How I Made a ROUGH Vocal Recording Sound Pro

My vocal mix workflow for an inconsistent track: EQ moves & plugin choices
☛ Learn the go-to starting points for EQ and compression in heavy mixes with my FREE Mixing Cheatsheet: mixcheatsheet.com
Music Featured In This Video: Sundance by Dark Harbour open.spotify.c...
Watch This Next: Watch Me Produce & Arrange a Song Remotely • How I Produce Songs Re...
Music I’ve Worked On: open.spotify.c...
Website: hardcoremusics...
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MY FAVORITE GEAR:
Computer / Interface:
Mac M1 Studio Max sweetwater.sjv...
Avid Carbon sweetwater.sjv...
Apogee Duet 3 sweetwater.sjv...
Monitors / Headphones:
Avantone CLA-10a sweetwater.sjv...
Audio Technica ATH-M50 sweetwater.sjv...
Microphones:
Shure SM57 sweetwater.sjv...
AKG D112 sweetwater.sjv...
Sennheiser e604 sweetwater.sjv...
Shure SM7b sweetwater.sjv...
AKG C451b sweetwater.sjv...
Shure SM81 sweetwater.sjv...
Audio Technica AT4050 sweetwater.sjv...
Preamps/Outboard:
API 3124 sweetwater.sjv...
EL8 Distressor sweetwater.sjv...
Favorite Plugins:
BSA Clipper blacksaltaudio...
Escalator blacksaltaudio...
Low Control blacksaltaudio...
Silencer blacksaltaudio...
DSR blacksaltaudio...
Waves SSL Bundle waves.alzt.net...
Waves CLA Compressors waves.alzt.net...
Waves Platinum waves.alzt.net...
Slate Trigger 2 sweetwater.sjv...
SoundToys Rack sweetwater.sjv...
Auto-tune Pro sweetwater.sjv...
Vocalign Project sweetwater.sjv...
Cranesong Phoenix II sweetwater.sjv...
Instruments / Amps:
Ludwig Black Beauty Snare sweetwater.sjv...
Gibson Les Paul sweetwater.sjv...
Evertune Guitars sweetwater.sjv...
Fender Jazz Bass sweetwater.sjv...
Sansamp Bass Driver DI sweetwater.sjv...
EVH 5150 sweetwater.sjv...
Mesa 2x12 cab sweetwater.sjv...

[@hardcoremusicstudio]

Grab your free Mixing Cheatsheet to learn the go-to starting points for EQ and compression in heavy mixes: www.mixcheatsheet.com

[@legacygone]

no compressor, no eq, bad mic technique ... but didn't forget the autotune... 10/10

[@OtwanD]

It has been so long this mic was taking AWAAAAAAAAY FROM MEEEEEEE AWAAAAAAAAAAAY !!!! Anyway awesome video as usual, thank you !

[@Eldurrino]

Super smart move, using Low Control instead of EQ for squashing the lower end on certain parts. Will definitely remember to use that! Thanks for the killer content!

[@asispeakofficial]

@@DerSilvano😂😂😂😂

[@Rhuggins]

Or literally proQ with a dynamic low band/shelf/bell

[@josuastangl7140]

I was shocked how bright it got after the SSL EQ, but it works so well in the mix at the end

[@jstnfrzr]

It's absolutely wild to me that Phoenix II is a $450 tape emulation plugin with all the tape emulations out there today...also it looks like it was created on Windows 98. Funfact: Pro Tools Heat was co--designed by the Phoenix II creator Dave Hill

[@kolbypeoples6896]

I recently jumped through the same rabbit hole. Crane song is without a doubt better. Heat sounds wooly and Phoenix sounds harmonic.

[@RomeoRuizMusic]

Windows 95 ! lol

[@luxuriousfir]

Ahh yes the great plug-in scam of 2020

[@1verzhn]

In solo it sounds like snot is coming out of his nose and dripping into his mouth😂 from power crying. But man in the mix it’s dope

[@MrMockigton]

4.43 ahhhhhw that autotune glitch :D

[@10000dollarpyramid]

it's roooough

[@ric8248]

the autotune is absolutely dreadful

[@ric8248]

@@DerSilvano nah, it's not a factor

[@AudioReplica2023]

awaaayyy🤖

[@Jazzguitar00]

@@DerSilvano I don't think Jordan auto-tuned this so I don't know what you're talking about this. He also didn't talk about it at all.

[@ronallen2458]

It’s crazy how all of those artifacts in the vocal just disappear in the mix.

[@unlockedaudio5109]

When you listen to old recording from huge name artists (1970’s and before especially) there’s a ton of non-musical noise when listening to the tracks in isolation. Yet, the mix always masks all that noise. Audio is magical.

[@AudioReplica2023]

Yeah, that the definition of "fix it in the mix".😂

[@KevinOShaughnessyGuitar]

I know we’re not supposed to have a “fix it in the mix” mentality, but DAMN dude! That sounds really good.

[@mrcoatsworth429]

If you're not recording the band and are just handed the tracks, this is just what you need to do. Or, at a certain level, you can just say no, of course.

[@KevinOShaughnessyGuitar]

@@mrcoatsworth429 For sure. And I've been there. But this in my opinion is just a really good example of what can be done by a great mix engineer.

[@mattwhite399]

Master class… absolutely fantastic video!

[@NoBody-cv1jh]

full mix breakdown for this song! Great song!

[@BobK115]

I thought I understood compression until I discovered Jordan! Long time subscriber and fan. My mixes are so much better than they were before. Love these videos, keep em coming! Any chance we’ll see a new tracking and mixing series in the future? I always refer to the original one.

[@ssserotonin1373]

Great vid I take from this that plugin stack of the hardware leads to the fullness

[@number6photo]

Super-helpful Jordan - thank you! Not sure I would say boosting frequencies first and cutting them later is more or less “convoluted” than removing “offensive” frequencies first and then boosting afterward. As you said, you have your preference and it certainly works well for you.

[@Durkhead]

If your boosting the right freq you shouldnt have to cut any, But theres is this thing where if you put a cut next to a boost your creating a phase cancelation and some ppl say it sounds better

[@fattommy4436]

I’d guess its more about boosting the upper mids and treble into the compression. Get an even top end top work with, then dip what you don’t want. If you cut first, the compression will bring your cuts back up. You want to level the top end rather than have the comp acting on the lows which makes a mess. 2k and up is where all the consonants and transients live, so when you tame them with compression, and then make a cut somewhere - that frequency isn’t going to be popping in and out because the level is consistent.

[@number6photo]

@@fattommy4436 good point. It may very well end up being a quicker path to success by boosting overall and cutting back the offensive stuff later. My point was that the use of the word “convoluted” isn’t really appropriate. By cutting first and boosting overall afterward, you could certainly go back and make a deeper cut if the compression/boost ended up bringing out the stuff you don’t want to hear. That’s not “convoluted” (hard to understand) but it might indeed take another step to go back and adjust the EQ filter after the compression was applied. Being more efficient is probably a better description for the process you and Jordan are proposing, and thank you for explaining it!

[@Felixscan12]

This man is so helpful, always, damn.

[@rena10009]

4:24 are these tuning artifacts acceptable? like i know you got this track from somebody else and that was done by the prep guy. but that's like a bad job right?

[@thisisj88]

Great job on taming and enhancing that vocal take.

[@BoldSound-f2f]

Huge vocal chain!

[@guitarplayer5932]

yuuuuuge

[@rome8180]

Why not use clip gain before it even goes into a compressor?

[@popolokross444]

Amazing helpful lesson as usual Jordan, thanks a lot!

[@scottfaircloff9530]

Thanks for taking time to do this!

[@jkilco1]

Thanks for this! I'd love a video on how you got that kick ass bass tone!!!! Raunchy bro! 🤘🤘

[@danny_HP]

It sounded like this dude was raising a thick hand towel up to his face every time he hit a high note. I can think of no other explanation.

[@Dane_Riazer]

always deliver!! 🙌🏾

[@MrNoireclipse]

Even your "rough" vocal track sounds better than some of the stuff I've been sent as their "best".

[@MrNoireclipse]

@@DerSilvano as in you don't hear a lawnmower on the background, or babies crying, or a TV, or the distortion is wild, or bursts of noise, or phrases so quiet that raising their volume you can hear the power supply buzz from their interface..

[@MrNoireclipse]

@@DerSilvano lol, nice.

[@davidhayman9330]

super helpful Jordan thank you!

[@Gregypo085]

I noticed on the new Mac OS (14.4 I believe) there is a mic icon that will turn orange in the top right. This is a voice isolation mode and it was reducing loudness for me. You can click on it to disable it by clicking Standard. But I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what happened during this recording.

[@wesleyernestbaxter2697]

Awesome video very helpful definitely gonna use some of these points

[@robjohnson5829]

Thanks Jordan!

[@maximrecords5492]

Great as always!

[@47Libra]

Damn bro you made that vocal sound professsshhh

[@dma917]

another great video! really dig these

[@Uncrushed04]

Maybe you should just teach him how to sing

[@user-qf7hn3yh3f]

Thanks for sharing all of sweets

[@MattStretz]

The vocal tuning artifacts are so painful!

[@mattihuhta7871]

The vocal tuning is painful.

[@Kevin.Kelly.]

magic

[@PatrickObiang]

BRAVO!

[@richrude8228]

It would be awesome to have a cheat sheet for strings, synths, keys and busses. I’m curious as to what you would recommend.

[@henry4506]

What Drum Libary is used in the intrumentsals here?? Sounds like the Spiritbox Ones

[@chizzulwinduh1941]

Another great video, thank you so much for taking the time. Out of interest, what would you use if you were tracking the vocals? A Distressor - LA2A type? What settings would you use, the same as you're using here on the Distressor?

[@GeorgeAmodei21]

I would Clip Gain the sections to get super close w/ levels then EQ, Comp… & all that we know ow to do? I think that would get to the End result sooner & most likely better?

[@DrProgNerd]

Very cool. Thanks.

[@GarethGras]

Great video, is there a reason you didn't use clip gain on the lower parts? that would have been my first go to

[@flmason]

Hmm... interesting. Any idea how to get the nasal sound on words like "awaaaay from meeee" etc. where it sounds like a teenage surfer? (LOL!) My own voice gets that sound on the "uh" sounds on words where we often substitute that sound for other vowels. Would very much like a way to "fix" it, LOL!

[@AudioReplica2023]

I rather have him record that part again ..in tune.

[@lastcall9998]

"Cheat sheet" say that fast several times in a row.

[@hardcoremusicstudio]

I know, I always have to do multiple takes

[@AffinityKit]

OMG! you forgot to set the analog switch to off in the waves cla-76... :-)

[@TGSounds-qd5cq]

Awesome

[@flmason]

Interesting vid... says to me that vocals are as manipulated as say, electric guitar tracks. Gotta wonder how they did some of this in the days before digital when every effect had to be a device.

[@jj454]

Back then there were far less home amateurs recording and people were using proper studios. A lot of the fixing nowadays wouldn’t have been needed

[@brucewayne251]

Vocal intonation is most important with pitch correction. Straining to reach a note will destroy the quality of the tone even when it’s been tuned.

[@jeremevr6]

I need to know if this is worth it….. I canmt deal w the singers vocal style. Its like nails on a chalkboard. Should I come back?

[@alessandrosummer]

Great Jordan! Another problem of the vocal is it was definitely very mangled with the tuning: when soloed the tuning artifacts are really obvious, but I can tell there are even in the context of the mix.

[@joelvandam]

I noticed that too! I'm recording vocals for my band right now, and I know tuning to perfection is the way to go these days, but I'm way too perfectionistic to deliver something so glitched by tuning.

[@alessandrosummer]

@@joelvandam yeah I know that too since I record myself. Try to get the vocals as close as possible with comping (I sometimes record like a word in a take if I really can't get that word on pitch) so that you don't have to overtune the vocals after the fact.

[@joelvandam]

@@alessandrosummer Dude, I literally made a social media post about how obtuse I get when recording vocals, hating everything I do, only to find out that when I opened the file a week later, I sang almost to perfection. Haha.

[@alessandrosummer]

@@joelvandam 😂😂😂 I wish I was that good of a singer! My vox tracks look more like samples cut by a surgeon to be sent to a laboratory

[@rome8180]

@@joelvandam Why is "tuning to perfection the way to go"? Just because some other people said so? The fact that we assume we have to do this by default is a problem. Not only do we have a century of recorded music that says otherwise, but even nowadays there are major hits that aren't tuned. See Adele's "Easy on Me" or Justin Timberlake's "Sexyback" as two examples. And that's in the pop genre. We don't have to reach far to find whole genres where tuning is used minimally if at all (indie rock, etc). Just because Jordan insists that everything in metal has to be tuned and quantized doesn't make it true.

[@ahmedyadam7240]

Proximity effect Humming breathes too obvious Clipping many times Much dynamic differences Hard Auto tune on some words Not manual vocal riding but 6:1 ratio compression?! Delay with no feedback trick Micro shift are new to me 😮❤😮

[@Amnct]

Is there tuning in the raw vocal?

[@corex72]

What is everybody in this kind of a band sound the same?

[@DeejayRach0]

Good question

[@stevedoesnt]

I refuse to use any 1176 plug-in that doesn’t have the needle freaking out with l buttons in mode. 😂

[@dirk-lennarthogeveen5324]

How do you get this snare sound? Holy shit

[@iurigrang]

That tuning tho, yikes. and the cuts too, weird production overall

[@simong8527]

that tuning is recognizable solo, not in the mix

[@kaygeeceleb2491]

His voice was very close to the microphone

[@tortillaman2491]

Peace to the Martians on the planet Mars.

[@johanjof5613]

IMHO this should be re recorded. It sounds muffled, and there is nothing you can do about it. Defintely what you did help, and the poor recording is a bit masked before of the genre, but the crispness is not there.

[@stemdog]

The point of the video is that arent always involved in the recording part, and just get sent what you get and hope for the best. Im 4 minutes in and with two plug ins its already sounding much better. Its almost as if there is something you can do!

[@johanjof5613]

@@stemdog I understand the point of the video. For me it still does not sound so good, and this should be rerecorded, and it could as he was the producer. Again this is just my opinion, you are free to feel differently about this sound. Sure when you don't have the choice as you said... but why not re-record it when you actually can like here

[@matthewwinter5780]

The obvious auto tune drives me nuts. I can’t listen to that vocal line.

[@garethde-witt6433]

Totally agree

[@asdfasdf917]

It’s not that bad in context of the whole mix with that harmonies. That’s why Melodyn for example recommends to always tune in context of the whole mix

[@empiresSR]

It’s mostly fine except for those couple of artifacts, I’d have personally made the singer do some more takes lol

[@alejandrolupia]

😂

[@mrcoatsworth429]

​@@empiresSR sometimes you get recordings to mix and just have to make it work.

[@Keithhatesy0u]

It has been so long, since I wrote a not generic lyric. A geneeeeric lyric

[@Keithhatesy0u]

I love how bad the take is when he says "I can't believe that you're not heeeeereee" like it has this awkward level of confidence, while sounding like absolute shit. Dude needs to hang it up

[@mrcoatsworth429]

​@@Keithhatesy0uor, you know, practice? I'm sure you sounded amazing right from the start, though!

[@shmk1]

Comments are entertaining af 😂😂😂😂

[@asthemoon8296]

Lol, y'all music makers in 2024 still freaking out about autotune crack me up. I'm not saying it's the most transparent tune job ever, (obvi) but in the mix it sounds fine. Totally passable. Sounds great after some extra processing. I know this dude personally and he is an amazing singer. But this level of tuning is absolutely needed for modern production. Next thing everyone is gonna say is that you dont quantize drums haha 😂

[@forestcochran4196]

It's corny to do it as a rock band period, but the reason it sounds so bad is that it was done poorly. Whoever engineered it before it was sent to Jordan should've noticed that for sure. *Some* tuning is whatever, fine, sure, but THAT tuning is egregious.

[@andrewarbogast1]

ugh that autotune! Great tutorial though.

[@Desertphile]

In other words you took some horrible singing and hid it behind more noise.

[@adissabovic]

Dude gets all upset because of too much dynamics that he completely misses disgusting "autotune" shit...epic! 😆

[@tommyoster2700]

This Pitch Correction is really BAD

[@SM-wl2sc]

wow , that vox is 🤮

[@GavinSteiner]

I know it wasn’t you, but whoever turned on that autotune should never be allowed in a recording studio again. If the singer can’t sing , find someone who can.

[@user-fi1vy7jo1]

This is an embarrassing comment

[@GavinSteiner]

@@user-fi1vy7jo1 Ah, so you’re a millennial

[@simong8527]

@@GavinSteiner as if being born in certain time makes you lesser or something

[@mrcoatsworth429]

​@@GavinSteinerand who are you?

[@guitarplayer5932]

tip: when you take a public speaking class one of the first things they tell you is….dont smack your lips, your audience gets very annoyed very quickly, i lasted 2.5 minutes

[@BoldSound-f2f]

@@guitarplayer5932 bro, good advice, but for ypu

[@EddySchmidt25]

Nogaf

[@guitarplayer5932]

@@EddySchmidt25 gfy

[@greghillmusic]

Right off the bat, vox sounded fine to me. Them being dynamic is a pretty common thing. A bit click baity for me.

[@greghillmusic]

@@DerSilvano right and that's the way it is... I'm just saying, don't imply the vocal was out of the ordinary when it's not. That's just how I feel about it.

[@ryza4rox4]

Anyone looking for a free version of the distressor go try the kiive xtressor nuke! Goes ham