How to make rap vocals louder in Garageband

Hi all,

So I've been dealing with this problem for quite some time now and have googled and Youtubed it to death so I'm turning to you guys for help.

Before you ask, I have turned the auto-normalizer off because it seems to lower the overall volume of the song dramatically.

I use these settings on nearly every vocal track:

-AUPeakLimiter
-AUParametricEQ
-Vocal Compression Rap
-Noise gate: -30db
-Visual Eq: Clear Vocals

These settings seem to work the best for me. I will change them on double-up tracks I record, such a putting vocal compression to gentle.

I use a USB AKG Perception 120 Mic and a pop filter.

Here's the problem:

The vocals aren't as loud compared to other "professional" rap songs. I've tried "doubling up" tracks, ie, copy and pasting the main vocals on a new track, turning the volume down, putting the compressor on gentle and putting a tremolo on it. However, my volume levels still peak and the vocals sound so "loud" they hurt your ears if you listen to them for too long.

How do I "double up" vocals in garageband to make it sound more professional?

Can anyone help?

Here's some links to some mixtapes I recorded and "mixed" in garageband. The sound level isn't bad but it can certainly use some improvement.

Any help would be appreciated.

SONGS CREATED IN GARAGEBAND:

http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/frank-white-48-hrs-the-mixtape-mixtape.30186.html

http://www.datpiff.com/Black-Eye-N-Da-Game-Frank-White-Black-Eye-N-Da-Game-mixtape.264678.html

Thanks.

I understand that about all the elements needing to come into place to make it sound professional.

But are there any tips you can give me to "double up" vocals to make them louder to get it to sound more in line with how professional volume recordings sound?

TMRaven said:

What speakers/headphones are you using to mix and master?

Click to expand...

I'm using Behringer HPS3000 headphones to mix and master.

@zimv20:
Thanks for the input. You're right, I need to find a better mic, however the USB AKG is the only thing I have to work with at the moment.

I forgot to mention that "Da Capital" was one of the tracks on that mixtape I didn't record or edit, but all the tracks on "48Hrs" and most on "Black Eye N Da Game" I did record/edit. Sorry.

I've since gotten a better pop-filter which has helped minimize peaking and has improved the quality of the vocals but I still feel they aren't loud enough.

I'm not very familiar with the terminology you were using so sorry for sounding stupid but whats a vox and lead vox? Like Main Vocals?

I've tried drawing curves for the Vocal Compression setting on Garageband based on tutorials on YouTube of how to mix/master vocals but do you have any settings in particular you could recommend?

I hired an engineer buddy of mine to mix/master one of my tracks, and it sounded great. I'm just hoping to learn more about it though so I can do it myself and save myself the money because it can get real expensive paying to mix/master tracks.

I also have a friend of mine who has logic Pro working on editing some of my songs but they never seem to come out the quality I want them to when he works on them, for some reason.

@Mak47:

1.Thanks. Yeah, I definitely need a new mic, I'm going to check those ones out you recommended.

2.Yeah, I do double ups on every track I do. Typically, I'll record a main vocal then I will do a double up track where I double up the last words of every line and then I'll do a second double up track where I double up the first words of every line. I've found this gives it a fuller sound and gives me room to emphasize words. I've also gotten pretty good and making them sync up so they're pretty identical. I don't like to do a full double up track where I would double the entire verse over again because I find I compromise on sound and run out of breath, and I don't wanna punch in.
I will do TONS of takes though, and keep the best ones, and that way I have plenty of material to choose from when I do editing.

3. True that.

4. That's great advice. I have been doing a lot more takes lately and experimenting in terms of mic placement and what I can do with different fx.

-That's what I'm all about, having fun making records. That's priority number one for me above all. **** aspirations of fame and audience expectations, at the end of the day, it comes down to how I feel about the record.
I've been recording since 2003, starting in small studios and then bigger ones. I recorded in a studio in Reno where Dr. Dre and Boyz II Men recorded at but it cost A LOT OF MONEY. So I've been trying to do the whole home studio since and am just trying to work my way up to better equipment and sounds.

I'd say the quality of music I'm putting out now has definitely improved from the links I put up.
For instance, this is my newest track:

http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/frank-white-panoramic-view-song.828075.html

If you heard the other tracks, I think you can definitely tell a difference from those and this one. This one I had the better pop-filter, and I did a lot more work on trying to mix it.
I also doubled up the vocals on it (by that I mean, I took the main vocals, copy and pasted them on a new track and lowered the volume on it) in addition to the regular recorded double ups I did to the track.

This song if from a paid session and I experimented a lot more with the vocals, as you can hear on the hook.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyy_3trp7HA

Don't know if this gives you a better idea of where I'm at but hopefully it does.

Thanks a bunch for the great advice, guys.