Logic Tips: Configuring The Vocal Channel Strip

How's that vocal take sounding? Chances are, it needs some tweaking - all vocal recordings need a bit of work. Logic Pro 10.5 is primed with some pro-grade tools that can be used to give your vocals some air, reduce the dynamic range and clean up sibilance.
In this Logic Tips tutorial, MusicTech expert Jono Buchanan shows you some essential tools to enhance your vocals. Learn how to effectively apply EQ and compression, how to navigate a de-esser and add space with Space Designer.
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Chapters
0:00 Start
0:07 Intro to vocal settings
1:28 Track listen
1:57 Analysing the vocal
2:51 Configuring volume
3:57 Tone processing
4:45 Dry vocal
5:06 Applying EQ
7:55 EQ A/B
8:35 Inserting a compressor
10:15 Compressed vocal take
11:36 How does the vocal sound so far?
13:07 De-essing
14:55 The de-sser in action
16:35 The signal chain so far
17:20 Adding reverb
18:11 Final listen
18:45 Changing reverb levels
19:20 Recap

[@ClarkWagaman-pw7to]

Great Tutorial..! You are clear, concise and to the point. Much appreciated..👍✌

[@artprojectsnz]

Such great, simple, to the point tutorial. Thx. JPMusic

[@rmdoHiFi]

Jono's explanation of each parameter in Logic plugins is priceless! Thank you!

[@wiseaxe]

At this point I look forward to every video from this channel- they are always excellent! This one is no exception.

[@MusicTechOfficial]

Glad you like them! Please support us by subscribing and sharing :-)

[@bassManDavis1953]

This has been a top piece of tuition on vocal processing, such an important area and this will really help me for any future vocals and will also get me to re-look at some of my previous mixes, which I'm sure will improve them greatly, thanks Jono, as alway a fantastic video.

[@deesee2008]

Jono is the perfect teacher. Thank you

[@MrWhiskeyfire]

Thank you thank you thank you. Perfect video instruction and so helpful. You just make sense.

[@edglue6138]

Thank you for taking the time

[@fcsgreen632]

Great episode. Thanks Music Tech and Jono, the man helping us all out!

[@MusicTechOfficial]

Glad it helped! Please support us by subscribing and sharing :-)

[@SamLeChiq]

Good info and appreciated. The vocals does sound pretty good...But, as a fairly experienced engineer myself (but by no means a know-it-all), I always understood that the reverb (and indeed almost all fx sent to the bus sends should be set to 100% mix whilst if they were in the actual channel inserts they would be set to a percentage of a 100. Just wondering your reason for not following this rule-of-thumb?

[@stevewalsh1718]

Really great dtuff. Am gorging on all your videos tbh. Very succinct in your delivery and so much appreciated. Thank you much Jonno

[@stevewalsh1718]

phew, the de-esser turned my 'S' into a 'D'.

[@lewisinkpress]

Meaty tutorial - REALLY helpful - felt like I had a ton of time to process what Jono shared -- still have to teach my ears to be more sensitive... Thanks MusicTech! Cheers!

[@MusicTechOfficial]

We're glad it helped! Please support us by subscribing and sharing :-)

[@bazrico9945]

Clear explanation...just subscribed

[@yabonney]

I've learnt so much thanks 😊

[@xelent1]

Love these tutorials

[@PipEastop]

Thanks very much for this excellent lesson. You are a terrific teacher.

[@MusicTechOfficial]

You're very welcome!

[@rickhorvath]

I must say you have the best tutorials !

[@BarthF]

Brilliant! Thanks!

[@pavelmadzharov7631]

Very, very nice. Can you please reveal more about how have you recorded this particular vocal - space characteristics, microphone, cables brands. It sounds great, really, really great. Congrats!

[@francissreckofabian01]

Thanks Jono, that was really good.

[@MusicTechOfficial]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@SBhaktiSangeet]

Thanku so much...for giving knowledge 😊😊❤❤

[@churchaudiolife]

really good! Good explanations. I was basically always adding a high shelf to my vocals, but way higher frequencies to avoid adding essyness. Interesting to shelf lower than add a deesser. Also, no hpf?

[@rickhorvath]

I can hear gating on the vocal. Would love to know how it was recorded and processed.

[@danielleamon2735]

Excellent tutorial

[@MusicTechOfficial]

Glad it helped! Please support us by subscribing and sharing :-)

[@gambooyt]

I believe people pay big money to learn this elsewhere and yet it's probably not as clear and effective as here. Thanks!

[@saintg1121]

Nice work

[@MusicTechOfficial]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@rosewoodmusic1340]

Thanks so much for yet another helpful tutorial. Your teaching style is amazing and so constructive. At the beginning, you refer to the "gain" control in the library, but sometimes it's not clickable and in grey. Any reason for that?

[@whostroubled]

Only audio not midi

[@Firetuna1]

Very Nice! But how do you decide on the right frequency band for the de-esser?

[@Waldo_Ilowiecki]

Genius ❤

[@MKD371]

It is better to de-ess first, without any eq informing what the de-esser should be looking for, then compress, then use any form of additive eq after the compressor. The advantage to de-essing before the compressor is the signal being fed to the comp is only the cleaned up tonally balanced signal sent to it. No harsh s's triggering the comp, for example.

[@yx2803]

Thats actually what i considered too. Having deesser maybe after eq but before comp. But thats just a thought occuring when watching the vocal mixing for the first time. Anyway, isnt it also better to put overall space design on the top of all trqcks to make it sound like the whole band is in the same room?

[@MKD371]

@@yx2803 Depends on what environment you want to place the sound stage in. If it's a 70's type thing, dry and to tape, then very little verb should be used, I tend to use Bricasti early reflections for that, or Sonnox verb at about 5 percent, haha, but yes on the whole, putting all the instruments bussed out to one or two verbs, one short and one longer, blend the two, is the way to go.

[@riccardoscaltro]

Great....what kind of microphone you use ?

[@el-bov8034]

You've changed the Release without turning 'Auto' off. I thought that function was an auto-release, no?

[@michaelnye9203]

Can I run my mic first through a reverb then into the Voice Channel?

[@timdunn2344]

Wow - I just flipped this on and was like - 'wait is that Jono who was in my class at music college?'

[@jamiesloane9312]

Haha, same for me!

[@timdunn2344]

@@jamiesloane9312 you were in our class at York too?

[@jamiesloane9312]

@@timdunn2344 - I was at Brighton mate, he used to be a guest lecturer there.

[@marcinkozlowski2880]

👍👍👍

[@santoschamo804]

Duro

[@peterdvideos]

How do you determine the best frequency to de ess?

[@whostroubled]

Have a listen with a eq

[@supersonicsroots]

Maybe it's me (or merely just a matter of taste) but I find this vocal to be a very bad example to use. She's hardly singing, it's whispering and moaning (to me anyways)... it would've been more logical to use a strong male or female pop or rock vocal for this tutorial. Just my thoughts. Otherwise, great tutorial.