Here's what I usually do, I'll try to be as detailed as I can!
- Even before recording, make sure to "plan" when to have just one single take, double-takes, three or four takes at the same time, scream/growl at the same time, etc.
Vocals are a key element in driving the flow of the song - because of this, just one take on the center with no automation is not gonna cut it and will likely sound pretty boring. It depends on the genre, but within modern Metal, it's crucial!
- Make also sure there is enough versatility in the screaming itself, from low to high range, depending on what the song needs on each part.
- If you can't be the "producer" and you're just mixing, let's hope the singer has a nice range and you get at least two takes to play with :)
- Once takes are recorded, there's quantizing to be done. If there's also clean vox, autotuning as well, as long as it's done lightly and not the fake stuff you hear on the radio. All this careful editing prior to mixing will actually make the tracks easier to mix and flow better.
If you don't know what quantizing is, basically it's aligning transients to the grid. With vox this is super important since, with multiple takes overlapping each other, you always get weird "T-T" or "S-S" effects because transients don't happen at the same time. Quantizing takes care of that and just makes everything sound more cohesive and tighter.
Google "Vocalign" for easy ways on how to do it - I personally let my editing guy do it, but if you wanna do it the right way, google "slip-editing".
- Group all your tracks into the VOX buss, and pan them according to what the band wants, like "I want them to be all over the place during breakdown", or "make them wider on the high screams", etc. Pan dynamically: you gotta change how close/open the panning is depending on the part. LOTS of automation to be done on vox.
- EQ: start by filtering out boomy lows/low-mids. If, after that, you still get some nasty plosives, you can notch 'em out with mb compression.
Also notch out bad freqs that can make vox sound boxy, look for the center mids area and apply a slightly wider Q cut once you find the boxiest spot.
After that I usually apply additive EQ, usually to boost presence and "in your face" upper mids.
- After boosting high freqs, I apply a De-esser to get rid of harsh syllables. Or I just automate volume down on those parts.
- Since vox are so dynamic, I usually apply two compressors in a row: the first one accentuates transients (Distressor/1176/etc), the second one acts as a "polish" to make everything even (LA2A/3A/etc).
- Saturation/distortion to add even more grit and aggression.
- If needed, another instance of de-essing since comp/sat will bring S's up inevitably.
- Parallel reverb and delay up to taste! Make sure to blend them in with the mix going, otherwise they'll be drown by the other tracks once you un-solo vox.
That's it, hope that helps! As usual, hit me up on FB if interested on Skype lessons, thanks!
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