Low Vocals / Balanced Mix?

  • Thread starter Thread starter elbandito
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elbandito

elbandito

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People are always complaining that my vox are really low in a mix, even when they seem (to my ears) to be clear. I'm hoping you guys wouldn't mind having a listen to two songs and letting me know how you feel about the mix.

On the one hand, I want all the elements of a song to be balanced but on the other hand, I want them to be clear and distinct from one another. How does one accomplish this?

This first one has accordion, guitar and vox... I'm told the vocals are buried in the song:

In this one, the vox seem very prominent in the mix and yet, I'm still told that they're not clear enough... what am I doing wrong?

Thanks for any advice you can provide! :D
 
You went nuts on the compression on that 2nd track.

Ok, many people have a tendency to mix their vocals like another instrument...like the words don't matter. That's not typical - I mean, even if the words suck, the listener wants to hear them. You have 2 problems...your vocals are mixed low, and you don't articulate very well. I'm not even going to say that the vocals are too quiet, but they're unintelligible.

Old trick...try listening and asking yourself if you can make out each and every single word. If you can't, you need to increase the vocal in those places where you can't. That's the way acoustic music is mixed.

And dude, lol...lay the hell off of the compressor in that 2nd mix. I sort of remember that acoustic guitar sound...I used to do the same thing. It's an unnatural, bad sound.

In the first track, the accordian is just swallowing your vocal up. You need to turn it down or take some of the upper-mid meat out of the accordian with EQ. I think accordian and violin are the 2 hardest instruments to mix with a vocal.
 
Could it perhaps be more difficult mixing your own vocals when you know the words off by heart? You think you can make out every word when actually you just know them...if you get my drift.
 
The 2nd is better, but what your friends say is true. For a start both songs sound like they are coming down a telephone line, and such low-res recording will always make it difficult to place instruments in the mix. The accordion in the 1st song and the guitar in the 2nd seem to directly compete with the range of your vocal, and it's odd that you don't notice that. It makes you sound like you are mumbling, and deliberately placing instruments in the same range and space as your voice to avoid being heard. Perhaps that's what you want? From this listeners point of view it sounds like there might be something worthwhile and interesting in there... but listening to music isn’t about cracking a cipher.
 
Thanks for taking the time to listen. Your advice is much appreciated. :)


Chrisharris: you say I don't articulate very well. do you mean that I mumble when I sing? i don't feel like I do... any tips on how to improve this?

the compressor on the second track is the "mastering" on the boss br600. apparently, i don't know how to use it properly. haha.

thanks for the advice on turning down the upper mids on the accordion. i'm still trying to learn where everything "lives" in a mix. why do you think the accordion and the violin are the hardest instruments to mix with a vocal? I assume it's because they sit at around the same frequency?


Salvador: Good point! I never thought about that before. Like my brain is filling in what's not actually there. I should get another pair of ears sitting in with me at some point while I'm trying to mix tracks.


Tobe: The second track definitely seems "low-res" but I thought the first one sounded pretty full... How can I make my tracks sound "hi-res"? I use pretty good mics and a not-so-bad preamp (that I should definitely upgrade soon).

I understand when you say that music is not about cracking a cipher. I want my vocals to be clear but not be sitting on top of everything else, if that makes sense. What if I turned up some of the highs on the vocal track? Would that add presence and thereby make the vocals stand out a little more? Perhaps re-record the vocals with a different mic that already has that presence boost?

Thanks again, guys! :D
 
I'd say it's all about the way you compress them. And where they sit.... Try making a narrow cut (eq) in the guitar (or whatever is competing with the vocal) at around 2500hz that way the vocal can poke through there. But still not be on top of anything.

And yeah the "mastering" comp sounds bad. Compression can be a great tool. Or a horrible mistake. Just mess around till you find what sounds right.
 
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