{"id":546,"date":"2014-07-13T09:14:10","date_gmt":"2014-07-13T09:14:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/talkinmusic.com\/?p=546"},"modified":"2016-08-08T15:43:44","modified_gmt":"2016-08-08T15:43:44","slug":"mixing-vocals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/talkinmusic.com\/mixing-vocals\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ultimate Guide To Mixing Vocals"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"vocal<\/p>\n

Before we get started, I have to make it clear that this tutorial will work with whatever DAW you’re using. You could be mixing vocals in Pro Tools, FL Studio, Garageband, Cubase 5, Studio One or using any plugins whether Waves, UAD or stock plugins.<\/p>\n

This is a concise guide so it doesn’t matter what you’re using and if you have problems applying the knowledge then spend some time learning your software or plugins.<\/p>\n

As you may know I did a short post about mixing vocals in 4 easy steps and this time I want to give you something that is more detailed and help you learn how to make vocals stand out in a mix. That means this post is going to be very long so grab a cup of coffee, tea, wine or whatever you prefer and be comfortable.<\/p>\n

I’m not going to cover anything related to recording as I’m going to make a post about that in the next coming days. <\/em><\/p>\n

The key to getting the right vocal mix is to make sure you get it right from the source. What you need to know is that if you put garbage in, you’ll get garbage out. So make sure your vocal recording is proper. Once you’re certain that you have a good recording that is ready for mixing then you’ve won half of the battle.<\/p>\n

Now the 1st thing I do is listen to the vocals and try to\u00a0get a rough picture of the final results in my mind. Once that’s done the next thing is to put all thoughts into practice.<\/p>\n

Tip –<\/strong> There’s no right or wrong way for producing great audio mixes, use the rules as a guide and always trust your instinct.<\/p>\n

Gate Processing Tips<\/h2>\n

A gate processor mutes signals with low volume and it only modifies the RMS level of a signal. Most gates mute the signal completely while some allow you to set the compression to be just partial. The use of gates during vocal mixing is to eliminate background noise in parts where the vocalist doesn’t sing\/rap.<\/p>\n

Most controls found on a gate are similar to the ones on a normal compressor such as the threshold, attack, release and some have a range as well as a ratio parameter.<\/p>\n

A gate with most, if not all, controls will help make this dynamic processing a lot smoother as compared to a simple gate that mutes the sound completely. For this to work well, I use an expander instead of a noise gate because it is a lot gradual and it makes it easy to get the right envelope settings (attack and release).<\/p>\n

The attack time needs to be fast because a vocal can have parts that are percussive and the noise gate will open late and the word or 1st alphabet of a phrase wont be audible \u00a0and that will reduce the clarity of the vocal. Another thing is to make sure the attack is not too fast that it ends up causing a click sound.<\/p>\n

To get a good threshold, find the part where the vocals are really low in volume. Once you find that lowest point then push the threshold till you start to hear the gate compressing\u00a0the signal then push it back up till everything fades in and out smoothly (natural). The main aim is to let\u00a0the gate open when the vocals come in and close when there’s no signal.<\/p>\n

The tricky part is getting the right threshold and release time. So if you’re having a problem with the threshold setting then play around with the release. Find a part where the vocalist sings the longest note and make sure you hear the whole note before the gate closes again. If the vocal note cuts then keep increasing the release slowly till you hear the whole note completely fades out. Make sure the settings are working well with the rest of the vocal.<\/p>\n

If you’re using an expander and it has a ratio setting then just know that anything above the ratio of 1:10 is no longer an expander it’s now a noise gate. So play around with ratio settings below 1:10 to keep things organic and smooth.<\/p>\n

This process can also be done manually by zooming the wav-form and cutting out all the parts where the vocalist is not singing. This can be a lot of work but do this if you don’t know how to use a gate.<\/p>\n

\"noise<\/p>\n

Equalizing The Vocal<\/h2>\n

Once you have the backround noise cleaned out then you’re going to equalize the vocals to remove unwanted frequencies that may clash with other sounds in the mix. You can use a frequency analyzer to see which frequencies the\u00a0singer\u00a0is dominating.<\/p>\n

Make sure that you equalize the vocal while the whole music is playing so that you can hear whether what you’re doing is benefiting the mix or not. Don’t solo the vocals when you’re adding any processing, the listener wont hear the vocals in solo so it doesn’t matter how they sound in solo just as long as they’re working well with the entire mix.<\/p>\n

You must use subtractive eq first then boost after compression. You can choose not to follow this rule of thumb by the way. A parametric eq is a good choice because parametric are really transparent and allow you to create big boosts and cuts without messing the timbre.<\/p>\n

Vocal Eq Settings<\/h3>\n

Start by cutting out anything below 60Hz, you won’t be needing that. You can push it even further if needed. You can find the fullness of the vocal around 100Hz to 250Hz and this frequancy range is good for cutting in some cases. Another part you need to cut is the muddiness area which can be found around 250Hz to 700Hz.<\/p>\n

If you’re vocal has a\u00a0honky or nasal sound then a cut around 400Hz to 1kHz will do the trick. If the vocals are harsh then use a narrow Q-Factor somewhere from 2.5KHz to around 4KHz. To add more clarity and presence then do a sweep from 4kHz to 9kHz till you find the right spot which is around 6kHz in most cases. Then boost that using a wide Q-Factor (bandwidth).<\/p>\n

A narrow cut\u00a0at around\u00a01kHz to 1.8kHz can add some smoothness to the vocal, try it. To add some sparkle and air then a high-shelf boost at around 10kHz will do the trick. If you’re vocal is sounding too thin then a boost in the low mids can add the thickness or warmth you desire.<\/p>\n

Keep it in mind that these eq settings are just a guideline, you’ll have to sweep around the spectrum to find the problem frequencies but at least with these tips you’ll know where to look. Use the frequency guide below if you get stuck:<\/p>\n

Fullness<\/strong> (100Hz \u2013 250Hz)
\nBoominess and Muddiness<\/strong> (250Hz \u2013 800Hz)
\nHonky and Nasal<\/strong> (400Hz \u2013 1.1kHz)
\nPresence<\/strong> (5kHz – 8kHz)
\nSibilance<\/strong> (1.5kHz \u2013 7kHz)
\nClarity<\/strong> (5kHz – 9kHz)
\nAir or Breath<\/strong> (10kHz – 20kHz)<\/p>\n

One last thing that’s worth mentioning is that mud is not always bad on a vocal, and it’s not always necessary to remove the low-mid range when mixing vocals because in some cases it may take away the presence or make it thin.<\/p>\n

\"mixing<\/p>\n

Compression Tips<\/h2>\n

This is the only section I wont cover in detail because I did a blog post dedicated to vocal compression. You can find the post by clicking the link below:<\/p>\n

Vocal Compression: How To Compress Vocals<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n