Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Getting Vocals to Sit Right in the Mix

In most songs today, vocals are probably the most important part of a song. If you listen to the majority of pop songs, the vocals are loud, upfront, and clear. Even in rock and other genres the vocals are what drive the melody and catch peoples ear. So, with vocals being such an important part of the mix, how do you get it to sound right? Today I want to mention three things you can do that will help your vocals sit right in the mix.

Save the vocals for last.

On nearly all mixes I work on, I save the vocals for last. This is just the easiest way for me to make sure they are sitting right in the mix. If I can get the rest of my mix sitting well together, then when I get to vocals, I know right where they need to be. So when you are mixing a session, just mute the vocals and get everything else sounding right first. Once you've got that done, move on to the vocals.

Don't solo the vocals.

You know who listens to solo'd vocal tracks? Nobody. All that matters is what they sound like in the context of the mix. I listened to Chris Lord Alge talk about this recently. He said he didn't understand why people would solo a vocal only to get it sounding right, then throw it in the mix and it's completely lost its context. I honestly think this is a good rule of thumb for any track. What ultimately matters is the context of the mix. If you need to solo something to EQ out a weird frequency, do it. In general though, you should mix vocals and most tracks within the context of the mix.

Use compression.

Compression is an extremely handy tool, and in my experience it works wonders on vocals. Using the right kind of compression on vocals can make your track punch through the mix and sit right where you want it. Especially if you are dealing in a rock mix. You want your vocals to be punchy, loud, and clear. This is the perfect time to use compression. Keep in mind thought that compression can be a tricky tool and try not to over do it. If you can get good with a particular compressor or find one that you think works good with vocals, stick with that.

So there you have it. Three tips to help get your vocals sitting right in the mix. If you have any questions feel free to email us at info@willsterling.net and get your question featured in the Question of the Week. Thanks for reading!

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