Welcome to Sage Audio. Today we’re covering How to Mix Vocal Effects
But first, if you have a mix that you need mastered send it to us at SageAudio.com to
receive a free mastered sample of it.
Vocal Chain Routing
The most important aspect of mixing vocal effects (in my opinion) is to understand the
routing, or how one effect is going to be fed into the next. Conveniently, most DAWs
organize the signal flow in a top-down manner - meaning the first insert is first, and so
on.
After the inserts, the signal is routed to any sends, then to the panning, and last,
the channel fader to control
the volume.
How to Blend in Effects
Blending in your vocal effects has become easier recently, since more and more plugins
are offering wet/dry or mix dials, with which you can blend your dry or unprocessed signal,
with the processed signal. This can be helpful if you really only want a small amount of
the effect.
For example, if I want reverb but I don’t want to set up a send to blend it in, I’ll
use the wet/dry dial and introduce it subtly.
Distorting Specific Frequencies
Keeping our routing in mind, we can purposefully cause certain frequencies to be processed
more - I’ll use an equalizer with a couple boosts in specific frequencies, maybe 500Hz
and 2.5kHz. Then I’ll distort the vocal, or compress it, depending on what's needed
- lastly, follow it with equal and opposite EQ curves.
So the first eq amplifies certain frequencies, causing them to be distorted or compressed
more - then the second eq balances out
the spectrum.
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Dialing in Compression
Vocal compression is a difficult thing to dial in the way you want - I typically start
with a 3:1 ratio then try to accomplish a few dB of compression. I’ll use a quicker
attack and moderate release to capture a fair amount of the vocal but compress it quickly.
This way compression affects the majority of the signal, causing balanced dynamics.
If you’re having trouble getting your compressor to affect the signal in the way you want,
see if you can find a wet/dry or mix function to blend in
the effect.
Gate, Upward, then Downward Compression
Speaking of compression, here’s a great way to control your vocal’s dynamics - first
use a gate to cut out any noise when the vocal is quiet. Next, use an upward compressor to
control dynamics from the noise floor up - followed by downward compression to control from the
peaks down.
This way we first, cut out noise, and then control the vocal from both directions - resulting
in a full but controlled vocal.
Choosing Delay Types
When mixing vocals, the delay times you choose will depend on what you’re trying to accomplish
- if you want a full or dense sound, use a quick delay. If you want a stylized effect,
use a delay time greater than 130ms - since the listener will perceive these delays as
separate signals.
Use your delay as a send, or find one with a wet/dry dial. Odds are the full amount will
be too aggressive.
Choosing Reverb Types
The reverb you choose for your vocal will also depend on your intention - a short ambient
or room reverb is great for making the vocal sound full. A reverb that’s medium in length
and affects the mids will help the vocal blend into the sounding instrumentation.
For reverb that’s impressive or makes your vocal stick out - try a longer more aggressive
effect and boost the high frequencies of the reverb to emphasize the vocal’s intelligibility.
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your comments, and get some other future perks - consider joining our channel and becoming
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Automating with Latch Function
An advanced way to mix in your vocal effects comes from utilizing automation - I enjoy
using the latch function to automate data as the vocal and track are playing. This makes
the automation more like a performance and really improves the complexity and nuance
of the vocal.
To do this, enable Latch, open the automation section, then play the track while affecting
the function you want to automate. Your plugin’s mix function is a good option
Controlling Overall Dynamics
When you’ve finished working on all of your effects and you’re content with the sound
of your vocal, blend in the vocal with the rest of the mix. I like doing this with the
latch function as well, but this time I’ll automate the channel fader.
This lets me decide how prevalent I want the lead vocal to be, letting me match the emotionality
of the song with the presence of
the vocal.
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mastered sample of it.
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