Best way to normalize vocals

[Sven]

  I often record several lead vocal tracks on one day and then re-record them again on a later date.  The later vocal levels are usually not too far from the first ones but I want to make the volume levels as close as possible when I'm done before I begin to comp them.

 Years ago I used to automatically normalize all the tracks with Cakewalk's 'Default' setting but in recent years I've just comped the vocals as is and made minor gain adjustments with split clips later.   

My question is what's the best method for taking many vocals tracks in Cakewalk and quickly getting the levels to a reasonably equal level?  Or is that a bad idea for some reason? 

Do most people normalize before comping or split/gain adjust tracks like I've been doing recently or something else entirely?   I'm just looking for suggestions for a convenient fast workflow method for this process.

Thanks. 

Happy New Year.

 

[msmcleod]

I tend to just use clip gain automation, normally after consolidating all my comps to a single clip.

[Andres Medina]

I think there are several ways to accomplish that, and it depends on many factors to decide which way to go.

I used to normalize the clips too, but I discarded this method in favor of a less destructive and less radical approach.

I use this workflow:

• Comp the takes
• Duplicate the comped take and archive the original (just in case!)
• Use Melodyne to adjust details (tuning and timing mainly, but also specific blop levels)
• Use track envelopes on sections of the song.
• Apply compressor to the whole track (or bus), if needed

I'm sure every producer has it's own preferred way to work on vocals, and of course the source material often point in a direction to go.

Hope it helps!