the relationship must remain constant .
In a heavy R & B or rock song , the lead vocal is sometimes , but not always , adjusted down into the mix just a little . The result of this kind of balance is rhythmic drive and punchy drums . In addition , the bass and primary harmony instruments are accentuated . In country music , commercial pop , or a contemporary worship song , the lead vocal is primary in the mix , allowing the lyric and emotion of the vocal performance to be easily heard and felt by the listener .
The sound operator should always be attentive to the lead vocal level . Even if the compressor is set perfectly , there will be several times during a song where the vocal level could easily be too loud or too soft . It ’ s up to the sound operator to make sure the lead vocal can be heard and understood , which demands 100 percent of the sound operator ’ s attention , 100 percent of the time . That doesn ’ t mean that you can ’ t or shouldn ’ t pay attention to the rest of the mix , but it does mean the vocals are ultra-important . When I ’ m mixing FOH , I virtually always have one hand covering the lead and backing vocals , just to keep them as perfectly blended as I can throughout the performance .
COMPRESSION The lead vocal in a live sound setting should be compressed . The fact that the voice has a wide dynamic range , coupled with the fact the sound system is probably capable of reproducing at very loud volumes , dictates that some automatic level adjustment should be applied . I suggest a compression ratio , between 3:1 and 5:1 . The attack time setting is dependent on the singer , the sound , and the genre . If the singer is a screamer , a faster attack time could be in order ; if the singer has a strong female diva sound , the attack time might need to be a little longer ( maybe 10 – 30 ms ) to help define the sibilance , increasing understandability . This is a setting that must be customized for the singer . You might well encounter a screamer that needs a slower attack time or a diva that requires a fast attack time .
Adjust the release time to fit the tempo of the lyrics . If the performance is fast , a release time of 50 – 100 ms might be called for . If the song is a ballad with a lot of long notes , a longer release time around 500 ms might be best . Again , everything depends on the song and the singer , so it ’ s very important to understand how intertwined the compressor settings are with the performance .
Adjust the threshold for gain reduction on the loudest notes only ; most of , or at least part of , the track should show no gain reduction . Your purpose here is to simply even out the volume of the track without extreme compression . In a studio mixdown , the vocal might be heavily compressed with a ratio between 2:1 and 3:1 . This approach sounds good in a recording but leads to feedback problems in a live setting .
Generally speaking , the more musically dense your production , the more appropriate extreme compression is on the vocal tracks . Conversely , the more open your production , the less necessity for extreme compression . Also , singers with excellent mic technique makes the sound operator ’ s job much easier because they ’ ll pull back a little on the loud notes and lean into the mic a little on the softer intimate notes .
PROBLEMS WITH OVER-COMPRESSING VOCALS In a studio tracking or mixing session , if the compressor is set for too much gain reduction , too much of the time , the resulting sound will be choked and thin-sounding . Try using clip gain in your DAW to increase the quiet lyrics ( low amplitude ) and decrease the loud lyrics ( high amplitude ) of the vocal track . This process helps control the vocal levels before they get to the compressor , which enables a more even compression and a much more powerful performance . If there are super-wide dynamics in the vocal , only the loudest portion of the vocal track can be compressed without making the entire track suffer .
See a video of this exact process . Notice that the peaks register a gain reduction of about about -6 dB . Simply reducing the amplitude of the peaks by 3 or 4 dB would let the compressor smooth out the entire track , not just the peaks . The Chad Hollister Band , “ Eyes ” from Telefunken ’ s Live from Lab Season 2 .
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VOCAL EQ The basic vocal sound should be full , smooth , and easy to listen to . Avoid creating a sound that ’ s edgy and harsh . Since human ears are most sensitive between about 1 and 4 kHz , a vocal sound that has a lot of content in that range can be hard on the audience , resulting in volume complaints that could prompt you to back off the entire mix level . A better approach involves sensitivity that boosting in that range might be problematic . It ’ s also important to understand that a volume complaint is often initiated by an overabundance in that range . Simply backing off the lead-vocal EQ somewhere around 2 or 3 kHz might solve the problem .
There isn ’ t much need for frequencies below 100 Hz because they are well covered by the rhythm-section instruments . It ’ s usually best to use a high-pass filter to roll off the lows below 100 or 150 Hz . Use your ears to determine how much of the low end can be removed without making the vocal sound weak and thin . Roll the high-pass filter cut-off point up until the vocal