Avoid These 5 Vocal Mixing Mistakes! (Compression, EQ, De-Essing, Reverbs,& More) | Make Pop Music

In this video, Austin goes over 5 common mistakes people make when they mix vocals. Watch this video to see how you can remedy common problems and create width in vocals, nail your compressor settings, de-ess the perfect amount, EQ out muddy low end, and clean up your sends for a cleaner, clearer mix.
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My Gear:
DAW: Cubase 12 Pro
Desk: AZ Studio Workstations
Main Microphone: Lauten Eden, Lewitt LCT1040
Voiceover Mic: Lauten LS-208
Monitors: Focal Shape 65s with Focal Sub6
Interface: RME UFX ii
Compressor: AudioScape 76D
MIDI Keyboard: M-Audio Code 61
Keyboards: Roland Juno DS88, Roland Juno 106, Arturia PolyBrute
Guitars: Fender American Professional Stratocaster, Gibson Les Paul Studio, Taylor 214 CE Plus
Preamps: Heritage Audio HA81A & Audient ASP800
Extra Microphones: Advanced Audio 251, Slate ML-1, Shure SM7B, JZ BH-1, JZ V67, Lauten Audio LA-320, Lauten Audio LA-220, Lauten Audio LA-120, AKG P170, Sterling ST59
Camera: Panasonic G7
Lens: Rokinon 12mm f2
Camera Lights: Neewer LED Light Panels
Timestamps:
Intro 0:00
Disclaimer 1:10
Mistake Number 1 2:05
Mistake Number 2 5:42
Mistake Number 3 8:35
Mistake Number 4 13:43
Mistake Number 5 17:22
Recap 20:35
Outro 21:12
Outro

[@idontcleanupwell-xb4ii]

honestly you're such a standout in the KZbin producer game lol

[@yan1232]

Another great video!! Thank you bro!

[@TheVelvetYear]

love how clean your stuff always sounds

[@jansleyreal]

This is awesome advice! I was honestly expecting more beginner advice like “put reverb on send not insert” but this was some high level shit! Thank you 🙏

[@emoboy_sync]

I appreciate the videos you make they hell me a lot with my mixing and mastering

[@AVDRE]

man these tips are actually realllyy goood to advance mixes

[@Quant-Beat]

I went to SAE Institute with the mindset that I was to only do electronic music, not been dreaming about vocals. I wasn’t imaging myself working with raw vocals I had written to a finished song. But my inner truth led me to realise that if I want to come anywhere in music I must have vocals, own. I started, then I spent thousands of hours only in vocals and that is the far most time requiring in making a full song. So no real producer or mixing engineer without vocal skills, from start to finish. Vocals are also the most difficult aspect to get fully right, in so many regards that it’s ironic. Every vocal trick is therefore worth picking up, as it might give something later on.

[@gastondelacaze4863]

Dude you are the freaking GOAT

[@senninoficial]

Great Content🔥🔥🔥💫👌🏾

[@kiliankraus]

Thanks for the video Austin! Would love to know how you get a good ear for production... like I'm sure the answer is to just produce a lot, lol, but it just seems your ears are so much more sensative to these tiny changes in the audio. If you have any recommendations on how to get that skill that'd be awesome

[@jeremiahlyleseditor437]

Great Tips Austin. You are good at what you do.

[@MakePopMusic]

Thank you! I needed this affirmation today!

[@ianromanovich]

Thanks!

[@oldtimer666]

Can u do video on 808 mistakes as well or howto make them bangin

[@jazzersi]

Amazing that the subtractive EQ makes the vocal seem louder in the mix. Great video - thank you.

[@MakePopMusic]

Perceived loudness can do a lot! Also, I may have had some gain boosted. Can’t remember at the moment. Haha

[@jazzersi]

@@MakePopMusic fair enough, but still 👍

[@galbinobeats7283]

Sweet!

[@Iamjoeday]

Seriously the best producer i've had the pleasure of working with

[@najohnny5795]

Could you make a video on using audacity for singing please.

[@soundengineeringstudy]

Good Tips. Austin, maybe you know i get trial 14 day UAD Spark, but when i put 2-3 plugins my CPU is 100%

[@rabhijith]

@makepopmusic : Can we use infected mushroom's wider in the bus instead of dimension D mate ?

[@saucebyte3196]

How do I death con 3 my vocals?

[@ronnigarner]

do you record your vocal in mono, i can see that your lead vocal is stereo ?. when I switch from mono to stereo, and use stereo plugin, my sound becomes somewhat loud. i record in stereo whit Townsend Labs, and then my Vocal is mono after mic plugin. but is it the same ? Regards Ronni

[@JiiNxMusic]

ALWAYS record in mono, especially vocals. You can use stereo versions of plugins if your vocals are routed to a stereo bus - that’s where you would place them.

[@jackc8120]

Why aren't you using the eq and compression and the other tools that come with cubase channel strip. Are they not that good? Thanks

[@MakePopMusic]

They're great! I just don't normally prefer a channel strip workflow tbh.

[@pietrocuniberti518]

love drums on this song!! what are they?

[@MakePopMusic]

Superior Drummer with HEAVY processing

[@billmcnelis5999]

Wait you use Cubase? Haha why did I think Ableton. Maybe it's both. Anyway I'm glad someone else under the age of like 50 uses it. Two things - those compressors - it looks like they're all inserts as opposed to sends? I'm surprised if that's the case, I would have thought parallel compression. And I'd like to know more about the compressor and EQ settings - it looks like there's a huge surgical cut at about 10k on the vocal - what's that all about? And even a small cut around 5k-ish but also a de-essor - I had been thinking I'm supposed to boost in the region to get presence? So much to learn...

[@MakePopMusic]

Always Cubase here! Definitely not doing parallel compression for my MAIN vocal compression, also, these have mix knobs so no need wasting a parallel setup in my DAW. And I cut in those regions because we used a SUPER bright mic and the vocalist has a very bright voice and we just didn't need it all. We had plenty of presence and pop in the mix without the harsh 5k and 10k!

[@dornbunthorn]

what drum sound are you using brother ?

[@MakePopMusic]

A blend of our drum kit Sour Candy and Superior Drummer!

[@abryllgile]

Can someone please tell me the title of this song? I wanna listen to the full song.

[@MakePopMusic]

In My Head by Nightbreakers!

[@abryllgile]

@@MakePopMusic Thanks for answering and for giving us another great tutorial!! I'm excited to try your tips for mistake number 4!

[@tevinmiles3533]

What is the song called and who sings it

[@MakePopMusic]

In My Head by Nightbreakers!

[@cy4ber684]

Could you make a tutorial on how to sound good even if you can't sing?

[@jackc8120]

So you mean like when you talk?

[@Jules-gt1ub]

So, a singing tutorial?

[@cy4ber684]

@@Jules-gt1ub more like how to process bad vocals

[@angurishudesu]

@@cy4ber684 bro just learn how to record good vocals 💀

[@joseph92lee]

Use vocal samples or learn to sing!

[@nieljosiah]

Day 3 of asking for a tutorial on an Alexander Stewart type song

[@kingkyoga9263]

Damn, I’m questioning my own ears now, because when you over de-essed It didn’t sound lispy or much less brighter.

[@NIGHTBREAKERS]

🖤🤍

[@PavelZabavin]

I think you need to speak even faster...

[@MakePopMusic]

I’ll do my best 😈