How to mix vocals that POP: Modern Pop airy upfront vocals with Waves & FabFilter Plugins in Ableton

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Here’s a quick rundown on vocal chain for high fidelity, crispy pop vocals. I’m using Ableton Live but you can do this in any DAW. This would work really well with some tweaks for Rap and Rock music.
The signal flow is important. Also deciding what to use on individual tracks vs busses is important. Everyone does this differently and it could vary from song to song.
I dynamics processing (compression and limiting) to make the vocal very intimate. EQ to remove unwanted frequences and boost clarity. As well as a touch of saturation to make it in your face and present. Some de-essing may be needed if there is too much sibilance. This varies depending on the singer. Lastly a touch of chorus to make the vocal pop.
On the track level try these:
Compression
CL1B, 1176, Waves R Comp etc. Some people slam them or you can compress gently, and compress/limit later on.
Corrective EQ (subtractive EQ)
Fab filter, massenburg, Waves, Stock Plugins etc.
Saturation (if needed depending on style)
Black Box, Native Instrumets Bite, Ableton Saturator, Kush Audio Omega
De-Essing (if needed, you can do it manually or use melodyne)
On the Vox Group or Bus:
Limiter
Waves, Fab Filter, McDSP
Additive EQ for “Air” or Top End
Slate Digital, Pultec, Tube Tech, Maag, Kush, Mastering EQs, etc.
De-Esser If Needed
Multiband Compression
Fab Filter Pro MB, McDSP ML4000, Ozone
Chorus
Reason Rack Plugin, any delay plugin, stock Chorus

[@MasandaWATTS]

limiter on the vocal chain, thats interesting, must try, thanks for the tutorial

[@LucasMessore]

yes! Do it!

[@robbeservaes3625]

the RAxx plugin is actually not a limiter I believe. It's more like a compressor with a fixed ratio and an automatic release control. It's based on the waves RComp. The RAxx does have a limiter in it's output stage, but that's not being used here, since the indicator led is not lighting up. Although I must say having a limiter in your vocal chain can get you very nice results

[@LucasMessore]

You are absolutely correct, R Axx is just a compressor designed for guitars but it sounds nice for aggressive vox. Definitely try using an actual limiter - L1, ML4, Brainworx etc!

[@robbeservaes3625]

@@LucasMessore definitely a nice compressor on vocals. Really gives them a bit of an "edge". I think I heard about 40 using it on Drake's backing vocals but I'm not 100% sure on that. Thanks for the video, really informative!

[@robbeservaes3625]

Manual de-essing is a very good tip! Same thing with manually clip gaining/leveling out the dynamics a little bit. Putting in the work to do these things manually really makes further processing work a lot better

[@LucasMessore]

Very true!

[@whome806]

Everything you said was spot on subbed

[@niganools1502]

God bless you man, I could not thank you enough for going through all this to give us the sauce 😭😭😭😭🔥🔥🔥subbed!!!

[@LucasMessore]

🙌