how would you mix the vocals of these singers?

D

dayexday

New member
just looking for general tips for these type of voices.

1. mick jagger - like he sang in sympathy for the devil
2. kurt cobain -
3. iggy pop - to get the effect his voice had in the song "the passenger"
4. robert smith (the cure)
5. dave grohl - like he sang in everlong
6. ian curtis (joy division) - someone else asked this and i got curious

i imagine expert mixers would have tons of variables to consider on how to mix particular vocals, but im just looking for general guidelines for these styles.
 
lol, im just curious as to how those vocal types would be processed given the sound they were going for (either for specific songs mentioned, or for their band's music in general)
 
It's a meaningless question. One can't consider how to record or mix any single instrument outside of the context of the rest of the instruments, the rest of the mix, the song arrangement, and the equipment available.

It's like asking what kind of tie should you wear without taking into account the color and pattern of the shirt, the color of the pants and jacket, and whether you're wearing it to a job interview or a family funeral.

G.
 
Well ... first, I would pull the vocal up on the fader.

Then, I'd probably do a bunch of stuff to it.

Finally, I would bring the fader up until I could like, here the vocal real good, but not to where it was too loud.

Yup. That's what I'd do.

Oh yea ... then I'd go out and spend a bunch of money and stuff. I'm sure I'd have plenty of it (money) lying around, assuming I was the mixing engineer for all six of the artists you just listed. After that, I'd probably go do a Tape Op or Mix interview or something. But then again, I'd probably be too busy to spend any money or do interviews -- those projects seem like they'd be pretty time-consuming. So I'd probably be taking out an ad for a couple assistants instead.

.
 
if the dominant sound in the song is the vocals, wouldn't you mix them first and then adjust the mix of the rest of the instruments so they complement the
vocal?

chessrock, you're divorced aren't you
 
dayexday said:
if the dominant sound in the song is the vocals, wouldn't you mix them first and then adjust the mix of the rest of the instruments so they complement the
vocal?
Click to expand...

No. I'd mix all the instruments at once so that I get a good sounding tune overall, and so that everything clicks well with everything else, with the need for dominance of the vocals (if that's what I want) in mind. Nice vocals are nice, but they don't mean crap if the rest of the tune hasn't ha as much attention. The vocals will sound different soloed to how they would with other stuff going on.
 
dayexday said:
if the dominant sound in the song is the vocals, wouldn't you mix them first and then adjust the mix of the rest of the instruments so they complement the
vocal?
Click to expand...

This is a bit like saying you're going to put the roof up first, then build the rest of the house under it. If the vocals are the centerpiece of the song, as they often are, then yes, you want to mix the music to support them. But I almost never "mix" the vocals, and then start to put music under them. Usually I approach it as; foundation first, then prominently place the vocals on top of the ruff foundation, then once the context is established, the mix can be finished and fine tuned to support the vocal and the context of the song.
To magnify the point, I would probably handle the vocal quite differently if it were going to have raging metal underneath it than if it were going to have a lovely string quartet and piano accompaniment. ;)
 
Pretty close to 11.24 and with no more than about 22% spread top to bottom. Also be careful not to get too much overlap from the secondary sends (assuming you're using them...you should be, unless you're already maxing out on db's) and if the periphery is pushing too hard don't be afraid to do some negative panning, or at least pan it behind the main inputs so it's out of the way. Also, it should go without saying, but you should do all of this before engaging any sort of bus depression. Save that for after you crush it with some pretty heavy gating.


This is just what I do, it might not work for everybody.
 
I'm pretty sure that the level of tracking done with ALL these artists....including any dead ones, is such, that mixing them into the music might be no simpler than turning up the fader till you like it.

Its pretty simple to find a spot for a part thats been tracked through the finest gear on earth ...including ancient tube Neumanns and the like.


If you really wanta fuck with it, at least all the frequencies are there .......
 
'm pretty sure that the level of tracking done with ALL these artists....including any dead ones, is such, that mixing them into the music might be no simpler than turning up the fader till you like it.

Its pretty simple to find a spot for a part thats been tracked through the finest gear on earth ...including ancient tube Neumanns and the like.


If you really wanta fuck with it, at least all the frequencies are there .......
Click to expand...


that's interesting, i didnt think of that. when you use the best gear, it doesnt need mixing.
 
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