VOCAL PRODUCER CHECKLIST: How Do I Get Smooth Vocals?

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  • Опубликовано: 24 ноя 2024

Комментарии • 120

  • @AndyCampbellMusic
    @AndyCampbellMusic 4 года назад +9

    Who disliked this video? This guy gives some of the best advice on RUclips?

    • @SuziesAshes10
      @SuziesAshes10 Год назад

      IL tell you why. Because not everybody likes manufactured beat to a pulp mixes. Automating breaths, ducking every s sound, it's extreme and the more you go into that wormhole the more life you suck from the track especially a vocal. Think of all the great tracks over the years which move us. All the Phil Spector stuff, Johnny Cash with Rick Rubin to name just a few. All natural. This guy sounds like he knows what he's doing but I hate all this modern day production and stuff like this is to blame. I'm guessing the people who disliked this video feel the same.

  • @4dmind
    @4dmind 4 года назад +11

    "Sometimes a vocal needs one plugin, sometimes it needs 15"... So true. I learned to stop making rules and relying on canned plugin chains. I listen to each part in the context of the song and apply fundamentals. I do have chains that solve certain common problems, but I find that more often I'm making deliberate choices and have better results that way. And always the Lord-Alge rule "Only as much as you absolutely need".

  • @reggiedillard7731
    @reggiedillard7731 3 года назад +5

    I LOVE THIS GUY. I LOVE HIS PASSION FOR THE CRAFT AND HIS LOGIC TO RECORDING. KEEP SHINING BROTHER! ✊🏾🍻✈️.

  • @timbranniganmusic3458
    @timbranniganmusic3458 2 года назад +1

    Thanks for another great video! You always give my brain a reset when I’m in the weeds, mixing. Just a change of attention for a few minutes always helps, but especially when it’s focused on mixing. You really offer some of the best information available online and your delivery is always genuine and humble. You rock, my friend. Thanks again!
    Best wishes - Tim

  • @amirgrant844
    @amirgrant844 4 года назад +4

    More often than not, I separate frequencies into two separate groups. The ones you can hear and the ones you more so feel rather than hear. Certain things are more of a feel rather than something that is heard. Like a smooth guitar for instance. What do you notice when you play a good acoustic guitar in a well treated room? You notice gentle highs and air and the rich lows that put a sweet vibration and resonate in your chest. Caused by both the material the guitar is made from and the material the room is made from. Which is something that is more felt than heard.
    Vocals are the same in a sense and if you take away the "feel" of the vocal, it becomes either dull or harsh just like a cheap $100 acoustic guitar. Understanding that concept gives you the ability to turn something that sounds cheap and has no feel into something that sounds expensive inside a mix because you can use mixing tools and plugins to add to the cheap element what is missing and usually, you dont even need to add that much. Even with reverbs, that is often the difference between a cheap sounding reverb and a more expensive sounding one. The "feel". Not the "color".

  • @amusik7
    @amusik7 3 года назад +1

    Solid gold. You get do used to thinking that there needs to be a plug-in for everything that I never thought of simply automating the levels.

  • @precisionsoundworksstudio
    @precisionsoundworksstudio 4 года назад +2

    Fantastic video... Thank you for posting this!

  • @DavidDiMuzio
    @DavidDiMuzio 4 года назад +3

    So much great info here. Wish I had heard all of this sooner. Definitely inspired me to want to work on vocal performance in regards to consonants and esses a lot more.

  • @Nathankaye
    @Nathankaye 2 года назад

    Wow! So many nuggets in this video & I’ve been recording and mixing for decades. Amazing! Thank you

  • @DarkRattlehead
    @DarkRattlehead 4 года назад +2

    Great content as always, and I completely agree regarding your last point: the performance has to be good!
    We have so many efficient tools that a more artists rely on them (and us) to sound good, because of laziness, lack of experience, or some other things. I've had guys not understanding why I made them redo some takes because they thought they would be good enough after I fix them... and I'm not talking about mouth noises like on Bella's recording.
    Some dudes think we can fix everything and change things from blue to red, and while that's true to a certain extent, they don't realize that for us to do an A+ mix, A performances and arrangements are needed.
    "It's all in the pre-production" said some random guy named Rick Rubin

  • @JackDenning
    @JackDenning 2 месяца назад

    THE LOWPASS JUST SOLVED MY ISSUE THANK YOU

  • @philipsumesgutner
    @philipsumesgutner 4 года назад +1

    Wow, this is very good information. It started with a simple question and you were still able to focus. So much value in this chat. Thanks!

  • @Joelfrancis
    @Joelfrancis Год назад

    OMG These are just secret tools that almost nobody tells you about.
    thank you so much!
    I will definitely implement this in my workflow moving forward. And I will save this video because I might need to come back to it again. Keep up the great work bro 👏👏👏👏

  • @KI2LA
    @KI2LA 4 года назад +1

    thx for the first two checklist tipps!!!!!!!!!!!!! now my mix is endlevel!!!!!!! 🔝 that's why i love music and my work!!!! there's no end to learn something different and something new!!!! it's a drug!!!! can't life without it!!!!!! thank you!!!! ❤

  • @charliekey2979
    @charliekey2979 3 года назад

    Thank you, awesome information! I was needing this check list as a starting point. I appreciated.

  • @irecki1
    @irecki1 4 года назад +1

    Mixbus Rock Again! Great point Dave, fixing vocal track "by hand", make vox much much cleaner, smoother, than "playing-fighting" with plugins. Most singers pomp so much air with S,Sh,K,T,P,B,K etc

  • @NiOOfficialDOPE
    @NiOOfficialDOPE 3 года назад

    yep the highpass did it! what an easy thing....sending much love. great content as all i saw from you! thanks a lot.

    • @NiOOfficialDOPE
      @NiOOfficialDOPE 3 года назад

      and 6:30 ..buy sibliance plugin from wave..it automates all the esses itselfs..saves me a lot of time in some mixes !

  • @AudioReplica2023
    @AudioReplica2023 4 года назад +13

    Sorry David..but I just wanted to make a quick announcement for those looking for good emulation plugins right now. Acustica Audio released Clestial for free until Feb 20th(SSL Fusion emulation) and Analog Obsession have a couple plugins from compressors to guitar pedals that they sound really good and are free right now. I know a lot of us this Christmas had a bad luck for getting good plugins out there..so im just trying to help somebody.

  • @TheBATTranceMusic
    @TheBATTranceMusic 4 года назад

    Wow! I just picked up on what you said about automation on the S from vocals. Great advice. And also low pass around 10K for vocals. You really know your shit! Much respect always to you and your channel.

  • @streetlogic
    @streetlogic 4 года назад +3

    Never thought about a low pass always done some high pass. This was interesting good job on the video good info.

  • @GeorgeAmodei21
    @GeorgeAmodei21 3 года назад

    Thank you David for this VIDEO Great as always, George Amodei

  • @chriskemp466
    @chriskemp466 Год назад

    Thanks David some good stuff here !

  • @rodrigorampazzo8853
    @rodrigorampazzo8853 3 года назад

    Bro, you're insane! First time I watch one of your videos and I appreciate you taking the time to provide so much information. Much love!

  • @PharaohLawLess1
    @PharaohLawLess1 4 года назад

    Thank you for this video. I was having problems with recording my vocals and I'm glad you addressed this issue

  • @joelthurner3682
    @joelthurner3682 3 года назад

    oh my god this is one bomb after another!! thanks

  • @IanJamesBeats
    @IanJamesBeats 3 года назад

    I think low passing is so under appreciated. One of my most used tools

  • @4dmind
    @4dmind 4 года назад +1

    David - I would love to see you do a video about your mental process for deciding how much 2-Bus compression, attack and release etc. Obviously, this has to do with the aesthetic effect of compression, and that would be a great factor to discuss (i.e. punchiness versus a flat treatment) - Varies by genre and song. But I'd love to hear your take on this, particular with rock and metal.

  • @1loveMusic2003
    @1loveMusic2003 Год назад

    Reality check it's hard work to get things sounding their best. No shortcuts. 👍

  • @bjoernkmusic
    @bjoernkmusic 4 года назад

    02:10 Just mixed a vocal track that we recorded using a 40 € SM58 imitation from a company called Jinao. We used this microphone after blind testing everything we had available in the context of a rough mix (guitar tones were already in place, which is probably the element that the vocals compete with the most).
    Mixdown: compression using a software distressor, filtering 16k, 1-2 dB of deessing using a dynamic EQ at 10k. No further EQ. It's not about what is best, but what is right for the track and the vocalists voice.

  • @heathsledger
    @heathsledger 2 года назад

    absolute masterclass man. thank you

  • @jermainesmith6315
    @jermainesmith6315 4 года назад

    Wow. Great information!!!!! I never heard or seen some of these tips done but it make so much sense. Thanks. Something new I can practice with.

  • @matehebenstreit
    @matehebenstreit 3 года назад

    Such a great view of mixing!! Thank you, very helpful!

  • @futurebeats898
    @futurebeats898 4 года назад

    I've just lowpassed the vocals I've recorded. Sounds amazing thanks a lot

  • @joezazasin7
    @joezazasin7 3 года назад

    Yup.. vocals and acustic guitars 🤘🔥

  • @lahattec
    @lahattec 4 года назад

    So much goodness in this video. Thanks!

  • @dr0302
    @dr0302 3 года назад

    wow. Thank you so much for the knowlege and wisdom. How can we ever pay you back?
    I really like the spoken word type of education a lot, putting things in relation, context and the big picture.
    Pure gold.
    Much love from Germany, stay healthy. Blessed.

  • @contraspower6302
    @contraspower6302 Год назад

    Thanku teacher i owe u alot🙏🙏 Best on RUclips 🔥

  • @bengaulter
    @bengaulter 11 месяцев назад

    cheers from london :) great content man

  • @miguelowls
    @miguelowls 4 года назад +1

    Dude this is soooo good!! Lol I’m hooked!

  • @ozzy3ml
    @ozzy3ml 3 года назад

    6:18 "Fade the riding" lol! Awesome info as usual, thanks David. I'll remember to fade the rider ;)

  • @salman11223344
    @salman11223344 3 года назад

    This is the best 17:49 mins I have invest my friend. So much information and all really really useful and great which no one else have ever said in one video. I have come across with your video first time and obviously I am going to subscribe it now but I had to comment in this one that I really enjoyed every single minute of this video. Thanks so much!!
    🇨🇦🇨🇦

  • @lashtal
    @lashtal 3 года назад

    Agree with you very much on the don't rely on plug-ins for your de-Essing. As tedious as it might be, doing it by hand is definitely the way to go. Why? because plug-ins can, just like in plug-ins that remove breathes!, they can take away A Lot of the ORGANIC sound of the Human voice. It's important to go for Clean, if that's what the genre calls for, but removing the Human connection makes it sound fake; makes it difficult for the listener to connect to the vocalist. In the case of a super-charged pop ballad, if Adele says, "it hurts so much/I struggle to breathe" ... and this phrase is followed by no breath, OR this phrase is immediately followed by a breath that "suffers" to inhale the air for the next phrase... the audience connects more to THAT!
    So I feel like people really need to look at these de-essing and removing breath plug-ins understanding first what it is they're trying to go for. Are they Okay with the robotic, non-human sound, as in EDM or Techno... or are they trying to draw a listener in, as in a pop ballad? (ex. Toni Braxton, her voice was very much like An instrument, like a saxophone on her records. Her breathing was not only instrumental to her singing voice, it was ESSENTIAL, because she wasn't just breathing; she was using her breath as sexual innuendo, as Sensuality, as an enhancement to her overall Expression)
    I know David already knows this (and a million more things than I do!), but just want to point out the importance of this for anyone not already aware.

  • @demodeiowa
    @demodeiowa 4 года назад +1

    03:42 I often use a tape plugin to achieve this kind of reduction at the start

  • @futurebeats898
    @futurebeats898 4 года назад +2

    Nice vid dave

  • @marioboni8503
    @marioboni8503 4 года назад

    Uuuuu!!!
    Gr8 advices man!!!
    😎🤘🏼

  • @jorgholzkonig3952
    @jorgholzkonig3952 4 года назад

    Great work❤ Hiphop course sounds nice 💪💪

  • @poloslair
    @poloslair 4 года назад

    Fantastic info, Thanks David

  • @kelvynification
    @kelvynification 3 года назад +1

    Good point on low passing for vocals especially female voices:) But the really important point when it comes to vocals is the microphone and the room. A five thousand dollar Brauner VM1 won’t always sound great on some vocals - especially a female voice that is nasally - whereby a five hundred dollar SM7B will do a much better job. Lots of very relevant info here though. Thanks:)

  • @AltaPisco
    @AltaPisco 4 года назад +1

    Great content

  • @tza2327
    @tza2327 3 года назад

    I guess the most here needed to hear right this =D

  • @Warmwinterz
    @Warmwinterz 4 года назад +1

    Great video

  • @yvon-ludovicmadihano8180
    @yvon-ludovicmadihano8180 3 года назад

    I love this channel

  • @ЖивойЗвук-ц3ж
    @ЖивойЗвук-ц3ж 2 года назад

    THANKS!

  • @PharaohLawLess1
    @PharaohLawLess1 4 года назад

    Thank you for this video

  • @hairongchen1634
    @hairongchen1634 2 года назад

    this low pass tip is gold

  • @anttikinnunen7904
    @anttikinnunen7904 3 года назад

    Great stuff.

  • @sobhhi
    @sobhhi 4 года назад

    For me personally, nothing has helped smooth out my vocals as much as switching from condensers to darker dynamic microhphones (sm7, re20). So I would totally agree with the rolloff idea

    • @tyceall7957
      @tyceall7957 2 года назад

      Stream "You Need This" by SOBHHI

  • @garyroberts1843
    @garyroberts1843 4 года назад

    Great episode.

  • @PlaylistProductions
    @PlaylistProductions 4 года назад +1

    Merry Christmas MixbusTV!

  • @classicrockcentral2560
    @classicrockcentral2560 4 года назад

    Great vids man, thanks heaps.....can you show us the latest iteration of your mixbus outboard chain/gear plz.. cheers

  • @gaudinni
    @gaudinni 4 года назад

    Thank David!

  • @jf542
    @jf542 3 года назад

    Very good video

  • @eglessons
    @eglessons 4 года назад +1

    Hey David, great vid again. What is a good simple but high quality Speaker load box for Guitar?

  • @pujitvlogs
    @pujitvlogs Год назад

    best video

  • @sevenhxrecords677
    @sevenhxrecords677 4 года назад

    Good one bro..help out allot ..

  • @Punk_Mayhem
    @Punk_Mayhem Год назад

    @MixbusTv, Dear sensei, the content is as amazing as ever, no irrelevant exaggeration, straight up to the point, fantabulous!
    If I use Comp 609 instead of La2a comp, or even Royal Compressor instead of La2a, what’s your take on that? Please kindly share your thoughts. Ironically iOS platform hasn’t developed any La2a emulation. Eagerly waiting. Regards.

    • @mixbustv
      @mixbustv  Год назад

      Well they're very different. 609 is a diode bridge, Royal is a mu, 2A is a tube opto. 3 different topologies, if you need a 2A and the 2A action, you need a 2A

    • @Punk_Mayhem
      @Punk_Mayhem Год назад

      @@mixbustv would Fairchild be an at least an alternative? 2A hasn’t been emulated yet, that’s why I’m bugging you.

    • @Punk_Mayhem
      @Punk_Mayhem Год назад

      @@mixbustv I’m not looking for an exact similar outcome, but would it do the thing, adding some colour along with giving a smooth vibe ? The thing is, I follow you even though I don’t want to, but subconsciously my mind finds your approach towards production exactly similar to mine.

    • @mixbustv
      @mixbustv  Год назад

      MJUC compressor

  • @SonicologyRecords
    @SonicologyRecords 4 года назад

    Great video!

  • @jansonpig
    @jansonpig 4 года назад

    Just in time for this topic....I really needed these tips. Thanks! Gotta subscribe!
    Qn, how would you make the vocal sound more powerful? To sound like the singer really pushed hard.

  • @alessandrosummer
    @alessandrosummer Месяц назад

    Great video David! Just one question: when you say you need to pick a couple of elements that are going to be the brightest you're talking about the top end like 8k and up, not the high midrange until 5/6k, right? Because in my mixes - rock/metal mixes - I always LPF the guitars (pretty aggressively if they're really distorted sometimes I go to 8.5/9k range with the SSL Channel filter), as well as the synths (usually I go to 9/10k), bass of course... but I almost never cut the high midrange, otherwise it seems there's a blanket falling over the speakers!

    • @mixbustv
      @mixbustv  Месяц назад +1

      Top end is not midrange but everything is relative to the mix and the song.

  • @GabrielPerboni
    @GabrielPerboni 4 года назад

    Interesting this thing about Lopes and vocals… I wander what you guys think about factory presets, because I’ve never saw that one… that said, this trick really is moves the vocals, always learning great shit here! Thanks, David

  • @AceHardy
    @AceHardy 4 года назад

    🔥🎶

  • @notzacmenton
    @notzacmenton 4 года назад

    Have you run into purposeful overcompression before? I'm referring to setting the threshold 10 to 15 db BELOW the target level, which reduces it and adds a lot of punchiness and color you can't get otherwise and gives it the hip-hop sound. The first time I overcompressed my vocals solved almost all my issues. It isn't really hard to bring back the body of the vocal through EQ and saturation, but the biggest problem is keeping the loudness compressed, whereas overcompression tends to make the quiet parts way too loud, what do you recommend and if you haven't ever done this (It's very unique to hip hop or a design technique I don't often see) how to get that consistent punchiness/compression color?

    • @notzacmenton
      @notzacmenton 4 года назад

      @@mixbustv Thank you so much for the quick reply! Sounds good and the timing couldn't be any better for a video 👍👍

  • @JonMagnificent
    @JonMagnificent 4 года назад

    Very helpful.

  • @mentorlatifi6221
    @mentorlatifi6221 4 года назад

    Great ...................

  • @dream.cast.studios
    @dream.cast.studios 4 года назад

    Thanks a million for this series Dave... MUCH LOVE.
    1 question, Do U compress vocals on the way in? If yes, how much?

  • @GoLongboardBroseph
    @GoLongboardBroseph 3 года назад

    What about a hi-shelf cut rather than a lo pass on the high end? What is your preference/what do you think is the application of either?

  • @Gretsch0997
    @Gretsch0997 4 года назад

    Hello there! I was wondering if you would do a video on tracking stems to an SD Card. Maybe discuss any limitations as to using this as a cost effective way of “tracking”. Then sending off material to be mixed or even mastered. What do you think?

  • @paulkeeler441
    @paulkeeler441 3 года назад

    Rather an old video but great info thanks David. I was thinking of another thing that I've noticed that often causes problems for me with vocal harshness is backing vocals. I think we can often reduce the high mids on these, much more than we would on the main vocal. This has really helped me anyway. What do you think?

    • @mixbustv
      @mixbustv  3 года назад +1

      Build up in any given range always happens when stacking vocals, can't really pinpoint A range, sometimes is that, sometimes is low mids, sometimes esses, oftentimes all of em

  • @Junvid
    @Junvid 4 года назад

    Great Video David! Nice info and consistent for sure, you help a lot ^^

  • @a.z.recordingstudio3928
    @a.z.recordingstudio3928 4 года назад

    Do you compress your vocal bus? I mean the one where al the dry vocals and effects (verb, delay) are summed. Cause when I do it It ends up turning up in volume all effects, and that's not what I wanted, I just wanted to glue everything together.
    Maybe I'm just doing It wrong

  • @opticon83
    @opticon83 4 года назад

    So I should bus all my vocals and hit them with a little compression before it goes to the master? Also, I do all music then compress a bit and export, then do vox on top of that. Then compress and export. Is this correct? Thanks!

    • @opticon83
      @opticon83 4 года назад

      Thank you so much!

  • @beachforestmountain4269
    @beachforestmountain4269 4 года назад

    Cheers David - good shit. If you have a track which has a small bit of stereo information in it, but you want to apply techniques which apply more stereo imaging information to the track, would you sum the track to mono before you apply the new stereo image processing, or would you let the small amount of stereo information remain, and add the new stereo information on top of it? Cheers.

    • @beachforestmountain4269
      @beachforestmountain4269 4 года назад

      Another question... If you have repaired the resonant frequency spikes which stick out in each individual track of a mix, is it a common thing to also need to fix some resonant frequency spikes on the 2bus, or should the fix applied to each track individually usually fix the spikes overall?
      If it is common to apply resonant frequency spike repairs to the 2bus, is this something usually done by the mastering engineer, or would the mixing engineer usually do it?

    • @futurebeats898
      @futurebeats898 4 года назад

      @@beachforestmountain4269
      1. both can work. case by case
      2. fix it the from the source
      IMO!!!

    • @beachforestmountain4269
      @beachforestmountain4269 4 года назад

      @@futurebeats898 Cheers.

  • @mlwsf
    @mlwsf 3 года назад

    nice Baphomet shirt

  • @sonnybrasco9735
    @sonnybrasco9735 4 года назад

    Nice video fam. I'm not sure if I asked before but I need a mastering engineer to work with sir

  • @JamieLopata
    @JamieLopata 4 года назад

    Hey David do you track vocals with a distressor and then run them through the distressor again while mixing?

  • @Ionknw
    @Ionknw 4 года назад

    wouldnt it be better to automate lpf eq on the s's instead of turning all the vocals down?

    • @futurebeats898
      @futurebeats898 4 года назад

      Sibilance only have high frequency so might Aswell reduce the volume

    • @Ionknw
      @Ionknw 4 года назад

      @@futurebeats898 vocals do have frequencies all the way to the lows? mids are the center of the vocals

    • @beachforestmountain4269
      @beachforestmountain4269 4 года назад +1

      I thought he did say to automate the "s" (sibilance) sounds in the vocal. You could use a Dynamic EQ as well, particularly after you've automated. But be sure that you don't make the vocalist sound as though they have a lisp in their speech - imagine making a vocalitht thound like thith, hahahaha.

    • @Ionknw
      @Ionknw 4 года назад

      MixbusTV Ok that makes sense

  • @lahattec
    @lahattec 4 года назад +1

    So, if you remove too much body from the vocal you get skinny vocals. ;)
    You're welcome. Ha!

  • @adamdanmusic
    @adamdanmusic 3 года назад

    Why are you wearing a baphomet shirt, kinda messed up man

  • @newrockorder
    @newrockorder 4 года назад

    So you finally made the deal with the anti-Christ?

  • @futurebeats898
    @futurebeats898 4 года назад

    De esser kinda sucks...