Join Bobby Owsinski for an in-depth discussion in this video Building the mix from the vocals, part of Audio Mixing Bootcamp.
There's this school of thought that since the vocal is usually the most…important element in the mix; the entire mix should be built around it.…In this video, I am going to show you how to build your mix by starting with the vocal first.…So just like with all the other mixes, the first thing we are going to do is we're…going to bring the vocal up so the master mix bus levels read about -10 dB.…(music playing)…Once again, that's just an average.…
It will peak above.…It will be a little below.…I just want to get it so it's around -10, just so you have some head room left…for all the other instruments when they come in.…Now we are going to bring the kick drum so it's about the same level.…It doesn't have to be exactly, but you're trying to get in the ballpark.…(music playing)…Now we are going to bring the snare drum up, as well as all the other drums,…just so we can hear them, and they are roughly the same level as the vocal.…
We never want to go louder than the vocal.…If anything, we want to go a little bit less than the vocal.…
Author
Released
11/12/2011- Optimizing your listening environment
- Setting up sessions, subgroups, and effects
- Understanding which mixing elements to avoid
- Understanding the principles of building a mix
- Panning instruments
- Setting up the compressor
- Using noise gates and de-essers
- Understanding the concept of frequency juggling
- Using the magic high-pass filter
- Timing reverb and delay to a track
- Using reverb to layer the mix
- Understanding the Haas effect
- Modulating guitars, keyboards, and vocals
- Mixing with subgroups
- Tweaking the final mix
Skill Level Beginner
Duration
Views
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Introduction
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Welcome1m 12s
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1. Improving Your Listening Environment
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Fixing acoustic problems2m 5s
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Setting up your monitors3m 48s
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2. Prepping Your Mix
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Setting up your session5m 52s
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Setting up your subgroups7m 50s
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Setting up your effects6m 35s
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3. Learning the Basics of Mixing
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Developing the groove3m 46s
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Knowing what to avoid1m 15s
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4. Building Your Mix
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Checking the drum phase4m 44s
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Balancing the rhythm section2m 44s
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Balancing the harmony vocals2m 35s
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5. Panning
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Panning the drums6m 9s
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Avoiding pseudo-stereo7m 30s
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6. Exploring Compression
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Setting up the compressor14m 45s
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Compressing the drums7m 53s
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Compressing the bass5m 24s
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Compressing the piano6m 35s
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Compressing the vocals4m 34s
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Compressing the horns3m 55s
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7. Using Noise Gates and De-Essers
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Learning noise gate basics9m 23s
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Learning de-esser basics2m 15s
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Using the de-esser on vocals2m 23s
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8. Learning About EQ
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Learning frequency juggling8m 28s
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9. Applying EQ to the Rhythm Section
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Equalizing the kick6m 7s
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Equalizing the snare2m 57s
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Equalizing the rack toms5m 4s
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Equalizing the floor tom4m 32s
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Equalizing the hi-hat4m 56s
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Equalizing the room mics5m 13s
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Equalizing the bass3m 59s
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Editing the bass rhythm4m 21s
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10. Applying EQ to the Instruments
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Equalizing the piano4m 46s
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Equalizing the organ6m 49s
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Equalizing the strings6m 4s
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Equalizing the horns3m 22s
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11. Understanding Reverb
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Equalizing the reverb2m 51s
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Using the three-reverb setup7m 27s
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12. Adding Reverb
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Adding reverb to the drums7m 56s
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Adding reverb to the vocals11m 59s
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Adding reverb to the guitars5m 17s
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Adding reverb to the piano4m 19s
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Adding reverb to the organ3m 43s
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Adding reverb to the strings5m 36s
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Adding reverb to the horns2m 57s
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Using reverb to layer the mix12m 35s
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13. Adding Delay
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Learning delay principles1m 40s
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Equalizing the delay4m 23s
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Using the three-delay setup7m 23s
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Adding delay to the vocals8m 43s
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Using delay to layer the mix9m 55s
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14. Adding Modulation Effects
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Modulating the guitars4m 7s
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Modulating the keyboards3m 17s
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Modulating the vocals4m 17s
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Modulating the strings2m 58s
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15. The Final Mix
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Mixing with subgroups5m 5s
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Using mix buss compression4m 21s
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Conclusion
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Goodbye39s
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Video: Building the mix from the vocals