First Listening : Sony MDR-7506
I'm stopped at 0:42 now.
I was able to understand all of the lyric, but I had to listen very closely.
Choices :
01. That the listener understand the lyric without ever feeling for a second, for an instant that they will be challened to 'pick the actual words' out of the mix. A clear and completely understandable lyric even vor the weakest ear.
02. That the listener by listening very, very carefully can understand all of the words on the first listening, and they won't mind that they cannot understand all of the lyrics 'easily' thus share in the 'story' and the 'images' painted by the songwriting.
03. Lyrics are not really totally important, that the listener miss a few lyrics is cool, because the other things going on in the song are just as interesting or more so.
04. Lyrics are not important, the voices are really just instruments, this is closer to an instrumental than an actual song. The voices could be samples and they would be just as effective for our purposes.
... damn that felt good to finally get those 4 criteria out I've been working on 'codifying' the criteria for a proper vocal mix.
I'll go on to say that a record exectutive will NOT listen a second time to catch more of the lyrics, he simply does not have time. Also, I am not the 'average listener'.
Mixing a vocal in metal is one of the more challenging mixes.
Imagine sending all the instruments to one bus, and compressing that bus, and monitoring it's signal.
Send the vocal to another bus by itself. Are the meters the same ? If the meters are the same ... which one is actually 'louder' ?
Which of the vocal mix criteria I outlined will be met if the meters are 'the same' ?
The other stuff sounds good in the beginning.
At 0:41, at the change, the vocal becomes much more challenging to understand, because the use of effects is much more. And of course in this genre, that's expected, but there are still techniques you can use, where the actual words will still be completely understandable.
If you forget or overlook that you are completely intimate with the lyrics, and that you could hear the lyrics ... even if they were not there AT ALL ... you are making a rookie mistake.
Take the song, and have somebody who has NEVER heard the lyrics before listen, and see how much they can get on the first, and yes, then the second listening. Go to a coffee shop, look for somebody with a tattoo, or a lip ring, and just see if they wanna help out.
In this genre, if they can't get almost all the words on the 'second listening' IMHO, remix 'for the vocal'.
Continuing :
Great vocal performance ... for sure.
At 1:02 you have left the vocal completely exposed, this is an excellent technique to drive home a 'hook' , very good writing. Yes, now you really have the listener really listening to the words ... so you can build up a little, and then hit the chorus hooks again to re-inforce what they have already heard.
But it should be reverse, make it MORE understandable the first time around, and then on the second chorus ... then slather it in effects ... because they have already heard the words once.
2:44, good job, good technique in exposing the vocal. Ahhhh ... so , you know your genre.
My theory is that when you have a human voice singing words especially, that is the lead instrument, nothing is more important in the mix ... unless of course you are in some sort of 'extreme' genre, and of course ... I'm still learning.
If you want a mark woods type violin solo or cameo ... or even a Nirvana type breakdown to a blissed out string trio ... I'm your man on this board, with REAL violin, viola and cello.
PM me if interested.
Pat Jack
). Thanks!
