Ramble On - Led Zeppelin - questions

[ronws]

This is another of my favorites. "Ramble On" by Led Zeppelin. Actually, at one time, I was singing everything through Houses of the Holy.

Anyway, I know plenty of people record against a karaoke track, including myself. And for that, I can use the Sennheiser.

But for acoustic stuff, it is better to use the condenser mic. And I like the way the guitar sounds with it. I prefer to sing while playing guitar. Some may think it is difficult but is pretty much all I have known to do and have done so for a long time.

My problem is how do I record, or more specifically, fix the mix when I overload the mic?

I had the mic even with the top of my head and angled slightly. The guitar, I did not jack into the usb. I let the room ambience and natural sustain of the guitar do it's job. And I tuned up before recording (no applause necessary.) On the parts that do not have a lot of vocal volume, it's okay. But as soon as I engage for high volume on high notes, I am clipping the mic and in some cases, it's flatten and obliterating diction that I have, for real.

How can I record "live" without sounding like I recorded on a 5 inch reel to reel with a desk mic?

(link deleted)

[ronws]

Forgot to add that I am over a foot away from the pop filter. I think I am filling the room with sound.

And I used, post recording, the effect of compressor in Audacity with a low ratio like 2:1 with a medium to high knee, compression based on peaks. I had also tried leveller (limiter) but it didn't help any.

[Guest]

Hey Ron, I liked the low tones batter than the high. To be honest I really thought it sounded good at the start and was thinking this was your best recording yet. But I didn't like the higher parts as much as the lower and really would love to hear the whole thing in the lower tones. I almost thought that was what you were gonna do. When I sing Zep (who doesn't...lol) I can only do the high parts in falsetto so a lot of times I just do the whole song in a lower register, you know...not going up in head.

But nice job on the lower notes man

Tommy

[ronws]

Thanks, Tommy.

My problem is in recording high notes. And I am singing this song in the key that it was written in, at least as far as my complete songbook shows, that was published back around 1980.

Sorry that you didn't like the high notes.

[Guest]

Sorry that you didn't like the high notes.

Hey....don't make it sound like I didn't like your song!!

I just happen to prefer the way you sang the lower notes and for "my taste" I would like to hear the whole song that way. Hey if we all liked the same things we would all be chasing the same woman right. :D

[Keith]

I can tell the high notes would have sounded good if your voice volume wasn't killing me mic. Check your email.

[ronws]

Keith gave me the right tech tip in an email and I now have a much cleaner version that I am going to mix in my own all-thumbs way.

And, sorry Tommy, it still has some high notes. I can't stop myself from doing them. It would be easier for me to break potty-training than not do this song in the original key.

[ronws]

I should change my login to idiot.

Keith gave me a really simple tip. The stupid mic level in the software. The default is low input, which is bound, I suppose, to clip anything past a few decibels. Any, so I move it to .9.

And got a much cleaner sound. Then compressed, with dB gain after compression.

Then I duped the track and panned one 40 % left and the other 40 % right.

Then added a little noodling during the break, one track, same compression, no dupe.

http://www.box.com/s/86968135117ca096e8b8

[Keith]

Much better :)

[Guest]

Yes, I liked that better too.

However!

Throw something at me if you want to, that's fine. But my taste is my taste and this has nothing to do with good or bad. Just personal taste. I happen to like your chest voice better than your head voice. The beginning on this song was kind of like when you sang Brandy...that was very good IMO. I liked the tone very much. And I can see this song, and a few other Zep songs being sung this way. "Over the Hills and Far Away" is another one I find to be good sung all in chest and lower head tones.

Just my opinion. That doesn't mean it's a good opinion....only that it's mine

Nice job though.

It's 7: 30 am now and I'm leaving around 9 for N.Y. so I won't be around till late tonight. So if you want to complain to me and I don't answer it's only because I'm not here.

Just breakin' yer balls kid. Who loves ya baby?

I'll catch ya later, gotta get ready. Nice job on the fixed version Ron.

Tommy

[ronws]

Thanks, guys. And Tommy, I was being cheeky. If I took it the hard way, I would have gone into a long, defensive diatribe. Instead, I just warned you that there were high notes, in that I am confident in doing the song this way. At least with you and Keith, I can take artistic license and ya'll will appreciate it.

And I have done "Over the Hills and Far away" with some high notes. I should send that to you, as well.

Maybe the smiley helps.

[Mr Bounce]

If there's a problem with distortion you just have to check through the signal path. Modern professional microphones can handle seriously high SPL; it has to be physically impossible to sing louder than a rock drummer who is rim shotting his snare with the mic 1" above the head. So it's usually the pre-amp on the interface which is too hot, or--as it was in this case--the software isn't configured correctly.

All that said...

I enjoyed this recording. It had a real raw quality which I appreciated. It didn't sound really rehearsed and planned out, rather it was just you there with a guitar, being who you are. Nice!

[Guest]

Ok, I'm back from N.Y.

I hope you guys weren't talking about me behind my back. :mad:

And I have done "Over the Hills and Far away" with some high notes. I should send that to you, as well.

Go ahead....don't force me to do one without!!

[Olem]

Not bad, Ron, one of your best recordings IMO. I also prefer your chest voice but you already knew that from earlier posts.

[ronws]

I enjoyed this recording. It had a real raw quality which I appreciated. It didn't sound really rehearsed and planned out, rather it was just you there with a guitar, being who you are. Nice!

That was exactly my intent. One of my "campfire" songs. Something I have done in such an informal setting. Either I brought my own guitar or hijacked someone else's.

[Guest]

Well I gotta give you credit man. I tried to sing the Rain Song today and I couldn't do it. I wouldn't even attempt Ramble On.

[ronws]

To me, Tommy, those songs are more about feel than anything else. Yes, there is some technical precision here and there, like most any song.

Thanks Olem.

[Chavie]

i cant really offer any advice on what your using.but i use the line 6 toneport for my mic input,

it comes with podfarm & gearbox you get a lot of vocal settings on install.

id recommend it to anyone.

Great singing kinda of reminded me of plant in a few places timbre wise.

[napoleonboot]

Ron

here's a backer for this song:

http://en.musicplayon.com/play?v=475032

George

[ronws]

i cant really offer any advice on what your using.but i use the line 6 toneport for my mic input,

it comes with podfarm & gearbox you get a lot of vocal settings on install.

id recommend it to anyone.

Great singing kinda of reminded me of plant in a few places timbre wise.

Hey Chavie, thanks for the ideas. I've written about what I record on many times.

So, I should save my pennies for a different recording rig.

Thanks, George.

[Guest]

Hey, I just gave a re listen to this. It was early in the morn when I listened to this updated version (my response to it said 730 am) and because I didn't play it loud I'm guessing I didn't hear it well. Then you deleted the original link so anytime I looked at this thread afterward, with the link missing from the original post, I never scrolled down any further...till today

That's when I found the new link and even a response to it from me, which I forgot about. I had a re-listen at volume and I really liked it. You took some liberties there and changed it up a bit and that was cool...good job on that. The guitar work was very good too especially the noodling. I'd call it an almost solo

I thought your vocals rolled through the song freely and more smoothly that the earlier version and adding your own melody changes worked out well imo.

[ronws]

Thanks, Tommy. BTW, I put the noodling in the wrong place but I think it worked out okay.

I took down the original link because that recording was so bad, it wasn't worth keeping around, even for comparison, to me. Essentially, I adjusted the audacity mic input volume in the program to near the right end of the scale, instead of leaving it at the default left end. From what I can surmise, left is good for normal speaking, right is better for loud singing. Otherwise, the program will clip and flatten anything over conversational volume. I learn, inch by inch, step by step, the hard way.

And I was using my mantra to put control of the note in the body, not the throat. Then, let the note get into a resonator, or two. I don't actually get to "aim" a note. I just get out of its way.

And kind of improvise the lyrics at the end. That is essentially what Robert is doing. That is, I am inspired by what he does with a song rather than trying to sound like a carbon copy of him, which I cannot do. I'm not british, I don't share his genetics, etc.

Thanks for the compliments.

[slstone]

Our ancestors might be brits, though. Our family name comes from the British Isles. Maybe we just don't know it, lol.

[ronws]

Our ancestors might be brits, though. Our family name comes from the British Isles. Maybe we just don't know it, lol.

Well, according to our grandmother, our ancestors are brits.

And, according to our father's surviving widow, our father was a mix of english, irish, and scottish. And of course, our natural maternal grandfather, Mom's father was an immigrant from Germany.

[slstone]

Well, according to our grandmother, our ancestors are brits.

And, according to our father's surviving widow, our father was a mix of english, irish, and scottish. And of course, our natural maternal grandfather, Mom's father was an immigrant from Germany.

English, Irish and Scottish <---these make up the british isles, which were much earlier settled of people from the germanic lands and the caucus mountains, etc....