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Starting With Subtractive EQDe-ess with MB CompressorSaturn 2 for Saturation and TransientsSaturn 2 for Upward CompressionSaturn 2 for Stereo ImagingMB Upward Compression with Pro-MBOptional: Subtle Compression with Pro-C 2Additive EQ with Pro-Q 3Stage 1 Limiting with Pro-L 2Stage 2 Limiting and LUFS Measurement
When you saturate vocals it’s a good idea to first identify important frequency ranges, like your vocal’s fundamentals, and the mid frequencies that will receive the majority of harmonics. You can observe the harmonics that form by running a low-frequency sine wave through your saturator of choice.
When making a powerful mix, start with the low frequencies and ensure they don’t overlap excessively - typically it's best to attenuate overlapping lows on the bass track. Mid frequencies are also important when making a powerful mix, on which I’ll typically use parallel processing and upward compression.
When working with a harsh vocal, you can typically tame it by attenuating frequencies above 2kHz and below 12kHz using a subtle bell filter via an EQ. Attenuating 3-5kHz will help significantly, as will using a de-esser on 5kHz to 12kHz to reduce harsh-sounding sibilance.
When mixing with free plugins, starts by balancing your low frequencies using EQ and compression on kicks, 808s, and low synths - then, move on to your vocal by using equalization, compression, and saturation. Saturation will likely be used on your other instruments to bring forward more detail and control dynamics.
When doubling vocals, you’ll need to either record them, or emulate them by modulating the amplitude, timing, and pitch of the lead vocal performance. When doubling by recording, first ensure you have a suitable lead to stack vocals on, then record, then edit to realign the timing, and lastly process.
MVibrato - Melda AudioISOL8 - TBProAudioChowPhaser - ChowDSPKrush - TriTikBPB Dirty Filter - Bedroom Producers BlogBertom Curve Analyzer - Bertom AudioRoom 041 - Analog ObsessionBoogex - VoxengoMLoudnessAnalyzer - Melda AudioMangleVerb - Audio DamageVocal Doubler - IzotopeLimiterOne - CIS DSP Factory
When making space in a mix, a big point of interest is frequency overlap between instruments and removing that overlap. Attenuating 200 - 300Hz with a bell filter on various instruments is a good start, but saturation types, compression and how it’s introduced, and stereo imaging all play an important role.
To make deep vocals use a formant shifter plugin and reduce the formant of the vocal. This will retain the same pitch but will reduce the perceived depth of the vocal - some good plugins for this are Vocal Bender, Little Alterboy, and Harmony Engine Evo.
Ensure You Have HeadroomUse Precise Subtractive EQAffect Transients and Harmonics with SaturationUtilize Parallel Low-Level ProcessingFurther Process Parallel TrackFor Loud Genres, Use ClipperBroadband Additive EQLimiting without TruePeak DetectionReview and Automate Plugin FunctionsFor Complex Mastering Try DDMF
When stacking vocals start with a good lead vocal comp, then add unison vocals, harmonies, and full high and low octave unison vocals to fill out the frequency spectrum. Then manually edit their positions to align the performances, and use de-essing, compression, tuning, and reverb.
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When making airy vocals, you need to find ways to amplify frequencies above 12kHz - this can be done with EQ, frequency-specific reverb, or through unique parallel compression tricks. Since these frequencies can increase the chances of aliasing, it’s best to use oversampling when possible.
When mixing hip-hop music, some of your instruments will already have some processing - for example, your 808, snare, and any sample-based instrument. That said when mixing hip-hop it’s best not to over-compress, but instead, find ways to augment the timbre and presence of instruments.
