Mixing Basics: Vocal Compression - Warren Huart: Produce Like A Pro
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- čas přidán 20. 08. 2024
- ➡️➡️Learn more about Vocal Compression here: bit.ly/2Hi1KRF
Today, we will be going over the basics of mixing vocals. Earlier, we balanced the mix using just panning and volume and got the mix to a place where we could start making better decisions. In this video, we are going to look at some really subtle ways you can make your vocals sit better in the mix using just compression and automation. In Pro Tools, this automation could be “clip automation”, but it could also be "volume automation" in your DAW.
Most people will use compression to color the sound, and to make sure it is always in the front of the mix. There are three ways you can do this: using compression or serial compression, clip gain/volume automation, or using a limiter, which can help bring out the personality in the track as well. Be careful when you are using clip gain or volume automation, as you want to make sure you are not exaggerating things that you will have to edit out later!
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Now that we've compressed the vocals, where would you go from here? What would the next step in your mixing process be? Let me know below!
Lately I've been using clariphonic to pimp up the high end then another compressor with a little saturation to DeEss. MJUC is a great one for adding more analogue qualities to the vocal and DeEssing with the tone knob and drive. I also like Waves F6 to gently duck out the problem frequencies if they rear their ugly head
BASS and low frequencies
Ya Know They" always say
misery Loves Company Warren?
Ha h ahh aha haaa
my Board just Took a Dump on my New Recording
it was Pretty close to Finished
Hahhah a aha haaaa
it is Peculiar
is it not
i was just compressing Vocals in the Master vocal..
Ha h ah hah ha h haaaa
i Think My Teck Buddy can Fix my Button
or something will be lost i can't Replace.
it's Pretty questionable
it was Great i should have let it Flyyyyyyyyy
Damn Machines
Deus x La Machina?
or ET La Machina
Well Seeee
i Needed a good Teck
i might Have The Best in Town so
Well Seeee right Bra....
i'll send you a Mix....
Bra.
Pray ok.
i made all my Players Play Instruments not Machines
Ha ha h ahahhaaaa
maybe the machines are Pissed right?
Ha hhahhah aaWell see Bra
Probably the acoustic guitar to hear the chords and to find a groove...
whenever I hear the word 'pro sound engineer' I imagine this man. one of very few pro teachers on youtube. thanks for the videos
Wow! Thank you ever so much my friend!!
I love the super focused vids that are basic yet very in-depth at the same time. Cheers Warren.
Hi Obsidian s Thanks ever so much my friend!
@@Producelikeapro LA2A and 1176... Which whould go first and with what ratios?
@@The_Absurdistt I would go 3:1 on the LA2A to 20:1 (just catching peaks) on the 1176. I hope that helps?
Warren, this is what the internet and youtube is meant for, sharing good ideas and knowledge. Being one who is old enough to remember the excitement over being invited into a bands rehearsal or to the studio where they would record, wow then this is amazing. Normally these rockers would let in sit still, and not say a thing, and here we have a great guy like yourself, inviting young people in, to learn about the magic of a studio, how it sounds and operates. I love these videos and learn something every time. Forever grateful. Love from Spain.
you are like that teacher ure glad to have cause u make things great to learn
or well
The Misery Seeking His own Comfort.
Wow! That is ever so kind of you to say my friend!!
I guess now we need to learn how to EQ and apply reverb. Thanks for the great content.
Hi Juan Pablo Mijangos yes! Marvellous idea!
@@Producelikeapro delay as well would be awesome.
Really good. The use of clip gain was eye opening.
Thanks ever so much my friend!!
it's a game changer
liked the example toward the end that exhibited when it is too much compression. thanks again warren!
Thanks ever so much Harmony Smurf!!
This is the best truly TEACHING video on vocal compression I've ever found. Thank you.
Wow! Thanks ever so much Adam
I will probably never record, but for some reason I'm just fascinated and entertained watching this guy.
Going thru this series as well Warren, also gold, i'm selective with my group of influences, and you are a real go to, again so much appreciated, thankyou.
Do you realize how brilliant you are? The best video on compression! Real professional shares his tricks👍👍👍👍👍
Wow!! Thanks ever so much
You’re the best Warren! The past year watching your videos has improved my music production tenfold.
It's simply impossible to watch Warren and not learning something new
Thanks ever so much my friend!!
Holy S... this is what I've been looking for . Thank you infinitely.
Yes, yes & yes, me too!
Thanks ever so much Gilbert!!
@@darlenesheffield9835 thanks ever so much!!
You're the best Warren! \m/ Greetings from Brazil!
salvando nossas mix
Thanks ever so much Jota!!
Solid tutorial! Pro Tools makes automation so dang easy.
It does, doesn't it?!
I cannot stress how interesting and easy you make everything to understand without throwing too many jargons. I have seen multiple "tutorials", and even though these are just the basics, you are doing a great job. Thank you!
Very good video which does not drag on too much and explains some basic and advanced notions of mixing and presenting a track in a mix clearly!
Thanks ever so much Ron! You Rock!!
This was a refresher for me, brought back memories sitting with Billy Kristian (Ray Columbus and the Invaders) hours and hours of tedious editing, even drawing down the peaks manually, the reason for this he had a standalone software that you could run each track through that would redraw precept loudness, the better prepping the waveform the better results. lol
Woooooow I saw so much stuff explaining what ratio does but your explanation was so incredibly spot on that I now fully understand it
Thanks ever so much
@@Producelikeapro No thank you for the amazing video
I watch you channel all the time, take it seriously as a "proper" school, thanks for this man, for teaching a new craft, and with style! can't wait for more stuff!
Hi David Martin thanks ever so much my friend! That really means a lot!
Invaluable stuff this. Compression the biggest mystery for so many when first starting. Great advice about compressing heavily and then having to compress everything to the same degree, it's something you can end up doing without realising.
Always a pleasure to listen to you, Warren! Even after the hundredth compression tutorial you're still inspiring! Keep 'em coming! You absolutely rock!!!
Hi Sounzz by hecking haha thanks ever so much my friend!
Instantly liked, just based on the title. And yes, our vocals are (almost always) too compressed. Can't wait to see your tips Warren! The concept of chaining compressors is one of the more difficult aspects for us beginners. I usually start with a CLA-2 for tone and then use something more drastic for coloring, but that's probably the wrong way around.
I just learned something there thanks Warren
Hi thesoundtree wonderful!! Thanks ever so much my friend
I think this was as much about compression as it was about editing the vocal waveform. Always useful to know.
Hi Warren, thanks for this! Love serial compression, use it a lot!
The audio editing (clip gain in this case) of Pro-tools is awesome! I work in FL Studio and to get the same result it takes a lot more work...
Have a nice holiday in my part of the world!!! (saw it on facebook ;)).
Hi Martin, thanks ever so much my friend!!
Fantastic!! Love it Warren. It makes it so much clearer!
Hi Songwriter Till thanks ever so much my friend! I’m so glad to be able to help!
Hey Warren...thanks for the tip on the Kali monitors in Ben Coomb's stream! Your channel is awesome! 😎🎸
You're very welcome my friend!!
Excellent technique. I went from being bored of the vocals to being drawn in which goes to show just how important it is getting those vocals right
Always leave the adds play , in a way to say thanks to this channel ! Skip adds = zero $
Warren, you're an awesome teacher making technical issues simple. Thank you
Thanks so much Warren!
Thank You for making this fantastic & timeless content! My recording woes, soothed.
Thanks very much
I envy :) You got singers who sound great and compression works great for them. 80% of the "singers" who get to me learn to sing at the microphone. And my compression begins with an explanation of what a vocal phrase is and how to BREATHE!... I watched the video with pleasure. Thank you! :)
I really enjoyed how you explained ratio and how you use clip gain to even out the vocals. I will definitely try that on my next mix 🤘
Yes, the ratio description was super simple!
Thanks ever so much Pablo!!
@@darlenesheffield9835 thanks ever so much!
GOD BLESS YOU, AND YOUR KNOWLEDGE 🙏🏼🔥
Wow, the ends of phrases... Key Concept here! Thanks, Sir Warren. Makes me think creatively!
Hi Brian! Excellent! Thanks ever so much for checking out the video!
Learned so much. Thank you.
finally! Knowledge and real tips! thank you so much!
Thanks ever so much!
I got interested in the specifics of serial compression and have watched a lot of videos to see what the gen is. Even though this is not exclusively about that it is one of the better videos I have seen. What I was looking for was the general specifics with thresholds and ratio (for example each compressor multiplies the ratio of the other one(s). Much of this video is also about tidying up vocals - which I know and understand - but it's extremely well done and good clear and interesting instruction. What amazes me about some videos is that they are supposed to be done by producers yet the video sound is appalling! That speaks volumes. Many thanks, very good.
Hi Warren, thanks so much for this tutorial, setting the compressor at the lowest level is a great technique. Using it now with your serial compression idea. Sounds great, thanks again :) 👊
Tubetart thanks ever so much my friend!!
you Sir are the BALLS! GReat Stuff!
Good tips Warren, thank you! It's always good to have more examples of situations demonstrating how we can use compression.
Thanks, mate, another great lesson!
Hi T W Tobin thanks ever so much my friend!!
Thanks Warren, Until I saw you do it then, I had never thought of fading like that when clip gaining (and didn't know that it was called 'clip gaining either')
Thanks ever so much! I’m so glad to be able to help
This is gold mate thank you! I only started producing 3 years ago and thought i finally had things sussed out! ive always used vocal samples but for some reason for my latest track i felt the need to use my own voice on it its opened up quite the can of worms lmaoo thanks for the great advice!
Very helpful - thank you
Hi Warren! I wish I'd had this tutorial two years ago, although I wouldn't have been able to hear the subtlety. Amazingly useful demonstration and discussion of the subject. Thank you! : )
My next step from here would be to rebalance (or add) the printed vocal fx, or create a rough version of the fx if they're not printed. Balance that with the background vox. Mute all the vox and move on to bass.
Thanks ever so much Lisa! You Rock!! Great to read you comment, I really appreciate your support and inside the Academy!
Excellent teaching! Thank you sooo much!
Dude this video is sooo juicy awesome work man thanks
Thanks for the sharing..your channel is the best mixing lesson on youtube
ur the BEST warren... from manila, philippines
Thanks ever so much my friend!!
Thanks for the refreshing series, Warren.
I love the Waves vocal rider for automating the volume, it works great
I don't have a 'normally' yet. While I'm working my way through your excellent tutorials I've been recording an album. I have just gone through and gotten everything basically balanced and some tracks don't really need fixing as such. I have followed your advice in that if it sounds ok the way it is, I'm leaving it until I get to the creative mixing stage. However, there are a couple of vocals that just aren't sitting right yet, so I've got a default eq, which basically fixes my cheap mic sound, de-esser and gentle compression, beyond that I'm gain editing. I thought maybe I was cheating a bit by putting a limiter across the dodgy vocals, but having watched this, I might just add serial compression. At the moment I'm treating backing vocals a little differently, doing less and deliberately leaving them a bit 'flatter' sounding. My confidence has increased leaps and bounds since I started following your channel. Thank you so much!
This works so well! I can't believe it. Appreciate the knowledge.
I was curious about the ratios in compression business, now I know. Thanks! :)
Marvellous so glad top be able to help my friend!!
Thanks. Great study. On my vocal work i do all of the above since songs need the right feel. Even is the vocals i suuper dirty and all the way back. Basci but great stuff. Gaining and clipping up the vocals phrase by phrase is almost a given for me in every song. Next steps would be to EQ, Fx and Chain out to other rev or delay channel fx. But tha all depends on what song and style me and the artist wants. Thanks for your never ending well of knowledge. Keep it up! Followed you now for a few years. / CHeers
Great to see you doing the job Warren, learn a lot on your channel and it's entertaining as well. Regards from Holland!
Very helpful stuff here Warren. Enjoying this series!
Very helpful, thanks for continuing on this song.
Great tips! Now, I'm going to apply them to Qtractor. Thank you!
Great Video! I like your manual work, old school. Thank you, Warren!
very useful thank you
In general i always scrub the breaths out.....fantastic segment Warren! I was just reading the other day about how some engineers put the L1 limiter at the end of the vocal chain, when i first started mastering the L1 was the plug in last in the chain..it has been replaced by the Mk stealth limiter but now i think i will put my dormant L1 into the end of the lead vocal chain..it was expensive when i purchased it so feel good about putting it back into use..! By the way I downloaded one of your free mix sessions and it sounds really good, didnt use all your drum tracks but got it to the point i liked it..i think there might be a point where you go over board on all the snare variations/mics/verb or what have you...the one thing that really made a dif was the hollow sounding snare sample underneath the original thin snare of the real drummer.! TY for all you do, appreciate you!
I recently tried putting the LA2A into limiter mode on my vocal busses and hammering it. I have always used it as a compressor on my vocal buss but I find in limit mode it does an even better job of really bringing everything together and pushing it out front quite nicely (this is after the painstaking detail work discussed here, and at least 2 stages of other compression on most other tracks in the vocal buss; ussually 2:1 and 3db GR on an SSL strip and 4:1 with 3-5db GR on a 1176 for leads and doubles and a DBX 160 on backgrounds with 5-10db GR)
You couldn’t have explained it better
I agree so much Mac !!
Hi Mac Joseph tanks ever so much my friend! That means a lot my friend!
Darlene Sheffield Thanks ever so much!!
Produce Like A Pro I mean it there was no more you could have explained. If a simpleton like me got it then you explained yourself well. Go live again so can send you money. Also I have connections with Izotope and can get you a free plug-in.
Thanks for the tip, Warren!
Such a great video. I live reviewing Warren’s videos. 🔥
Warren thanks
As always, marvelous video!
So basic but college never taught me that, not like that... Thank you.
Thanks ever so much
Great advice! I don't know if I'm crazy but I notice an artifact when he sings "old and gray-*zzt*", just afer "gray". 15:21
Great video! Before compressing I would check if there's anything that should be taken out or tamed, EQ wise. Then the compressor would work with a signal that better represents a "good" or more goal-oriented source. In this case it sounds great already. Loved the L1 after the compressors. Thanks!
You are great Warren!
Hi Warren, super helpful tutorial, thank you, all the best.
Awesome !
Great video.
I find the Studio One version of clip gain really handy for manual de-essing, and then if I need to I can EQ just that part of I need to change the colour of it a bit.
I like to isolate the quieter parts like you did, bring them up, and then add a compressor with a lower ratio. That way the compressor is doing less work, and you don't have to have an insane ratio. Basically, I'm combining the two. 🙂
This is awesome!! I'm learning alot of about mixing my vocals
Guru!
Hi sirshanghai you’re very kind my friend!
Awesome vid Warren :D !! It would be incredible to see more videos like this editing stuff in the different tracks. And how you would approach the vocals in the chorus?
There are many videos of the type you mention. Check out all his videos he does this many times. :-)
Sure i had watch them. But i refer in this particular track :) So we can follow the develop of the song
Love this Warren,Thank you!
Gonna give serial compression a try in my next mix
Valuable info, well demonstrated! 😎👍
thanks a billion learnt something
Hi david harris you’re very welcome my friend!
call me crazy (well that's beside the point) I use a limiter on vocals brick-walled to 3db and bounce to a new track, takes care of those head bobbers pretty well ;)
Yet another great session! Have you ever done mixing work with Apple Logic?
Hi Scott, I have it sounded great! I used all of my same plug ins!! Plus the stock Logic ones are amazing!
@@Producelikeapro That's awesome! Perhaps you could do a demonstration video of how to get the same results with Logic. I'm sure there are many producers and musicians out there who would be grateful!
@@scottallen3699 Marvellous idea my friend!!
Basic perhaps, but very interesting. I didn't know the L1 process when mixing on a console. Thanks!
freeze frame at 9:44 right after the phrase "modern pop and rock" to see truth face LOLOL
now I try to produce audio books and radio plays.
Now I would try to bring my voice, or that of others together with the FX tones in harmony.
You always say: "Trust your ears"
That's right ... But I still have no basis, no "normal" that I can trust.
How about a video on how I can train my hearing. It would be wonderful!
many thanks Lucas Lutz Erler
Vocal mix: HP to 150hz, scoop out 350 5db with medium Q. Run RVox through DDMF Metaplugin oversample 4X. THEN SQUASH IT!
The way I try to achieve that depends. I always compress vocals, but not always hard. If the vocals are very dynamic I use clip gain or volume automation.
And I guess this would be the same in PT: If you use volume automation and compression, you probably want to insert the compressor post fader, to send the already automated gain into the compressor.
bravo bravo what a pro nice smooth finight tight great small but effective movements of mixing the vocal I love it thank you Warren digital what a different world for audio
What do you think about parallel compression on vocals instead of serial compression as was shown in this video? That is what I've been doing before now. thank you so very much for this warren. this taught me so much and I am very grateful!! you are the freaking best!!
Genius. Should u use compression first then use clip gain then limiter? N how do u get the high peaks down? I didnt visually see the spikes come down after compression. Never saw anyone use clip gain. Super cool n made that vocal sound so good. If I were that singer I'd be shaking my head at how good I sounded lol
I'm curious to listen to some of my recordings that I didn't really apply anything to, and try going both directions on it. I think I can do these little things here and there that you are talking about. I know I can select and cut things out, but I do also have these other tools that I never knew I could use like how you are here with the fader etc.
Over all before I do anything to them they probably need some compression, because I never knew all this stuff before. 😊