rnb vocal mix tutorial request

[indigo]

Hi,

I am producing a few demo's for a local Rnb singer with bags of talent.

I would like her vocals to be presented in an up to date mix fashion but have very little experience in mixing rnb/pop vocals.

Would someone here be kind enough to help me out by spending a little time writing me a basic tutorial on how they go about mixing vocals for pop/rnb??

I would REALLY REALLY appreciate it.


(The songs mostly have doubled harmonies, oohs/ahh's, some 'spoken bits' plus a couple have additional raps.....also ad libs flying over the top of choruses)

In particular I would like to know what to group together...what to compress together...what frequencies to roll of on certain tracks......when to make things blatently stereo...which tracks to use verb on....where to use sidechaining...etc etc etc .I know each song is different but a rough idea would help a lot and hopefully help people hear the potential of the vocalist.


I work itb with uad1 for compression duties.
Vocals recorded M147-PresonusMP20-Lynx

Thanks.

[Dan DeTora]

ok, here's my 2cents:

BG vocals: i usually buss each harmony part to a stereo return. roll off most off your lo-end (lo-cut around 200hz or so), but eq the mids and hi's differently for each part. the idea is to make room for leads and adlibs. most of the time your BGV's are panned out of the center.... personally, i stack each harmony 4x and pan both sets hard L+R. i try not to squash them too much, as i usually cut with compression most times, but an L1 limiter helps glue the groups together (release somewhere around 200ms).

as far as FX, i'm a less-is-more type. depending on the tempo and feel of the track, i'll send each group to a medium hall or plate verb with a long pre-delay and a 1/4 or 1/8th note echo ...again, depending on the tempo of the track. just dont overdue it.

some cats like to use 'spreaders' and subtle delays/chorusing to increase the apparent width of the BGV, but i haven't found that approach to yield anything usable. ymmv

thats all i can think of at the moment. hope this gives you some ideas.

[InsaneMixaken]

1) Add Silk: Unlike the up front full-bodied texture of your lead vocal track, take a different complimentary approach with your backing vocals. Add some silk by applying an overall high-pass filter as high as 900hz to the background vocals. The higher the high-pass the more sheen and silky the texture becomes. Also, for even more sheen, boost 11-12khz 1-4 decibels using high-shelf EQ.

2) Add Depth: To ensure a large impressive sound, you need to record several tracks of background vocals: double takes, triple takes, as well as, stacking harmonies. Take advantage of this multi-tracking by assigning each track its own panning placement. For example, pan low vocal/harmony tracks hard left & right. Next, pan medium vocal/harmony tracks 75% left & 75% right. Lastly, pan high vocal/harmony tracks 40% left & 40% right. Now your backing vocals will hug around your lead vocal perfectly!

3) Add Distance: To further add contrast apart from your lead vocal, apply different effects settings to your background vocal tracks. Typically, heavier effects should be applied to background vocals when compared to lead tracks. This helps add distance & a unique character apart from your lead mix. Some good background effects to apply are subtle ping pong stereo delays, hall reverbs, plate reverbs, and choruses!

[filterayok]

i like your IDEAS, insane, but a filter at 900hz?? thats like practically a telephone voice effect...if you got a GREAT singer, i would recommend keeping the sound as true as possible, with a slight long delay that you can hardly hear, just to put it in the mix... i really dont think there's much reverb being applied to vocals these days... just stack each harm four times, pan hard right hard left...whats gonna make your shit really shine is if you TRACK it well.... make sure EVERY NOTE is DEAD ON...theres nothing more pleasing then a well stacked vocal thats tight... but if there's little pitchiness going on, its gonna cost ya...

[indigo]

Thanks for your replys peeps, much appreciated!

I have noticed that many tracks I have been analysing have verses that tend to be totally mono with choruses dropping in stereo....followed by the ad lib tracks continuing in mono over the choruses...almost like the singer is continuing the flow of the verse. Any other obvious tips??? Cheers!

[InsaneMixaken]

Quik Tipz: Secrets to a Platinum Vocal Sound
Nothing is more important in a song than the lead vocal. Simply
put...the lead vocal is the primary focal point of your entire mix.
Because of its importance and need for constant placement within a mix,
proper microphone, EQ, and compression techniques are essential. Learn
the same techniques as used in platinum hits...

1) Microphone Techniques: In order to achieve a professional high
fidelity vocal recording, using a condenser mic along with a good
pop-screen is the only way to go. Condensers capture vocal resonance and
vocal frequency spectrums far better than dynamic microphones. Also,
before recording, be certain to switch the mic's settings to the
cardioid pickup pattern with the high pass filter enabled to remove low
end rumble from the source recording signal.

2) Vocal EQ Techniques: If proper microphone techniques have been
implemented, a minimal amount of EQ should be needed. However, if you
find the vocals could still use added clarity, try boosting 1-3 decibels
between 5khz - 7khz. If you're needing an extra airy texture added to
the vocals, try boosting 1-3 decibels between 10khz-12khz. Also, any low
frequencies 100hz and below should be rolled off and/or high-passed to
add further low end control to your overall mix.

3) Vocal Compression Techniques: With compression, you are seeking to
even out inconsistencies in volume levels while at the same time trying
not to destroy the natural dynamics inherent in the vocal performance.
The trick is to set your compressor with a high ratio of 5:1 to 8:1 with
a semi-fast attack and a medium release time. Most important is your
setting of the compressor's threshold: Set your threshold level where
gain reduction occurs only for the loudest volume peaks in the vocal
recording. This will even out level inconsistencies all the while
retaining natural vocal dynamics.

[nukmusic]

http://www.waves.com/content.asp?id=677

[SiqDog]

Originally Posted by indigo

I have noticed that many tracks I have been analysing have verses that tend to be totally mono with choruses dropping in stereo....followed by the ad lib tracks continuing in mono over the choruses...almost like the singer is continuing the flow of the verse. Any other obvious tips??? Cheers!

Also try using different colorations with EQ and pan-spread to create different "rooms" in your mix. Some doubles should be dead center, while others can get the full spread treatment. Always going for the full spread diminishes the effect over time. If your DAW can automate (most can), try using dynamic changes instead of a static effect for the entire mix. Like dropping in a pingpong delay at the end of phrases.. Pretty basic stuff, but worth having in your "RAM" while mixing.

Think creative. There are no rules. Thats the only rule.