Transcription
I'm about to show you how to mix any vocal recorded through an sm7b microphone using only stock and free plugins. For today's tutorial, I'll be using Logic Pro, but don't worry because every recording software has their own versions of the plugins I'm about to show you today. So, as long as you learn the concept, you can apply it to any of them.
In this session, we have two vocal tracks: one for spoken word and one for singing vocals. Because the process is pretty much the same, the first plugin we're going to use is known as a de-esser. This is a tool we use to minimize the sibilance of your recordings and to tame some of the harshness in your voice whenever you make an S sound.
And looking at the plugin, here's a few settings you need to know about. Threshold means at which point the de-esser is going to turn on, and you want to set it in a way that the reduction only happens during the S sounds. If you bring it down too much, it's going to cut all of the frequencies of your recording, which is not ideal. Reduction means how much of the frequencies we're going to cut, and of course, you get to choose which frequencies to attenuate. At the bottom, you can choose between the bell curve or a shelf, but since we're targeting specific frequencies, I'm going to choose the bell curve and then keep the settings on wide. Typically, sibilance is going to be found anywhere from 4,000 to 10,000 Hz, and this will change from person to person based on their own voice. But the best way I found to locate those frequencies is to pull up an EQ, and as your track is playing in the background, you want to watch out for some spikes in that frequency range. However, if your EQ does not show a real-time response like mine, start at 4,000 Hz and then slowly change the frequencies until you see the most reduction happening.
So, let's have a listen. This is a sibilance test, which should sound pretty harsh to your ears. To me, that was around 6,000 Hz, and as a rule of thumb, I like to keep the reduction around 10 dB, but of course, your settings may differ depending on how harsh your recording is. So, let's listen to the tracks before and then after adding the de-esser.
This is a sibilance test, which should sound pretty harsh to your ears because I'm really exaggerating the S's in this recording.
This is a sibilance test, which should sound pretty harsh to your ears because I'm really exaggerating the S's in this recording.
The next plugin in this vocal chain is subtractive EQ. EQ is short for equalizer, and it's a tool that we use to shape the sound of our recordings by either boosting or cutting certain frequencies. On a typical EQ, the frequencies will range from 20 Hz all the way up to 20,000 Hz, and the whole concept is if you grab any of the EQ points and you bring it up, that would be a boost. If you bring it down, that would be a cut.
Now that you know the basics, the first trick I want to show you is known as a high-pass filter, and you can access it on the left side. And when it comes to vocals, I like to keep the high-pass filter around 80 to 100 Hz. This is going to help remove some of that really low rumble that we typically don't need on a vocal. It can also be great for music production because it helps to free up space for low-end instruments to shine, like the kick drum and the bass guitar. Also, it's going to help minimize background noise in your room, such as a laptop fan or air conditioning system.
Next, grab any of the EQ points and boost it really high. Make the Q narrow, and then sweep around as your track is playing in the background. Keep in mind, nothing's going to sound great boosted this much, but certain frequencies are definitely going to jump out at you in a negative way, and those we're going to cut by about 3 dB or so.
So, let's have a listen. "I was waiting on a sign, wishing love would pass me by. Then you came and made me see why was right in front of me."
You're listening to the Shure SM7B dynamic microphone, which is the latest design of the classic SM7B, and this is what this mic sounds like in my vocal chain. I'm using a de-esser, and this is what this mic sounds like. And this is what the mic sounds like. And just by using subtractive EQ, you're really going to help to smooth out the vocal and make it much easier to listen to. By warning, be careful how much you cut because if you just go chopping away everything, you can ultimately suck the life out of the recording and ruin the vocal.
The next plugin we're going to use is a compressor. And if you're unfamiliar with compression, all it is is a tool that we use to minimize the dynamics in audio. Naturally, when we talk, and especially when we sing, you're going to notice that certain parts of a recording may be much louder than others. And so, what a compressor does is grab the loudest and quietest parts, bring them closer together to give you more even and balanced performance.
And here are a couple of settings you need to be aware of. Threshold means at which point the compression is going to turn on. And when setting the threshold, you want to make sure that your meters are hitting 3 to 5 dB of reduction on average. Ratio means how much compression will be applied. The higher the ratio, the more aggressive the compression, but when it comes to vocals, 3:1 or even 4:1 is a great starting point. Attack means how fast the compressor is going to turn on, and I like to keep it on a fast setting. Release is how fast the compressor is going to turn off, so I'll leave it at a medium setting, and this should give you pretty good results.
So, let's hear the tracks before and after applying compression.
"You're listening to the Shure SM7B dynamic microphone, which is the latest design of the classic SM7B, and this is what this mic sounds like."
"I was waiting on a sign, wishing love would pass me by. Then you came and made me see why was right in front of me."
Also, I want to show you how to do the same thing with my all-time favorite compressor, the LA2A. At the time of shooting this video, Universal Audio, which is one of my favorite plugin companies, has made this plugin available for free for a limited time, so I'll leave a link to it in the description below. But some of the reasons why I love the LA2A compressor is because it adds a bit of warmth to the sound, and it's extremely easy to use. All you have to do is play around with the peak reduction knob until you see the meter hit anywhere from 3 to 5 dB of reduction on average, and then use the other knob to compensate for the volume, and that is it. It is that simple.
"You're listening to the Shure SM7B dynamic microphone, which is the latest design of the classic SM7B, and this is what this mic sounds like."
"I was waiting on a sign, wishing love would pass me by. Then you came and made me see why was right in front of me."
By the way, if you're getting value out of this video, don't forget to leave a like and subscribe to the channel.
The next plugin we're going to use is additive EQ. This time, we're actually going to boost certain frequencies to enhance our recording. The SM7B has a very flat frequency response, which is great because it makes it very easy to listen to for long periods of time. However, this does leave a bit to be desired in the high frequencies. And so, what I like to do is to use a high shelf around 10,000 Hz, and this is going to help add a bit of detail and brightness to your voice. Also, if you feel like your vocal is sounding thin and you want to add a bit of that chest sound to your voice, try boosting around 100 Hz, and this is going to help to add a bit of low end to your recording. Just be careful not to overdo it, otherwise you'll introduce some background noise and rumble that was previously removed with the high-pass filter.
So, now let's listen to the tracks completely raw and then with all of the plugins.
"Now you're listening to the Shure SM7B fully mixed in my vocal chain. I'm using a de-esser, EQ, and compression, and this is what the mic sounds like."
"I was waiting on a sign, wishing love would pass me by. Then you came and made me see why was right in front of me."
And here's a pro tip that's going to help you save save a ton of time. If you're going to be recording yourself with this microphone in the same recording space every single time, then there's absolutely no need to do all of this processing over and over again. Instead, go to your recording software and save your session as a template. And then next time that you want to record, you can just create a new session from the template, and you'll have all of the plugins ready to go. And even though this tutorial was all about mixing, if you want to learn my entire process for recording vocals, then make sure to click on this video.