Creating space around the vocals?

[bigwillz24]

Well I don't know how to describe it.

But grab a professionally produced audio cd and you'll hear it.

Vocals in your face with the Instruments clearly in the background everything has its own depth <--- i guess thats the word I'm looking for.

Is it compression? Is it simply pulling the faders down on the rest of the instruments? What is it?...

Can anyone explain how to achieve this Depth

Man I hope I'm using the right word for what I'm trying to describe.

 

[shiatzu]

it's a combination of professional tracking, mixing the levels with the vocals up front and proper EQing to make sure that each part has its' own sonic "space". then mastering helps clean up the sound even more.

but from a home recording standpoint, i'd say you'd be best served by turning down the backing tracks and pump up the vocal a little.

 

[Ronan]

There are a couple big factors.

1) Good compression on the lead vox
2) EQing to make the vocal sound better by cutting competing frequencies in other instruments instead of EQing the vocal.
3) Use of delays to create depth instead of just reverb.

and all the things the previous poster mentioned.

 

[bigwillz24]

There are a couple big factors.

1) Good compression on the lead vox
2) EQing to make the vocal sound better by cutting competing frequencies in other instruments instead of EQing the vocal.
3) Use of delays to create depth instead of just reverb.

and all the things the previous poster mentioned.

Could you explain number 3 in a little more detail or give an example of how?

 

[boingoman]

Could you explain number 3 in a little more detail or give an example of how?

Listen to Van Halen I. Eddie's guitar is panned hard to one side on a lot of those cuts, but there is a delayed track on the other side, much lower in volume, that sounds like it has been fed into a reverb as well.

 

[ecktronic]

I would have to say that getting vocals to sit professionally is the hardest part of mixing. I find it soo hard to get the vocals to stand out but at the same time not take the energy and power out of the song by the rest of the instruments being too quiet. Compression is the easiest way to start getting the vox tos sit well, then some EQ, but the EQ part is the hard part. Vox presence at 5K and air at 12K and body at around 150-200Hz i think.

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Ronin brings up an excellent technique; the idea of cutting key competing freqs by a few dB on the instruments to give more room to the vocal. This allows you to leave the EQ alone on the vocal track (EQ'd vocals tend to sound worse more ofthen than they do better to my ears) and followws the maxim, "use EQ cut to make things sound better, use EQ boost to make things sound different." Highly recommended.

On that Van Halen refernece, the lower volume delay in the right channel is providing a Haas effect to the guitar, making it sound even louder in the left channel than it would actually measure out to be in an editor. This Haas effect is not only a nice trick to use when trying to set a L/R soundstage on a very busy mix; but it can potentially help with the vocal mix as discussed here; the addition of the delay on the right channel makes the brain think the guitar in the left channel is louder than it actually is.

This effect allows the engineer to actually put the intrinsic volume of the guitar somewhat lower, making more dynamic space "in front" for the vocal, making it easier to sit the vocal in the mix, yet it keeps the guitar present and important as if it were actually louder than it is. Nice little trick.

G.

 

[Kainz]

Blending the vocals is indeed one of the hardest part in mixing. Here are some ideas and tricks I use. Also an rough effect chain..

- DeEss - I prefer to clear it up right at the start. Makes the rest of the processing much easier.

- Compressor - I tend to use multiband (C4 usually) or even many C1s "tuned" to different problem frequences.

- EQ - If I can't fix all the problems with the multiband (or get the sound I want) I EQ here. I usually try to avoid EQing vox (unless there is really something that really needs to be fixed or sumthing..) because human ear tends to notice even the slightest anomalies in vocals. So if you EQ make it with extreme caution. Also sometimes if I want to have a bit more "produced" sound this is the place where I tweak those "radio sounds" in.

- Compressor - Another normal nice sounding "main compressor" to give some fatness and even it out a bit more (not neccesity thou..).

Effects:

- Usually vocals have 2 verbs. One close and one ambient one. Really can't give any secret recipe for these.. I mean I usually tweak the vox verb as long as the vox itself. Having the right vox verb(s) for the song is IMO crucial.

- I often use some delays to give it more depth if needed. This delay/delays are usually things that you really can't hear from the full mix, you just feel them. If you hear them, then they are acting more as a pure effect for the song and not as a vocal processing tool.

- Almost every time I duplicate the vox track (copypaste) to a another track. Then I comp/EQ it very heavily. Again the way you do this depends very much from the sound that the vocalist has. Then this EQd/compressed vox gets spreaded over the stereofield. You can even do this with 2 very short delays. The best thing to spread these tracks is some nice harmonizer, for example try some Eventide here and weep hehe. Anyway, after this just mix it in with the original vox. Again you really aren't supposed to hear this track. The main function for this track is to give some "shoulders" and precense for the vox. If you can clearly hear this track then it is most likely way too loud.

Hope you get something out from this

EDIT: Oh and by the way. To get the vocal to "sit" doesn't really depend from those "tricks" or anything. The approach varies every time. It is the mixing that eventually nails it. Those are just some tools for it.