Mixing vocals

VOCALS

Reminder: we are working on the song Life, an original composition:

To record the vocals, I used a Rode NT5, a small-diaphragm condenser microphone that I also use for recording theater plays. It's a compact mic with a small diaphragm and excellent sensitivity. I find it more effective and faithful than the Shure SM57 dynamic mic I used previously. The high-end reproduction, in particular, is much better with the Rode, and the overall sound feels more open and airy. Like all condenser microphones, it requires 48V phantom power, which I activated on my preamp. The mic is connected via an XLR cable to my AudioBuddy transistor preamp by M-Audio—an affordable and very transparent preamp that adds no coloration or hiss—which is then linked to my audio interface.

In the song Life, there is one lead vocal track and two backing vocal tracks. These are recordings of my own voice using the Rode NT5. However, there are also two vocal tracks created with Miroslav Philharmonik, a virtual instrument software for classical sounds (violins, flutes, etc.), so I composed these virtual vocal parts on a MIDI track.

Here is the list of plugins I used for the vocals:
* FinalPlug by Wave Arts, a limiter
* Miroslav Philharmonik by IK Multimedia, a very comprehensive virtual philharmonic orchestra. It's not the absolute best, and it's quite old, but it remains excellent and especially unmatched at its current price (€120). I mainly use it to compose music for theater plays.
* WizooVerb by Wizoo, a reverb plugin
* TrackPlug by Wave Arts, a parametric equalizer
* Classic Delay by Kjaerhus Audio, a simple and free delay

Let's see how to process the different types of vocals, including volumes, panning, and plugins...

Lead Vocal Line

Backing Vocals

Virtual Vocals

Main Vocal Bus

MAIN VOCALS

Recording Track - "Dry Lead Vocals" Bus - "Reverb" Bus - "Delay" Bus - "Lead Vocals" Bus

Recording Track

Mono audio track
Panning: Center
Volume: 0 dB
Plugin: Limiter
Destination: "Dry Lead Vocals" bus

When recording my voice, I made sure the recorded volume was around -10 dB to avoid any risk of clipping and to maintain enough headroom. However, since this volume is relatively low, I placed a limiter on the track to boost the signal significantly. This compression helps bring the vocals to the forefront compared to other instruments, though it is obviously not the only factor. My limiter is set with a threshold of -12 dB and a ceiling of -0.1 dB. The track signal is then routed to a bus I named "Dry Lead Vocals." The limiter used is the FinalPlug plugin by WaveArts. This is a paid plugin, which you can replace with George Yohng's W1 Limiter, an excellent free limiter downloadable on this page.

This track is routed to the bus I named "Dry Lead Vocals," described below.

"Dry Lead Vocals" Bus

Source: Lead vocal recording track
Destination: "Lead Vocal Reverb" and "Lead Vocal Delay" buses
Panning: Center
Volume: -23 dB.

The volume is set to a low value because the effects on other buses, which will be added later, will boost the overall volume of the lead vocals. Furthermore, sufficient headroom must be planned to avoid clipping the Master bus at the end of the chain—the bus where all instruments and vocals converge. If the volumes of all buses were at 0 dB, it would obviously cause a major problem on the Master bus, and likely even before reaching that final stage.

Here are the lead vocals as recorded, without effects:

(mp3 file)

The limiter on the track is not activated here, which is why the sound is very quiet.

This raw sound is then routed to two other buses: the bus containing the reverb, and the bus containing the delay. They are described one after the other below, but they are processed in parallel within the sequencer before converging further down the line.

"Lead Vocal Reverb" Bus

Source: "Dry Lead Vocals" bus
Destination: "Lead Vocals" bus
Panning: Center
Volume: -6 dB.

With its volume at -6 dB, the reverb is 6 dB lower than the dry vocals to avoid drowning them out. The goal is simply to add some "air" and ensure the sound isn't too dry.

Here are the lead vocals with reverb.
You only hear the reverb alone here, not mixed with the dry vocals.

(mp3 file)

I used the WizooVerb plugin, a plugin that hasn't been sold for several years but still sounds great. It can still be found in the darker corners of the internet (I don't condone this, but you do as you wish), or you can use other paid or free reverb plugins. They are easy to find, and I suggest a few on this page. I commonly use SIR Convolution, which works with impulses, much like cabinet simulators. But instead of using cabinet impulses, we use room impulses recorded in various locations (from bathrooms to cathedrals, concert halls, or rooms in a house).

Here are the settings used with the WizooVerb plugin by Wizoo:

- I used the "Vocal Church" preset. I reduced its "size" to 28% to avoid the impression of recording in too large a space; the decay time is set to 1.4s and I adjusted the "Width" parameters so the reverb spreads across the entire stereo field.

- The reverb blend is controlled with the "DryWet" knob. At 0%, no reverb is heard; at 100%, only the reverb is heard without the dry signal. Here, it is set to 100% because the reverb plugin is placed on a bus dedicated solely to reverb, which will later be mixed with other treatments (the dry sound and the delay). I only want the reverb sound and nothing else here.

- Using reverb on a voice is common. The dosage is up to each individual, but too much reverb distances the voice, which ends up drowned in the mix. For the lead vocal line, this is not the desired effect; on the contrary, the voice must be brought forward since it often carries the melody.

Wizooverb Plugin

"Lead Vocal Delay" Bus

Source: "Dry Lead Vocals" bus
Destination: "Lead Vocals" bus
Panning: Center
Volume: 0 dB

Here are the lead vocals with delay.
You hear the delay added to the dry vocals here.

(mp3 file)

On this bus, I use the Classic Delay plugin by Kjaerhus Audio, a free plugin you can download on this page. The delay adds an echo effect to the sound, which helps fill out the sonic space. Combined with the reverb, this gives the lead vocal line a somewhat atmospheric feel.

The settings as seen in the image below produce an effect where the original sound arrives first (adding to the dry vocals), then a first echo appears after about 1 second, slightly quieter than the dry sound, and then 1 second later, a second echo is audible, but much quieter than the first. In the full mix of the song, it is almost inaudible, but it nonetheless contributes to the overall sound.

Classic Delay Plugin

"Lead Vocals" Bus

Source: "Dry Lead Vocals", "Lead Vocal Reverb", and "Lead Vocal Delay" buses
Destination: Main Vocal bus
Panning: Center
Volume: -5 dB

The dry vocal, reverb, and delay buses now all converge into the "Lead Vocals" bus.

Here are the lead vocals with reverb and delay.

(mp3 file)

However, processing is not finished, as we are going to add an equalizer and a limiter.

Same thing, but with an equalizer and a limiter.
Heads up: the volume is much higher.

(mp3 file)

You can see in the image below how I equalized the voice. Specifically, I removed all low frequencies by placing a low-cut filter at 120 Hz. I also lowered the frequency around 1 kHz by about 3 dB, as it contributed nothing to the voice and freed up space for other instruments. Finally, I boosted the 345 Hz, 3.60 kHz, and 12 kHz frequencies by about 3 dB to better highlight the voice in the mix. Of course, these frequencies work for *my* voice and in this specific song, but in another song, the settings would be different. There is no single setting that fits all situations.

The plugin used is TrackPlug by Wave Arts, a paid plugin, but free ones exist, such as Cockos ReaEQ which you can download on this page.

TrackPlug Plugin

Next, I applied a limiter with a threshold at -9 dB and a ceiling at 0 dB (thus limited to the bus volume), which significantly boosts the vocals to place them at the forefront of the song.

The plugin used is FinalPlug by Wave Arts, a paid plugin that you can replace with George Yohng's W1 Limiter, an excellent free limiter downloadable on this page.

FinalPlug Plugin

That's it, the processing of the lead vocal line is complete. Below, we will see how I proceeded with the backing vocals, then with the virtual vocals. These three vocal groups will meet on the main vocal bus before finishing on the Master bus with all the other instruments of the song.

BACKING VOCALS

There are two backing vocal recordings; one will be heard on the left and the other on the right of the stereo field. Both backing tracks have the same content, but it is not a copy-paste: I recorded the two backing tracks separately so that they differ slightly from one another.

Recording Tracks - Raw Takes - Reverb - "Backing Vocals 1" and "Backing Vocals 2" Buses - Automation

Recording Tracks

There are two vocal tracks for the backing vocals. I recorded them separately, so they are indeed two distinct recordings and not a simple copy-paste from one track to another.

Mono audio tracks
Panning: Center
Volume: 0 dB
Destination: The 1st track is routed to the "Dry Backing 1" and "Backing 1 Reverb" buses; the 2nd track is routed to the "Dry Backing 2" and "Backing 2 Reverb" buses

As with the lead vocal track, I recorded these two tracks ensuring the recorded volume stayed on average around -10 dB. However, I am not adding a limiter here.

The first backing track is then routed simultaneously to the "Dry Backing 1" and "Backing 1 Reverb" buses, while the second backing track is routed to the "Dry Backing 2" and "Backing 2 Reverb" buses.

"Dry Backing 1" and "Dry Backing 2" Buses

Sources: Backing 1 and Backing 2 tracks
Destinations: "Backing 1" Bus and "Backing 2" Bus
Panning: Center
Volumes: 0 dB

Here is Backing Vocal 1 as recorded without effects:

(mp3 file)

And Backing Vocal 2:

(mp3 file)

Of course, the two recordings are similar, as I tried to sing identically. But since I am not a machine (!), even when trying to do the same thing twice in a row, small differences remain. These aren't really audible but prevent having the exact same sound in both ears. With a copy-paste, if you place a sound on the left and its exact copy on the right, you end up with a mono sound in the end. Whereas with *nearly* identical sounds, you preserve the stereo. Unless you shift one sound by a few milliseconds relative to the other, which then creates a slight chorus effect.

Reverbs are added on two other buses, which will then be combined with the dry sound.

"Backing 1 Reverb" and "Backing 2 Reverb" Buses

Sources: Backing 1 and Backing 2 tracks
Destinations: "Backing 1" Bus and "Backing 2" Bus
Panning: Center
Volumes: -6 dB

Here is Backing Vocal 1 with reverb
You only hear the reverb alone here, not mixed with the raw vocals.

(mp3 file)

And the reverb for Backing Vocal 2:

(mp3 file)

I used the Wizooverb plugin again with the settings shown in the image below. Here are the settings used with the WizooVerb plugin by Wizoo:

- I used the "Cathedral" preset. I set the "size" to its maximum (100%) to achieve a large space effect and give the impression that the backing vocals are in the background. The decay time is set to 2.8s and I adjusted the "Width" parameters so the reverb spreads across the entire stereo field. However, as each backing vocal will only occupy the right side of the stereo field for one and the left for the other, each reverb will remain confined to the right for one and the left for the other. But at this stage, the panning is not yet set, so the examples place the sound in the center.

- The reverb amount is controlled with the "DryWet" knob. At 0%, no reverb is heard; at 100%, only the reverb is heard without the dry signal. Here, it is set to 100% because the reverb plugin is placed on a bus that only processes reverb, which will later be mixed with other treatments (in this case, the dry sound). Therefore, I only want the sound of the reverb and nothing else here.

- The reverb settings are identical for both backing vocals with one exception: for Backing Vocal 1, the "High Freq" parameter is set to 7107 Hz (as seen in the image below), while for Backing Vocal 2's reverb, this setting is at 3600 Hz. This means these high frequencies are not boosted the same way on both backing vocals. This setting is not available on all reverb plugins, but one could reproduce the same effect by adding an equalization plugin after the reverb with appropriate settings. This helps distinguish the two backing vocals a bit more.