Giving vocals "space"

danielheeger

New member
So, I have a track I am currently mixing. I've got an overall mix that I'm fairly happy with, but the vocals on this song have just been an absolute pain. They just sound like they are too close. I've tried lowering them and blending them more with the music, but then the vocals just end up getting lost. I've tried using reverb to add some space, but still with no results that I'm really happy with. Like I said, I just want to make them sound a little bit further back. Is there any way to mix that, or do I just need to have the vocals redone?
 
Have you compressed the vocals much? This might sound counterintuitive, but often when I give my vocal tracks a healthy amount of compression they tend to sit back in the mix better because I can lower the volume of the vocals without them getting burried.
 
Have you compressed the vocals much? This might sound counterintuitive, but often when I give my vocal tracks a healthy amount of compression they tend to sit back in the mix better because I can lower the volume of the vocals without them getting burried.

No, only very lightly to even it out. I will try that. Thanks a lot!
 
honestly, the easiest way to deal with this, is to re-track the vocals, and move the mic further away.


2nd idea:
take the vox track, clone it, reverse polarity, apply a nice plate reverb to it, and then mix that in with the original track, rolling off some high end on the original, to allow the reverb track to stand up to it a bit, and knock off some of the 'in your face' ness of the original track.
 
I wish i could have a listen to the track. It's hard to just "guess-timate" a solution. Anyway, here's my best shot. To beging with, if you're working with Pop or any contemporary popular music form, the vocal is the main thing and there is no such thing as a mix that you're "happy with" but the vocal isn't working. Start your mix with getting the vocal sounding great and then build your mix around that. Of course, if the music you're working with is primarily instrumental and/or experimental the rules are different. Otherwise, start with the vocal. The next point is: what is conflicting with your vocal or what is your vocal conflicting with in the mix? Have you cut out sufficient space in your mix for your vocal? Have you created space for each element of your mix? Piling reverb onto things and compressing only make a bad mix worse. Start with good sources and create spaces for them and you'll be on your way to a good mix. If you want to get into detail about this, please check out my new Fiverr gig here: Trkkazulu will show you how to do anything in logic pro for $5, only on fiverr.com I make custom screencasts demonstrating production techinques. I may be able to help.

Be well and i hope to hear from you.
 
Generally the first indication that something is too close is that there is frequency build up below 250hz. Attenuate that round bass build up and you'll have a much easier time getting that reverb to work.
 
Guy, guys, guys. Just send it to a short room verb. :)

(this is assuming it is already compressed to en even volume without any drop outs or major dynamic differences, as well as eq'ed to fit the mix for suitably).

Solo the vocal with the send going to the short room. Stop playback in the middle of a passage. Listen for the short room sustain. You don't want anything being so short it makes a weird click or bounce/flutter for this. Get a healthy amount of early reflections dialed in on the verb. Mix the send loud enough so it's comfortably (not painfully) obvious when in solo once you stop during a passage and hear the decay. You likely won't hear the verb working during playback, even with the vocal in solo mode, until you stop during a passage and hear the decay. However, while it's playing, still in solo, if you turn the verb on/off back and forth you WILL notice a big difference. Now bring the full mix back and A/B between the verb being on and off. The same thing applies: you won't hear the verb working but you WILL notice when it's gone. THAT is your little bit of space.

Now, to add a nice tail and a crispy sort of ambiance that you actually DO hear a little and perceive as reverb, send it to a separate plate for some "sauce". Stole this from the funny French guy, can't think of his name but he's great. To add even more space and sauce, send it to a separate stereo or mono delay channel and dial in something that won't be audible but will be noticeable once gone. So between a mix of the short room, the plate and the delay, all doing subtle things, you've now given your vocals a professional-sounding seat in the mix, without it sounding too "wet" with fx and without needing to overabuse one single reverb just to attain what you need (which will usually just set it further back in the mix). You won't hear much of the fx working in the mix, but when they are gone you will. Try it and see for yourself.
 
Wow, all this stuff is all really good. I just now saw all of it! I think of it was singer error, getting too close to the mic. I've had some luck getting him to back up. I'm seriously gonna try all this stuff. Thanks everyone. Seriously.
 
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