Why do vocals on musical recordings sound so good but the opposite on your recordings? The answer is that a mix engineer has processed the vocal tracks to get them sounding amazing. Mind you, there's no magic happening, and we can't take a poor performance and make it sound great, we are just adding to what is already there. The engineer will use EQ to accomplish two tasks: to turn down or remove bad frequencies such as muddiness or nasal tones, and then to enhance good frequencies such as clarity and airiness. Compressors are an often misunderstood effect which is essentially an automatic volume knob. It reduces the vocal down by a specific ratio when it gets too loud. This keeps the volume of the track more constant in the mix and also gives the vocal some character and feeling. There are many differing styles of compressors and they are all sought after for their characteristics such as harmonic distortion and circuit style. Post compression, vocals usually require some sort of de-essing to control sibilants. This is a high ratio compressor that only acts on specific problem frequencies, effectively turning down each sibilant only while letting the rest of the track remain unprocessed. Over de-essing can make the singer sound like they have a lisp, so be careful. There are many more techniques to practice, but begin with basic EQ and compression to give your vocal a more professional sound.

Posted by: audreylangley21 at 01:38 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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