Vocal mixing tips
A great way to even out excessive dynamics in a vocal take is to use a utility plugin for manual volume automation, letting you dial back loud phrases or increase the level of quiet passages in a cleaner way than compression can. Don’t go overboard with t
01 RIDE THE FADER
De-ess offending syllables rather than entire takes
02 SUPER SHARP ESSES
You might find that using a de-esser to effectively control problem vocal sibilance has the side effect of dulling high frequencies across the entire take, particularly if the microphone used for recording has a very bright sound. A foolproof way to get around this is to simply cut the offending syllables out, place them on a new channel, then de-ess them separately to the main take.
03 MONO SENDS
Dialling in mono effects such as saturation or distortion on an FX send can help to give vocals a more centered sound, increasing their impact. It can also improve mono compatibility, which is especially relevant for wide stereo vocals that lack focus in the mid channel; and you can boost the send level during busy parts of the mix to make the vocals cut through better.
04 LEAVE THE ROOM
A good trick for assessing how your vocals are sitting in the mix is to stand outside the room while the mix is playing. This will give you a fresh perspective on whether the vocals cut through enough, or are just too loud. Try it with the door open and shut, too, as a closed door can muffle higher frequencies, giving you even more information on how the mix might translate to a casual listener.
05 REVERB REMEDY
If your vocal is getting lost because of reverb, but then sounds too dry when you dial it back, try sidechain compression to duck the reverb when the dry vocal comes in. Experiment with the compressor’s attack, hold and release to make the effect more transparent, and go for a high ratio of 6:1 or above to give the ducking a harder sound. Increase or decrease the compression threshold to embellish or reduce the effect as the song demands.
06 GOING LIVE
If you’re working in more ‘live’ sounding genres such as folk, jazz or acoustic pop, try and go easy on the clinical vocal editing, as removing spill completely can make the vocal sound isolated from the instrumental parts, particularly if the singer was also playing guitar during the recording. If the spill is too loud, you could try cutting it out and placing it on another channel, so you can then ride the volume to blend it in appropriately.
07 VOCAL COMPRESSION
When compressing vocals, using several styles of subtle compression to reduce the dynamic range will give better results for most genres than using a single compressor. You could use parallel compression from an 1176 to increase the lead vocal’s weight without crushing the transients, before grouping the entire vocal and applying subtle glue compression, with a clean processor to avoid introducing harmonic distortion.
08 EQ HACKS
EQing out LF rumble or plosives can also remove depth from the vocal, giving a thin and lacklustre overall sound. Deal with this by using sharp 24dB/octave or higher filters to surgically cut the lows, before adding an EQ boost slightly higher in the frequency range to bring back the perception of weight. 90Hz for male, and 150Hz for female vocalists is a great starting point.