Mixing High Notes

[anoopbal]

Does anyone mix vocal high notes differently than low notes?

I am thinking automating the EQ or/and increasing reverb/compression so it is more spacey and loud? Like in a crescendo.

Thanks!
Anoop

 

[Tadpui]

If the vocal compression doesn't tame it, I'd just automate the volume fader to keep the high powerful notes in check. I'd only automate the Reverb if it were for a specific effect.

I did read a cool note lately, since Bowie has been in the forefront this week. On the title track from Heroes, Visconti put up 3 vocal mics: 1 close, 1 far away , and 1 way down the hall. He gated them such that only the close mic was open during the quiet passages, then the room mic opened in the medium intensity passages, and the far mic only opened during the screaming parts. I'd never noticed before how much more room was in the voal based on the intensity, but now that I listened to it again, i can hear it.

 

[bouldersoundguy]

Sometimes I cut out sections and move them to a new track. Or you could put a gate ahead of a reverb.

 

[Simman]

When you refer to "high" & "low" notes; are you referring to frequency or volume?

If you are trying to effect higher frequency notes differently; one suggestion is using gate in front of whatever processor/effect and an EQ (think high pass filter ) in the side chain to open the gate at the desired freq range. If you are talking volume then compression is the way to go but if the vocal volume is really all over the place, that is poor vocal technique and you'd be much better off tactfully addressing that at the source albeit singers can become a bit touchy about it

 

[Bob Ross]

Does anyone mix vocal high notes differently than low notes?

On occasion I've done dynamic automation of HPF cutoff frequency, so that as the sung pitch goes up the low-cut rises proportionately and vice-versa. But that's not something I would do on every vocal track. (Although, to be honest, if someone invented a plug-in or outboard processor that did that automatically -- like those dynamic sliding low-pass filters built into denoisers like the old Symmetrix 511, only in a hi-pass configuration -- I just might use it on every track!)

I am thinking automating the EQ or/and increasing reverb/compression so it is more spacey and loud? Like in a crescendo.

I'll definitely ride the reverb send on a vocal so that certain notes get more "enhancement" [sic], that's a very common technique. I've read about folks riding the input level to the vocal compressor for specific notes or phrases, but I've never done that on such a microscopic level; most elaborate I ever seem to get with that trick is change up the gain-staging between verses and choruses so one hits the compressor harder, but then balancing the output gain accordingly so it's not just "more compressed"

 

[anoopbal]

Thank you everyone for the replies!

Sometimes I cut out sections and move them to a new track. Or you could put a gate ahead of a reverb.

I will try that. This way, I can EQ them better too.

Hi Simman, I was referring to frequency.

Hi Bob,

So you mean you change EQ depending on the note, right. That makes sense.

 

[Ri-verze]

I am not really sure what you mean. Do you want to give the high note a "special effect" that is (sounds) different from the rest of the vocal?


If not, I really wouldn't know why you would treat a high vocal note differently from any other vocal note, unless there is a big difference within the dynamic range. You should always control your overall vocals by doing some soft compression (slow attack, fast release). If the high note doesn't fly all over the place your good. just find out which part of the vocal is the loudest (compared to the rest of the vocal track) and compress this part till it sounds roughly the same volume as the rest.

This may help you out:
How to: make a lead vocal sit on top of the mix | MIXINGMAG


Same goes with EQ. The frequency goes up when singing a higher note, but that doesn't mean you should EQ a higher note differently. When placing (EQ) your vocal in the mix you still have a fairly large chunk of the frequency spectrum where your vocal can move around, from at least 100 hz to 12khz+.

If you find that the high note triggers some nasty unwanted frequencies, just find the sweet spot by sweeping your filter and reduce a little it by a small bandwidth / Q.



If you would like to give it a different effect you can go all over the place:"Distortion, extreme compression rates, cabinets, delays, choruses, gating, more extreme reverbs, vocal automations". You name it. There are no rules, just prevent it from clipping and make it sit in the mix by taming it using compression.