Mixing Basics: Vocal Compression - Warren Huart: Produce Like A Pro
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- Опубликовано: 2 окт 2024
- ➡️➡️Learn more about Vocal Compression here: bit.ly/2Hi1KRF
Today, we will be going over the basics of mixing vocals. Earlier, we balanced the mix using just panning and volume and got the mix to a place where we could start making better decisions. In this video, we are going to look at some really subtle ways you can make your vocals sit better in the mix using just compression and automation. In Pro Tools, this automation could be “clip automation”, but it could also be "volume automation" in your DAW.
Most people will use compression to color the sound, and to make sure it is always in the front of the mix. There are three ways you can do this: using compression or serial compression, clip gain/volume automation, or using a limiter, which can help bring out the personality in the track as well. Be careful when you are using clip gain or volume automation, as you want to make sure you are not exaggerating things that you will have to edit out later!
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Now that we've compressed the vocals, where would you go from here? What would the next step in your mixing process be? Let me know below!
Lately I've been using clariphonic to pimp up the high end then another compressor with a little saturation to DeEss. MJUC is a great one for adding more analogue qualities to the vocal and DeEssing with the tone knob and drive. I also like Waves F6 to gently duck out the problem frequencies if they rear their ugly head
BASS and low frequencies
Ya Know They" always say
misery Loves Company Warren?
Ha h ahh aha haaa
my Board just Took a Dump on my New Recording
it was Pretty close to Finished
Hahhah a aha haaaa
it is Peculiar
is it not
i was just compressing Vocals in the Master vocal..
Ha h ah hah ha h haaaa
i Think My Teck Buddy can Fix my Button
or something will be lost i can't Replace.
it's Pretty questionable
it was Great i should have let it Flyyyyyyyyy
Damn Machines
Deus x La Machina?
or ET La Machina
Well Seeee
i Needed a good Teck
i might Have The Best in Town so
Well Seeee right Bra....
i'll send you a Mix....
Bra.
Pray ok.
i made all my Players Play Instruments not Machines
Ha ha h ahahhaaaa
maybe the machines are Pissed right?
Ha hhahhah aaWell see Bra
Probably the acoustic guitar to hear the chords and to find a groove...
It's simply impossible to watch Warren and not learning something new
Thanks ever so much my friend!!
I just learned something there thanks Warren
Hi thesoundtree wonderful!! Thanks ever so much my friend
you are like that teacher ure glad to have cause u make things great to learn
or well
The Misery Seeking His own Comfort.
Wow! That is ever so kind of you to say my friend!!
I love the super focused vids that are basic yet very in-depth at the same time. Cheers Warren.
Hi Obsidian s Thanks ever so much my friend!
@@Producelikeapro LA2A and 1176... Which whould go first and with what ratios?
@@The_Absurdistt I would go 3:1 on the LA2A to 20:1 (just catching peaks) on the 1176. I hope that helps?
Warren, you're an awesome teacher making technical issues simple. Thank you
Always leave the adds play , in a way to say thanks to this channel ! Skip adds = zero $
Fantastic!! Love it Warren. It makes it so much clearer!
Hi Songwriter Till thanks ever so much my friend! I’m so glad to be able to help!
I love the Waves vocal rider for automating the volume, it works great
Hi Warren! I wish I'd had this tutorial two years ago, although I wouldn't have been able to hear the subtlety. Amazingly useful demonstration and discussion of the subject. Thank you! : )
My next step from here would be to rebalance (or add) the printed vocal fx, or create a rough version of the fx if they're not printed. Balance that with the background vox. Mute all the vox and move on to bass.
Thanks ever so much Lisa! You Rock!! Great to read you comment, I really appreciate your support and inside the Academy!
Thanks, mate, another great lesson!
Hi T W Tobin thanks ever so much my friend!!
whenever I hear the word 'pro sound engineer' I imagine this man. one of very few pro teachers on youtube. thanks for the videos
Wow! Thank you ever so much my friend!!
Great video! Before compressing I would check if there's anything that should be taken out or tamed, EQ wise. Then the compressor would work with a signal that better represents a "good" or more goal-oriented source. In this case it sounds great already. Loved the L1 after the compressors. Thanks!
Thanks. Great study. On my vocal work i do all of the above since songs need the right feel. Even is the vocals i suuper dirty and all the way back. Basci but great stuff. Gaining and clipping up the vocals phrase by phrase is almost a given for me in every song. Next steps would be to EQ, Fx and Chain out to other rev or delay channel fx. But tha all depends on what song and style me and the artist wants. Thanks for your never ending well of knowledge. Keep it up! Followed you now for a few years. / CHeers
This works so well! I can't believe it. Appreciate the knowledge.
I guess now we need to learn how to EQ and apply reverb. Thanks for the great content.
Hi Juan Pablo Mijangos yes! Marvellous idea!
@@Producelikeapro delay as well would be awesome.
Really good. The use of clip gain was eye opening.
Thanks ever so much my friend!!
it's a game changer
call me crazy (well that's beside the point) I use a limiter on vocals brick-walled to 3db and bounce to a new track, takes care of those head bobbers pretty well ;)
Very helpful, thanks for continuing on this song.
Genius. Should u use compression first then use clip gain then limiter? N how do u get the high peaks down? I didnt visually see the spikes come down after compression. Never saw anyone use clip gain. Super cool n made that vocal sound so good. If I were that singer I'd be shaking my head at how good I sounded lol
Thanks so much Warren!
You're the best Warren! \m/ Greetings from Brazil!
salvando nossas mix
Thanks ever so much Jota!!
Great video.
As always, marvelous video!
Hey Warren...thanks for the tip on the Kali monitors in Ben Coomb's stream! Your channel is awesome! 😎🎸
You're very welcome my friend!!
The Limiter tip is interesting. Do you have a video on who uses that on songs? Whitesnake?
You are great Warren!
Hi Warren, thanks for this! Love serial compression, use it a lot!
The audio editing (clip gain in this case) of Pro-tools is awesome! I work in FL Studio and to get the same result it takes a lot more work...
Have a nice holiday in my part of the world!!! (saw it on facebook ;)).
Hi Martin, thanks ever so much my friend!!
Yet another great session! Have you ever done mixing work with Apple Logic?
Hi Scott, I have it sounded great! I used all of my same plug ins!! Plus the stock Logic ones are amazing!
@@Producelikeapro That's awesome! Perhaps you could do a demonstration video of how to get the same results with Logic. I'm sure there are many producers and musicians out there who would be grateful!
@@scottallen3699 Marvellous idea my friend!!
Thank you! You didnt talk much about the attack and release?
G'Day. Warren. Just watched your channel for first time. I'm trying to get into mixing and a little DJ production What software do you use for your work? or recommend to get me going? I found this clip fascinating , thanks from Australia mate. I've just subscribed to your channel. Thanks again
that ringing at...."on my mind"...please a tutorial about that!!!
liked the example toward the end that exhibited when it is too much compression. thanks again warren!
Thanks ever so much Harmony Smurf!!
Hi Warren, I’d like to know your opinion on those avid certifications. Thank you!
Can you tell me a little more? Avid certificates? Do you mean a College course that gives you a training certificate?
Sure! As far as I understand, avid offers three different “levels/degrees” for these pro tools certificates: Avid certified user, Avid certified operator and avid certified expert. For you to become a, let’s say, certified pro tools user you would have to complete two classes, pro tools fundamentals 1 and 2 (PT101 and PT110) which I believe to be available at private schools, not sure about colleges and universities. By completing these classes you would than apply for a test provided by avid.
My main question is not so much about the knowledge acquired by attending these classes (sure they are worth it) but more about the impact it would have on someones career. Do you think it’s worth in the aspect of job opportunities? Have you ever met someone with these type of certifications? Thank you very much Warren!
@@rodrigodemacedo5066 I completed these modules when I went to SAE. Never was asked about them when I used to work in other studios. And I don't use protools at all anymore, because it feels like a dinosaur in today's era. Not sure if this helps answer your question 🤷🏾♂️
Very good video which does not drag on too much and explains some basic and advanced notions of mixing and presenting a track in a mix clearly!
Thanks ever so much Ron! You Rock!!
Hey thanks for this tutorial what would you saying off first using the waves vocal rider then after add a slight compressor with an lower ratio?
Hi Nathan, yes sending a fairly even signal level into the Vocal Rider will give even better results!
@@Producelikeapro alright so you're saying it's best to do the gentle compression first on the vocal to control the peak like you did on this tutorial then pass that through the vocal rider?
Hi Nathan. The suggestion from Waves and Michael White is to use vocal rider last in the chain, after you have EQ'd and compressed. You could use a sidechain function so the music is involved or place it on the channel. Warren is right in that the more even a signal you feed to vocal rider, the more natural it sounds. Some people do use two instances of vocal rider, before and after.
Holy S... this is what I've been looking for . Thank you infinitely.
Yes, yes & yes, me too!
Thanks ever so much Gilbert!!
@@darlenesheffield9835 thanks ever so much!!
I actually wanna hear the song I like it
For a novice mixer like me who currently deals only with mixing tracks recorded during a live performance, how should compression techniques be modified from what you would normally use for studio-recorded tracks like those used in this video? For instance, my vocal tracks unavoidably have bleed from stage noise. I've found that trying to emulate most of the compression techniques I see on various RUclips videos does not work well with my vocal tracks as it brings up the stage bleed along with the vocal. Can you share some tips for using compression with live vocal tracks? Should I just forgo compression when working with live performance vocal tracks? I have used relatively light compression (3 to 6 dB max gain reduction) with NO make-up gain to smooth out a vocal to some degree.
That is a good question, Bill. You have to be careful with any kind of processing with live recorded performances. Although you mostly can get away with + or - 2 or 3dB on everything with anything, don't do drastic things and use a lot of automation instead. Also, always set up an XY at the FOH, highpass at 180 or so, bring those up as first and start mixing "around" those ambient mics. Have fun!
@@Kevin-vq6rv Thanks Kevin! I will give those suggestions a try.
Solid tutorial! Pro Tools makes automation so dang easy.
It does, doesn't it?!
Great advice! I don't know if I'm crazy but I notice an artifact when he sings "old and gray-*zzt*", just afer "gray". 15:21
This is the best truly TEACHING video on vocal compression I've ever found. Thank you.
Wow! Thanks ever so much Adam
I've heard you explain the ratio this way a few times now, but what do you mean by "letting x db through?" Through to be compressed? Or through as in bypassing compression?
You’re the best Warren! The past year watching your videos has improved my music production tenfold.
Thanks Warren for the great tutorial! Serial Comp. and Clip Gain were my go-to's, (or is it "go-tos) for voiceover during my 20+ yrs. in audio post. Question. What headphones are you mixing with in this video? Cheers!
Hi elftone wow stuck! Thanks for sharing your process! You Rock!!
Awesome vid Warren :D !! It would be incredible to see more videos like this editing stuff in the different tracks. And how you would approach the vocals in the chorus?
There are many videos of the type you mention. Check out all his videos he does this many times. :-)
Sure i had watch them. But i refer in this particular track :) So we can follow the develop of the song
I really enjoyed how you explained ratio and how you use clip gain to even out the vocals. I will definitely try that on my next mix 🤘
Yes, the ratio description was super simple!
Thanks ever so much Pablo!!
@@darlenesheffield9835 thanks ever so much!
Instantly liked, just based on the title. And yes, our vocals are (almost always) too compressed. Can't wait to see your tips Warren! The concept of chaining compressors is one of the more difficult aspects for us beginners. I usually start with a CLA-2 for tone and then use something more drastic for coloring, but that's probably the wrong way around.
Waves vocal rider would do a similar job? 🤔
fader riding just sounds more uniformed. time consuming and tedious but well worth the talent development. yet, nothing beats a good singer laying tracks
Indeed! Clip gain gives you that result exactly! It also allows people who are just learning a greater understanding of what that means!
Hey Warren, I have a question. The vocal was compressed before you apply the first compressor as you mention in the video, isn't it? Was it also equalized? To remove the lows for example below around 100hz? Or you take some of that after compress first? Thank you for the tutorial!
Great questions! I never EQ vocals, I may IF there is a ton of low end information, such as AC noise etc, however that is rare.
@@Producelikeapro Thank you so much for the answer!!
Warren, this is what the internet and youtube is meant for, sharing good ideas and knowledge. Being one who is old enough to remember the excitement over being invited into a bands rehearsal or to the studio where they would record, wow then this is amazing. Normally these rockers would let in sit still, and not say a thing, and here we have a great guy like yourself, inviting young people in, to learn about the magic of a studio, how it sounds and operates. I love these videos and learn something every time. Forever grateful. Love from Spain.
Can I get the same result as automation from vocal rider plugin?
Marvellous question! I'm very sure that if you were to use the Vocal Rider Plug In to it's full extent you'd get amazing results! It's wonderful plug in!
It's fine. Be careful with automatic stuff. Rely on yourself.
Yes, but not auto in serial. I use it, to write automation for the tracks. Then disable it, and I could adjust the automation in manual for some notes that the vocal rider failed to ride properly.
@@futurebeats898 agreed!
@@fuzzfizz thanks for sharing that tip!
I work with a lot of singers who double track most of their lead vocals. In this case would you recommend clip gaining and compressing each track separately or sum them and compress the double tracked vocal as a single performance? And what would Jack Douglas have done on Double Fantasy? ;-)
? RE: threshold: I set threshold by the amount of desired gain reduction, but it never seems to correspond to what I see in the wave form. For example, if I have the threshold at -12, I routinely see peaks above that but there is no gain-reduction taking place according to GR metering. I have observed this on nearly all plug-in compressors and to varying degrees. Can you explain this phenom?
What shortcut are you using to zoom in to the selection like that when making edits? Looks super quick!
You couldn’t have explained it better
I agree so much Mac !!
Hi Mac Joseph tanks ever so much my friend! That means a lot my friend!
Darlene Sheffield Thanks ever so much!!
Produce Like A Pro I mean it there was no more you could have explained. If a simpleton like me got it then you explained yourself well. Go live again so can send you money. Also I have connections with Izotope and can get you a free plug-in.
I find the Studio One version of clip gain really handy for manual de-essing, and then if I need to I can EQ just that part of I need to change the colour of it a bit.
Steinberg users: crossfade is "x" ... Just saying.
been there, done that! ^_^
Thanks Kevin!!
@@neovxr yes! Haha
@Meep he's very helpful indeed!
Which Audio interface r u using???
I am using the Audient iD44!
Thank You for making this fantastic & timeless content! My recording woes, soothed.
Thanks very much
Hi Warren - this makes me want to go back to the Avid compressor(s) and exploit them properly, despite having a zillion other ones. Anyway, great stuff as ever. Um, I have a question - would it be considered vulgar or inappropriate to post a link to an article I've written on Medium? It's a 6000w guide for home studio beginners (there's a link to PLAP RUclips of course). If it is unseemly, I get it, and no worries. Is it FAQ Friday time???? :)
Ooooh... Title of this song please.... thank you now am paying much attention... I need to be like this ... thanks Brother
I have mixed feelings. You pop up weakest parts to be heard, but it you destroyed " feeling" and "phrase" in vocal part...sounds better with compression and without cutting parts and making louder weakest parts. I think Waves Vocal Rider would do this better, you show us that plugin on other video. Anyway thank you for tips with multiple compressors, I always struggle with "overcompresed vocal sound" .
Cheers!
Thanks for the rundown on compression! But, why wouldn't you use the presets in the Avid compressor? You applied 'factory default', but in the drop down there is a setting for vocals. I'm a novice so I rely on the presets; I figure they put some thought into designing the presets, so I go with those. There are presets for bass, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, etc.
Anyway, thank you for all your great instructional talks!
now I try to produce audio books and radio plays.
Now I would try to bring my voice, or that of others together with the FX tones in harmony.
You always say: "Trust your ears"
That's right ... But I still have no basis, no "normal" that I can trust.
How about a video on how I can train my hearing. It would be wonderful!
many thanks Lucas Lutz Erler
Vocal mix: HP to 150hz, scoop out 350 5db with medium Q. Run RVox through DDMF Metaplugin oversample 4X. THEN SQUASH IT!
What band are you working with in this video? I want to check them out! Great lesson as well, subscribed.
How come is it like this: you do a 3.5 dB shift, and i can hear the result right away? In your song, unsoloed, over RUclips. And when i mix my own sung vocal, i sometimes sweep 12 dB wide back and forth, and can't even tell which is better (=less disgusting).
Is clip gain in Pro Tools pre or post FX? I always get caught out in Ableton trying to clip gain after my compression which doesn't affect the level but just makes the clip hit the compressor harder. That's why I always clip gain first before adding any compression, and I need to get into the habit of automating level with a gain tool post-compression.
Curious withVolume automation why not turn down the louder parts and then turn up the entire track I feel like there would be less work to do? Not sure if it’s right or not what’s your thoughts?
I have a semi-related question, which has to do with vocal compression, but as it pertains to tracking rather than mixing. When you track vocals through a compressor, how much gain reduction are you typically going for, since, in all likelihood, you're going to add even more compression to the vocal in the mixing phase?
PS. Ooh hoo ooh hoo! 😁
Great video! What are you using to record your screen and computer audio?
I know it's a nitpick, but any chance whoever edits these videos, can turn down the volume of the "title sequence" thing? If i turn up my speakers so your voice is "ok", the jingle thing blows my head off every time...
Can anyone tell me if i should do this before or after eq? I guess it is after because i dont want to compress like really low frequencies from my vocals. I dont have my room treated and my mic is a condenser, i usually catch really low frequencies on vocals.
In general i always scrub the breaths out.....fantastic segment Warren! I was just reading the other day about how some engineers put the L1 limiter at the end of the vocal chain, when i first started mastering the L1 was the plug in last in the chain..it has been replaced by the Mk stealth limiter but now i think i will put my dormant L1 into the end of the lead vocal chain..it was expensive when i purchased it so feel good about putting it back into use..! By the way I downloaded one of your free mix sessions and it sounds really good, didnt use all your drum tracks but got it to the point i liked it..i think there might be a point where you go over board on all the snare variations/mics/verb or what have you...the one thing that really made a dif was the hollow sounding snare sample underneath the original thin snare of the real drummer.! TY for all you do, appreciate you!
Hey Warren try Waves Vocal Rider works really good for what you were talking about.....
HOLAA
Hola back!!
all my Artist will Perform their Entire Performance without a Machine as a crutch.
if yo Dynamic Range is chaos Because of yo Mic... you as Artist Hear my MIX 0dB CENTER faders
you Balance yo mix so i do not have to or
i Keep the Human Mistake" or flaw in Tune r and The Artist does Not Hear what the Board Hears in our mix.
i turn you Down so you sing harder or up so you sing softer it is basic.
my Compression Standard works just like yours Warren
i can limit yet not Homogenize a Dynamic Range so far out we can not hear a whisper
because the skill of The Artist is not Developed as yet for studio work.
i like it hard hitting fast response slow to no Release time mostly no Clear Grabbing
sustain needs to still be there so limiting or compressing at extremes has options.
or i Cut yo Performance or mine for the song
i still pay the Artist;.
if i use their Performance or not with respect.
so..
Practice Without yo Machine
i can make them slave their ass off
i gotta ask yo asss and i do not Beg.
Ha ha h hhaaa Love is love
Business well
you know what i gotta say.
what kind of compressor do you use? 1176? i dont have logic.
Why compress the attack so fast on vocals when the perceived loudness doesn’t kick in until about 300ms
...........NOOOOOO..........NOT THAT TRACK AGAIN....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Does anyone know the temple of this track ?? And also why is there so many vocal tracks ?? There’s like 4 lead vocal tracks and tonnes of BV’s
A little does a lot
Hi King Ech yes it certainly does!!
What microphone was used on the singer? I have a similar voice and it would help a million!
Omg did u say L1 on vocals? ...... I NEED TO KNOW MORE!
Did Warren bypass the stock compressors when he demonstrated the limiter?
Awesome stuff. You mentioned not using EQ yet. Can you make an eps to teach us the EQ skill? Thanks.
Thanks Warren, Until I saw you do it then, I had never thought of fading like that when clip gaining (and didn't know that it was called 'clip gaining either')
Thanks ever so much! I’m so glad to be able to help
Can you emulate someone with analogue gear compressing on the way in by placing a compressor at the beginning of your plug-in chain and then building your chain as usual?
"Even when I'm, ooold and gray and my mind has, slipped away." What an over dramatic, border line perverted vocal delivery.
Ha!! How productive!
I tried the trick where a shotgun mic is placed over the singer's head pointing at their chest, when I mix the vocal how do you suggest I treat them, each mic individual or together?
freeze frame at 9:44 right after the phrase "modern pop and rock" to see truth face LOLOL
What are your thoughts on the Waves Vocal Rider? Do you use it?
Wow amazing tutorial BTW what's that song I would love to listen to all of it really beautiful
Warren - can we not divide up the vocal phrases, use the DAW "normalize" function and lower the gains of the clips all together so they are roughly back to their original volume but more even out?
Then do a listen through and adjust the needed clips accordingly?
Seems an easier workflow?
Hi Emrah, thanks for your comment! Definitely one way of working! I find it more efficient to only do the process one time the way I'd like to hear it! However, if adding the extra step of Normalising first then correcting afterwards makes more sense to you then you should definitely work that way! I listen for issues then fix rather than doing things automatically.
Hi Warren, thanks so much for this tutorial, setting the compressor at the lowest level is a great technique. Using it now with your serial compression idea. Sounds great, thanks again :) 👊
Tubetart thanks ever so much my friend!!
Would you not get rid of, or at least turn down those breath intakes? Personally I find the tiring to hear...
I watch you channel all the time, take it seriously as a "proper" school, thanks for this man, for teaching a new craft, and with style! can't wait for more stuff!
Hi David Martin thanks ever so much my friend! That really means a lot!
Always a pleasure to listen to you, Warren! Even after the hundredth compression tutorial you're still inspiring! Keep 'em coming! You absolutely rock!!!
Hi Sounzz by hecking haha thanks ever so much my friend!