EQ and raise the overall db, by 0.5-?.?db's, depends on taste really and how you set the attack and release times. If this is a very dense mix, I would predict you'd have a hard time doing this, and be satisfied with the results. And you better have a good monitoring chain for this, both the monitors and converters. With crappy speakers, you dont hear a real difference until you have brought up the vocal (and related harmonics), few db's to many, only to be revealed when you play the song in a better monitoring environment. If you're patient and give yourself plenty of time for experimenting, in a good monitoring environment, but never quite "get there". You have a BAD mix on your hands. However, if this song is dear to you or important in any way, get a good mastering house to do this.

Subject:bring vocals' volume up

Posted by: rslack

Date:1/7/2005 9:04:04 AM

I am using SoundForge. I have a song where the vocals are too low in volume. I need to raise the volume of the vocals to match the music. Is there a way to just raise the vocals and not the music?

Subject:RE: bring vocals' volume up

Reply by: MJhig

Date:1/7/2005 9:13:25 AM

Probably not with quality results.

You can try using a compressor (Multiband or Dynamics or Wave Hammer) and bring the threshold down hopefully squashing the louder music.

You can also try some EQ, lowering the bands where the vocal is not dominant.

MJ

Subject:RE: bring vocals' volume up

Reply by: dpvollmer

Date:1/7/2005 9:16:49 AM

I assume the vocals are mixed in stereo (or dual mono) with the instruments, as opposed to what I call split track where the instruments are usually on the left track and the vocals on the right.

The only way I know of to "raise" the vocal level is by utilizing EQ settings, boosting the frequencies of the vocal range of the singer(s). Of course you will also be boosting the instrument frequencies at the same time but you may be successful to some degree. I have used this procedure on occasion when a soloist was buried in the mix.

There are many folks in this forum that are far more experienced than I however, and may have better solutions. If so, I would also be interested in their suggestions.

David Vollmer

Subject:RE: bring vocals' volume up

Reply by: golli

Date:1/7/2005 4:37:13 PM

So I take it you dont have access to the multi track, to do a vocal up version?

If this is'nt a dense mix:
1. You could use the Track EQ and sweap around the 250-400hz and 800-1200hz areas, with a narrow Q. Find the content of the vocal and bring it up, say 0.5-1.5 db. Again experiment with the Q settings, to eliminate the harmonics of the instruments coming to much up with the voice, esp. Snare, Bass and guitars (in a typical pop/rock mix). I would avoid bringing up the 6000-8000hz area to, so as not to bring sibilance and harchness up. If you have a good EQ plug-in, this method should be OK (I find the Q settings in the stock EQ's, to be quite brutal).
2. If you're not OK with results, use that EQ to lower all other freq's, but the one's you're after, by 0.5-1.5db's and the vocal freq's down to zero (and therefore 0.5-1.5db's above everything else). Put the Wave Hammer in, after the EQ and raise the overall db, by 0.5-?.?db's, depends on taste really and how you set the attack and release times.

If this is a very dense mix, I would predict you'd have a hard time doing this, and be satisfied with the results.

And you better have a good monitoring chain for this, both the monitors and converters. With crappy speakers, you dont hear a real difference until you have brought up the vocal (and related harmonics), few db's to many, only to be revealed when you play the song in a better monitoring environment.

If you're patient and give yourself plenty of time for experimenting, in a good monitoring environment, but never quite "get there". You have a BAD mix on your hands.

However, if this song is dear to you or important in any way, get a good mastering house to do this.