Tag: vocals

Dial in punchy and powerful clean vocals

It’s a bit counterituitive…

As we’ve said a million times, vocals are the most important part of almost every song – even in guitar-driven genres like progressive metal. It’s just a fact of human psychology that we’re drawn to the human voice, and therefore it’s always going to be the central element in a mix.

Which makes it kind of ironic that many mixers don’t spend nearly as much time on vocals as they do drums or guitar. Big no-no!!

Clean vocals are even more attention-grabbing than screams or growls because they’re easier to understand, and this actually makes them even more challenging to mix than harsh vocals. It’s a bit counter-intuitive, because you’d think that harsh vocals would be harder to mix because they’re more dense, but it’s actually the opposite: with cleans – especially when it’s a really strong singer – there’s nothing to hide behind, and every mix move counts.

Dial in powerful + punchy clean vocals w/ John Browne of Monuments

Watch John Browne mix the vocals for “I, The Creator” by Monuments using the raw multi-tracks from the album. He uses Cubase, Waves CLA-76 compressor plugin, Waves H Delay, Waves Manny Marroquin plugin, Waves Desser, and Soundtoys Echoboy.

As an example, check out this clip of John Browne mixing the lead vocals of Monuments’ “I, The Creator” from his Nail The Mix session featuring their incredible vocalist Chris Baretto.

Obviously Chris absolutely nailed the performance, which is awesome – but working with really great tracks like this presents its own set of challenges as well, especially in a dense, complex arrangement like this one. Namely, that as the mixer it’s your job to highlight all the details of the performance with a subtle touch– to bring out the greatness and bring the vocal front and center without smashing it or overwhelming the rest of the song.

Nail The MixNail The Mix is our online mixing school that gives you REAL multi-tracks from REAL bands, plus a mixing class from the producer who recorded it. Past guests include Periphery, Gojira, Meshuggah, Machine Head, A Day To Remember and State Champs. Join now for instant access!

Andrew Wade mixes A Day To Remember lead vocals

Here’s something many of you won’t want to hear: vocals are EVERYTHING.

Like many of you, I started out as a guitarist and just wanted to record my own songs at home. So I get it– tweaking guitar tones until the sun comes up is fun. I could spend all day trying out new IRs and notching out a few dB to find that perfect balance of clarity and grit.

But the fact of that matter is that 99% of people really don’t notice or care about guitar tone, or anything else other than the vocals.

This is largely due to biology- our brains are programmed to fixate on other humans’ voices. Think about it: have you ever once heard someone who wasn’t a guitarist or producer comment on any tone in a mix? (OK, aside from the St Anger snare) Probably not- but what they DO comment on are the lyrics, the melody and the singer’s voice.

This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t care about other parts of the mix, because you most certainly should. Everything matters, and people will subconsciously notice all the elements in your mix. My point is simply that people CONSCIOUSLY pay attention to vocals and therefore you’ve got to focus an inordinate amount of your attention on them.

Andrew Wade mixing A DAY TO REMEMBER lead vocals

True fact: Vocals matter more than ANYTHING ELSE! Watch how Andrew Wade approaches vocal arrangement and mixing using the raw multi-tracks for “Right Back At It Again” by A Day To Remember.

If you need to level up your vocal game, I’d highly suggest you pay attention to Andrew Wade (The Ghost Inside, The Word Alive, Neck Deep), who’s one of the best in the business when it comes to vocal production, from arrangement to tracking to mixing. Check out this clip from his Nail The Mix Session where he mixes the lead vocals on “Right Back At It Again” by A Day To Remember and take careful notes.

A few things to consider:

  • The raws are reallllllly good in terms of source tones, editing and performance. You won’t always have control over this part, but when you do, always push yourself and the vocalist to get it right at the source (check out this excellent article for some tips).
  • There are a LOT of subtle layers in the arrangement that you probably won’t consciously hear if you’re just listening in the car or whatever, but they add a ton of depth and dynamics to the song (like the “ah ahh” harmonies). Challenge yourself to polish your arrangements to this level and I think you’ll be very happy with the results.
  • There’s really nothing crazy going on here in terms of processing. Most of the magic here comes from the arrangement and performances. Get those right and you’re most of the way there.

Are you focusing your time and energy on what 99% of listeners care about the most?? Are you pushing your vocal production as far as you can? If not, there’s no better time to start than right now 🙂

Nail The Mix

Nail The Mix is our online mixing school that gives you REAL multi-tracks from REAL bands, plus a mixing class from the producer who recorded it. Past guests include Periphery, Gojira, Chelsea Grin, A Day To Remember, Machine Head and State Champs. Join now for instant access!

Dialing in PAPA ROACH vocal effects with Kane Churko

Getting that massive, yet detailed and dynamic active rock vocal sound is all about painstaking attention to many subtle details.

In this clip from his Nail The Mix session, Kane Churko demonstrates how he uses vocal auxes and automation to add layers of harmony, delay and other effects to the arrangement and take it from good to f***ing amazing.

Mixing PAPA ROACH vocal effects with Kane Churko – Nail The Mix

Getting that massive, yet detailed and dynamic active rock vocal sound is all about painstaking attention to many subtle details. In this clip from his Nail The Mix session, Kane shows how he uses vocal auxes and automation in Pro Tools to add layers of harmony, delay and other effects to the arrangement and take it from good to f***ing amazing.

Nail The MixNail The Mix is our online mixing school that gives you REAL multi-tracks from REAL bands, plus a mixing class from the producer who recorded it. Past guests include Periphery, Chelsea Grin, Gojira, Neck Deep, Machine Head and State Champs. Join now for instant access!