There is no question that the vocalist is the most important connection to the audience. They provide a lot of the emotional impact and understanding of a song’s story. However dense mixes can make it hard to keep this message clear and audible when instrumental elements are fighting for attention. Here are six ways to keep a vocal track at the front of your mixes without turning down conflicting tracks.
1. Use 2 compressors in series
Using multiple compressors in series is a great way to control the dynamics of a vocal performance and keep it right at the front of the mix. Compressors with different settings and personalities can compliment each other really well and react to things that the other ones miss.
Use a slow compressor like an LA2A (opto) to control the general level of the performance. This compressor will also add a bit of character to the performance and help it to feel special.
Then contrast this with a faster compressor something like an 1176 (FET) that can react to the things that the LA2A is too slow to catch. Neither compressor should be working too hard. The goal is not to squash the life out of the vocal but to control its dynamics to be consistently at the front of the mix.
If you do not have these specific compressors available to you, simply set up a compressor with a slower attack and release before one with a faster attack and release. Experiment with the order of the two.
2. Use Multiple Compressors in Parallel
Set up three or four mono busses, each with its own compressor. The vocal should be sent via bus to each compressor. Compressors should be set to compress about 1-4dB. Between the four busses you will have a lot of compression but it will sound more natural than putting four compressors in series.
Each compressor will add its own character and all four will be different. They will also react to different thing and create a smoother, more charactered vocal. I send the output of the Lead vocal to a dummy bus, and use automation to change which compressor combination will be present in different sections of the song.
3. Duck competing Instruments with Side chain compression
Put a compressor on busy tracks that might compete with the presence range of the lead vocal. Rock guitars are a good example. Key the input with vocal track to cause the guitar to compress when the vocalist is singing.
Reducing about 1-2dB is all you’ll need to help that vocal peak through.
Start with a medium attack and release. Adjust these controls to work with the tempo and avoid a noticeable pumping with the vocal comes in and out.
4. DeEss Things that Compete with your Lead Vocal.
This technique is very similar to the previous technique using side chain compression, but we use a DeEsser instead. A DeEsser is similar to a compressor but only reacts to higher frequencies. Put this on a competing track to attenuate presence in the vocal range. Experiment between the band pass and low pass DeEssing.
If anyone knows of a DeEsser with a sidechain/key input please let me know!
5. Use pre-delay on your Reverb
Using effects such as reverb and delay can be a great way to add a sense of space and depth to your vocal. Improper reverb can quickly muddy up the mix or make a vocal sound further away. Often this isn’t what we’re looking for.
Delaying the reverb tail can help the lyrics to be clearly articulated before the reverb tail comes in. Just about every reverb plugin has a pre-delay control. Experiment in the 30-50ms range, depending on the tempo of the song and the desired effect.
6.Use Multiband Compression on an Instrumental Mix bus
Output all of your instrumental groups to a stereo audio track (MIX). The output of this MIX track will go to another stereo audio track (VOX MIX). Vocal tracks and effect are sent to VOX MIX.
Put a multiband compressor on the MIX track to compress only the band where the vocals should pop through. Somewhere between 1-4kHz This can help to keep the rest of the track from fighting with the vocals. We want to carve a little pocket for the vocals to sit in without taking too much presence away from the track itself.
Sometimes this multiband compression technique can change the tone of loud transients like the snare drum. If you find that it’s not working on the entire instrumental mix, try it on one of your Bus Groups instead. You can compress just a bit of the Guitar bus or Keyboard bus to make room for the vocal without choking the transients of the drums.
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