With this gate I’ll subtly attenuate the vocal whenever it falls below the threshold - with a softer knee, only a little lookahead, and a range of only about 3dB, I increase the dynamic range and reduce background noise.
The effect is subtle but will help the vocal sound a little cleaner.
With an EQ I’ll balance the vocal by attenuating unwanted noise and some of the fundamental with a 6dB slope highpass filter. I’ll rescue nasally tones with a bell at 1200Hz, increase clarity at 2600Hz, and subtly reduce sibilance in the highs.
I’ll reduce resonances to the full frequency range with thisSoothe 2 plugin - I’ve emphasized the low mids, removed the low-pass filter to attenuate highs, and increased the quality to high while blending the effect in with the mix.
To control the vocal’s highs I’ll use this Weiss de-esser and with its high shelf band, compress the sibilance by a few dB. In the settings, I’ll quicken the attack and release, as well as add makeup gain to the frequency range.
Try a stock plugin or this T-De-esser by Techivation if you need a free version.
With a softer knee, 2ms of lookahead, a 4:1 ratio, quick attack and release, and auto-make-up gain we can bring the vocal right to the front and increase details. Try to get between 3 to 6dB of attenuation for the best effect.
A good free alternative is this MCompressor by Zelda Audio.
The best way to add some clarity to a vocal is with a subtle exciter - this free fresh air plugin adds harmonics to the high-frequency ranges, as well as boosts the frequencies with a bell and high shelf filter. I’ll keep the settings low to avoid overusing the effect.
To reduce making in the mid frequencies I’ll use this Gullfoss EQ and isolate the processing between 250Hz and 4kHz. I’ll use solely the recover function to dynamically amplify and attenuate, depending on the incoming signal.
Currently, I don’t know of a free alternative so if you do, please let others know in the comments section.
There are 8 unique value-points inside the Sage Audio membership, so let’s go over each one so you can decide if it’s the right fit for you.
1. 50 Free Mastered Songs Per Year
50 free mastered songs per year with your own dedicated professional mastering engineer so you can get all your mixes sounding like professional songs.
You’ll get your own dedicated Sage Audio mastering engineer to create custom masters that are specific to you and sound exactly how you want.
Unlimited revisions with your dedicated Sage Audio mastering engineer. As a standard of our service, we are not happy until you are happy with the sound of your masters.
All masters are delivered as commercial, industry-standard high-resolution 24-bit HD WAV masters so they will sound clean and clear on every platform.
2. 1-on-1 Mentorship
The Sage Audio 1:1 Mentorship gives you direct access to us to answer all your questions and receive unlimited advanced mixing feedback directly from us.
Unlimited direct access to us for in-depth discussions to help you improve your mixes and masters.
Unlimited advanced mixing feedback with detailed suggestions for improvement.
Fast communication to answer all your questions and get tailored guidance that’s specific to your needs.
3. Unlimited Mixing Feedback
Unlimited mixing feedback so you can improve your mixes quickly.
This is highly valuable - giving you access to a thriving community of mixing engineers who can provide feedback about what you can improve before sending your mix to be professionally mastered.
SAU is a modern audio engineering education platform that includes in-depth mixing and mastering course curriculums that match the new music industry.
SAU is designed for every experience level, ranging from first-time mixing engineers to advanced engineers. The techniques and concepts taught can be applied to any DAW to create industry-leading mixes without expensive software or plugins - and free plugin alternatives are suggested throughout every course curriculum.
SAU course curriculums include Start-to-Finish session walkthrough lessons for multiple genres so you can follow along with your preferred genre.
SAU Certification Document, which can be downloaded and showcased on your website, social channels, and portfolio for as long as you remain a member.
Get first access to all future SAU course curriculums to continually build and refine your mixing and mastering skills as the industry evolves.
5. Mixing and Mastering Competitions
Compete in Mixing Competitions and Mastering Competitions to win prizes and connect with friends and colleagues.
This is a great collaborative way to improve your skills alongside both aspiring engineers and seasoned industry professionals.
6. Community
The Sage Audio community is a tight-knit community of passionate audio engineers who can provide you with real-world mixing feedback, meaningful discussions, networking, collaborations, and more.
7. 70+ GB of Curated Sage Audio Downloadable Content, Including:
36 multitrack sessions spanning multiple genres for mixing practice.
57 un-mastered mixes spanning multiple genres for mastering practice.
62 Recommended Free Plugins List (vetted, tested, and approved, so you don’t have to).
39 Recommended Paid Plugins List (vetted, tested, and approved, so you don’t have to).
58 Sage Audio custom plugin presets to improve your mixes and masters.
Sage Audio Membership Badge to showcase on your website, social channels, and portfolio.
8. 700+ Video Catalog
Access 700+ in-depth Sage Audio mixing and mastering videos - curated and organized into playlists so you can take a deep dive into all aspects of audio engineering with thousands of hours of concise, expertly crafted Sage Audio videos to continually improve your mixing and mastering skills at your own pace.
