New home recording set up and LOW VOCALS ???

A

AnimalRap

New member
I just bought a AKG p120 and a Presonus AudioBox. I also have a vox guard foam bs thingy and pop filter. The mic is in the middle of a medium sized room. Sounds like the vocals are coming in very clean and crisp(surprisingly more than i expected) but the vocals are LOW as **** dudes. I literally have to scream bloody ****ing murder to get a recording that is loud enough. I do not know why the vocals are coming in low. the Phantom power is turned on..Idk what Im doing wrong. The vocals sound great just really low!

Im also using Audacity. If anyone has any links on how to mix vocals in Audacity id appreciate it.



And for all those people who cant help them selves and want to come in here and tell me "duh get better equipment" , I have heard what the p120 can do, and what it can do is exactly what im looking for. Im a hip hop artist just looking to record ideas at home , songs for my facebook friends and fam. I go to real studios, where your favorite rappers go, to record my big records. Take that "step ur mic game up" shit else where lol Im purposely seeking out budget quality. Im doing so because it will force me to increase my sound engineering skills, and overall knowledge of audio. I want to master this p120 and bring its best qualities out. Ive heard sick mixes with it before.

Sooo

Back to the low vocals

What am I doing wrong? Should I upload a video of my recording process?
 
Its not damaged , Its brand new out the box . ordered this all from guitar center. Just came in yesterday. Def not the mic cable. How could it be damaged? There is no tears, no rips...No dents, dings, nothing...Looks good to me, i dont think it is the cables

thanks 4 the reply
 
Vocals arent as low as I exaggerated in the OP, but they are still low as shit. Its unacceptable. They should be louder! I cant call it
 
I can't call it either but if I were experiencing problems after eliminating issues like phantom power I would be looking at the cables as the next possible source

humour me and describe your mic cable or better yet take a pic of both connectors and share it here

also :did you connect the microphone and then turn on phantom power or turn on phantom power and then connect the mic: the first is preferred method to avoid blowing electronics in a condenser mic.
 
Define "LOW." When I record vocals they are rarely peaking above -9dBFS. Also, different mics have different sensitivity and will require more or less gain from the preamp. It's not uncommon to have one mic require 10 or 15dB more or less gain than a different mic. On top of that, some mics have pads which will turn down their output so make sure you don't have the pad engaged unless you need it.
 
bandcoach said:
I can't call it either but if I were experiencing problems after eliminating issues like phantom power I would be looking at the cables as the next possible source

humour me and describe your mic cable or better yet take a pic of both connectors and share it here

also :did you connect the microphone and then turn on phantom power or turn on phantom power and then connect the mic: the first is preferred method to avoid blowing electronics in a condenser mic.
Click to expand...

Well.....all I can say about the mic cable is it was the cheapest one I could find on guitar center. Its a "Live Wire Advantage Microphone XLR Cable" . I'll post a pic of my set up soon as I can. Thanks 4 the reply.

I connect the mic and then turn on the phantom power the proper way, yup.



chris carter said:
Define "LOW." When I record vocals they are rarely peaking above -9dBFS. Also, different mics have different sensitivity and will require more or less gain from the preamp. It's not uncommon to have one mic require 10 or 15dB more or less gain than a different mic. On top of that, some mics have pads which will turn down their output so make sure you don't have the pad engaged unless you need it.
Click to expand...


Low as in I have to over exert my voice to get a recording that is suitable for the ears, but its not good because I cant maintain a loud voice throughout the recording so when my voice drops the mic doesnt pick it up. I literally have to yell, with the mic input almost near all way the down so it doesnt clip. When I record with the gain even in set at the middle it will clip for me. Im going to post up a video because I am indeed an amateur and all this terminology and info is new o me. Thanks for the reply , vid coming soon.
 
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What type of mic is it (dynamic, condenser, etc)? What is the polar pattern of it?

If it's not omnidirectional, try spining the mic around.

You can adjust gain of your recording in your DAW (not a fix to the recording issue, but it may get rid of the necessity for raising your voice).
 
go into your volume settings on your computer go to recording - select your mic - go into input lvls and set it higher.
 
As others have said, check first that phantom power is on. After that, raise the gain on the Audiobox and see if you get acceptable levels - if not, then there might be an actual issue here...
 
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