Music Mixing Megatips: Controlling Effects

Now that you have all of your vocals laid down, you must learn how to control the audio effects. Some people prefer to keep their tracks "dry" until the final mix down, however; I choose to add effect immediately after I've done all the verses. The decision is really up to how, however; you must remember to not "overdue" it when it comes to effects.

Clarifying Your Words

If you listen back to your song and find that you can't make out certain words, it's because you haven't added the Compression. Compression not only makes every word crystal clear, it gives the track a fully feel. When one says the word "Compress" it usually means to shirk, however; in this case, it enriches the track to the level it should be on. Compression sounds great on verse vocals, meaning all of the vocals except the "hook". In order to make the hook stand out, use the Chorus feature. Not only will it provide "feeling" to the "hook" it will make the song flow more smoothly after the verses. When some people record they forget that the verses must make a clean transition into the hooks, therefore; they forget to utilize the Chorus feature. To control the loudness of tracks, use the Limiter feature. The limited not only stops vocals from "0 and getting to loud it also automatically balances the Compression.

Recording Clean Vocals

To keep from using so many audio effects on a track, take advantage of a good pop filter. Not only will the pop filter keep your words from getting distorted, you won't have to use nearly as many effects to make the track sound right. Keep the pop filter placed at least 2 or 3 inches from the microphone, it will catch all extra "sss" and "p's". To avoid sloppy vocals, use the pop filter along with a tad of Compression. It's very easy to overdue the Compression and make your vocals sound "not human". If that's what you're looking for, experiment with as much Compression as you want, however; remember that it will sound completely different from headphones and audio speakers. If recording vocals, keep your eye on the vocal meter, if it goes into the red, turn the microphone down. Most distortion comes from the microphone volume being too high. Red means bad! Keep the microphone between the green and red area, if every time you talk it goes to red, try backing away from the microphone!