When mixing vocals be sure to mix in the context of a full mix and not solo the vocal when mixing - additionally, use some subtractive eq, compression, and saturation in that order. Lastly, utilize temporal processing like delay and reverb after all of the other effects.
When mastering your track, a good first step is to use subtractive mid-side equalization to attenuate problem frequencies and control the image. From there, you’ll want to add some saturation, upward compression, additive equalization, and limiting all while monitoring your signal - then export the master.
When mixing music, it’s best to use a sampling rate of 48kHz or higher, and route your signal into busses. From that point, use subtractive eq, compress and saturate, introduce temporal effects like reverb to the busses, finalize levels, and then export multiple versions by soloing your busses.
When setting up parallel compression, it’s best to use an auxiliary send to run parallel to your original signal, on which you insert a compressor. With this compressor, compress the signal heavily before blending it back in with your original signal via the auxiliary track’s channel fader.
I know that we’re supposed to be discussing mixing; however, I really can’t stress enough how important the recording is when trying to mix vocals. If you’re the one in control of the vocal recording, record the signal to peak around -1dB to -3dB to cover the noise floor.
When equalizing, it’s important to know how to create a more musical sound - one of the best ways to do this is to base the bandwidth of your EQ curves on octaves. For example, the Q value of 1 Octave is 1.414 - this works well on your fundamental.
When compressing vocals try various settings including soft and hard-knee to find what works best for the recording you have. Also, try both saturation and compression, as well as a combination of the two to see if the character of the saturation fits the vocal well.
When you're trying to make your vocals sound crisp, one good technique is to use a high shelf eq and boost the highs - then follow it with a de-esser to control any extra sibilance. You can also use parallel compression on the highs and blend it back in.
When trying to make your vocal clean, it can help to use Izotope's RX to remove vocal clicks and potential clips. Additionally, you may want to use clip gain to reduce plosives, use notch filters to remove hum, and even convert your vocal into MIDI.
When mixing your mid-range, try using some saturation on the mids using frequency-specific saturation - additionally, utilize upward compression to that same range. If your mix can benefit some aggressive mids, try an aggressive bus that isolates the mids, compresses, distorts, and upward compresses.
Channev is designed as a channel strip for an instrument recording; however, if we bypass the mic preamp section, and subtly use the de-esser, equalizer, compressor, limiter, and tape saturation functions it works great for mastering. I personally love the wet/dry dials in each section.
When mastering music, try to avoid changes to your signal greater than 3dB when equalizing the signal, and avoid very narrow bands or curves. Additionally, some subtle tube or tape saturation and very mild compression prior to limiting to control your dynamics and create a full sound.
If you're trying to make your voice-over sound better, be sure to remove background noise with gating, use subtractive equalization to remove problem frequencies, and introduce subtle compression to control dynamics. Additionally, ensure that you've achieved the right levels for the distributor you're using.
When making a vocal chain, you'll want to process in this order: tuning, equalization, compression, saturation, excitement, upward compression, and then reverb and delay sends. There are other chains of course, but I've found this to be a great starting point with an overall professional sound.
When mastering for streaming, you'll need to keep loudness normalization in mind, as well as how each streaming service utilizes normalization is a slightly different way. When in doubt, master between -14 and -10 LUFS and set your output level to about -1dBTP to avoid clipping during encoding.
