How To Mix Vocals like a Pro in 2022 (6 QUICK TIPS)
Achieving a professional, well-balanced vocal mix can make or break a track. Nothing is worse than finding an incredible song, but the vocals are either too quiet, buried in the mix or tonally sharp and overwhelming.
For beginners to music production, vocal mixing can be a frustrating, tedious process. However, it’s important you learn the fundamental techniques of mixing vocals, and then begin to focus on finetuning and perfecting the final mix.
When I look back to when I first started mixing my own tracks, I cringe at some of the methods I used to mix the vocals. By doing some basic research, I could have saved countless hours of studio time.
So you don’t make the same mistakes, I’ve compiled this list of 6 tips of how to mix vocals in 2022. These tips are mainly aimed at beginners, but more advanced producers will definitely find some value here also.
1. Get the source material RIGHT
Don’t create music assuming you’ll “fix it in the mix”. A perfect mix won’t fix a sub-par vocal performance, or a low quality MP3 sample.
You need to make sure your vocal sample / recording is as good as it can possibly be. For example, if you’re remixing a vocal sample or using an acapella vocal track, don’t rip the MP3 from Youtube. Find the best quality version of the vocal sample you can find – it WILL make a difference to your final mix.
Alternatively, if you’re recording vocals yourself, make sure you are recording in the best possible quality available to you. This could mean sound-treating your studio, or recording your vocals in a small closet (a technique I used for many years). If you’re recording from a home studio, test the mic in a few different spots around your home to see which gives the cleanest audio output.
Additionally, make sure you invest in a decent vocal mic, use a pop filter and keep recording until you get the perfect take.
Recording the highest quality vocal performance, or finding the highest quality vocal sample will make a world of difference. Technically, this isn’t a mixing tip, but it is surefire way to speed up and simplify the mixing process.
Click here for our list of the best home studio microphones in 2022.
2. High-Pass
I’ve talked about this in previous articles, but using a high-pass filter/EQ curve can instantly transform a vocal mix.
Using high-pass filters is a fantastic technique for removing unwanted noise and audio artefacts such as AC or rumble. A high-pass filter is a simple, but effective EQ curve that removes unwanted low frequencies from an audio source. This becomes particularly beneficial when you’re working on vocals or other recorded audio tracks.
By adding high-pass filters, you are opening up the low end and giving things like the bass and kick drums room to breathe.
The easiest way to add a high-pass filter is usually through an EQ effect plugin. Within most EQ plugins, you can determine the frequency point the high-pass begins (a general rule is 80-150Hz) and the steepness of the high-pass curve.
3. Pre-automate before compression
Vocal recordings often contain pesky volume spikes and considerable variation in volume throughout, regardless of how good the performance is.
Compression, for the most part, is a fantastic way of reducing and “smoothing out” these volume imbalances to give a more polished, stronger vocal sound. However, compressors are far from perfect.
In most cases, I’d recommend creating some volume automation on the vocals before adding compression.
Why? Compressors can often over-compensate, especially when it comes to unbalanced vocals. Vocals are often louder in certain sections and quieter in others, which can be pretty problematic when adding compression.
So, try automating the volume of a vocal sample first, making sure any large spikes are subdued, and the volume remains fairly consistent throughout the track.
4. Duplicate / Pitching
Duplicating and pitching vocals is a fantastic, simple way to “beef up” your vocals and add tonal clarity and character. This technique is primarily used in electronic or pop music production, but can be applied to a wide range of modern genres.
This vocal mixing technique involves duplicating a vocal track, then pitching the duplicate track either +12 or -12.
By pitching +12, you are adding a pitched-up layered vocal, which can often add intensity and “crisp-ness” to the vocals. By pitching -12, this can add a lot of depth and power to your vocals.
Make sure you add compression, reverb and reduce the volume of the duplicated track, so the vocals don’t feel crowded and artificial.
5. De-essing
This is a huge one. For a beginner producer, de-essing (or removing sibilance) can be one of the most infuriating aspects of vocal mixing.
Sibilance is defined as any consonant that requires pushing air past the tongue without closing the mouth at all. In simple terms, it’s ess, sh, z, or ch sounds in vocals that can cause harsh hissing sounds when recorded through a studio mic.
Luckily, sibilance isn’t too hard to remove if you know how.
Here are a couple of resources for removing sibilance:
How to de-ess vocals in FL Studio
The Best FL Studio De Esser Plugins | 2022 Comparison (although these plugins work in any DAW)
IMPORTANT – Sibilance shouldn’t be removed completely, as this gives a very unnatural, unbalanced final sound. You aren’t trying to mute sibilance entirely, you should be lowering the specific peaks so that you are subdueing the harsh “hissing” sound. Vocal tracks with too much de-essing sound very bizarre, and the vocals usually sound muffled and poorly recorded.
6. Reverb
Reverb is one of the most commonly used vocal mixing effects, alongside EQ and compression. But like many vocal effects, poorly mixed reverb can ruin the tone and clarity of the vocals.
The revert treatment you add to the lead vocals will not just impact the vocals themselves, but the mix as a whole.
Reverb can be used in various ways to create entirely different sonic atmospheres, from small, intimate effects to lush, spacious, evolving reverb tails. As a general rule of thumb, for main vocals you don’t want the reverb tail “spilling over” onto the next vocal phrase.
Pay attention to the pre-delay. With pre-delay set to 0, the reverb will begin immediately after the source audio, which can muffle or “dampen” the vocals. Generally, adding a small amount of pre-delay allows the transients of the vocals to cut through the mix more effectively as it separates the source material from the reverb tail.
Click here for our list of the best reverb plugins in 2022.
Reverb treatment
The reverb treatment itself may depend on the genre you are producing.
If you’re looking for an organic or natural reverb, one piece of advice is to create a reverb tail that isn’t identifiable, but can be “felt”. Adding subtle pre-delay, decay time and low wet values can create an intimate, understated effect. Your ears can’t pinpoint the reverb tail, but you know it’s there.
For longer, more spacious reverb treatment, increase the decay time, the pre-delay and the wet value. There’s no “one size fits all” here, and is completely dependant on the sound you want to emulate. Ballads and downtempo electronic music often use heavy reverb, but make sure you don’t “drown” the vocals in reverb.
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