Help! How To Make Quality Ad Libs?

C

champ2008

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whats good fp. i just wanted to see how to make ad libs sound like they should. when u listen to any song, the ad libs dont sound too loud or too low, and dont interfere with the rapper/singer. its seems like when my rappers do it, it just seems like it kinda interferes with things.

Is making good ad libs just a mixing thing, is it my mic or is there just something im missing.



Thx in advance
 
It depends man.... The way the artist is spitting the adlibs, what he/she is actually saying, timing of the adlibs and the way you mix it.

As a producer, you can coach the artist on how you believe the adlibs should sound, but the artist should just be able to vibe with it.

As for the mixing aspect, again it depends on everything else in the mix. But generally, adlibs are panned either left or right of the main vocal. Its good if you make the adlibs sound a little different from the main vocal (you can achieve this with EQ, delay, reverb, or even a combination of effects). Most adlibs are relatively low in volume, at a level where its almost subliminal.
 
oh cool thank you guys, i knew the mixing was a big part but panning never crosses my mind. thx again
 
champ2008 said:
whats good fp. i just wanted to see how to make ad libs sound like they should. when u listen to any song, the ad libs dont sound too loud or too low, and dont interfere with the rapper/singer. its seems like when my rappers do it, it just seems like it kinda interferes with things.

Is making good ad libs just a mixing thing, is it my mic or is there just something im missing.



Thx in advance
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Usually a bit lower than the main vocals. A little reverb and delays help too. Also a little telephone EQ sounds good too. Don't be afraid to hipass filter the bass too. Depends on the track though.


For those in your face adlibs like Jeezy, I think most of the work is in leaving space for the adlibs.

Many rappers have a dense delivery; They try to fill in every single space with their main lyrics with very little rest. As a result when they try to stack their vocals they clash with their main lines.

Jeezy has a sparse delivery; He leaves plenty of holes in his deliveries which allows him to fill them in with clever adlibs.
 
jlgrimes11 said:
Usually a bit lower than the main vocals. A little reverb and delays help too. Also a little telephone EQ sounds good too. Don't be afraid to hipass filter the bass too. Depends on the track though.


For those in your face adlibs like Jeezy, I think most of the work is in leaving space for the adlibs.

Many rappers have a dense delivery; They try to fill in every single space with their main lyrics with very little rest. As a result when they try to stack their vocals they clash with their main lines.

Jeezy has a sparse delivery; He leaves plenty of holes in his deliveries which allows him to fill them in with clever adlibs.
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yea i can totally see where your gettin at. jezzys adlibs are a big part of his tracks. and your right, my rappers do tend to fill up every inch of the song. this info was really helpful. definetly putting this to use next session. Thx again
 
roll off under 300
and if you don't compress them it can sound nice
different reverb than the main
sometimes just a nice delay ( if just an automated delay on the main won't do)
 
con_thafam said:
roll off under 300
and if you don't compress them it can sound nice
different reverb than the main
sometimes just a nice delay ( if just an automated delay on the main won't do)
Click to expand...

(i use sonar) recently ive tried reverb, some phaser effect, pitch effect, and some delay. but i dont know, maybe its just me but to me it kinda dosent feel right.

and what do u mean "roll off under 300"?
 
champ2008 said:
(i use sonar) recently ive tried reverb, some phaser effect, pitch effect, and some delay. but i dont know, maybe its just me but to me it kinda dosent feel right.

and what do u mean "roll off under 300"?
Click to expand...

Cut off the bass.

Either Low shelf or hipass at 300 hz (adjust freq to taste).


Also if adlibs usually don't sound right, consider rerecording. Usually the right adlib performance gels in and shouldn't require too much processing. EQ/Comp/ and Delays IMO seem to be the most important effect for adlibs to make them stand out from the main vocals.

Another thing to consider, less is more. I've been in many sessions where an engineer would cut out maybe 50 or 60 % of the adlibs because of clashing with the main vocal.

I've had some cases where I would basically cut the whole adlib track leaving maybe only 2 phrases. (Not every song need the adlib).

Extreme effects work good at certain instances, but they usually don't work well during the whole song.

It depends on the type of song and delivery on where your levels should be.

In most cases a lot lower than the main vocal (but high enough where you can make out what the person is saying pretty easily),

But if the performer leaves space for them, the adlibs can be much louder.
 
personally i don't use phaser effects, pitch only if it needs correcting.
roll off everything under 300hz, for adlibs i personally dont like the lows which can sometimes muddy up the mix

as for reverb try a med plate or room, sometimes a hall can really do it

--

he just added that above me right before i did

lol
 
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hey i personally think the adlibs, in order to stand out and not interfere with the main vocals at the same time, must be recorded on a different note and/or intonation than the main vocal. let`s say u got a vocal in the C note (roughly), now tell the vocalist to record an adlib in the E note (roughly). sorry for my bad english. hope this helped.
 
Use a different mic and a different vocal chain from what you used for the main vocals. This will give the adlibs their own character. Also, no amount of mixing, panning, eq, etc. can make up for a poorly produced song. And i dont mean the beat.
 
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