Mixing Your Vocals - Part II
OK, OK, it’s not THAT bad! Mixing is actually quite fun. No, honest…really. It IS!
As I mention in Part I, you need to start with vocal tracks that are pristine, ‘dry’ (no effects), and of the very best performance quality. Think of the mixing procedure as the Recipe, and you are the Chef. You MUST have the freshest, highest quality ingredients before you begin putting it all together…the sum is only as good as the parts! So…let’s start mixing!
Generally speaking, I ask the engineer (my engineer is the fabulous Jamie Bridges, of “Room With a View Studio” in Petaluma, CA) to first mix the instrumental tracks separately from the vocal tracks. “But I thought we were going to start with mixing my VOICE!!” Well, “Patience, Grasshopper,” is my response to you, O Impatient One. You need to build the ‘frame’ for your fabulous vocals FIRST. THEN you mix your vocals….So, where was I? Oh yes…
Obviously, laying down a ‘bed’ of sound with your instrumental tracks, onto which you then add the vocals, is standard procedure. This is the case UNLESS you are mixing a cappella voices or vocalise parts alongside an instrumental part. (To listen to a sample of what I mean by vocalise w/instrument, hear my version of the instrumental song, “Sea Journey,” by Chick Corea, in which I vocalise with saxophonist Jeff Kashiwa - of Rippingtons fame.) I will discuss recording and mixing harmony vocal parts later on.
Mixing of the instrumental tracks is critical, in that it provides that ‘frame’ for your vocals. Depending on the song - is a ballad? a samba? a rock tune? - the instrumental tracks should support and enhance your voice. You don’t want your voice to have to fight with any of the instruments. I find that this is especially true of the drum tracks. For me, the cymbals and high hats create harmonics and high-end noise (I call it ‘white noise,’ or ’static’ cause that’s what it reminds me of). I much prefer to pull the cymbals down in the mix, making them really crisp, but LOW IN VOLUME. You don’t need much cymbal. Again, that is my opinion. I like more popping or ’snap’ sound in the snare drum, and LOVE a good tom sound. All of the above drum discussion is MY experience, and is what suits my voice. That doesn’t mean it is appropriate for YOUR voice. For example - I happen to have a high voice, and my vocal keys are in a higher register. So cymbals clash for me. If you are a male vocal, or a female with a deeper, lower range, cymbals may be a beautiful, shimmery ‘frame’ that suits you well. Listen carefully to your drum mix against your vocal track, and see what works best for you.
Bass is critical, of course, as the rhythmic partner to the drums. Harmonically speaking, I like the bass to be mixed with a solid but very clean sound, very little reverb or delay, if any at all. The bass is my harmonic foundation, and to be honest, I don’t even want to have to think about it or worry about it…I just want it there, solid as a rock! (Make sure it’s in tune…CONSTANTLY remind your bass player to tune up during recording - even if he’s a pro and never out of tune. Ya just never know.). A good engineer knows how important the bass mix is. I trust Jamie to mix the bass, and the only suggestions I ever really make are on volume in relation to the rest of the tracks, in other words, balance.
I don’t pretend to be an expert on mixing of instrument tracks, so in terms of mixing the rest of the tracks in your project, I suggest letting the engineer do it. Then - listen to his mixes, for every song, very very carefully. Take detailed notes, in each song, using time stamp markers, to give to your engineer to adjust that mix. Remember - the instrumental mix is your frame, and you want it to SHOW OFF your voice, not compete with it.
Now that you’ve built the foundation and the frame for your vocals, it’s time to get into the actual vocal tracks and begin the process of MIXING IT!! I PROMISE…next post gets into your Voice itself…here’s where the fun really begins….Go to Part III!!
