Recording - February 2012 - 40

The Mixing Workshop

Many times the de-esser can dull the vocal while killing the harshness. Put the deesser before the eq, and carefully boost the top end (15–18 kHz) of the vocal with a shelf eq. A multiband compressor can be useful on a vocal; it can act on just one, or on more than one frequency band, separately but simultaneously. Use a multiband compressor to reduce low mid and other frequency jumps and smooth out the overall frequency shape of the vocal, making it clearer and less muddy.

Fig. 2: Serial compression: the Joemeek plug-in is set for gentle compression, while the Focusrite plug-in bangs down only the most drastic peaks. Equalize for size A careful use of eq can really put the vocal in its place and control dynamics before any compression is used. The wide range of dynamics and frequencies in the human voice almost guarantees that eq will be needed at some point throughout the song. There may be notes that stick out too much in a certain frequency range, or areas of the track that are too dull or boomy against the music mix. Many times, when a mix is turned up, the vocal will seem like it’s at the right level, but is a bit harsh, or hits your ear in the mids and upper mids. Eq can reduce the harshness while maintaining the clarity. (See Figure 3 for a typical vocal eq setting.) Common techniques for eq’ing vocals include rolling off the lower octave or so (under 100–150 Hz) and finding and gently cutting annoying frequency spikes in the 600 Hz–2.5 kHz range. If a de-esser can’t tame those spikes (see above), then sweep through the mids on the eq with the cut fully engaged. You’ll find a spot that

will still allow the vocal to sound somewhat natural, even with full cut, but without the harsh spikes. That is the area to be worked on. Without changing the frequency, dial some gain back in, and narrow the bandwidth of the cut until the vocal sounds full and natural again. This may make it seem slightly dull at first, but will allow you to turn the vocal up a bit without it seeming too loud. You may want to add some highs at 15 kHz or above to open the sound back up. One important note for mixing vocals is that the music track must be able to accommodate the vocal. In other words, keep an eye on the frequency content and individual track levels of the music mix, making sure to leave room for the vocal in the critical midrange. This is called spectral balancing. For example, guitars that are too bright, or have too much energy in the 1–5 kHz range against the vocal, require that the vocal be pushed too loud, risking to become too harsh, just to be heard clearly. Keep the mid frequencies under control on the music mix, and the vocal will sit better in the mix. Side effects Use effects for impact, size, and to blend the singer with the band. Ambience, reverb, and delays can work wonders on a vocal, as can a little chorus. The contrast between a dry (no effects) vocal “in-yourface”, and a lush vocal with a full space around it and some delays, can be used to your advantage during a mix. Each section of the song can have differing treatments. The a cappella breakdown might be dry, while the full band chorus may be better delivered with the vocal wet, with delays timed to the song and a bit of reverb to put the singer back in the band. A common vocal effect is to use a pitch/delay effect, like the Dual Shift in the Eventide H3000, in stereo on a vocal. The effect makes micro-changes to pitch and timing in real time, adding a nice, thick fullness to the vocal. There are plug-ins that do similar things for you. Send the lead vocal to the effect on a send, and bring up the stereo return of the effect until it widens the vocal. It can really make a vocal come alive, but be careful, it’s easy to overdo it! Another cool effect for a vocal is distortion. Adding a little bit of distortion, like an amp sim or tube plug-in, and blending it in with the original vocal can create some very compelling vocals in a heavy track. You could automate the effect so that it turns on for certain sections of the song, or gets heavier in others.

Fig. 3: This vocal eq setting rolls off low-end muck and notches out two problem frequencies.
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RECORDING FEBRUARY 2012

Recording - February 2012

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