Mixing Vocals: How To Add Energy To A Dull Performance
Have you ever had to mix a vocal performance that just sounded dull?
Maybe the singer didn’t put enough energy or attitude into it and now you’re left with a mediocre take that doesn’t quite match the excitement of the music.
Ideally, you’d get the singer to redo the take; but sometimes, it’s too late and it’s up to you to figure out how to make it sound better in the mix.
Luckily, you’re not completely screwed and there are some techniques to use that can help.
I’ve made a video to show you one of my favourite tricks for adding some aggression and energy back into a poor performance. It’s something that every time I add into a session, my clients think I’m crazy for trying. But it really does work wonders…
Check it out:
July 20, 2017 @ 7:27 pm
The main advantages, from my own experience, are that it allows you to push emulated analogue ‘character’ compressors hard to subjectively enhance the vocal timbre, but without making the final mix feel over-compressed, and it also seems to lock the vocal’s position in the overall balance more solidly than any other compression method I’ve come across, such that the level-automation process becomes easier.
September 18, 2017 @ 5:58 pm
Don’t solo the vocals when you’re adding any processing, the listener wont hear the vocals in solo so it doesn’t matter how they sound in solo just as long as they’re working well with the entire mix.