Have you ever stopped to think about what make a great photograph? Often it is a matter of clearly focusing on one subject and placing that subject clearly against some sort of interesting background. If the subject is a person, it is maybe a close up with the other crowds of people blurred behind. Or perhaps a lone tree contrasted against a sunset.
Good audio mixes are like a great photograph. Especially when it comes to solo subject matter like a lead vocal or guitar. The best mixes create an interesting background on which to set your subject. The key is how to set the subject against this background without it being either too separate from the rest of the music, or blending into the background too much, being obscured. Usually raising and lowering the volume of a vocal track is just not enough to make it sound just right. Here are a few tips on getting a vocal to sit well on a background, without using volume:
- Compression: Using compression with a ratio of 4:1 or so will allow decrease the high and low dynamic of the vocal and make it easier to place in the mix. It will also highlight breaths, pops and even subtle clicks, so be careful. Most pop music uses too much compression for my taste, but you have to admit that lead vocals on the radio reach out and grab you.
- EQ: Sit the vocal just under the surface of the background and then use a little EQ to bump it up just enough to hear it. This is often either in the upper-mid ranges (around 7-8K) for more bite and into the higher regions (around 12K) for more sizzle. Using EQ on all the other tracks to notch out a space for the vocal is a great method used by the best everywhere. (Listen to U2's Beautiful Day for a great example of a vocal set into the mix using EQ)
- Reverb: Most amateur mixers use too much Reverb. This can often make the lead vox muddy, blending too much into the background and making it almost impossible to place it correctly in the mix. Most engineers tend to record completely dry and use as little reverb as possible, unless there is a particular creative effect that is desired.
As always, the major rule is this: there are no rules. Or at least rules are only guidelines or a starting point. Experiment. Use your ears. And just keep the hard drive rolling!
Jason Johnston is the leader of the Revolution, musician and part-time professor of Music Technology at Sheridan Arts College.
