Questions & Answers

My vocal mic tracks are always too quiet

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asked Jun 9, 2020 in Studio One 4 by johngreitzer (360 points)
When I record using my AudioBox96 USB, and StudioOne Artist, my vocal tracks are always too quiet compared to the instrumental tracks.  Even if I go into Mix and raise the vocal levels to the highest possible, they're still too quiet compared to the instruments.

Should I be using a mic preamp, and plug the preamp into the AudioBox?  The mics I'm using are Sennheiser e609 and Shure M57.  Thanks in advance.

2 Answers

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answered Jun 10, 2020 by joegilder (13,630 points)
 
Best answer
It's most likely because the tracks are already mastered. Turn them down, get things balanced, then turn everything up at the Main Output with a Limiter.
0 votes
answered Jun 11, 2020 by johngreitzer (360 points)
Thank you for responding.  Since I'm a complete beginner, I don't know what "mastered" means or what a "limiter" is.  But I have solved my problem.  When I record, I turn the volume knob on the AudioBox input to the 3 o'clock position.  This makes the mic volume equal to the instrument volume.  I had been recording the vocals with the input volume set to about 11 to 12 o'clock.  At 3 o'clock, the mic volume is great.  I appreciate your response to my question.
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