Welcome to Sage Audio.
Today let’s look at How to Make Powerful Vocals.
But first, 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.
First, Find the Fundamental
The chapters in this video are going to be shown as a chain, but use them individually
or combine a few - whatever works best for your session.
Finding the vocal’s fundamental is relatively easy - using an EQ with a frequency analyzer,
we’ll notice a larger spike lower in amplitude.
This lowest note, and often the most powerful note, is the vocals fundamental, which we’ll
definitely want to keep intact when we introduce a high-pass filter.
Additionally, we should center a band on the fundamental and increase its amplitude.
The high-pass filter will reduce phase cancellation on the fundamental, and amplifying it makes
the vocal more powerful.
Let’s take a listen.
Saturate Into Compression
Saturation creates harmonics, compresses, and affects transients - let’s introduce
some tube saturation to create lower ordered harmonics which will fill the sound and amplify
low frequencies.
If we place this saturator before compression, the compressor will be triggered by a denser
vocal, causing a powerful sound after make-up gain.
Let’s first listen to saturation, and in the next chapter, we’ll cover the compression
settings to use.
If you’re enjoying the video, hit the like button and subscribe if you haven’t already;
it’s free and helps us bring you more videos.
Compress with Soft-Knee & High Ratio
As we discussed in the last chapter, compression after saturation creates a powerful sound
- let’s use a softer knee, a higher ratio of 6:1, an attack of 5ms, and a release of
250ms.
Then we’ll enable automatic makeup gain, but if your plugin doesn’t have this, increase
the makeup gain dial.
Also, if your plugin has lookahead, we should add a couple milliseconds of that as well.
Let’s listen to how this compressor, with these settings and make-up gain, creates a
powerful vocal.
Saturate After Compression
Now that we have a thick and powerful vocal, let’s add more saturation, but this time
use a different type of hardware emulation to vary the harmonics that we’re introducing.
This saturator is going to add harmonics using the saturated and compressed track as its
trigger.
In other words, the differing input causes the saturator to react differently - which
when combined with the previously compressed and saturated signal causes a very powerful
sound.
Let’s take a listen.
Layer with Tuned and Spread Vocals
Next, I’m going to duplicate the lead - on one I’ll use the plugin vocal bender to
fix its note to an in-key note, but use any tuner you want for this.
One another, I can use a formant shifter and a sample delay plugin to spread the stereo
image.
Then blend them in with the original until they support the lead, but aren’t too noticeable.
Let’s take a listen to
the effect.
Introduce Short, Dense Reverb
Back to the lead vocal, I’m going to introduce a reverb plugin and shorten the decay and
reflections to less than one second - while introducing modulation if it’s available.
Additionally, I’ll introduce a moderate pre-delay to make the vocal sound like it’s
in a real space.
With this reverb blended in, the vocal sounds a lot thicker and more powerful - let’s
listen to the effect.
Introduce 1/16th, and dotted 1/16th Delay
I like to add 1/8th and dotted 1/8th note delay on vocals, but if the goal is a powerful
vocal, a shorter delay will work better.
I’ll use stereo delay, and on the left channel use 1/16th, and on the right use dotted 1/16th.
Then I’ll introduce mild feedback, a small amount of crosstalk, and blend the effect
in.
Let’s take a listen, first with more aggressive settings, and
the blended-in.
If you're enjoying the channel, use the search box to watch more of our videos.
Create and Maximize Bus
Next, I’m going to send my lead and the duplicates I created to a vocal bus by changing
their stereo output to a bus.
Collectively, I’ll process them with an upward compressor or maximizer that increases
lower-level detail, like the MV2, Inflator, or Weiss maximizer.
Although all 3 will make the vocal more powerful, each one is going to affect the signal a little
differently, so let’s switch between them, and observe how they change the sound of
the vocal.
Powerful Highs with Parallel Compression
Having present, but nonabrasive high frequencies are important when creating a powerful vocal
- so first, I’m going to place a de-esser on my vocal bus to control sibilance, but
then, I’ll send the bus to a parallel auxiliary track.
On the track, I’ll first a linear-phase EQ.
Then with a high-pass filter, I’ll isolate the highs.
Next, I’ll heavily compress the signal using smooth settings, similar to the ones we used
in chapter 3.
Lastly, I’ll blend this parallel compressed signal with the original.
This will create a powerful and dense high-frequency range, but one that is easily controllable
and isn’t unpleasant.
Let’s take a listen.
Collectively Compress Vocals by 1dB
We’ve already compressed out the vocal with downward compression, 2 layers of saturation,
and some upward compression, but let’s add very subtle downward RMS compression.
I’m going to only compress 0.5dB-1dB on the vocal bus to create a collective sound,
and use a slightly non-linear knee to add character.
Since we’re using this compression on the bus, it’ll have a big impact on the sound,
so let’s try some various settings like feedback, feedforward, and mild saturation.
Collectively Equalize Vocals
Last up, let’s shape the vocals with a Pultec emulation and bring a little more of the low
end forward, and round out the mids.
Like the compression, we’ll be shaping both the original and the tuned and stereo-spread
vocals, helping create a cohesive sound.
The plugin will also add subtle harmonic content to the vocals.
Let’s take a listen.
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.