[LAU] processing lead vocals

[Ricus Vincente]

On Tue, 2009-06-02 at 17:40 +0200, Atte André Jensen wrote:

 Always listen to the track in the song before you make ANY processing
choices.  If it sits just fine except for a few places in the song you
might just want to ride the fader a bit with an automation pass.  Roger
Nichols (Steely Dan) doesn't use compression on vocal tracks.  He just
rides the fader til he gets a pass that he likes.

 If there are frequencies interfering with the vocals it might be that
the mix is pregnant in a certain frequency range, and other tracks might
need slight (subtractive) EQ.

 I do compress vocals, but to too aggressively, and like Roger Nichols,
I ride the fader til I get the vocal to sit in the mix nicely.

 Adding a little upper-end "air" will often make the vocals stand out in
a track and add clarity.  Give a little boost at 10K (peaking, not
shelving) and that often helps.

 Rich...


> Maybe it's got to to with genre (or taste or eays or something else), 
> but I really feel a clean track need something, for instance EQ, to jump 
> out of the track and lift it.
>