Beats Over powering vocals.

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Dat_Nigga_Pari

New member
I usually get beats from soundcloud, soundclick, or youtube. sometimes the beats can just be a terrible mix all together, or sloppy work. but ive noticed on the nicer beats, they can get a little loud an idk if i should turn the beat down? or turn up my vocals. if i eq maybe the vocals would sit better in the mix, but what other ways could i go about it?
 
The best way would be through EQ, but you could also try using a multiband compressor. If you can't get the vocals to sit right, you probably need to cut a little out of your instrumental track and boost a little on your vocal track. For my vox, I would usually start by cutting the instrumental -4 to -6 db at 2650. Then, I would boost my vocals 2 to 3 db at the same frequency. Also, if you add reverb or delay to the vox, it will push them back into the mix a little better. Hope this helps :)
 
EQ to get the beat quieter in the space the vocals live.
Compression on the vocals to get the volume more consistent.
Site-chain compression on the beat to duck it when the vox come in.

Of course, all of this should be done tastefully and as minimally as possible.
 
Get yourself waves JJP Vocals, and then turn the beats down a little. If you are trying to make a pop record, have the vocals nearly %20 louder than the music...
 
Properly implemented compression will work wonders...

Also the harmonic mixing technique HoldenHarris described is definitely good. 2K to 10K is where I would work on getting more vocals and less beat. Also I would totally filter anything below 100 or so Hz on the vocal track. Exact frequencies to work with will vary depending on the given sounds.

If all else fails you could try the sidechain.
 
I always hate when I get a rap artist in that only has a stereo .wav file to work with, because as previously mentioned, my vocals are going to be sitting most prominently in the 2k-10k range, and this means I'm going to be potentially cutting out some hi-hat and snare from the beat because they were too cheap to invest in the multi-track beat.

*sigh*

But as previously stated, basically what I do to these tracks is the vocals get a heavy dose of compression (I'll usually be knocking off 7 to 10dB at the loudest point on a lot of rap guys) using my CLA 1176 emulation. If you're using Pro Tools, the BF76 works great too, otherwise, pull up whatever compressor you've got on hand and work it until those vocals are level.

Then I pull out my V-series EQ or Pro-Q (again, any Equalizer will work here), and this may be just the room I work in, but most male rap guys tend to have some weird thing going on in the 500-800Hz range that makes them sound kinda muffled. So I'm almost always pulling out a bit of that, using a HPF to taste, and then boosting some air around 10k. If this causes issues with sibilance, I'll either automate the volume on the esses or use a de-esser.

If it's still hard to get the vocals sitting well, I'll pull some of the 4-8k range out of the beat until the vocals are clear. As previously stated, this affects the WHOLE beat, so snares and cymbals and possibly lead synths can be affected. Work with multi-tracks when possible.
 
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