"Normal" compression for vocals on pop or rock song?

[tonepad]

Originally Posted by jeam25

Hi !

I like mix mixes but im having hard time trying to get that airy quality and articulated vocal mix that you united states people get so easy
I mean a voal track that have a lot of air , h and s letters and whispers !
I know it can be done with my tracks because after mastering proccess i heard that effect on it .
But i can get as much as posible on my mixes before mastering .

Heres an example :

http://users.choicecable.net/jeam25/marchate.mp3

Thanks !

It seems to me that this kind of mix that you have, which sounds very good BTW, wouldn't be the kind to feature or allow a lot of air. It's a bit larger and verby than the intimate kinds of production that allows an "airy" vocalist to be featured. When you place elements in a larger space they move back in the soundfield. When you take away the space everything moves forward and allows you to place the airiness in a vocalist IF THEY HAVE those qualities naturally. IT has to do with formants and harmonics in the voice. For example if you listen to "Adele_19" or even "Coldplay_Viva La Vida" albums you won't hear much if any verb or ambience on the voice or even on any of the mix in most cases. These kinds of productions allow the voice to be very up front, intimate and airy. Then the artful use of compression and editing brings those qualities further to the front.

With the singer in your mix I don't hear the opportunity to feature any air at least in the way the piece is mixed. I would be better able to comment if I heard the vocal soloed. So let's say the vocalist has an airy quality that becomes apparent when soloed, I think then you'd have to rethink the mix and go drier.

Wilson

[jeam25]

Ok i understand !

Thanks !

[TOM@METRO]

Originally Posted by jeam25

Hi !

I like mix mixes but im having hard time trying to get that airy quality and articulated vocal mix that you united states people get so easy
I mean a voal track that have a lot of air , h and s letters and whispers !
I know it can be done with my tracks because after mastering proccess i heard that effect on it .
But i can get as much as posible on my mixes before mastering .

Heres an example :

http://users.choicecable.net/jeam25/marchate.mp3

Thanks !

I think your doing a fine job, especially with respect to the genre.

[jeam25]

Well thanks again !

[akakpaws]

Here is a "jump out of the mix" compression tip. It is somewhat advanced for a newbie, but some may find it useful. It makes use of sidechaining to cause the vocal track to carve out the vocal range from a mix whenever vocals are present. If properly set, the compressor will reduce the stereo track just enough in the frequency range of the vocal track to let the vocals be heard more clearly against competing frequencies in the music tracks. It is similar to "ducking", except it is frequency dependent. I use this technique a lot when I get a stereo music track and need to add vocals to it. It helps make it sound like the vocals were part of the original mix rather than added on on top of the stereo mix later. A properly set mix bus compressor adds the finishing touches for this technique.

[bblue]

I agree with the last two suggestions, but have a additional one for you to try.

The mix is very wide and full but the vocals have a hard time being heard. It sounds to me that they could benefit of some additional compression or perhaps slight hard limiting so they don't have as much dynamic range. That will keep them more up with the soundstage and allow you to hear even the quieter syllables. All the other instruments together make a pretty solid wall of sound and anything that needs to maintain its presence over them will need less dynamic range.

Another addition might be to reduce some of the mid-range around 500-2k with a broad curve, very slightly, 1-2db, for just the vocals.. That range seems pretty pronounced and with it lowered and a little more compression/limiting, the vocals would hold their own ground better, and sound more full range.

--Bill

[jeam25]

Thanks ! For shure im gonna make a session copy and try it !

Thanks again for your time !

[guitardom]

Originally Posted by jeam25

Hi !

I like mix mixes but im having hard time trying to get that airy quality and articulated vocal mix that you united states people get so easy
I mean a voal track that have a lot of air , h and s letters and whispers !
I know it can be done with my tracks because after mastering proccess i heard that effect on it .
But i can get as much as posible on my mixes before mastering .

Heres an example :

http://users.choicecable.net/jeam25/marchate.mp3

Thanks !

i would try to help but i cant understand what he is saying!!!!

i agree with others, the mix sounds good, actually really good but can see what your saying about the vocals. other things to consider.

try layering compressors getting only 2-4 db of gain reduction apiece. can get better compression, less pumping and can get it more present. can also place an eq to boost a bit of highs 10-14k somewhere or mids a bit, before the second compressor. massey ct4 or or la-2a or bf-3a'as are my fav for it.

the old harmonizer trick works wonders!!! basically bussing the singnal to some kind of harmonizer, antares harmonizer, waves doubler, hardware, make sure you shut any dry center signals off and pitch the vocal 2x's in here. 1 down about 7-10 cents and one up about 7-10 cents and delay them about 9-14ms somewhere. also try to have them panned not exactly hard, but left and right and place in behind the main vocal. carves some amazing vocal space and makes them sound more...spread out.

delay instead of verbs, a short slap and some a bit longer and even longer can give a sense of space and air without the verb trails and tails and muddiness induced sometimes by verb. dont take much to be effective.

dupe your vocal track, on the duped track roll off all the lows and into the mids and pull up the highs and try to sneak it in a bit behind the main vocals. if you crank the 10-14k it can give serious air but can cause unwanted sibilance. approach with care i would also buss them through a common compressor after this to glue them back together a bit

these are things i could see using on your track from what i hear. obviously experimentation is in order. but things i would try.

[IntelDoc]

My general compression chain lately for vocals looks like this:

1. X73i or API 7600 channel strip (compression on this too)
2. 1176 (hardware)
3. Massey-De-esser
4. Massey Tape head
5. RVox - really gets it where I need it.

Seems to work for most applications that I work with.

Doc

[jeam25]

GUITARDOM : " i would try to help but i cant understand what he is saying!!!! "

Youre right im gonna fix somethings here :

Hi !

I like mix mixes but im having hard time trying to get that airy quality and articulated vocal mix that you united states people get so easy
I mean a voal track that have a lot of air , h and s letters and whispers !
I know it can be done with my tracks because after mastering proccess i heard that effect on it .
But how i can get that effect as much as posible on my mixes before mastering .

Heres an example :

http://users.choicecable.net/jeam25/marchate.mp3

Thanks !