Get PRO Vocal Mixes With These 5 Fundamental Steps! | Make Pop Music

In this video, Austin goes over 5 key principles and steps to getting professional vocal mixes, every time. Austin goes over how to get a good quality raw vocal, how to control frequencies with EQ and de-essers, controlling dynamics with compression, adding vibe and ambience with reverb and delay sends, and layering the vocal arrangement to fit the song at hand.
Vocal Chain:
Lewitt LCT 1040 (Saturated Setting, 60% Tube / 40% FET)
Heritage Audio HA81A (Preamp Only, No EQ engaged)
UAD Apollo Twin Duo USB
Check Out All Of Our Free and Paid Content Here!
makepopmusic.com
Read More About The Lewitt LCT 1040 Here! *
bit.ly/3gC53Va
---
Listen to some of my work!
www.austinhull.com
spoti.fi/2Sqs3gU
DAW / Program I Use:
new.steinberg.net/cubase​​​​​​
---
Subscribe to our KZbin channel for more content on all things pop music!
Join Our Facebook Community - bit.ly/3nXYJe0
Follow us on Instagram: makepopmusic
Follow us on TikTok: tiktok.com/saucetinhull
Follow Austin:
www.austinhull.com
www.tiktok.com/saucetinhull
austinhullmusic
austinhull23​​
Make Pop Music is the #1 resource for independent pop producers, writers, and artists. Thank you for being a subscriber!
My Gear:
DAW: Cubase 11 Pro
Desk: AZ Studio Workstations
Monitors: Focal Shape 65s with Focal Sub6
Interface: UAD Apollo Twin USB
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
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:
Preview 0:00
Intro 0:24
STEP 1 - Getting a Good Quality Vocal Take 1:35
My Vocal Chain 2:55
Raw Vocal 3:40
STEP 2 - Controlling Frequencies With EQ 5:00
Using a De-esser 8:03
STEP 3 - Handling Dynamics With Compression 9:37
My Main Vocal Compressors 10:32
Extra Compression 13:38
Dynamic EQ After Compression 15:00
STEP 4 - Spatial FX 17:21
Widening Send 18:27
Reverb Sends 19:30
Sidechaining Reverbs to a Vocal 23:03
Delay Sends 23:56
STEP 5 - Nailing the Vocal Arrangement 25:40
Adding Panned Doubles 26:35
Adding Panned Harmonies 27:37
Adding Artificial Harmonies 28:10
Final Examples 29:50
Outro 30:37
* denotes affiliate link

[@adriansympson]

dude your stuff always sounds so crisp and full. just Super modern. would love to see you experiment with some hyperpop - sophie/charli xcx type stuff xoxo

[@justincase8533]

Perfect example of when you properly mix a good lyric you feel it and not just hear it. Thank you for sharing all this.

[@TomMcGovern]

gonna watch this video once a week until I have these moves memorized. so helpful for mixes in this genre. thank you for everything you’re doing with this channel dude!

[@BeatAcademy]

Crushed it on this one homie!!! :)

[@MakePopMusic]

Thanks king!!

[@BeatUnlock7895]

Love your work ❤️❤️

[@alexsapadin6622]

Dude, these tutorials are invaluable. Your music speaks for itself, then you follow up and give more detail anyways. Bless. Thanks a mil!

[@DodaGarcia]

The way you know your stuff is mesmerizing to watch.

[@elikamin5678]

Awsome as always🥊🥊🥊🥇

[@editname1385]

had to do a double take... never expected that. you show the potential of a recording. thank you for that!!

[@jdesja]

Love your super comprehensive video and it came just in time as I have to do a vocal mix soon. You explained all this stuff well - thanks for these videos!

[@mitchelldavid2916]

It's super inspiring to watch your tutorials because the music your making is stuff I would actually listen to and sounds like top level stuff!

[@THENAMEISJJAX]

This refresher course was so helpful. Thanks Austin!

[@thaimcgrathmusic]

Ayyyy right on time! Trying to improve the quality of my vocals on my stuff! ❤️❤️❤️ thank you so much dude!

[@morenorivera1173]

THIS CHANNEL HAS BEEN A HUGE HELP IN MY PRODUCING JOURNEY AS A NEWBIE

[@shellypage]

This is exactly what I needed right now. Thanks as always!

[@kanashi6736]

you've helped me a ton these past few weeks bro, thank u.

[@dafingaz]

Let's go! Incredible as always!

[@artur-ta]

Thank you!🖤

[@ArizonaMarty]

thiS might be the moSt helpful mixing video on all of KZbin. 10/10. Thank you.

[@skruuul]

Soo good man thank you! The quality is on point as always!

[@MrBandBBoy]

fantastic video and awesome song!

[@neantony1987]

Austin you are awesome teacher! Thx for all you doing for us)

[@altsound5293]

It's always interesting to see how you go about processing your sounds in general and the plugins you use (I mean the special plugins like RC-20, GreenHASS, etc.). If you don't have a video already, can I please make a request for a video on "top 10 or whatever processing plugins, why you like them and how you use them in brief". Thank you so much for everything you do. Keep up the great work.

[@OSdahl]

Thanks man watched it all. So much GOLD!

[@nimagholamimusic]

tnx alot austin👊🏼❤

[@neftalimendez10]

Te amo mucho! eres el mejor!

[@otvali5168]

this is so crazy good

[@samkenny3075]

Awesome. Love your channel-- and thanks!

[@carhartcarl1116]

Your videos are just on another level man+

[@Nonchalant97]

Danke!

[@mattclark7092]

Wow. Great video and super helpful advice Austin. Love your teaching method. Wish I would have grasped onto your methods years ago. Glad I found a channel that I can finally understand and learn from.

[@joaquintevez8021]

This channel is GOLD! You should have more views and subs! Thanks for sharing

[@CjDWIZ]

Love your style. Very informative video. 👏

[@stevenswisher4339]

Bro this song is heat, that chorus is awesome! Love the in depth vocal tutorials, that's my weakest point rn

[@walkaboutarts]

good stuff austin!

[@stormgamergd3900]

Austin, will you do a tutorial of how to make a electro house-inspired dance-pop like artists such as Britney Spears, Ke$ha, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Red One, will.i.am, LMFAO, Chris Brown and Selena Gomez?

[@GeorgePMusic]

excellent vid Austin -- soooo helpful mate - thank you :)

[@jarjar45123]

This is a really great tutorial. Thank you. can you do a video on how to add brightness to a vocal through saturation, eq, and if you do parallel eq/compression vs just on the channel itself? Your vocals are naturally bright but mine are too dark off the mic and need brightness and I’m not sure how to get clean pleasing brightness

[@nikolasalvezza992]

it still sounds very good without prozessing, cool

[@darlingtonpersonal]

This is amazing,can you pls make a video on how you mixed the backing vocal to sound the way they do pls,thanks so much.

[@AdamRigby]

You better be dropping this record Austin

[@MakePopMusic]

This one comes out in a few weeks!

[@bantei3908]

Thnk you sir i like to watch your video it helpful for me

[@favourhenshaw197]

Can’t wait for this song to drop Austin! Could we please get a video on how you process the adlibs? 🙏🏾

[@MakePopMusic]

Gonna go live and show the ENTIRE production and mix when it comes out! :D

[@favourhenshaw197]

@@MakePopMusic you’re the best! 🥺❤️

[@cekirdekci32]

i just need to watch it 3 more times:)

[@func.k.836]

I like your excellent videos.Thanks a lot! Only one short question: You said you want to decrease between 2 and 4 dB using the Waves DeEsser - but the plugin frequency shows 5500Hz. Was that on purpose?

[@a05632145]

learned alot from this video thanks for putting out all of these !!! really wanna know how u make this beat will you put out how you make this beat ?

[@andrewcurriermusic]

Another great video! Could you make, or do you have a video on how to produce a vocalist who's voice is naturally very dynamic in volume? Its hard to find the balance of compressing enough so the voice sits nicely in the mix without losing its natural dynamics.

[@pmrdimi]

I would love this as my vocals are very dynamic and I’ve struggled trying to get a good mix on my songs where my voice is everywhere.

[@coryhill6575]

You might just have to some db leveling automation yourself after your compression

[@sarf_music]

Thanks Austin for this video done really well, like all your channel content! The sidechain method of long reverb with the vocal is very interesting! It gives even more fatness to the background. To get it, did you simply effect the original vocal track with the valhalla verb?

[@MakePopMusic]

Yep! Super long reverb insert on the track at 100% wet then run the sidechain compression last in the chain!

[@graythawurld5726]

Hey thank you so much for this one question tho ,How loud do you usually put your instrument bus or instruments generally at??

[@kiliankraus]

this chorus slaps

[@MakePopMusic]

It’s my new single “clutch”! Comes out in a few weeks!

[@kiliankraus]

@@MakePopMusic I'll be looking out for it bro !

[@TheRealATema]

Love the beat. You didn't gain stage? Or don't?

[@TheReason101]

With background noise when recording I been using ns1 it seems to do the trick

[@MakePopMusic]

Yeah, NS1 is fire!

[@CHIBIXULTRA]

Austin, was curious if you compressed on the way in with via console? Great song, great sounds.

[@MakePopMusic]

No incoming compression 😁

[@kajammusicent.-djwhiteknig2931]

great tips Austin. A question for you , after you record a mono lead vocal, do you a normally put that same mono lead vocal on a stereo track when mixing ?

[@MakePopMusic]

Yep! I always track in mono then move to a stereo track just in case I want to use any stereo fx, or copy the vocal chain to a stereo bounce of BGV!

[@YuvProd]

hope u will make a breakdown of this song

[@MakePopMusic]

I’ll do a live stream where I break it all down after it releases!

[@YuvProd]

@@MakePopMusic its sounds like a banger! cant wait to watch it

[@lexlutor2062]

Master channel please😌

[@amymaelou7927]

I have a question! Have you ever used Nectar 3? I have such a bad ear for the EQ and I often find myself using the vocal assistant on it. If you have or are familiar with that plugin - do you have an opinion on how well it performs with the vocal assistant feature?

[@alt3810]

Cut eq manually 1st, then boost eq & compress w/ vox assistant

[@MakePopMusic]

I've never used Nectar 3 unfortunately

[@gamblegamer6503]

Great video Austin! I have a question. For mixing and some producing, do you have any specific studio monitors that you recommend? I really want a clear and honest sound, where it's easy to identify specific frequencies. The size of my room is approximately 113 square feet. Thanks!

[@MakePopMusic]

Focal Shape 65s! Great, clear low end, tight mids, smooth highs. Not ported so they work well in small rooms.

[@gamblegamer6503]

@@MakePopMusic Thank you so much! You are amazing!

[@watcher203]

Hey man, can you do the video from start to finish like from opening the daw and make a track in an hour or something.

[@MakePopMusic]

Go check out last live!

[@katzz_musik]

BOSS

[@onlylonely3220]

24:00

[@Quant-Beat]

Hey mate, you are smart. Could you say, yes, I can make a Taylor Swift Blank Space result with a mic Antelope Edge Solo with a Steinerg UR22C pre-amp/converter in a good room with the right vocalist?

[@MakePopMusic]

You can definitely get solid results with that! Good technique, good recording environment, good arrangement, good mix in that order!

[@Quant-Beat]

@@MakePopMusic My vocalists are not where I am, I order due to my script and my guide over internet. My plan to gear up the tempo, because I need to be present so we nail it, my plan is to travel to where they are, and I rig up my stuff to track into a laptop. That mic and that converter (I want to track at 32/192, even if it's not absolutely necessary, I want to have maximum resolution while I eventually time-warp and pitch-correct in VariAudio) and we go. I need a pretty good room, but we rent a place there. Thanks however.

[@alainpatry]

Would Cubase's "Imager" plugin be a good alternative to Roland Dimension D?

[@MakePopMusic]

Cloner would be my go-to swap!

[@rikkshow]

No. Use Overloud.

[@erikfox8471]

Austin please put some treble on your vocal on your videos when you talk......we love u! regards😀

[@MakePopMusic]

Looking into new mic options for our videos!

[@josealfonso5260]

On your sends, are those on post fader?

[@MakePopMusic]

Prefader in this example!

[@josealfonso5260]

@@MakePopMusic thank you!

[@ErikEkholm]

*thickening* 😏

[@MakePopMusic]

dumm thicc

[@janjohansenmusic]

”Hey Cheeta” 😂

[@kiliankraus]

random question to anyone reading this: Neumann TLM 103, Slate ML1... which one to get?

[@MakePopMusic]

I’d go Slate ML1 for versatility and quality in that price range

[@kiliankraus]

@@MakePopMusic duely noted, still on the hunt for mics so thats useful

[@contraspower6302]

🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏❤️🔥

[@streetbl]

DO I just have terrible ears, but I hear barely any difference with the Eq or Dessing... I'm listening on Sony MDR-v6 headphones...

[@MakePopMusic]

Definitely try some different monitoring because it’s a pretty stark contrast. Haha

[@streetbl]

@@MakePopMusic hmm I appreciate the response! Could I make a suggestion that I wish a lot of audio tutorials like this would do? Can you A/B the same section on loop, several times. For example, loop the same 5 seconds of audio, bypassing the effect or change every OTHER loop. Maybe do this 3-4 times. I find that in videos when you say this is the raw sound... then you explain something for a few seconds then you play the effected sound like 10-20 second later I lose my frame of reference, and have to fiddle with youtube rewinding and repeating, which is a hassle on youtube.

[@johnodero3992]

what if lets say you are doing a remix and theres only one stem...theres only so much you can duplicate

[@MakePopMusic]

It should have all BGV printed in that stem. For remixes, the vocal is basically mixed. Just EQ and compress it to fit it in your remix.

[@iliravdyli4109]

Nice but a lil bit to much processing this time

[@MakePopMusic]

It’s literally a couple EQs and Compressors. This is about as minimal as a vocal chain can get 😂

[@iliravdyli4109]

Its to hard compressd or maybe you record it to near to your mic or set the preamp to hot. I dont know what it is but its a lil bit to hot and harsh. One love

[@MakePopMusic]

@@iliravdyli4109 Different strokes for different folks I guess

[@hipethenomad]

@@iliravdyli4109 I personally think it’s the style of vocal. I love it!