Backing vocals mixing tips pdf

This rant was intended to solve many of your questions. Many mix engineers have observed that the thing they mix last is often the loudest. Making your backing vocals stand out without cluttering up the lead vocal is tricky. This is especially useful for backing vocals, which when also panned wide, make space for the lead vocal in the centre. If having compression that heavy is making the bgvs. Sep 28, 2012 a great mix without a great vocal sound, is no great mix at all. They have warmed up, performed their practice exercises, and are comfortable. This is a simple aspect of mixing vocals that a lot of people tend to complicate for some reason. If youve made it this far, you should be well on your way to mixing vocals like a pro. Today i want to show you 5 powerful, littleknown vocal mixing tricks that are gonna help you take your vocals from good to great. Background vocals are fun, but they can be frustrating at times. Your purpose for eqing vocals in a mix is to make the lead vocals as clear as possible.

Scott wiggins of the recording studio solution walks us through the process of mixing rap vocals in this extensive and indepth video tutorial. Your workflow and approach will be key to being able to shape them the best way for your tracks. Its all about the vocals a complete tutorial on mixing vocals. First of all, you may have recorded your vocals, but they end up sounding quiet and crunchy. Dec 19, 2017 produce like a pro is a website which features great tips to help the beginning recordist make incredible sounding home recordings on a budget. Ironically getting killer vocals starts not with gear or technique, but rather a simple philosophy. So i keep harping that there isnt really any one silver bullet to the realm of mixing. Think of it this way a good vocal sound is 80% recording and 20% mixing. Heres a general guideline should guide all the other vocals mixing tips on this list so far. Efficiency is also important when mixing backing vocals. Tips and tricks for better background vocals insync. Performing background vocals is an essential part of any vocalists skill set. The ultimate online guide to mixing vocals, covering all aspects of mixing and. Specifically, background vocals are usually either.

Does the backing track simply put the instruments play at a steady volume. Even within that you have a tribe called quest 1nce again vs. But if you just want to learn about vocals specifically, keep reading. You also need the vocals to remain at a consistent level throughout. So if you are mixing lead vocals, female vocals, male vocals or if your mixing backgrounds vocals than ive got you covered. Apr 18, 2018 switching activities is extremely helpful for the mixing mind, and will allow you to do some of your best work. A layer of the lead vocal intended to provide strength through tonal complexity. A stepbystep guide to mixing in presonus studio one 4. Start the process of mixing your background vocals by first mixing your lead vocals. An alternative to this is to duplicate the track and then to delay one of them. Just as vocal harmonies can add power to the lead vocal, so backing vocals performed by a different singer can bring a fresh character to the mix to further support the lead line.

Hey, this is jason moss from, and today youre gonna learn three simple tips for mixing background vocals that sound clear, balanced, and radioready. This totaled to 32 tracks at the end of the mixing session. Crafting perfect pop backing vocals sound on sound. Many of todays iconic singers such as phil collins, sheryl crow, luther vandross and cher got their start as background singers. Sep 08, 2015 this same method shown here can be used to eq backing vocals. The secret to mixing vocals from chris lordalge recording. In parts two, three, and four, well be using neutron 2 for mixing guitars, mixing bass, and mixing drums.

Given the kind of level lead vocals hold in most modern mixes, i think its a mistake to underestimate their impact on the groove of the music. Read on to discover the keys to mixing vocals like a pro 1. Mixing vocals how to eq vocals, compress them and mix. In this video i cover eq, compression, delay, reverb, parallel processing, and everything you need to know to take your vocal mixing game to the next level. When it comes to mixing background vocals, there are two simple truths that can help us place them perfectly in the mix. They have their preferred beverages to keep their throats lubricated and they are well rested. With this technique, you should be able to mix your harmonies to sound professional in under five minutes.

Switching activities is extremely helpful for the mixing mind, and will allow you to do some of your best work. Theres a lack of vocal recording tips out there for studio engineers. In fact, when i record vocals, i devote about 50% of. Sep 21, 2017 it follows, then, that we should want the vocals in our songs to stand out as well. In this tutorial, ill give a stepbystep breakdown of my process for mixing backing vocals. So watch the lips of the worship leader or lead singer and try to match their starts, stops, phrasing, volume tone and vibrato. Think of any decadesold classic or your favorite song, and chances are that its the vocal that stands out in your. If you want the backing vocals to be more in the background, dont boost too much topend. You dont need to spend a lot of time on them you just need a system that allows you to mix the backing vocals fast and effectively. Its not just a rant to fill in the gaps without providing any valuable info, i never type just for the sake of it. Great backing vocals can be essential if you want to turn a promising track into a superb one so find out how to get them right every time. Things you can pan are mostly the harmony vocals and backing vocals. And yes we can really do that with these tipswherever we are making will be having some of the best sound equipment with us so we can have the best recording at homethanks for sharing the useful article. Complete tutorial on mixing vocals once we have created a frame for our mix via solid mix preparation which is a post for another time, its time to focus on the vocals in many cases the most important instrument in the mix.

In this video, youll see how to treat your tracks so nothing gets lost. The good news is that getting decent vocal recordings at home is entirely possible, even with modest gear. Be sure to read our home recording 101 survival guide for more insight. To finish, a touch of delay andor reverb is usually required to add some depth, and place the backing vocals behind the lead vocal or other instruments. The use of gates during vocal mixing is to eliminate background noise in parts where the vocalist doesnt singrap.

Its time to take your vocal mixing to the next level with the complete guide to mixing vocals. Whenever you add processing to the combined background vocals it has a glue like effect, fusing them together. Before you mix the backing vocals, you need to mix the lead vocal. Experiment with panning and make sure to test your mix in mono. From vocal styles to vocal effects, this guide will give you what you need to get the best vocal for a better mix. If all the stacked vocals sound the same then pan them according to what you feel sounds good. Top seven ways for blending backing vocals behind the mixer. Again, you must make these additions while listening to the whole mix in context rather than in solo. Do the same with backing vocals and make sure the main vocal can be heard above them. Nov 14, 2014 these are among the good tips for recording vocals at home.

Developing your skills as a background vocalist takes time and practice, but by. But if youre ready to dive deeper, ive put together a bonus video with five powerful, littleknown vocal mixing tips that i didnt cover here. There are a couple of easy effects and tricks we can use to create different stereo. You need the vocals to stand out while also not overpowering the other song elements. Now, before we dive in, i also put together a free vocal mixing cheatsheet thats packed with tips. Feb 14, 2020 recording and mixing vocals the right way. In this article, youll learn the secrets to creating radioready vocals. If youre struggling to craft studioquality vocals, these seven tips are a great place to start. If you dont nail it, your songs will always feel amateur. You dont need to shape it to fit with anything else. By mixing the lead vocal towards the end, you subconsciously make it louder.

The complete guide to mixing vocals behind the mixer. How to eq them so that they sit good with the lead vocal, what reverb i should use, technique about panning them especially when youve got. Techniques for mixing background vocals depending on their specific job in the arrangement. Whether performing live or recording in the studio, background vocalists can make or break a song. Whatever track you bring in first has all the space in the world. In part one of this fourpart series, well be using neutron 2 as an allinone dynamics processing tool for vocals. Jun 07, 20 so i keep harping that there isnt really any one silver bullet to the realm of mixing. In general, its best to mix the lead vocals after the rest of the instrumentation.

However, i can give you some guidelines and procedures to counter check why they sounded poor in quality. Home music production tutorials 7 important mixing vocals tips you need to know mixing vocals can be challenging for beginners and music producers who want their music to sound professional. So let us take you on a mixing masterclass, so you can turn those sonic ideas into a million dollars. Mixing vocals august 21, 2016 16,985 views learn how to get your lead vocals to sit upfront in the mix for a polished sound that will grab the listener, how to properly mix backing vocals, and more. Aug 31, 20 the good thing about these vocal mixing techniques is that you can apply them to any one genre or style of music. We need to get the sound of the main melody first before we can shape the harmony around it. Looking to mix smooth, exciting background vocals to fill up your song, but. Vocal thickening trick in cubase with chris selim warren.

Mixing the lead vocal lastbut before the backing vocalsalso allows you to consider the eq adjustments in the context of the entire mix. If you have several backing vocals in a big mix, they can often benefit from quite a drastic lowcut around 150hz 250hz so that they fit in the mix without distracting from the lead vocals. With the following tips and techniques, you too could produce killer vocal tracks, even if your home studio is a little more than a decent laptop to produce music on and a couple of mics. Mixing background vocals just like the word says backing vocals that means they need to be at the back. When mixing rap vocals, getting the vocal to cut through the music track is key.

Nov 16, 2017 today id like to share with you some personal experience and some recording mixing tips about the use of backing vocals in your next mix. Youve created a song, of sorts, in presonus studio one 4 and now you need to mix it. Download fluent tutorial general introduction to using fluent mixing elbow. Check out this article to find out how to make your vocals sound professional. Before we get into these tips, lets assume that the vocalist is ready. The vocals have to sit well in the mix before anything else will. I dont really want to use the pro tools mix window, i use the edit page, and i want to bring everything down to a size thats workable for me. Try to bring a different vocal quality to backing vocals, so that the lead.

Often times i create a new technique every time i mix a song because the last technique never seems to work on a future project. So here are tips for mixing vocals to sound their best. Jun 26, 2017 when it comes to mixing background vocals, there are two simple truths that can help us place them perfectly in the mix. These simple tools are a staple of the vocal mixing process, and. Do you have any lead vocal mixing tips that we missed. Five tips for recording vocals at home disc makers. Produce like a pro is a website which features great tips to help the beginning recordist make incredible sounding home recordings on a budget. For the drum track, the 80s rock music is best known for the gated reverb. Also, we will be using the plugins on the main vocal chain in our mixing process.

If you want the vocal to have a certain sound or timbre, use microphone choice and placement to control the tone. With the wealth of information available online, weve compiled a list of our 7 top favourite tips from some of our favourite mixing engineers. I hope these tips have given you some outoftheordinary ideas for new ways to record backing vocal tracks. Nobody said mixing vocals would be easy, but with powerful tools and some knowledge of tips and tricks to back you up, youll have everything you need to get those vocals finally sitting nicely in your mix. All of the engineers are focused on mixing and mastering, but not the practice of tracking vocals itself.

You want them to add depth and push to the lead melody, but you need to do so without taking the attention away from the powerful lead vocal. Your ability to carve out a compelling vocal mix is what separates the good producers, from the great producers. We focus on microphone choice, avoiding reflections, mixing tips and the producersinger workflow. In the chapters below, im going to show you how to mix vocals step by step, with images and videos. Here are 4 useful ways to make your backing vocals blend in better. This vocal mixing guide gives you the information needed for creating a solid. Because those subtle harmonies, whispers, ooohhs and aaahhs could really make a difference in the final balance of sounds and dynamics. If you are yet to attempt backing vocals, or struggling to get them right, then follow these tips to getting better backing vocals. Also, some more good tips can be found at the whippinpost, including an interesting one about recording instruments in mono rather than stereo. Mixing vocals 7 simple tips to mix vocals like a pro. Blend one of the keys to good backing vocals is learning to blend so however many vocalists your have it sounds like one voice. Learn how to best add depth with reverb, and get tips for adding delay to vocals. Low end most of the time rock vocals dont need much low end, the most important part is the tone especially in the mids and high mids.

Or on the contrary, the instruments have lots of dynamics. This article is discussing a very common situation for all songwriters, producers, engineers we already have a finished backing track that is mixed and mastered, and need to add some vocals to it. Mixing vocals can soon be an easy part of your mix work. Just like the word says backing vocals that means they need to be at the back. We then move onto eq and demonstrate how this can accentuate certain sounds in the mix without needing to drive their levels. Top 7 vocal recording techniques secrets for killer vocals. Mixing vocals and going through the whole vocal eq process, you are dealing with the uniqueness of the singers voice. Piggy backing off of contrast and blend, sending the background vocals to a group bus can help tremendously.

Its all about the vocals a complete tutorial on mixing. Jun 22, 2015 complete tutorial on mixing vocals once we have created a frame for our mix via solid mix preparation which is a post for another time, its time to focus on the vocals in many cases the most important instrument in the mix. Paul white of sound on sound has gathered together a great check list for mixing music, which is worth reading and referring back to from time to time. In this guide, ill show you how to eq vocals, give you my personal vocal compression settings techniques and in general, youll see how to mix vocals and get them to sit in the mix properly. Many readers now spend enough time correcting the pitching of lead vocal tracks, but fewer lavish the same care on the timing.

As youll soon learn in eqing vocals, how you deal with a lead vocalists timbre can be quite opposite in how you deal with the varying timbres of backing vocalists. The quality of the vocal is decided in the recording phase. Ever heard a modern hit record with a poorly mixed vocal. Great backing vocals can be essential if you want to turn a promising track into a. Dont let your backing vocal mixing be an afterthought. An additional instrumental idea intended to provide harmonic context for the melody. Aug 08, 2016 if all the stacked vocals sound the same then pan them according to what you feel sounds good. Whenever i want to bring out a particular line in one of my songs, i like to use this type of backing vocals. Maybe you think the key to great vocals is a better channel strip plugin or a secret compression technique. However these 5 tips should be able to get you going when you are mixing your background vocals.