Welcome to Sage Audio. Today let’s look at How to Mix an Instrumental and Vocal. But first,
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Side-chain Compress Instrumental
For this video, I don’t want to focus on how to just process the vocals,
since this would be more or less the same as creating a vocal chain in a regular mix session.
Instead, I want to look at ways I can either separate or blend the vocal and instrumental
given the limited control I have with just these 2 tracks.
For this first trick let’s get the vocal to sit on top of the instrumental
using side-chained compression - I’ll insert a compressor on the instrumental,
and then side-chain the vocal, making the vocal the compressor’s trigger. If possible,
I’ll isolate the triggering to just the mids and highs.
Then I’ll compress the instrumental by about .5 to 1dB. Let’s listen
to the effect but with more aggressive settings so it’s a little easier to hear.
Side-chain Saturate Vocal
Next, I want to cause saturation to the vocal whenever the instrumental has a transient - this
will help the vocal through. To do this I’ll need to use Saturn 2, side-chain the instrumental,
and create an envelope follower, before switching it to transient mode.
Then I’ll click the side-chain icon to ensure it’s triggered by the side chain
and link the follower to my drive dial. To make this effect even better
I’ll isolate the saturation to my vocal’s presence frequencies.
Let’s take a listen and notice how the vocal cuts through more.
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Send Both to Ambient Reverb
If the vocal and instrumental sound like they were recorded in different spaces or just don’t match,
try sending both to an ambient room reverb. I’ll create sends from both
the vocal and instrumental and on the aux track insert a room reverb that I like the sound of.
Then I’ll blend the effect in with the aux track’s channel fader.
Let’s take a listen and notice how they feel more cohesive.
Boost 3.5kHz on Vocal
The easiest way to get your vocal to stick out or not be buried by the instrumental
is to amplify 3.5kHz on the vocal and dip a little of this frequency on the instrumental.
You could also do the opposite if you want the vocal to sit back in the mix.
Doing this by only a couple dB is best,
but let’s use slightly more aggressive settings so it’s easier to hear.
Dynamic EQ on Vocal (UVI)
With a dynamic EQ, I can do something similar to what I did last chapter, but this time, create
a dynamic band that responds to the side-chained signal. Similar to the follower used in chapter 2,
this will cause dynamic amplification to my vocal’s presence based on the instrumental.
Let’s listen with a few dB of expansion whenever the instrumental is present,
and again, you can do the opposite if you want the vocal to sit back.
Use Side-chained Gullfoss EQ
For this chapter let’s use the Gullfoss EQ on both the vocal and instrumental. I’ll
side-chain the instrumental on the EQ inserted on the vocal, and side-chain the vocal on the
EQ that’s inserted on the instrumental - this way they create space for each other.
Let’s listen and notice how both signals now have room in the mix.
Use side-chained Soothe 2
Soothe 2 will reduce unwanted resonances, causing whatever signal it affects to be
balanced. That said, if we place it on the vocal and side-chain the instrumental it’ll
become balanced based on what resonances are too aggressive on the instrumental.
This is a great way to have the vocal sit into the mix.
Let’s take a listen.
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Separate with Saturation
If we use 2 different types of saturation, one on the vocal and one on the instrumental,
we’ll impart unique harmonics on each - in turn varying the frequency content of each. This helps
to create space for the vocal and instrumental - however, we can use uniform saturation to blend.
Let’s take a listen to varying saturation and notice how the 2 separate.
De-ess Vocal, Boost Instrumental Highs
Sibilance helps the vocals stick out, but not in the best way - that said, I’d recommend using
a de-esser to attenuate this on the vocal, but then replacing these frequencies on the
instrumental. This way the overall mix stays spectrally balanced, but doesn’t sound harsh.
A couple dB of attenuation on the vocal
and 1dB added to the instrumental with an EQ will work well. Let’s take a listen.
Boost Instrument Side, Vocal Mids
Affecting the stereo image is another good way we can create space for our 2 signals - on the
instrumental I’ll boost 300Hz and 8kHz and above on the side image - in turn widening
it. On the vocal, I’ll boost its fundamental and 3.5kHz on the mid image making it focused.
Let’s listen and notice how some of the instrumental gets pushed to the side
while the vocal has a more prominent place in the center of the mix.
Transient Expansion and Suppression
This trick is a little less common but let’s try it nonetheless. With a transient expander
and suppressor I’ll expand the transients on the instrumental-only slightly - then
I’ll suppress these same frequency bands on the vocal - this will work almost like a dynamic EQ
but on a larger scale.
Let’s take a listen and notice how the vocal sits back in the mix a little,
whereas the instrumental moves forward whenever a transient occurs.
If you have a mix that you need mastered, send it to us to receive a free mastered sample of it
with the link in the description. Thank you so much for watching.