Mixing Vocals The Ultimate Guide

Mixing Vocals : The Ultimate Guide to EQ'ing Vocals Page 1 of 43
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Mixing Vocals : The

Ultimate Guide to EQ’ing
Vocals
Mixing vocals could be considered the most important part of your mixing
job. For instance, people will tolerate a poor acoustic guitar mix when the
vocals shine through. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t put effort into
creating an all-around solid mix. My point is that when the vocal mix
suffers, everyone notices. How do know your vocal mix was bad? Have
you ever heard these complaints; “I couldn’t hear the lead singer,” “I couldn’t
understand what they were singing,” or the worst complaint, “they sounded
terrible, what happened?”
This vocal mixing guide gives you the information needed for creating a
solid vocal mix every time. By the end of this guide, you’ll know what you
need to do, when you need to do it, and how to do it.
This guide breaks down the vocal mixing information into eight areas;
1. How Vocals Fit in a Mix

2. Key Vocal Qualities
3. Vocal Microphone Selection and Monitor Usage
4. Mixing with the End in Mind
5. Setting Vocal Volumes
6. Preparing Your Vocals (Cleaning up your Vocals)
http://www.behindthemixer.com/mixing-vocals-the-ultimate-guide-to-eqing-vocals/ 3/16/2015
7. Mixing Vocals / EQ’ing Vocals

8. Using Five Types of Effects Processing
*Photo by wscullin
1. How Vocals Fit in a Mix
Vocals are mixed to make the way they are used, the style of song that is
being performed, along with a few other aspects for consideration. This
section covers all of those.
A. ARE THEY A LEAD VOCALIST OR

BACKING VOCALIST?
The first part of mixing vocals, or mixing ‘a vocalist,’ is knowing the use of
that vocalist in the song arrangement. A vocalist is either going to sing a
lead part in the song or they are going to sing in a way that supports the
lead singer. In the latter case, they would be considered a backing singer
or backing vocalist.
A lead singer, just as it sounds, is the singer that leads the song. They sing
the primary vocal line. A band can have multiple lead singers. The first
song could have singer A and the second song could have singer B. One
song can jump between multiple lead singers. In some instances, more
than one person can lead the song so you have multiple lead singers.
How you blend or contrast them is something that’s covered later.
Backing singers can sing in a variety of ways;
• Sing along side the lead. This might happen at a chorus when
everyone sings the same words at the same time.
• Sing behind the lead. They might sing a highlighting phrase (the same
line as the lead for a moment) or completely different words.
• Sing separate from the lead. This can happen when the song
arrangement calls for the lead singer to step out of the way so a
choir or backing singer can step in and sing out for a bridge or
chorus or whatever the arrangement calls for them to do.
The ways in which you mix a lead singer and a backing singer are quite
different. Mixing backing singers will be covered later in this guide. That
being said, you can still learn a lot about mixing backing singers as you
learn about how all types of vocals fit into a song.
B. MATCHING THE GENRE OF

MUSIC / STYLE OF THE BAND
Ten years ago, it was safe to make a statement like, “don’t mix a rap singer
like you are mixing a country song.” Now, there are popular country songs
which feature a rapper. I think this is a sign the end of the world is near!
That unusual combination aside, you need to sculpt your vocal(s) so you
create a sound that fits in with the genre of the song.
Take three different music genres; country, rock, and gospel. Regarding
the use of vocal reverb across these genres, the type and amounts of
reverb will be different. You might use heavy vocal reverb in a rock mix
but would never think of using that same effect in a traditional gospel
music mix. Whatever your situation, your band will tend towards playing
in a particular style. They might change up a song and one day do, “the
reggae” version of a song. But, it’s safe to say your band has their own
sound and you need to treat your vocal mixing so you are mixing to their
desired sound.
Here’s where you might have problems. If your band plays a

contemporary style of music along the lines of Hillsong or Chris Tomlin or
David Crowder but YOU don’t like that type of music then you are going to
be mixing against your bias. You might like the Southern Gospel style or
are more of a country music fan or even a “traditional hymns” fan. You’ll
find yourself either;
• Mixing so the result sounds like your musical preference.

• Mixing a poor mix because you can’t get into the music.
• Mixing a great mix because you know the importance of your job.
Hopefully, if you aren’t into the style of music that’s performed, you will be
the person who does the last of those. If you struggle with it, take some
time listening to song in that style of music via Youtube videos or free
music services like Spotify. Maybe you’ll start to like it but if not, at least
you’ll have an ear for how it is usually mixed.
That last bit is a great way of improving your mixing and creating a good
vocal mix to match the song. Listen to a professional recording of the
song and then listen to music in other genres and listen for the
differences in how vocals are mixed. You’ll learn how genre / style of song
makes a difference in vocal mixing.
C. MATCH THE EXPECTATIONS OF

THE PEOPLE AND OF THE ROOM
This part gets a little tricky. You don’t want listeners to actively drive your
mixing. However, you do have to respect their expectations. Imagine you
are mixing 150-person room. You can’t create the same type of mix that
would rock a 1,500 person room. Believe me, it doesn’t work. You can’t
put a ton of hall reverb on a vocal in a small room without sounding out
of place. At the same time, if the congregation isn’t used to vocal delay, as
an effect, then that’s probably not something you want to use in many of
your songs. This isn’t to say you can’t use it, as an arrangement calls for it;
you just need to be careful with how and when you use it.
In the world of church audio, you can have five different churches each
with their own worship band and they can all sound completely different.
But they can also all sound completely right. It’s a matter of what sound
the band desires, what works in the room, and what works with the
congregation. Of course, this can be said for mixing the instruments as
well as the music.
One final tip which is important in church audio; don’t make people sound
like someone totally different. You can change a lot about a vocalist’s
sound but don’t go so far that people think, “he/she sounds nothing like
that.” Reverb and delay are good effects so don’t think I’m talking about
that type of change. Don’t change the core of their true sound.
D. LISTEN TO THE MIX THE BAND

USED
Working with vocal mixing and vocal eq’ing would cause your brain to
explode if you had NEVER heard ANY music ever sung. But you know a
few songs, right? You know “Happy Birthday,” and perhaps a few
thousand other songs you’ve already forgotten. My point is you know
how lead vocals and backing vocals are generally mixed in a song.
Generally. What you need to learn, to really kick up the quality of your
vocals, is how those vocals need to sound in the particular song you are
mixing. A great way to do this is through the use of reference tracks.
You can use reference tracks in two ways. First, you could listen to seven
different versions of a song, and get an idea of three or four or seven
different ways of mixing the vocals. Or, secondly, you could do what my
church does (and many others do the same) and find out what songs the
worship leader has picked out for the week and then have them send you
links to the YouTube / Spotify / iTunes version of the song that closest
matches the arrangement and sound of what they plan on doing. Using
this method, by listening to the reference track over and over, you’ll
eventually hear the details of the vocal mix arrangement. As a side note,
you’ll also hear how the instruments should be mixed. The long and short
of it is reference tracks are great for planning your live vocal mix.
One last note on reference tracks and planning your mix; take advantage
of first impressions. You will hear a song differently the first time than the
second or third or tenth. As studio engineer Dave Pensado said, “There’s
only one time to hear a song the first time, and I like to catalogue my first
impressions because I trust them. So I’ll begin the process by pulling out pen
and paper and noting down the weaknesses and strengths of a song.” In this
case, do that with the vocals. Make note of what stands out, what
emotion comes from the vocals, and where the vocals might suddenly sit
back or sound different in the mix.
*Photo by bmh4you
2. Key Vocal Qualities
There are several components to a vocalist’s sound. There is the

uniqueness of their voice, their vocal range, their average singing volume,
and their vocal dynamics. Let’s look at these different key vocal qualities
and how they impact your vocal mixing.
A. TIMBRE: VOCAL UNIQUENESS
Imagine two singers on the stage. They are singing the same words, at
the same time, at the same pitch, and singing in the same octave range.
They still produce two completely unique sounds. The reason is they
have unique timbres.
A person’s singing voice might be referred to as warm, bright, dark, or
smooth. There are a variety of terms for describing a singers “voice.”
These descriptions are direct reflections of their timbre. Vocal timbre is
the tonal coloring of the vocal which enables vocalists to appear distinct
from each other when they sing at the same pitch and the same volume.
Getting technical, timbre describes the unique sound of a voice which

comes about through;
• Spectral Differences: the summing of distinct frequencies, or

overtones, which are sometimes called the richness of the tone.
• Time Envelop Differences: the overall amplitude structure of the
sound which includes rise, duration, and decay.
In this image, you can see the time envelop of a singer who is singing the
word “Wade” from the old gospel song, “Wade in the Water.” Notice the
sudden rise, the duration, and the slow decay.
You can also hear that audio clip here;
Behind The Mixer

Wadeinthewater
Play another track

Behind The Mixer Behind The Mixer
1.1 1.2
18,214 16,994 12,595
Mixing vocals and going through the whole vocal eq process, you are
dealing with the uniqueness of the singers voice; their unique timbre. As
you’ll soon learn in eq’ing vocals, how you deal with a lead vocalist’s
timbre can be quite opposite in how you deal with the varying timbres of
backing vocalists.
It’s been reported that it takes about 60 ms to recognize the timbre of a

tone. Also, that it takes about a +/- 4 dB change in mid or high harmonics
to be perceived as a change in timbre, whereas about 10 dB of change in
one of the lower harmonics is required to be noticeable.
Tonal qualities can add richness and depth to mix. An odd sounding
vocalist might sound really odd but when mixed properly, sounds right. A
good example is Leon Redbone. Yes, he’s definitely got a unique sound
but the result of the mix is a great sounding song…at least in my opinion.
Let’s take a completely different route and listen to the tonal qualities of
Chris Tomlin
While I’d guess the latter is closer to what most of you are used to mixing,
it’s obvious even the former has its place. When it comes to tonal
qualities, understand each voice is unique and should be respected as
such.
B. VOCAL RANGE
Vocal range is the quality of a singer’s voice which represents the span of
musically useful pitches the singer can produce. A singer is categorized
according to their vocal range as such*;
• Soprano: C4 – C6 (261 Hz to 1046 Hz)

• Mezzo-soprano: A3 – A5 (220 Hz to 880 Hz)
• Contralto (Alto): F3 – F5 (174 Hz to 698 Hz)
• Tenor: C3 – C5 (130 Hz to 523 Hz)
• Baritone: F2 – F4 (87 Hz to 349 Hz)
• Bass: E2 – E4 (82 Hz to 329 Hz)
*Letter/number combinations represents the “note location” whereas C4

would be Middle-C on a piano.
Related to EQ’ing and mixing vocals, these ranges give you an idea where
the fundamental frequencies are located for singers of these types.
Therefore, when you are mixing a soprano, you have an idea of the base
frequency range from which you’d be working. These ranges do not imply
frequencies above the upper limit are not used. Harmonics are present
well above these listed frequencies and can be present as high as 8-10
kHz. Therefore, a soprano singer could have frequencies cut out
completely above the 1100 Hz mark and the resulting sound would not
appear natural.
Note, when listening to a singer struggle with singing a particular note,

phrase, or song, it’s often because the song is being performed in a key
which is not suits for their vocal range. In such a case, there isn’t much
you can do in the live environment.
The Guinness World Record for the largest vocal range is held by
Tim Storms, and spans 10 octaves from G/G#-5 to G/G#5 (0.7973
Hz – 807.3 Hz)
Cutting and Boosting on Fundamental and Harmonic Frequencies
Given the above concerning frequencies, let’s take a female vocalist and
make some changes. I’ve taken the vocal line that you hear above and
applied some changes, both at fundamental and harmonic levels.
Cutting a fundamental frequency of 800 Hz at -6 dB
Behind The Mixer

1.1
Play another track

1.2 1.3
16,994 15,237 18,213
Boosting a fundamental frequency of 800 Hz at +8 dB
Behind The Mixer

1.2
16,994
Boosting (shelving eq) a harmonic frequency of around 8000 Hz at +6 dB
Behind The Mixer

1.3
15,237
Cutting (shelving eq) a harmonic frequency of around 4000 Hz at -9 dB
Behind The Mixer

1.4
Play another track

1.1 1.2
18,214 16,994 14,056
The cutting and boosting at both fundamental and harmonic frequencies

can make a significant difference in the resulting sound.
Audio by thespiritoflight.
C. VOCAL VOLUME
Every person talks at a different volume level. My friend, Brad, talks at a

naturally loud volume. I have another friend named Brad who talks
softly. Just as with a natural speaking volume, people have a natural
volume in which they sing. I’ve mixed for singers who I would pay cold
hard cash if they would just sing louder. I’ve mixed for people like my wife
and my friend, Leshon, who can belt out a song with great volume
strength but without being over-the-top. You have to consider a singer’s
natural volume as a quality of their voice.
D. VOCAL DYNAMICS
Consider vocal dynamics as the changing volume levels in which a vocalist

sings during a song. These changes can be detrimental to your mix but
they can also be beneficial, it all depends on the intent of the song
arrangement and the quality of the singer. For example, a vocalist can
raise their volume at a critical part of a song and that adds to the
emotional impact at that time. There are also the tell-tale signs a singer
isn’t comfortable singing a song when they belt out the chorus but their
volume drops significantly when it comes to the verses. You might even
hear a bit of hesitation in their voice. You can’t control everything.
The quality of a vocalist’s sound can also change with volume. Singing
louder might produce a better sound for a singer. It might throw off their
pitch. Vocalists who try singing softer for part of a song might not be able
to stay on pitch. It all depends on the particular singer. Volume changes
can result in pitch changes, though trained singers aren’t likely to have
such a problem. Volume control is normally relegated to you, the person
mixing. If you have a singer who is changing their volume during parts of
a song, and appear to be struggling, tell them you will take care of the
volume so they can focus on singing with their best voice. If you have a
singer who can control their volume without any decrease in quality, then
consider yourself blessed.
Looking at the impact of vocal dynamics, you need to ask yourself the
question, “what should I do when”;
• “…the volume changes have a positive effect?”

• “…the volume changes have a negative effect?”
Dealing with negative volume changes
Sometimes, you have to use your eyes when you are mixing. You might
have a vocalist who doesn’t hold the microphone at the same spot when
singing. One minute, it’s by their mouth and the next minute, they have it
two feet away. When this is the case, you need to work directly with the
vocalist or go through the worship leader and train them in proper
microphone usage; right up to their lips.
If the singer fluctuates their volume because they aren’t comfortable with
the words, then you can’t do much of anything.
If the singer is modulating their volume so much that one minute they are
fine and the next minute they are singing louder with no correlation to
song arrangement, then this is a time when vocal compression comes in
handy. Compression is covered further on in this guide.
Dealing with positive volume changes
This would be changes where the singer is able to sing with the same
good tone while singing softer or lower according to what the song
arrangement needs. In this case, you may or may not need compression.
If they are too loud, then compress it, but if they are adding a great depth
to the mix by singing louder and adding an energetic feel to the mix, then
sit back and enjoy it.
Clipping
A side note on vocal volume changes. Your channel gain should be
set so there is no clipping when the singer really belts it out. If
there is, then you need to back off the gain on their channel.
Set your vocal gain by having the vocalist sing at their normal
volume and once they do that, have them sing at a louder volume
they would be likely to hit during an emotional part of a song or
during an energetic song. Your gain control should not have any
clipping or distortion. It is possible you see the peak light pop on
every once in a while and that’s ok. As long as it’s not solid red or
flashes regularly then you are ok. Some mixing consoles distort
when the channel clips but most do not.
Female Vocals vs. Male Vocals

You might ask, “how do I mix a female vocal compared to a male
vocal.” In terms of mixing, I haven’t found gender-based vocal
mixing to be an issue. Where there are slight differences in the
vocal cord construction across genders, and men and women do
tend to speak in different patterns and intonations, when it comes
to mixing vocals I treat each one as unique. Brady, one of our
band’s singers is male but sings higher than our other males. I also
mix a female that has a surprising amount of low-to-mid range
frequencies in her voice. Mix vocalists by their voice, not their

gender.
*Photo by gpaumier
3. Vocal Microphone and

Monitor Usage
What is a good vocal EQ guide if I don’t address microphones and

monitors!?!
A. MICROPHONE CHOICE
“Choosey mothers choose Jiff.” Choosey sound techs choose the best
microphone for the job. For a review of vocal microphones, see this vocal
microphone guide.
I’ll summarize that information here;
• Pick a microphone with the right polar pattern so you prevent un-
necessary feedback and capture only the singer’s voice as best as
possible. Hyper-cardioids are great in the live environment.
• Pick a condenser microphone for improved frequency detection but
recognize they will distort if given too much volume.
• Pick a microphone that has a frequency response which best sculpts
the singer’s sound so you get a better sound from the source.
Better sound = less mixing and correction. The best the sound at
the source, the easier your job will be. All microphones are not the
same, so check the mic’s documentation for the frequency response
chart.
And if you don’t have that much control in microphone selection, find out
your microphone frequency response charts anyway. You want to know
what the microphone is doing to the frequencies it’s sending to you. One
tech, who use to work with the big acts “back in the day” and whose name
escapes me, would use the same microphones all of the time. He knew
what they did to the frequencies so he knew how to mix according to
what he knew he was being sent. Think of it this way, you can’t boost 100
Hz and hear a difference if your microphone rolls off frequencies below
200 Hz
B. MICROPHONE USAGE
Perfect sound isolation isn’t possible but with proper microphone usage,
you can get a solid sound for mixing. They should have the microphone
right up to their lips, at about a 45-degree angle. That’s about it. You
might find people discuss absolute optimal angles but 45-degrees is an
angle that most people understand. If they don’t, then show them. This
is assuming the singer is using a handheld microphone. In the case of
microphones kept on a stand, set the stand and microphone so you get
that 45-degree angle, if possible. They have to stand as close as possible.
C. MONITOR MIXES
In order for a vocalist to sing their best, they need to hear the proper
sounds in their monitor mix. Monitor mixing is rarely taught so this might
be a great opportunity to help your vocalists get better mixes in their floor
wedges or in-ears. The key is knowing the person who is using the
monitor needs to be able to use that information to be in time and on
pitch.
Lead singers
A lead singer, who also plays an instrument, will need their instrument
and their voice in their monitor. Leads like this are commonly guitarists
and pianists. In addition to those two sounds, they will likely need
something to set/keep the tempo for their instrument. A bit of snare
drum and high-hat are good for this.
Lead singers, who don’t play an instrument, need to hear themselves

(duh!) as well as a good lead rhythm instrument (usually an acoustic
guitar) and a bit of snare for good measure. Song arrangements vary but
usually one of those is present and therefore good for keeping time.
Backing singers
Backing singers need to hear each other, themselves, and something to

set the time. A lead rhythm guitar is good. They also need to hear the
lead singer.
*Photo by marcel030nl
4. Mixing with the End in

Mind
Given all you have learned, up to this point, you should be able to imagine
what you’d like to hear from the house speakers in regards to the vocal
lines. That being said, consider these four points;
1. Mix with the end in mind. When you get to the later section on EQ’ing
and start EQ’ing your vocalist, you should have a reason for every
knob you turn, fader you move, or button you press. Don’t turn
knobs wondering “what will this do.” Make adjustments with the
mentality of “I want my current vocal to sound like THIS [imagined in
your head] so I need to change THIS setting.”
2. Know that your vocalist should own the frequency band in which they
are singing. If they are sitting in the 800-1000 Hz area, then make
sure you don’t have other dominate sounds fighting for that space.
You don’t have to clear that space out completely. See the next little
bit on Mixing the Lead Before the Instruments.
3. The lead LEADS. No matter how you mix the backing singers and the
instruments, the lead singer should be out-front in your mix and
never fighting for volume against anything else. There is a lot of
room for nuanced mixing for a tight sound but when it comes down
to it, the congregation needs to hear the lead singer so put them out
in front.
4. Plan for backing vocal mixing. Just like the first point, while it’s easy to
focus on lead vocalist with such importance, the backing vocals
should be mixed with as much effort. They aren’t the lead vocal but
they are no less important.
The record for most backing singers to one vocalist was 6,031 and
was achieved by Young Voices (UK) accompanying Connie Talbot
(UK) at The O2 Arena, London, UK, on 6 March 2012.
Mixing the lead before the instruments
The lead vocal is the main foreground instrument. Therefore, when you
are mixing all of your sources, carve out frequency space in the
instruments so the lead is out front. In case of having backing vocals,
carve out the backing vocals for the lead to shine through when the song
calls for it.
In the words of Kim Lajoie, “Make sure it sounds exactly how it needs to, and
then bring the other instruments back in around the vocal. The vocal is the
most important part of the mix and the song – don’t compromise it by
jamming it into a sans-vocal mix.”
*Photo by jamesxv7
5. Setting Vocal Volumes
Balancing the vocal level against the instruments is crucial in a well-mixed

vocal. The manner in which is this is performed varies depending on if
the vocal is a lead vocal or a backing vocal ground. And with backing
vocals, it can even get a bit more complex….but nothing you can’t handle.
Starting with lead vocals, I’m going to turn to the respected recording
engineer Bob Ludwig, “The vocal is everything to the success of a song. Make
it loud enough to be able to hear the lyrics. The problem is, if the vocal level is
too high, all the energy of the track disappears, if it is too low, you can’t
understand what is being said.”
Not only can the vocals be too soft, but they can also be too loud. You
need them, “just right.” Anyway, I find the easiest way of testing my vocal
level is by hitting the mute button. Leave the lead vocal muted for a few
seconds and then un-mute the channel. When the lead vocalist’s sound
comes back into the mix, it’s easy to identify if it’s way too loud or “not
loud enough.” The congregation needs to be able to follow along but if the
vocal is too loud, then, like Ludwig said, your mix energy is out the
window.
Backing vocals…this is the complex part I mentioned. You have to know

the song and how the vocals will be used. For example, listen to the song
Our God is Greater.
In this song, the backing vocals are singing the same words throughout
but volume-wise, they are quite distant in the mix. Compare those
backing vocals to what you get in the classic Agnus Dei, by Michael W.
Smith. Smitty doesn’t come in until 2 minutes into the song. In this song,
the backing vocals are quite “out front” during much of the song.
Setting volumes for backing vocals comes down to knowing how the
backing vocalist arrangement is expected for the song. Only then, can
you consider where they need to sit in the mix. Depending on the song,
you might have to change the group level of the backing vocalists
throughout the song if the arrangement changes. And by group level, I
mean that you should have your backing vocalists in a group (subgroup,
VCA, DCA) so once you blend their vocals together, you can easily control
their overall volume level.
*Photo by garryknight
6. Cleaning up your Vocals /

preparing your vocals
As of the time of this writing, my house has just been painted. Before
applying the paint, the painters did a lot of cleanup work. They had to
patch holes. They had to prepare the wood by scrapping away the dust
and dirt and flaking paint. Likewise, you have to prepare your vocals for
your EQ work. This involves cleaning up the bad so you can hear your raw
vocals for their potential, not for their flaws. Once this is done, only then
can you start your in-depth EQ work.
Cleaning up vocals is about getting rid of what you don’t need and
minimizing the bad. Let’s start with the stuff you can throw away.
The first step is engaging your High Pass Filter (HPF). The HPF on your
mixer will either be a set amount, such as 80 Hz or will be controllable.
Both analog and digital mixers can have adjustable HPF’s. For starters, I’ll
engage the HPF or, in the case of an adjustable one, I’ll set it around 120
Hz. This is only a baseline adjustment. I’ve later bumped a HPF as high as
180-200 Hz because it cleaned up my vocal mix. In your later mixing
process, you might find you need to set it higher. But when it comes
down to it, your bass and kick drum are ruling that low-end area and your
vocals can’t add anything positive. Also, if any low frequencies from the
stage seep into the vocal microphone, they can muddy up the sound and
the HPF will keep them out.
Next, clean up any offending frequencies by cutting them in your vocal

mix. The level to which you can do this is dependent on your type of
mixing console. A digital console with graphic EQ enables you to make
many changes whereas an analog console is much more limited. That
being said, listen for harsh frequencies that are out of place or plain “don’t
benefit the sound.” Many times, harshness can be found in the 2.5 kHz to 4
kHz range.
After engaging the HPF, I’ll listen for fundamental frequencies that are
harming the mix. Most of the time, I’ll follow that with a slight cut in the
sub-600 range and in the 3 – 4 kHz range. It all comes down to your
particular vocalist and what you need to do. You might find your vocalist
has a very unique sound but when sung along with another singer the
uniqueness becomes a distraction. In that case, cut the frequency area
which gives them their distinctness. Consider it a light sanding.
A note on backing vocalists; think of their voices as “one voice.” Cut what
you need to cut so they sound unified.
Boosting and Cutting

Regarding problem frequencies, the rule is cut narrow and boost
wide. Surgeons cut out the least amount of tissue possible when
removing any abnormalities in the human body. Likewise, when
removing problem frequencies, you want to remove only those
that are bad. By removing too much of a frequency range, the
“operation” becomes quite noticeable to the human ear. As it
relates to boosts, it’s best to boost a wide range of close
frequencies so the listener doesn’t hear a noticeable spike in
frequency changes. However, some of this work is limited to the

type of mixer in use.
Analog Mixing
This is where a lot of what is being done is dependent on the type
of mixer you have. For example, if you run an analog mixer, you
most likely have a semi-parametric EQ. This means you EQ via
knobs on each channel with control for gain (amplitude) and the
center frequency; however, you can’t control the width of the
affected frequencies – the bandwidth. Thus, your EQ adjustments
affect a wide range of frequencies at once – like moving a
mountain peak back and forth – it means you have to move a lot of
the mountain with it.Some analog EQ’s allow the user to work on
EQ like a surgeon, making freq cuts/boost in very specific ranges.
Harsh vocals can be reduced by sweeping over the mid/ high-mid
frequencies until you hear the harshest vocal sound. Then you cut
(reduce) those frequencies via the EQ. This would be the case with
a parametric EQ where you can control the center frequency, the
gain/amplitude cut or boosted, and the bandwidth, sometimes
known as the Q.
Stop, Don’t Look, and Listen

Close your eyes. That is one of the best mixing tips you’ll ever
receive. Throughout the mixing process, you are listening,
adjusting, and watching. That’s a lot of work for anyone to do at
one time. Complete multi-tasking when you think about it. Closing
your eyes, you enable your brain to do what it really needs to do…
listen and interpret the sound.Graham Cochrane is a recording
engineer and worship leader who said, “I was sitting in a workshop
at Sweetwater’s GearFest, listening to Grammy award winning engineer
Frank Fillipetti talk about recording and mixing in the modern DAW. At
one point in the presentation he displayed images of two identical

brain scans of a person. Scan #1 showed the brain activity when
listening to music with eyes open. Scan #2 showed brain activity when
that same person listened to music with eyes closed. And it showed
considerable more brain activity happening. It turns out, the amygdala
(or the emotional center of the brain) increases in activity dramatically
when presented with aural stimuli and no visual stimuli. Visual stimuli
actually impair our ability to listen critically.” Throughout your vocal
mixing process, make a point of ceasing your mix work, closing
your eyes, and listening.
* I know I’ve quoted a few studio recording engineers for a live audio
guide but there are a lot of similarities in our work and much we can learn
from them.
*Photo by rudolf_schuba
7. Mixing Vocals / How to EQ

Vocals
You’ve learned a TON of background information regarding mixing

vocals. You’ve just learned how to clean up the vocals. Now, let’s turn to
how to eq vocals. EQ’ing vocals is an iterative process which requires you
to modify the sound, evaluate the results, and then repeat the process
until you get the desired results. In this section, you’ll learn how to apply
basic compression and gating and make EQ changes. After that, the next
section takes you into the world of further effects processing for your
vocal mix.
A. COMPRESSION
Compression is an effect and effects are usually brought in after EQ work

is done. Compression, as a volume control, should be brought in before
you start your EQ work. The reason is you want your volume, and the
effects of compression, to be part of your baseline, not a later part you
have to adjust and tweak and tweak more.
Vocal compression, as a means of volume control, should be set up from

the point of view of the listener. For example, listening to a singer, I
wouldn’t want to hear a sharp change in their volume that wasn’t tied to a
logic arrangement change. It should be natural. Therefore, consider
these basic settings;
• Attack: 30 ms (Quick to activate)

• Release: 300 ms (Slow to release)
• Ratio: 3:1 (2:1 – 4:1) (Applied significantly enough you don’t have to
make manual fader changes)
• Soft-knee setting. (Subtle change when compression begins being
applied)
Feel free to adjust the compression settings so they best benefit your
vocal mix. Do keep in mind the words of my friend and fellow sound guy,
Steve Dennis, “use compression to smooth out a vocal, but not so much that
you suck the life and dynamics out of it.”
Any volume spikes, after compression is engaged, will be resolved

through the automated compression process. You can then move to
gating your volume.
Plugin users, the changes which a plugin makes to a sound can be

significant. Therefore, once you have cleaned up your vocals and
applied compression, take this time to engage the plugins you’ll be
using. You might find you don’t have to tweak your primary
channel EQ, only your plugin settings.
B. GATING
Gating vocal microphones is a way in which you can clean up the audio
coming into the vocal channel when the singer isn’t singing. There are a
lot of sounds on the stage which can be picked up by vocal microphones.
When the singer isn’t singing, there is no reason to let those sounds into
the channel. Thus gating comes into play. Gating enables you to set a
volume in which you want sound to be drastically cut from the channel.
This way, your mic channel isn’t broadcasting the drums when the lead
singer isn’t singing.
Gating controls are similar to those of compressors and how the sound is
altered. This article covers gating in depth.
Regarding the use of gating, close the gate when you don’t want the
secondary sounds to leave the yard. Yes, you’ll hear them a bit when the
lead singer starts singing but every little bit helps.
C. EQ’ING VOCALS
EQ’ing vocals is definitely an art that’s judged not with your eyes but with
your ears. Don’t get me wrong, you do need to know the science behind
your work and the workings behind the knob turning but well, there is no
one-size fits all EQ setting for any vocals. Therefore, in this section, you’ll
learn key frequency ranges, good eq’ing practices, and then it’s up to you
to apply it to your band / room / vocalist.
KEY FREQUENCY RANGES
The section on key vocal qualities covered vocal range and part of that
included discussion on frequency fundamentals and harmonics. In short,
the fundamental frequencies, used in singing, can go from as low as
around 80 Hz to 1,100 Hz and harmonic frequencies can extend up to the
10,000 Hz (10 kHz) area. “Ok, but where do I start?” Good question.
There are key frequency ranges which carry certain characteristics of the
sound. For example, the 100 Hz to 300 Hz range can alter clarity and
make a vocal sound thin. The difficultly with these ranges is they can be
quite wide and you have to figure out where your particular frequency
spot is located for that characteristic. As a side note, know that it’s better
to cut first and then decide if something else needs to be boosted. A yard
with weeds can have flowers but even if the flowers grow taller, you still
have the weed problem. That in mind, here is a list of the frequency
ranges (bands) and their characteristics.
Important Frequency Bands:
• 100 Hz – 300 Hz : Clarity / Thin (Good for cutting these frequencies)

• 100 Hz – 400 Hz : Thickness
• 100 Hz – 600 Hz : Body / Warmth
• 100 Hz – 700 Hz : Muddiness (Good for cutting)
• 400 Hz – 1,100 Hz : Honky / Nasal
• 900 Hz – 4,000 Hz : Intelligibility
• 1,000 Hz – 8,000 Hz : Presence (I told you the ranges could be wide)
• 1,500 Hz – 7,000 Hz : Sibilance (Start in the 3,000 to 5,000 Hz range)
• 2,000 Hz – 9,000 Hz : Clarity (Compared to the 100 to 300 range for
cutting, this is good for boosting)
• 5,000 Hz – 15,000 Hz : Sparkle (who makes up these words!?!)
• 10,000 Hz – 20,000 Hz : Air / Breath-iness
As you can see, there are a number of frequency areas which impact the
sound of your vocalist. And, because very few things are ever easy, there
is a wide range of frequencies in some of these bands. You should know
one other very important piece of information; these are typical
frequency ranges. Sometimes you’ll find the solution to your mix need is
outside of the above ranges. For example, you might find cutting in the
1,500 Hz to 2,000 Hz range fixes your nasal sound.
Don’t Mix Only With Headphones

Use headphones only if you need to hear something for
clarification. For example, which singer is giving me those bad
frequencies? Slap on the headphones. Outside of that, listen to the
sound in the room. In the words of world-class engineer Chris
Lord-Alge, “no [listener] ever hears anything in solo. Period. So the only
way to get a great vocal sound is when it’s competing with everything
else in the mix.”
GENERAL MIX AREAS
There are four general areas in mixing lead vocals. This isn’t to say there
aren’t more. But these four will get you far:
1. Clean up your low end as much as possible. Go back to your high pass
filter (HPF). There are a lot of gremlins that live in the low
frequencies. I’ve found that re-visiting my HPF setting and cutting as
high as 200 Hz has cleared up a vocal mix when nothing else would
do the trick. Sweep the filter parameter up until you find that sweet
spot that clears out the low end and gets your vocal out front
without getting a thin or cold vocal. Not only are you cleaning up the
direct low end from your vocalist, you are also knocking out any low
end stage noise that’s sneaking into their microphone.
2. Carve out space for your vocals. This was mentioned in the prior
section of “Mixing with the End in Mind” but it’s so important that it
bears repeating. You are painting a picture with frequencies and the
more similar frequencies, the more similar colors. Hence, a painting
with hues of red instead of a painting with a spectrum of colors.
Therefore, make mild cuts in your instruments when you feel they
are overly intruding into that vocal’s core frequency space.
3. Get your vocal to punch out above your music mix and backing vocals.
This can be done by adding brightness to your vocal mix. Much of
your high frequencies control how bright and airy a vocal can sound.
For example, crank the high EQ all the way up during practice. It will
be very airy and then you can reduce it to where it sounds good. I
find that, by focusing on the 2-9 kHz Clarity range and the 5-15 kHz
Sparkle range, I can get my vocals clear and above the other sounds
once I’ve addressed the low end and cleared up any muddiness.
4. Smooth out the vocal line. Much of the natural frequencies of a voice
are in the mid-range area. By cutting or boosting in the mid-range,
we can do a lot to the core sound. Obviously, by the number of
frequency bands which contain mid-range frequencies, you can
control intelligibility, warmth, presence, sibilance, and clarity to
name a few. You have to find that line where you can gain clarity
without taking out the heart of the vocal or accentuating sibilance.
You want to give a feeling of presence without producing heaviness.
You want the vocal to sit right in the mix so it leads with distinction
but maintains emotion and feeling.
The Best EQ for Vocals

Asking the question, “what is the best EQ for vocals” is akin to asking,
“what sounds best in every scenario yet works for all scenarios.”
Finding the best EQ for vocals comes about when you sculpt the
vocals so they match the music genre performed, meet the
expectations of the congregation / audience, fit in the right place in
the song such as lead versus backing vocals, and presents the best
possible sound. The best vocal EQ is achieved when you’ve
removed offending frequencies and found the optimal volume so
the vocals sit properly in the mix. In the church environment, the
best lead vocal mixing results in a congregation that can clearly
hear, and be lead by, the lead singer. The “best” mix comes from
taking into account all of the mix needs and creating a vocal mix
that works for the sound of the band and for the purpose of the
vocalist AT THAT TIME. There is no “one perfect vocal eq setting.” It’s
what works for the specific singer for the specific song for the
specific room for the specific congregation…at a specific time.
TIPS FOR EQ’ING
• Cut first. The section on cleaning up your vocals did give you the
opportunity to clean up your vocals from the generic low end mush
and harsh frequencies. When you get to EQ’ing the general vocal
mix, first look at other areas for “cutting before boosting” such as in
the areas of clarity and muddiness.
• Don’t try creating something you can’t. Your overall mix is based on
your ingredients. For example, if you are used to mixing a female
vocalist and they aren’t singing one week, don’t try getting the same
sound from any of the male voices. Females do tend to have a
unique timbre which you can’t replicate in most male vocals. I know
a California church that makes sure they have one or two female
singers in each worship band.
• Don’t tell anyone I told you this; you can mix and EQ until your ears fall
off but nothing can make up for a bad vocal or a vocal that doesn’t
fit the song. In the words of one who shall remain nameless, “if you
can, bury it.” In the case of multiple lead singers singing at the same
time or backing singers, if you have one singer who is having a hard
time with a song, go ahead and tuck their voice behind the others or
drop it out all together. If it’s your one and only lead singer, check
they are getting enough from their monitors and have the right mix.
This can easily get them back on track. If they still are having
problems, so be it. You can only do so much and they are likely
aware they are struggling through the song…stress no one wants.
• Clean up male vocals by taking a 3-6 dB cut in the 325 to 350 Hz
range. This is where a lot of the muddiness in a vocal can be found.
• Cut for uniqueness. If you have two lead vocals and each are sharing
key frequencies for their uniqueness, instead of boosting one of the
channels in that area, cut that frequency band in one channel.
• Get the guide. If you struggle with live audio production and want a
guide that explains all aspects of live audio mixing and how to create
a good overall music mix then check out my e-guide, Audio
Essentials for Church Sound.
• EQ the dominate frequencies of the vocalist when singing their strongest.
For example, tweak your low-end frequencies for a bassier singer
when they are really singing out. In essence, they are giving you the
best qualities of their voice at that moment, so take advantage of
that time. One tech told me this saves him from having a singer’s
high frequencies become harsh if he had previously tweaked them

at a lower volume.
• Test your settings. There is an option with some mixers to bypass the
EQ settings. If you have this option, use it to see how different your
EQ’ed vocal sounds versus the original sound. Sometimes it’s best to
start EQ’ing from scratch if you have gone too far from the original
sound.
Use Your Mixer to the Best of Your Ability

After working in audio production for over twenty years, I can tell
you I’ve mixed on a variety of consoles and there were a couple old
consoles that I saw and thought, “You’ve got to be kidding!” The key
in getting a good, dare I say great, sound out of any mixer is
knowing your limits and your restrictions.For example, when
mixing on the most minimal of semi-parametric systems, my first
goal is getting rid of the bad sounds and low end garbage. Then, if I
have the remaining flexibility in the vocal EQ, I’ll go for any
presence and/or clarity I can get. It’s usually a matter of cleaning up
the vocal line and that’s about all I can do.Moving into a common
semi-parametric EQ with one or two sweeping mids or a fully
parametric EQ, then I have a lot more room to work. Clear out the
low end, clean up the harsh frequencies, and then I can focus on
presence, warmth, and a bit of sparkle. The better my vocalist, the
more I can focus on making them sound sweet in my mix and less
on cleaning out the bad.Once you get into a digital console with a
graphical EQ, I find the key is being realistic so I don’t over-EQ.
Clear out the low end, as needed. Then clean up the bad
frequencies, now you really have your baseline for the rest of your
work. But remember, this isn’t a recording studio and your
audience isn’t going to notice a 3 dB cut here and a 3 dB boost
there. Reflecting on my graphic EQ plot points for my last few
mixes, I don’t think I ever have more than five and that includes the
sweeping HPF. I probably average four EQ points on my graphic
EQ’s, sometimes less.
MIXING BACKING VOCALS
There are seven great methods, when used together, which can get you a
solid backing vocal mix:
1. Address volume. The backing vocals normally shouldn’t be as loud as

the lead vocal. While that is true, you need to recognize there are
times when they can be the “out-front vocals” for part of a song, as
the arrangement calls for it. This is covered more in the last point.
2. Blend the vocalists together. You aren’t creating three distinct sounds
for the three backing vocalists. You are creating a single sound. Cut
and boost frequencies so they sound as one. In a way, you want to
minimize the uniqueness of each singer for the benefit of the group
sound.
3. Roll off some of high end frequencies. You are aiming for a unified
sound which sits behind the lead. Therefore, you want a blended
sound with all of the backing vocalists and the high-end can be the
source of a lot of individual differences.
4. Back off the lows. Use a shelf filter for knocking out the low end and
not interfering with the low-end instruments.
5. Compress. The backing vocals fit in a very tight space and you don’t
want one backing vocalist suddenly louder than the others. Use a
higher compression ratio if necessary, especially if you have one
singer who really likes to sing loud.
6. Separate and blend with reverb. Separate the lead vocal from the
backing vocal by using reverb on the backing or, in the case of
reverb on both, use a different type of reverb on the backing vocals.
The lead vocal would be good with a short reverb while backing
vocals can be blend with a longer reverb, like a Hall reverb. You can
also streamline some of your work by EQ’ing the individual vocals
and then sending all of them to an effects bus where you then apply
your reverb to the collective sound.
7. Actively mix. Blending is more than setting the initial volume levels,
setting the EQ, and putting on some reverb. Place the backing
vocalists into a group and control all of their volumes with one fader.
If the lead singer has the backing vocalists take over for the chorus,
then you can easily boost their volume. You can also boost their
vocals at a point in the song when a verse has a punched up line
that stands out. This is where it helps to listen to professional
recordings of the same songs.
EQ Speech for Maximum Intelligibility

Vocal EQ’ing isn’t just about singers, it’s also about those who have
speaking roles…such as the pastor! Here’s a good article for eq’ing
for speech intelligibility.
*Photo by btt
8. Effects Processing
Mixing vocals is more than setting the volume and making some EQ
changes. Yes, you can get some really nice sounding vocals doing that
work but effects processors allow you to take it to the next level.
A. EXPANDERS
An expander is the opposite of a compressor. Instead of limiting the

maximum volume, you are lowering the volume if the audio level drops
below a specified value. A gate cuts out the audio quickly and is used for
preventing sound from passing through while the expander is used for
saying “ok, I don’t need to hear you anymore.”
Whereas a gate has a hard knee (sudden impact on the signal), an

expander uses a soft knee (gradual impact to the signal. The ratio of
audio reduction on a gate is usually fixed rather high, such as 1:20
whereas the expander would be more like a compressor; 1:2.
You know what it is, so when do you use it? Imagine controlling the rate
of fade. For example, as a song ends, all of the vocalists let the final word
of the song ring out. And you want all of their voices to fade away at the
same time. Using an expander, once the voices drop below a certain
level, then the expander could be set to fade at whatever decay rate you
desired. Granted, some of this might sound like it’s better suited for
studio recording but the fact is the tools are available and your mix might
benefit from their use. Remember, these effects processors can be
beneficial for both lead and backing vocals.
B. DUCKING
As in the action of “getting lower,” not as in the water fowl. Ducking

automation can be set up so when one channel volume exceeds a
particular level, another channel’s volume decreases a particular amount.
Ducking can be used in conjunction with lead vocals for automatically
reducing the volume of an instrument when the lead vocalist beings

singing.
An example of lead instrument / lead vocal ducking would be in a song

where the lead instrument starts the song with a very up-front
arrangement. Using ducking, the moment the vocalist starts singing, the
lead instrument is “ducked” down to a lower volume level.
Ducking is a “nice-to-have” feature in the live environment but it’s definitely

not a deal-breaker. I’ve mixed most of my life without a ducker. It just
meant I had to ride my channel faders from time to time and I’m perfectly
ok with that.
C. REVERB
Reverb (reverberation) is the reflection of sound(s) within an environment

which are heard after the initial sound is broadcast. The first reflected
sound is an echo. After that, it’s all the reverberation which lasts until the
energy in the sound waves drops to zero. Speaking in terms of audio
mixing, reverb is an effect which can be used to soften harsh vocals, add
depth to a mix, and add emotion to a song.
Just as reverb can do a lot of good, it also has negative effects. Reverb can
be used to attempt to mask harsh frequencies – something that should be
fixed at the EQ level. Reverb can clutter up a mix if it’s not used
judiciously. Too much reverb and you get a swell of sound covering up
your other instruments and vocals.
Reverb also affects the singer’s timbre. By using reverb, you are altering
their unique sound. This can give good and bad results. For example, too
much reverb or the wrong type of reverb can create a new sound which
makes the singer sound bad.
There are three common types of reverb; room, hall, and plate.
• Room: Everything about room reverb is small. It has the

characteristics of a small room. It adds a little depth and a little
space. Also, it’s a short time period of reverb.
• Hall: Hall reverb lasts a longer period of time and carries more
reflection. It carries a larger fuller sound. The smallest of halls is still
bigger than the largest of rooms.
• Plate: Plate reverb does not emulate any specific space. Plate
reverb is created through sound vibrating a metal plate at the end of
a tube. This metal plate vibrates rapidly. This reverbed sound
therefore carries a lot of early reflection. Plate reverb is popular
with drums. A benefit of plate reverb is it gives the thicker sound
you might associate with a hall reverb but for a shorter period of
time.
Which type of reverb do I use?
There is no easy answer to this question. Not only are there these basic
types of reverb, you can control certain settings of the reverb and how
much of the effect is added to your vocal. During the next practice
session, change the reverb type and parameters with your vocalist until
you find the right one for your situation.
Calculating reverb time
You can use your ear for setting the right reverb time or you can perform
a simply calculation for getting a good reverb time for starters, for quarter
notes.
60,000 divided by BPM (Beats Per Minute) = delay

60,000 divided by 120BPM = 500 milliseconds (.5 seconds)
This isn’t to say the reverb calculation is a simple formula for the right
answer. It’s might be for your situation at a given moment but let your ear
tell you when it sounds right.
A tip on setting reverb; digital consoles and reverb units can have settings
for selecting the frequencies in which you want the reverb to be added.
For example, take your vocal channel reverb and drop frequencies below
200 Hz and above 5kHz within the reverb settings. This enables you to get
an improved tone from your reverb because you are only creating effects
on those core frequencies.
Punch up your vocals

Use timed reverbs to help punch up your vocals. For example, add
reverb to a vocal only during the chorus. You could punch up your
backing singers in the same way. Not only is song arrangement
something the band does, it’s also something you do in the form of
your mix arrangement.
D. DELAY
Vocal delay has its place. Oh, I have heard bad delay placed on a lead
vocal…at which point the sound guy looked at me, grimaced, and
mouthed the words, “whoops.” The real problem, in such scenarios is that
delay is less forgiving than reverb. Bad reverb and people think the
sound is weird…if they even notice it before you correct it. Bad delay and
everyone notices it.
Whether or not delay is right for your venue, that’s an issue only you can
decide. But before you outright dismiss it, consider these two things you
can do with it for your vocals. Delay can be used to;
• Fill time gaps in a song, where you have an empty moment in your
mix that might be the perfect some for an echo of the last line of the
song.
• Produce depth without the lasting time of reverb. Now, we could
start talking about reverb time length options but look at it this way,
you could add depth to your vocal with a few sparse echoes instead
of a longer period of reverberation. The echoes can be pronounced
or not and you also get the added clarity.
What delay time is best? It depends. Let’s go with standard timing and
you can apply them where you find them to work best in your mix.
Delay times;
• < 20 ms (milliseconds): Produces timbre changes and can cause

combfiltering problems.
• 20-60 ms: The time in which doubling is easily perceived…
perceived…perceived.
• 60-100 ms: More of a distant echo. Can sound funky when slapback
comes into play where sounds start echoing off of the walls. Trippy!
• > 100 ms: Consider this the time in which people consider a sound
to echo.
Here are samples of delay on the vocal at 60 ms and 100 ms.
Behind The Mixer

Delay60
5,816
Behind The Mixer

Delay100
5,570
Calculating delay time
You can use your ear for setting the right delay time or you can perform a
simply calculation for getting a good delay time for starters, for quarter
notes.
60,000 divided by BPM (Beats Per Minute) = delay

60,000 divided by 120BPM = 500 milliseconds (.5 seconds)
You don’t have to use delay on a vocal, but there are times when it can
help your mix.
E. DE-ESSER
Use a de-esser for reducing negative levels of vocal sibilance.
Sibilance is characterized by ‘sss’ and ‘ts’ sounds spoken as part of word

pronunciation. The sounds of ‘t,’ ‘k,’ and ‘z’ are also included, though to a
much lesser effect. Sibilant sounds produce both low and high noise
components which can result in high-pitched “hissing” sounds as are
common with the ‘S’ and ‘Z’ sounds.
Sibilance isn’t entirely bad. Sibilance is important for speech intelligibility

so you can distinguish one word from the next. The problem occurs
when a singer has more sibilance in their voice than is ideal and you get a
lot of high-end hissy sound. The result is when they sing words which are
particularly sibilant in nature, their vocal line suddenly jumps out of the
mix…in a bad way.
The de-essers (de-s-er) should be engaged as the last part of your vocal
mixing. This guarantees the de-esser will only be taking out what is
necessary in the channel so as not to hear the harsh sibilant sounds that
crop up in the 2 kHz – 7 kHz area. The de-esser can work by compressing
the vocal line so the sibilance is present, but softer (less noticeable), or it
can work through a dynamic EQ in which case it reduces gain to only the
high frequencies. This latter type would be changing the tone of the
vocal.
Regarding the signal chain, look at having your de-esser hit after your EQ
and compression but before any time-based effects such as reverb. You
don’t want to add reverb to sibilance and then try to remove the sibilence.
De-esser’s come in the form of rack components or digital audio

workstation plugins.
DO YOU WANT A VOCAL

MIXING CHECKLIST?
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ebook.
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mixing guide to your iPhone, Kindle, or
whatever ebook reader you have. Take your
vocal mixes to the next level!
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Mixing Vocals : The Ultimate Guide to EQ'ing Vocals Page 1 of 43

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START HERE CHURCH AUDIO 101 MIXING GUIDES RESOURCES JOIN

Mixing Vocals : The

1. How Vocals Fit in a Mix

7. Mixing Vocals / EQ’ing Vocals

1. How Vocals Fit in a Mix

A. ARE THEY A LEAD VOCALIST OR

Backing singers can sing in a variety of ways;

B. MATCHING THE GENRE OF

Here’s where you might have problems. If your band plays a

• Mixing so the result sounds like your musical preference.

C. MATCH THE EXPECTATIONS OF

D. LISTEN TO THE MIX THE BAND

2. Key Vocal Qualities

There are several components to a vocalist’s sound. There is the

A. TIMBRE: VOCAL UNIQUENESS

Getting technical, timbre describes the unique sound of a voice which

• Spectral Differences: the summing of distinct frequencies, or

You can also hear that audio clip here;

Behind The Mixer

Play another track

It’s been reported that it takes about 60 ms to recognize the timbre of a

B. VOCAL RANGE

• Soprano: C4 – C6 (261 Hz to 1046 Hz)

• Bass: E2 – E4 (82 Hz to 329 Hz)

*Letter/number combinations represents the “note location” whereas C4

Note, when listening to a singer struggle with singing a particular note,

Cutting and Boosting on Fundamental and Harmonic Frequencies

Cutting a fundamental frequency of 800 Hz at -6 dB

Behind The Mixer

Play another track

Boosting a fundamental frequency of 800 Hz at +8 dB

Behind The Mixer

Boosting (shelving eq) a harmonic frequency of around 8000 Hz at +6 dB

Behind The Mixer

Cutting (shelving eq) a harmonic frequency of around 4000 Hz at -9 dB

Behind The Mixer

Play another track

The cutting and boosting at both fundamental and harmonic frequencies

C. VOCAL VOLUME

Every person talks at a different volume level. My friend, Brad, talks at a

D. VOCAL DYNAMICS

Consider vocal dynamics as the changing volume levels in which a vocalist

• “…the volume changes have a positive effect?”

Dealing with negative volume changes

Dealing with positive volume changes

Female Vocals vs. Male Vocals

frequencies in her voice. Mix vocalists by their voice, not their

3. Vocal Microphone and

What is a good vocal EQ guide if I don’t address microphones and

A. MICROPHONE CHOICE

I’ll summarize that information here;

C. MONITOR MIXES

Lead singers, who don’t play an instrument, need to hear themselves

Backing singers need to hear each other, themselves, and something to

4. Mixing with the End in

Mixing the lead before the instruments

5. Setting Vocal Volumes

Balancing the vocal level against the instruments is crucial in a well-mixed

Backing vocals…this is the complex part I mentioned. You have to know

6. Cleaning up your Vocals /

Next, clean up any offending frequencies by cutting them in your vocal