Mixing vocals to sit nicely in a mix can be a tricky aspect of music production. Your arrangement could be sparse and minimal or busy and dense, it doesn't really matter. Getting the vocals to stand out just right can take some thoughtful tweaks. But like with everything else, it's easy to get the hang of with some practice. Any mic will do if you follow the recommended mic technique for the ones that you're using, and if you're using samples — well then there is even less to worry about. I'll look into various ways to get any vocals sounding great in the context of a song and help you get your recording or samples sounding good.
EQ Basics: Carving Out Space for Vocals
Low Frequency Cleanup
Vocals have important weight and body around 200 Hz, but keeping a lot of content below 150-200 Hz is usually unnecessary for most voices and for most genres. It can be a good idea to reduce these frequencies with a deep low shelf. This cleans up the low end and makes space for other elements like kick and bass.
Dealing with Harsh Midrange Frequencies
Be mindful of sharp, piercing tones around 3-6 kHz. These frequencies can make vocals sound harsh. Having said that, the whole midrange is also where the intelligibility of the vocal comes from, so be careful about removing too much of anything. Be wary of going too far with narrow cuts and peaks all over the place. We are not really interested in comb-filtering the vocal; we want to use broad strokes and subtle adjustments to balance the overall sound so that it appears natural in the context of the song.
Ask yourself, "What specific sound is it that bothers me, if any at all?" Then make modest and broad changes in that area. If your vocal was recorded nicely, broad strokes of only 1 or 2 dB in a couple of ranges will absolutely do the trick of making it sit well frequency-wise with the rest of your song. Remember, the purpose of EQ is not to make the vocal sound full and pretty by itself, but to make it sound balanced with all the surrounding instruments and sounds.
High Frequencies and De-Essing
For the highs, a de-esser typically works around the 5 kHz range to tame sibilance. Either they work by compressing a set range of frequencies, or all frequencies above a certain point. But beyond reducing sibilance in certain words, some vocal recordings can still have too much sharpness in the extreme top end.
Don't be afraid to reduce or completely cut frequencies at the very top of the spectrum. It's common to talk about low-cutting in music production, but low-passing the highs is very often beneficial too.
Later on, you might add top-end sheen to a vocal using a very wide shelf EQ starting as high as 18 kHz or above. What's happening in this case, is that the gentle slope is what makes it sound pleasant, not the extreme top-end frequencies. As you can imagine, having residual spiky noises up there could be problematic when the gain is brought up. This could be true for any bright instrument as well.
Compression: Controlling Vocal Dynamics
Using Multiple Compressors in Series
Using a compressor is what will make your vocal intelligible at all times during the arrangement. Using multiple compressors in series is common for achieving a tight and full vocal sound. This is because words and phrases often have louder onsets when the singer starts a new phrase or sings a consonant.
It's best to catch these first before more overall leveling can be achieved. Start with a compressor with a minimal attack and fast release setting to tame initial peaks, and follow up with a slower release compressor to level out the overall volume. The effect of this final step is akin to riding a fader to balance the volume.
Compressors, especially vintage-style ones that add distortion and saturation, can enhance your vocal's character and make them more mid-forward.
Setting Input Levels
It's important to hit compressor inputs at the right level. Check your hardware or plugin documentation for guidance. Gain matching, in the sense of ensuring the output level matches the input level after processing, isn't at all necessary here. You will always need to rebalance anyway. Focus on achieving the desired sound and adjust levels with your faders as you continue to work.
Compression Settings for Vocals
For the first compressor, set a fast attack and release to control transients. Here, you don't want gain reduction to take place all the time, but only when peaks are actually louder. This basic idea is not totally unlike using a limiter on vocals.
For the second one, use a slower attack and a slow release to smooth out the overall dynamics. In my opinion, this is one of the only times where it makes sense to use a really slow release on a compressor. Most instruments I work on usually sound better with a fast release. Experiment with different types of compressors, like optical for smoothness and FET for aggression, to find what best suits the vocal. Don't be afraid to use a lot of gain reduction in the second stage, especially if you are losing the vocals here and there in your arrangement.
Saturation: Adding Bite and Character to Vocals
Choosing the Right Saturation Type
Different types of saturation can add low or high midrange and character to your vocals. Tube saturation can add a warm, vintage feel, and tape saturation can provide a smooth, analog character, which technically means less sharp transients in the top end. Experiment with various saturation plugins or hardware to find which one complements your specific vocal track.
With experience comes some degree of predictability here, but you will never know exactly how one type of distortion will end up sounding on a particular source. You will need to A/B different options.
Applying Saturation
Apply saturation subtly to avoid distortion. Or use a lot if it sounds cool to you. Use it to enhance harmonics and add presence to the vocal. Saturation can help the vocal cut through the mix and add a pleasing harmonic fatness, making it sound more like a well-produced song on a record. Sometimes none is needed at all: great preamps tend to sound best when they are driven hard, and then adding even more distortion at the mixing stage would be like adding salt to salted peanuts.
Parallel Saturation
Consider using parallel saturation by blending a heavily saturated version of the vocal with the dry signal. This technique allows you to add character without losing the original clarity of the vocal. You can even pan the saturated signal ever so slightly for a subtle stereo effect.
Creating Space with Reverb and Delay
Setting Up FX Buses
Develop your own favourite scheme for reverb and delay that you can replicate from song to song. This helps to achieve a consistent sound and removes a lot of your guesswork. For example, you can have a small room reverb on one FX bus to simulate the immediate space where the singer stands. A longer airy reverb, or a plate reverb, on another FX bus can glue the vocal into the background contents of your mix, and a ping-pong delay for special effects can be added on occasion during build-ups or crescendos. A little goes a long way, especially since most listeners will be using headphones.
Grouping for Cohesiveness
Grouping all your reverb and delay FX buses into a single reverb and delay bus allows for further compression and EQ to make all of those consistent and cohesive.
Any processing done to a whole group of anything marries those sounds together, and a lot of times this is exactly what we want in music production. Avoid doing the opposite — using a series of individual reverbs and delays as inserts on the vocal, and then even more separate effects for every other instrument. Instead, send different instruments to the same multiple FX buses at varying levels, to create a feeling of togetherness.
Creative Reverb and Delay Techniques
Don't be afraid to get creative with your reverb and delay settings. Use pre-delay to create a time delay before the reverb kicks in, and experiment with different decay times and diffusion settings.
Having a longer pre-delay often makes the effect more audible, and as a result you can be more economical with the overall level of that reverb. Panning reverb and delay buses slightly left or right can add width and depth to your mix. If you decide to pan one entire reverb to the side, try changing its settings to be closer to mono, which makes this situation even more effective.
Compressing or squashing room reverbs is a common technique to make them fuller and more lively. When something is made more audible and full, you can afford to lower the level in the mix and achieve more perceived room for the important upfront sounds like the dry vocal.
Using Presets to Work Faster
By having preset FX buses, you remove much of the time consuming experimentation and can quickly achieve a sound that works well for your vocal. Adjust parameters such as timing and pre-delay to fit the current song but rely on your presets to get you most of the way there quickly. If you spend hours setting up reverb spaces in every song, you will get fatigued and tired of your song much more quickly.
Summing Up
While having certain things set up with your vocal mixing chain beforehand can help your speed and workflow, remember to tweak and experiment with different settings to suit the unique needs of each song. Mixing vocals involves a combination of less-is-more EQ moves, decisive compression, apt saturation, and creative use of reverb and delay. By developing a repeatable approach and utilizing the tips outlined here, you can achieve a professional vocal sound that fits perfectly in every mix you'll ever work on. Remember the key is to find what works for you, and apply these techniques to create a signature sound for you and your productions.