Mixing Vocals

Mixing
Techniques
Pro Engineers Use

by Alex Solano
Owner at AlexProMix.com
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
INTRODUCTION
As an undergraduate student, I attended a two-week
music program with Bruce Sweden. Bruce is famous
for his work with Michael Jackson and has worked
with top pop artists in the music industry. Bruce's
ideas on recording and mixing have influenced
modern pop music to this day.

In one of the listening sessions, each student got a

chance to play their mix for the class. One of the
students presented a folk song recording with live
musicians that sounded very good. After playing
back the song, Bruce asked, "well, what did you
hear?" And with a brave-spirited response, I called
out from the back of the room, "that sounds like
music!" "Bingo!" Bruce remarked. At that instant, I
learned a valuable lesson about mixing:

"The purpose of mixing is to make the

song sound like music."

Just about anyone with a computer and music

software can produce a song. But when you hear
your mix in the car, it can sound weird and out of
place. While song ideas are easy to create, mixing
requires technical experience and artistic expression
in order to turn a demo into a commercial master.
 ALL ABOUT THE VOCALS
When I started at the university, I was very
excited to learn music technology. However,
the music program required me to choose an
instrument. So, I decided to learn vocal
singing. It wasn't easy at first. Being self-
taught meant I never took music theory or
learned how to sight-read. But, that's why
you go to school. To learn, develop new
skills, and collaborate with others.

As I grew in my technical abilities, the vocal

lessons came in handy. Vocal singing
provided a foundation for coaching and
teaching my clients how to improve their
vocal recordings. I don't actively sing these
days, but having this understanding helps
me apply vocal production techniques to
every mixing project.

In modern pop-genres, the vocal artist is the

star of the song. Because the human voice is
so unique, you can't approach mixing vocals
by slapping a vocal preset and expect great
results. So before we begin, let's reveal what
makes up a great vocal recording.
THE ARTIST

No expensive audio
equipment can make up for
the lack of a great
performer. A great vocalist
is a great singer regardless
of the recording space. Be
it on radio, in live
performance, or in the
studio, the caliber of an
Adele or Dua Lipa sounds
great in any environment.
Therefore, the key to
achieving a great vocal mix
is in understanding the
recording process. It starts
with the talent.
 As a vocal student, I had a vocal coach.
She was responsible for tracking my
progress and addressing vocal
technique so that my voice would
project clearly by using my diaphragm.
Many technicalities go into singing
with your diaphragm to project a clear
sound. As I adopted these new ways of
singing, it helped me discover how to
"play my instrument," my voice.

THE COACH
Likewise, in modern music production,
artists have a vocal coach to assist
with the performance. Sometimes this
role is assigned to a coach. Other times
it's the responsibility of the music
producer in the studio. The more
reassuring and encouraging the people
are around the singer, the more
confident the artist becomes. Being
the coach doesn't always mean
knowing more than the artist. If you
are recording a vocalist, learn how to
encourage them to perform a better
vocal take.
THE GEAR

The Mic
A large-diaphragm mic is preferred in
studio recordings to capture the body
and clarity of the voice
The Preamp
A dedicated mic preamp amplifies the
mic signal while imparting color and
character to the recording
The Compressor
Recording through a vintage-style
compressor adds warmth to the voice

The Converters
Translating from analog to digital (your
computer) is equally important as the
vocal chain
Capturing a vocal performance requires three key
elements - the room, the microphone, and the
preamp. In any home studio recording environment,
aim to eliminate or minimize unwanted noise.
Outside noise comes from traffic and vehicles. Inside
noise is the room reflections in the studio
environment.
Tip: Avoid placing your mic near an
empty wall, as the sound from the
voice will bounce back from the wall
and into the mic.

For vocals, a large-diaphragm

condenser microphone captures the
body and clarity of the voice. An
alternative is a dynamic microphone,
often the Shure SM7B. The SM7B is
a broadcast mic that also works
great on vocals and eliminates
background noise. Recording studios
employ a preamp to amplify the mic
before connecting to the converters
and into the computer. In home
studios, audio interfaces act both
like a preamp and converter. When
audio companies manufacture a
$100 interface, the preamps are
often generic and inexpensive. But
using a dedicated preamp can
improve the sound of your mic and
your recording.
 Did You Know? Most world-class recording
studios use a $10,000 vocal chain - the Sony
C800G Microphone, Neve 1073 preamp, and
the Tube-Tech CL1B compressor.

When you're using the best

recording equipment, it sounds
commercial-ready. But when
you're recording in a home
studio, you'll need to spend a lot
of time removing all the
disparities in the budget
recording. These irritants are
often air conditioner noise,
outside rumble caused by traffic,
mouth pops and clicks, plosives,
room tone, treble harshness, etc.
You may think, "Wow, Alex, this
is a tough task." It is! But I'll
show you how I achieve
commercial results using audio
repair tools.
 Vocal Comping
Comping (composite track) is made up of multiple
takes to create a "super take." As a music producer,
you have full control of the recording and mixing
process. A typical vocal recording session looks like
this:

Record 2-3 takes of each verse, one at a time.

Select the best takes to create a "super take."

Listen for phrasing, timing, and clarity of the lyrics.

Identify parts that sound spliced and re-edit using
different takes. With the artist present, re-record
any takes that can be improved for better
performance.

Unless you have an acoustically treated studio you

would have unwanted room noise and external
noises impacting on the recording.
 PLOSIVES
Plosives are sudden bursts of air
captured by the microphone when the
singer is too close to the mic. Using a
pop filter helps eliminate these sudden
bursts, but sometimes the mic will take
these sudden bursts in the recording.
To remedy unwanted plosives, I use
iZotope RX De-Plosive.

Vocal MOUTH CLICKS

Mouth clicks are apparent in any
Repair vocal recording and can sometimes
go unnoticed. As you start
compressing and turning up the
vocals, they rise to the surface.
iZotope Mouth De-Click does a
fabulous job at eliminating unwanted
mouth clicks.

DE-NOISE
Lastly, every home studio environment
has room discrepancies. The
microphone not only captures the
artist but also records room reflections
in the room. To eliminate "the room"
from the recording, I rely on iZotope
Voice De-noise.
 TIMING, TUNING, TONE
Adjusting the timing
of each phrase to
match the beat is of
utter importance. In
Pro Tools, this is
nudging. In Studio
One, it's called "slip
edit." They're both the
same. Listen for the
vocal consonants and
their timing to the
beat of the song.
Some vocal editors
mute the music and
time the vocals to a
click track. I use a
1/16th note grid as a
visual aide to align
vocal phrases that are
either too early or late
in the timeline.
 TIMING, TUNING, TONE

If you think spending $500 on Auto-

Tune will make your vocal sound pro,
then you're mistaken. The "set it and
forget it" mentality is far from the
reality for achieving pro sounding
vocals. In my video, "How to use
Melodyne and Auto-Tune," I describe
how to tune individual notes while
monitoring through Auto-Tune. This
method is the best of both worlds, and I
find Studio One's ARA editor to be the
best tool for this process. For a classic
"Auto-Tune" sound, I like to use the
"classic" mode. However, for more
refined mixes where you want Auto-
Tune to be transparent, use
"Advanced."
 TIMING, TUNING, TONE

With timing and tuning in place, let's

discuss the tone. By Tone, I mean how
the vocal sounds in the mix. Are the
vocals dry or wet? Is the singer near or
far? Is the voice big or thin? In pop-
genres, modern vocals tend to be bright
and in your face.

Achieving presence without harshness

is not an easy task. The tone is achieved
by using a combination of tools in the
right order. For example, cleaning up
the low mids on the voice before
feeding it to compression is common
for achieving clarity and energy in the
vocal mix.
 What's the Correct Level?
If you're unsure how loud your vocals
should be, try this technique.

Mute all the tracks in the session

except for the drums, bass, and lead
vocal.
Turn down your monitoring volume on
your headphones or your studio
monitors.
While monitoring at a low level,
balance the vocal balance with the
drums and bass.

These three are "the core." Listen for vocal

brightness, dynamics, and density. If the
vocal balance sounds right, but the singer is
too bright, this is a sign that you'll need a
de-esser. If you're struggling to find the
right volume by leaving the fader in one
position, then you'll need compression or
use volume automation to keep the vocal
in place.
 Vocal Harshness
We all strive for vocal clarity. A common
mistake is boosting too much treble on
vocals. Since the ear is sensitive to high-
mids and highs, you often have to control
these areas of the vocal tone.

This is where de-essing and de-harshing

comes in. A de-esser controls vocal
sibilance. For de-essing, I like the Waves
De-Esser. It's simple to use and offers
starting presets for vocals.

For de-harshing, I like to use Oek Soothe.

These plug-ins tame the vocal transients
and harshness. Additionally, you can use a
transient shaper by lowering the attack to
tame consonants created by compression.
Any one of these methods improves on
vocal clarity while controlling harshness.
 Vocal Muddiness
Use a bell-shaped EQ to boost in the
lower mids (180Hz-320Hz) and identify
any room noise from the recording.

Cut these frequencies at their respective

areas, roughly 1 to 3 dB. Using a low-cut
filter below 120Hz also helps to remove
unwanted low-end from the recording.

Caution from removing too much, as the

voice may sound thin.
 Vocal Compression
Two classic vocal compressors are LA-2A
and 1176. You can find tons of these
compressor emulations, so I'm not biased
here. I use the LA-2A to smooth out the
vocal dynamics and 1176 to catch any
sudden peaks. Combining these two
gives you the best of both worlds - even
out the vocals while adding character.

There is so much more such as vocal

effects, creative effects, automation,
mixing duets, mixing groups, which I'll
have to revisit in another book. For now,
the above-mentioned techniques are
starting points most people don't show
on YouTube.
SUMMARY
I've been privileged to have
worked with international
artists from diverse musical
influences and genres. Yet, I'm
impressed the most with the
importance of vocal mixing.
From classical Indian singing
to Jamaican Dancehall; a
commercial mix aims to
translate the voice as the star
of the song. While there are
many YouTube videos on
vocal mixing, many fail to
address the fundamentals of a
great vocal performance.
With this resource, you have
learned the three T's of
Timing, Tuning, and Tone. You
can begin applying these
hidden techniques to improve
your mixes.
I’m Alex, a professional music
producer and mixer

I’ve studied music all my

life and even have a
Bachelor’s degree in
Music Technology. And
for 20 years, I’ve
produced tracks for
international hit artists all
over the world. I’ve
mixed tracks for genres
such as Latin Urban,
Reggae/Dancehall,
Electronic, Pop, Tamil,
Afrobeats, Rap, and
more.It’s my goal that
you’ll never be
unsatisfied with your
mixes again.
If you enjoyed this free guide but
still feel confused about where to
start, look no further.

I've created a course on Mixing

Vocals specifically designed for
you.

If you are a music producer or an

engineer looking for a step-by-step
video using the techniques from
this guide, get this course.

Click on the button below to enroll

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