A de-esser is a simple tool that goes a long way in making your mixes sound professional. A de-esser allows us to compress the sibilance in our vocals. Sibilance is a type of sound that often seems harsh in the context of a recording.
When using a de-esser, follow these 5 simple steps to make sure you get it right every time. Source - Musicianonamission. Catch Peaks With A Limiter. Hard Limiter is like an extreme compressor effect, reducing the dynamic range of the audio. Where the waveform exceeds the level set in "dB limit" it is clipped down, so reducing the peak level.
Hard Limiter can also sometimes be used to remove stubborn clicks that peak well above the general level of the waveform. Basically, the hard limiter is used to make the peaks of the waveform flat. In the above quote, "clipping" is used to refer to the flattening of the waveform, but below is the more common use of the word.
This is perhaps the easiest and fastest way to make a vocal sound expensive. Most boutique microphones have an exaggerated top-end. Sometimes, a bit of saturation is added to fill out the frequency spectrum of the vocal and help it shine through in the mix. Each vocal is going to be unique, but there are some rules of thumb to follow if you want to get a professional vocal sound.
For example, using a high-pass filter with a plug-in like Nectar Pro around Hz on your vocal will roll off any low rumble that may have gotten picked up by the mic during recording. Unless you have some really resonant frequencies present here, this range of the spectrum should remain relatively untouched by your EQ. If your vocal sounds too thin, consider making a slight boost to this range in order to add some extra warmth.
But, too much of a frequency buildup in this area can leave your vocal sounding boxy, boomy, or muffled. Pro Tip : Having trouble with EQing? Finally, since we want the vocal to be intelligible, the higher frequencies 5, Hz and above may need a little boost with a high-shelf filter. This will make sure the vocal is clear and bright to help it punch through the mix.
But, be careful of boosting this too much as this can cause the vocal to be too hissy and harsh on the ears. For this, I like to use the Saturation module in Nectar Pro. This will add harmonics to your audio and really fill up the frequency spectrum, making your vocal warm, rich, and bright.
With this module, you have several types of saturation to choose from so you can dial in the right sound for your track. Since the vocal is typically the focal point in most songs, it often needs to be one of the loudest elements.
This then allows you to increase the overall volume of your vocal without it clipping. Some genres call for a bit more compression and some a bit less.
The goal, though, is to not over-compress your vocal or it will completely squash all of its dynamics. If your vocal is dynamic in volume, the compressor may have to work hard to level things out. When you set your target level, Nectar will recognize dips in the level and will adjust the volume to be more consistent throughout the performance. Vocal mixing has a lot of steps and can be highly time intensive.
Vocal Assistant is able to analyze a vocal and identify what processing is needed based on a few broad characteristics set before analysis. Enhance will listen to your audio and create a custom preset to fit your vocal in the mix. This includes key and range detection for the Pitch module, creating a custom EQ curve based on the tonal quality of your vocal, applying the right amount of compression and vocal riding to achieve the optimal volume, and adding a bit of extra processing depending on which Vibe and Intensity you select from the Enhance menu.
The Unmask feature helps carve out space for your vocal in the mix by correcting frequency masking in other tracks. You can learn more about unmasking in Nectar in this article. Vocal doubling is the process of layering the main vocal with other takes of the same section in order to give more width to your vocal.
This can be done manually if you have enough good takes of your vocal, but there are a couple plug-ins that can help you achieve this sound automatically. The second plug-in I like using for doubling vocals is the Harmony module included in Nectar Pro.
This is much more robust than the free Vocal Doubler because it allows you to add up to eight separate voices and control their stereo placement within a visual mixer. You can also change the tuning of each double, affect the time variation to achieve more or less width, and add a high-pass and low-pass filter to your doubles to make sure they stay out of the way of your main vocal.
Reverb can add a sense of natural space to your vocal and help it sit nicely in your mix. I prefer to start with the built-in Reverb module in Nectar Pro because it helps vocals breathe, while still keeping the original clarity and punch in the mix. Neoverb is designed to help you mix faster, and easily find the right blend of reverbs for your mix.
The first step to getting bigger sounding vocals is actually to record big sounding vocals in the first place. Condenser microphones are most widely used for recording vocalists. However, if you plan on recording powerful vocalists and a song with huge changes in dynamics from section to section, dynamic microphones might be a better choice as they respond much better to sudden changes in dynamics and handle the massive burst of volume without clipping the input. Another important piece of gear is a pop filter.
The last thing to consider is the distance between the mic and the vocalist. Otherwise, anywhere from 2 to 12 inches is a safe spot to place your singer. By making our vocal really loud in the mix in the first place, we eliminate the need to add a bunch of low end to make it sound nice and fat.
It would be best if you aimed to set your vocal at the level where it obviously floats above the rest of the instruments. Most often, you need to address muddy low-mid frequencies around Hz. However, cutting the lower register will inevitably bring out some shrillness in the higher mids. Depending on the vocalist, you should expect to cut anywhere from 2 to 6k. The 1k cut brings out the bottom end in a more natural way compared to boosting it. An important thing to note here is to use quite subtle EQ moves.
Having a couple of tiny cuts and boosts adds up and makes a world of difference once you bypass the EQ. Drastic EQ moves should be applied only when having to salvage bad recordings, as in most other cases, they do more harm than good.
Every mix engineer has a different idea about how the compression should be used on vocals. However, vocal compression definitely plays a major role in getting that big vocal sound as long as you do not overdo it. On the first one, I use a fast attack to slightly roll off the attack of the plosives and then use a slower attack to have the softer attack punch a little harder. It might look counterintuitive to tame the attack first and then boost it, but this trick helps take out the rawness of a digital recording and make it rounder and warmer while still packing a punch.
I try not to go over 2 or 3 dB on each of the compressors. I try not to push it too hard and just let the limiter shave off a dB or two. Also, the limiter introduces a very distinct sound that I really like on vocals.
It just fattens everything up and makes it nice and consistent.
0コメント