Mixing Lead Vocals in the Box: How to Set Up Your Vocal Chain

The foundation of most songs is vocals - so set up your vocal chain right

By Ken Lewis (founder, AudioSchoolOnline.com)

I’ve been very fortunate to have recorded and mixed some of the most brilliant singers on the planet over the past 20+ years. But while a great vocal is forever, technology changes constantly. Vocal mixing techniques have evolved radically in the age of DAWs and plug-ins, and the techniques I and other engineers use have adapted accordingly. This article will get you started, and provide the “meat and potatoes” basics of vocal mixing by describing the vocal chain.

WHAT IS THE VOCAL CHAIN?

When mixing any given vocal, I typically use compression, EQ, and De-Essing as my core treatments. Then I’ll add effects—or not—depending on the needs of the song.

COMPRESSION – WHEN, HOW, WHY?

Compression controls dynamics, and lessens the need for fader automation, so your vocal never gets too loud above the music or sinks too low into it. Start with a ratio of 2:1 or 4:1, medium to fast attack time, and a medium to fast release. While observing the compressor’s gain reduction meter (as opposed to monitoring the input or output), lower the compressor’s threshold until you see very little to no gain reduction when the vocalist is singing softer, while making sure that the compressor isn’t clamping down too hard on the most powerful notes—you don’t want to end up with the loud parts quiet and the soft parts loud.

A compressor’s gain reduction meter indicates how much compression is being applied by showing how many dB of gain reduction was applied to the signal

Put the compressor first in your vocal chain unless the voice is really muddy or bass heavy. That way any equalization will affect the compressed sound; compression after EQ will “undo” some of the effects of equalization. However, note that bass frequencies can really push a compressor—so if you plan to remove some of that low end or muddiness, you might EQ first and then compress.

EQ – LESS IS USUALLY MORE

First time I saw a real Pultec EQ, I thought “this must sound horrible, it barely has any knobs.” Then I learned. Usually you don’t need a 6-band parametric EQ to sculpt a voice. You’re looking for the frequencies that bring out the enunciation and clarity in a voice—often in the 2k-5k range. High frequencies will help with clarity, but I find that lower mids are important for the perceived size of the voice. Use a tight notch on a parametric EQ to locate and remove real trouble spots, then enhance the voice making it present, clear, and big! Don’t overdo it, a little often goes a long way.

DE-ESSING, YOUR SECRET WEAPON

Proper use of de-essing often separates an unlistenable vocal from a professionally polished voice, canceling out the “sibilance” or “esss” sounds. If you hear S’s and T’s that feel like they are cutting through your ear drums, you need a de-esser. Try affecting only frequencies from 6k and higher. Set your detection to reduce and control your sibilance, but be careful. If you overdue it, you will make the singer sound like they have a lisp.

 De-essing acts very much like frequency-selective compression to reduce only “s” sounds

Usually I place the de-esser last in the vocal chain because compression and limiting tend to increase the loudness of your sibilance. However, if I’m mixing a voice that is noticeably too essey before I treat it, I’ll knock it down first with a de-esser and possibly still add another de-esser at the end of the vocal chain if compression has brought the sibilance too far in front.

EFFECTS – TASTE IS EVERYTHING

Effects are the crutch and Achilles heel of inexperienced mixers. Don’t overdo it, but hey, if the song calls for a big washy reverb, go for it! Effects help you place the voice into the space and mood you’re trying to create. Keeping a voice dry or very slightly effected will bring the voice to the front of your speakers and keep it clear. As you increase reverb, delay, chorus and other effects, you push the voice into the world you are creating.

Reverb can create an environment for vocals that gives a sense of acoustic space as well as context

Be careful that you can still understand every lyric as you process the lead vocal. If you want a more dramatic / cinematic / moody vocal, you’ll often reach for longer reverbs, stereo delays, etc. If you think you might be doing too much, it's a good idea to walk away for 15 minutes, clear your head, take a break, and listen again with fresh ears. This simple practice can often uncover any flaws in the mix that you may have overlooked.

THE VOCAL CHAIN CHECKLIST

Remember that it takes time and experience to master these techniques. If mixing was easy, I would have been out of a job years ago. If you’re inexperienced, make a mental checklist of your vocal sound.

• Can I understand each lyric?
• Is the voice clear and present?
• Are my effects washing out the voice or enhancing it?
• Do the esses and t’s hurt my ears? Am I de-essing too much?
• Does the voice ever overpower the music? (sound like karaoke?)
• Does the voice ever disappear too far into the music?

Remember that people connect with a song through a great vocal performance and lyrics. Make sure you are enhancing these and that what you do supports the vocals, the performance, and the expressiveness—all of those will matter much more to the listener than what plug-ins you used.

Vocal mixing can be frustrating, but stick with it and practice. Even the experts were beginners at one time, but they became experts through practice, experience, and being sensitive to the needs of the artist. If you want to delve deeper into pop and urban lead vocal mixing, I’ve created a complete online lesson that expands on the general information given here.

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Ken Lewis’s credits as a producer/songwriter/mix engineer/musician include 76 gold and 78 platinum albums and singles, as well as 60 #1 hits. His client list consists of artists like Kanye West, Alicia Keys, Bruno Mars, Ariana Grande, Eminem, Fun, Mariah Cary, John Legend, David Byrne, Lana Del Rey, and many more.

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Ken founded AudioSchoolOnline.com to teach others the art of making records. The site offers video tutorials on vocals, mixing, production, amp sims, keyboards, and various other topics. There’s also a blog, the opportunity to sign up for a newsletter announcing new lessons, the option to create lesson bundles, and more.