Producing The Weeknd's vocals with Illangelo

Full video available exclusively on mwtm.org/Illangelo-alone-again
A sneak peek of Illangelo's 'Inside The Track' series in which he reveals how he captures and enhances The Weeknd's iconic vocal performances
We're delighted to bring you a series debut featuring the wonderfully imaginative producer and engineer Illangelo! Hosted at OCL studios in Alberta, this video installment takes you on a deep dive into the creative process behind 'Alone Again', the opening track of critically-acclaimed album 'After Hours' by The Weeknd. In great detail, Illangelo reveals the software and methods he used to build the lush soundscapes, pristine vocals, and punchy low end heard on this immersive mix. With two different Ableton Live sessions, he shares the elaborate signal chain applied to Abel's vocal, his broad palette of effects, the master buss treatment, and so much more. Aside from demonstrating an array of mix techniques, Illangelo discusses his philosophy of “painting” with sound and imparts his vocal tracking workflow!

[@mixwiththemasters]

Full video available exclusively on mwtm.org/Illangelo-alone-again

[@souldiving4197]

For those that dont know : Illangelo produced, Trilogy, The Hills, I dont even need to say more.

[@trillntrilln]

Okay he goated

[@jwizdum2103]

The Hills is all you need to say tbh, one of the crazier beats of the 2010’s imo

[@MrBeastknows]

@@jwizdum2103 wait til you hear the entirety of Trilogy lmao. Initiation is definitely a lot more insane than The Hills, tho of course not as poppy.

[@francisegan1262]

@@MrBeastknows Initiation... the grimiest Weeknd song and I love the creativity of the production

[@gpgp]

Okzz

[@akmakeabeat]

The production on Abel's music is always beautiful. Producers deserves more appreciation.

[@rekanlanksbd]

illangelo is the producer

[@akmakeabeat]

@@rekanlanksbd I know

[@thekariosghost6935]

Producers of this caliber

[@akmakeabeat]

@@thekariosghost6935 Agreed

[@samplepackplug]

If you know you know.

[@summerboi4988]

he basically wants to say, use as many plugins as you can until the cpu of your laptop blows off.

[@1ayosim]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@rhuthu543]

what software is that bro

[@summerboi4988]

@@rhuthu543 if you're asking about which daw (digital audio workstation) he's using, then it's abelton live. but if you've no idea about music production then basically i joked about the number of effects hes using on the vocals, usually if you load too many plugins in a project worked on via a laptop, your laptop starts to become slow and crunchy cause the cpu can't take too much load of the vst plugins, or at least that happens all the time with my laptop. :)

[@jeffreyfloyd5709]

@@summerboi4988 i recommend using a gaming laptop. producing/mixing has become waaaay easier for me since then

[@oscargines2032]

@@rhuthu543 the daw is ableton live

[@lildeathbeam]

how cool is that this available for all of us to watch for free

[@poorballu7751]

Yes

[@huntrrams]

Better than a $200 Masterclass

[@mixwiththemasters]

Free video every Thursday for our youtube subscribers :)

[@puvididdle]

how is this free? it's just the trailer

[@kaiwin5809]

Do y’all think I have the potential to be a musical artist? Other than that I hope y’all have a fye💯 day!

[@NTesla00]

How cool must it be for him to have produced the Weeknd back in the House of Balloons days, to then still work with him almost 10 years later after he's grown astronomically. That's crazy

[@jwizdum2103]

Usually that’s how it goes when an engineer/producer and an artist have a great relationship in social aspects as well as sound, no way Abel was ever tryna work without Illangelo, especially when people started to hear his sound, Illangelo is incredibly important.

[@NTesla00]

@@jwizdum2103 Well said man. I dig your beats by the way, keep it up.

[@jwizdum2103]

@@NTesla00 Thank you dawg! Appreciate you for listening 🙏🏾

[@egg-iu3fe]

didnt abel screw over jeremy rose or something?

[@chrisitanarreola159]

Let’s not mention the other producer who gave The Weeknd the idea OF THE WEEKND SAD SINGING RNB LOL HE GOT FUCKED

[@konradnoises]

When you show the effects you use it means you understand that is not about the plugins. And it shows understanding that people CANNOT steal or copy your style to win over your clients (or whatever tf people who hide stuff think will happen), since the reason why it works is inside your head, within you creativity.

[@MrGreg474]

I agree with your point but some people just dont want to show drumkits or plugins for whatever reason. Whatever reason it is it will be valid for them

[@gigi78222]

I don’t get what you say because in this type of videos everyone shows which plugins are they using.. that’s the point, isn’t it?

[@MrArtVein]

TBH I have an account and although he showed some stuff he did not go into his "secret sauce" master channel processing. He even said that if he took it off the whole track would sound different. Kinda defeats the purpose IMO. I really wanted to like it but compared to other producers and mixers he was witholding fr. When I can see the entire session of a cardi B track with Leslie. Just my opinion, still thankful but I was definitely upset at the end

[@dillonjohnlane]

@@MrArtVein Damn, I was agreeing with the comment you were responding to, but after reading yours it seems more naïve. Guess they have to preserve some professional secrets.

[@DBLRxyz]

@@dillonjohnlane Of course its naive. Mixing is an art form as much as composing or mastering is. He contradicts himself by saying "the reason why it works is inside your head, within your creativity". Apparently creativity doesn't also apply to all the parameters on your plugins or how you combine plugins... Why would anyone that spent years grinding to find their own sound just tell everyone how to sound exactly like them? Takes the magic out of their individuality.

[@natesaracino1746]

Abel has some of the most angelic vocals ever.

[@MrJockeyHD]

Oh I’m edgy cos I say his first name

[@vamon5838]

@@MrJockeyHD ??

[@G.GordonMidi]

@@vamon5838 ??

[@eposa5421]

@@MrJockeyHD do you know what edgy means

[@kamrhd]

@@MrJockeyHD nobody that’s been his fan for years now likes saying The Weeknd anymore. It’s weird at this point lmao

[@sergiosaleh]

this is the first time i've seen an industry mix done in ableton instead of protools. so dope to see

[@TheKierensaysmaybe]

Well to be fair, he didn’t mix it, Serban Ghena did but it’s likely he bounced these stems exactly like we hear tho!

[@AlientoAcustico]

@@TheKierensaysmaybe he did it buddy, he mixed almost all the tracks he produced en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_Hours_(The_Weeknd_album)

[@ElMoShApPiNeSs]

@@TheKierensaysmaybe Serban only mixed 5 tracks on the album. Alone Again wasn't one of them.

[@Rhekluse]

Ah, I was just about to say this!

[@eman0828]

Protools is not a requirement if you are a Record Producer. Most DAWs are cross compatible with each other or you can bounce everything down to STEMs. Oak Felder does everything in Logic Pro, Vocal session everything. He doesn't use a Recording Engineer as he acts as both the Vocal Producer and Engineer when working with his clients in the studio. I do the same as well that produces entire songs in Studio One for my clients. I can littery open Protools sessions in Studio One verse vica.

[@Seriouspup]

This producer is very well spoken that was a pleasure to watch

[@jackenglish4885]

so true king!

[@poindextertunes]

very odd attribute to focus on when it comes to producers

[@caesium_]

I understand none of this but I still watch. Why? Because it's a masterpiece whatever it is.

[@SuperMax_____0.0_____]

Ooooookay

[@caesium_]

@@SuperMax_____0.0_____ okayyyyyyy

[@hxnnid]

Same lol

[@cripz1436]

Well I do cause I produce music but its okay if you guys don't

[@Rami-bi9xj]

@@cripz1436 I do too but damn I thought the first rule of producing is do not over do

[@ReidStefanMusic]

Illangelo is the greatest 🔥

[@sixsixseven2896]

Yes just like u

[@wiz8760]

And you bruh big up for you and illangelo

[@dheerajrao7682]

Back when i was young knew that i was great, couldnt see it going any other way. Hustle ya i hustle till they know the name. Till they know the name. I been visualising like its everything. See it through my third eye when i meditate

[@PalkoChris]

No, the dude is Lazy.

[@G.GordonMidi]

Yo! It's dat puppet that teaches me how to make 808 hit harder!!

[@lc8809]

ngl but he also deserve the Hype like Abel what a fking GOAT

[@akhilpatil65]

He added a million different things that make me feel like I'm doing something

[@timothydavis4161]

Omg I thought we’d never get a look into the creative process of a Weeknd song. These guys are so secretive. This is huge

[@megachadbrown7548]

1:47 “idk exactly what this for but it’s there” not something I expected The Weeknd’s sound guy to say

[@Remixable100]

Bruh you know how many projects we all work on. He knows what it is but not sure what it’s intended purpose was for lol it’s only an EQ after all

[@LegendWatters]

Been mixing for 15+ years and when he said that I knew exactly what he meant lol

[@DafterHindi]

It sounds bad but i assure that producers think the same way

[@BLUEGRASSCIRCUS]

I think he mean that he didn't remember why he uses this EQ cut in the original mixing process, but he knows exactly how to use this EQ

[@tweakin1531]

The Weeknd was on top of the world without people even knowing what he looked like, he comes back every 2 years or so with an album that blows the charts and literally never misses, recently he’s been showing off his face more and dropping more music videos and honestly the whole production is amazing from the beats to the mixing to the videos. If you seriously don’t think he’s this generations king of pop you’re in denial

[@EmpteeBluffs]

Wdym without even knowing what he looks like, he had music videos back in trilogy, even had music videos on kissland, which showed his face often, and beauty behind the madness, Starboy, my dear melancholy, like what are you on, he literally shows his face idk where u got that from

[@tweakin1531]

@@EmpteeBluffs his first appearance was a live show in Toronto after house of balloons dropped, he had a massive fan base and people didn’t even know if it was a single person or a group, The Weeknd was very mysterious on his come up , look into it :)

[@tweakin1531]

@@EmpteeBluffs the show even had a no phones, no guest list, no media, and the tickets could only be purchased in person, it took a while for him to be comfortable enough to show himself

[@EmpteeBluffs]

@@tweakin1531 well this statement is true but the original comment was inaccurate

[@tweakin1531]

@@EmpteeBluffs I probably worded it wrong my bad

[@jacksonischillin]

i love how the processing is all reverbs and sound design, the luxury of expensive mics

[@churricardo1457]

That’s only half of it, the other half is happening in the audio interface

[@dannyreinhardt999]

I don't think I always realize what an honour it must be to work with a voice like Abel's...

[@estebangallo1806]

most underrated song off of After Hours, illangelo a beast 🔥

[@drsauce2574]

what song is this called

[@estebangallo1806]

@@drsauce2574 alone again

[@asli9812]

@@estebangallo1806 one of my fav songs on the whole album.

[@StrykerGamingOfficial]

I watched the full thing and highly recommend it. It’s not really technical but shows music is about feeling, not technicalities

[@lareece1904]

Wow u watched the full 8 mins?

[@StrykerGamingOfficial]

@@lareece1904 no, the full 2 hour video that’s on the mixwiththemasters website. He breaks down everything from the instrumentals and plugins used to The Weeknds vocal chain, what’s on his mixbus, how the song was mastered, what emotions he had making the song etc

[@christianrae5179]

$49 to hear about feelings..nah.

[@ethanb3606]

@@christianrae5179 goodluck making music bud

[@JonnoRobinson]

@@ethanb3606 haha good call

[@MIS3RY.]

We need doc McKinney x Illangelo back together working with Abel .

[@femininemogul]

Best comment on KZbin 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@mkelly534]

THis man really knows his business. One of the true masters. Does not get enough credit in the larger world but he is an XO God!!

[@andrew-jrlumbe5311]

The movement is crazy🥵

[@vinsontomas11]

"idk why its doing that, but its there" LMAOOOOO

[@KidBowsur]

The epitome of music production. Sometimes it just sounds good lmao

[@justinhenryrebel]

@@KidBowsur for real

[@DRMegaone]

I had to double take on that one, but I let it ride cuz the work is on and poppin

[@DannySullivanMusic]

This dude EARNED his payday here. So much going on here that sounds absolutely amazing.

[@SheazyXone]

4:44 this man is so legendary he made Abel's voice sound like a piano

[@gmchessplay9043]

Lol, that's how autotune works. Gives a note to every sound.

[@AntonioThugga]

@@gmchessplay9043 That’s not just autotune, buddy. You newbies think autotune does everything. There’s much more plugins on that channel to make it sound like a piano and the autotune only helps it like 5%.

[@AntonioThugga]

@@gmchessplay9043 And it doesn’t even sound like a piano overall. It’s EQ’d to the point that it sounds almost distorted to make it sound like harmony.

[@aabc]

@@gmchessplay9043hmm this is what i think he would have done- first eq then prolly multiband compression and compression then autotune then pitch shifting it down and formant shifting it down, loads of distortion and saturation (to give distorted piano sound) post eq, prolly some modulation.. delay and reverb (lots of it) post reverb eq maybe some autoumation for the reverb swells and some panning techniques .. obviously i aint a pro so probably i am wrong just wrote it to say i assure u its not just autotune.. its much much more and i hate it when uneducated people like u try to judge something that u have no idea about

[@gmchessplay9043]

@@AntonioThuggaYes you are definitely a pro and know more than everyone else about what makes a voice match the pitch of a note. We should all look to you when mixing vocals or for any basic knowledge on mixing vocals.

[@diwasthakur7169]

It's so much helpful. Thank you Mix With The Masters for making it available 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

[@HORNGEN4]

I just want to hear it DRY

[@HORNGEN4]

I would pay for a subscription just for that

[@Cargo_Bay]

Same. But if you haven’t watched the Vevo live performance of this song, it’s so much better than the studio recording because it doesn’t have the heavily processed effects. The song hits different.

[@Esarjay]

This song is too good, and to be able to see this project file is amazing. Thank you so much 🙏🏽

[@SlendermanXXI]

His vocals are unbelievable, I could listen to it without a beat and still be amazed and taken somewhere else

[@iraklismoschonas5214]

NI’s “RAUM” is an incredible reverb, it has so much depth.

[@xander7099]

love coming back to watch this again. such a great mind and producer imo. was great to see it addressed about not needing all the hardware especially when you are moving around a lot. good stuff

[@DaveG707]

Weeknd has the dopest voice in music.

[@Jalexander14]

The effects are incredible, hard work was put into this song.. just pure magic

[@IanSolano]

Illangelo's presence and energy is indescribable!

[@sk-vj5ur]

Him & doc & all Abel’s producers are straight fire. Since the begging, best production I have ever heard in my life. No cap!

[@MadChatterYT]

Honestly, I could just listen to Abel all day. Such a beautiful voice

[@savanaviolenta]

The Weekend's vocals are so well put in the mix, well absorbed with the best possible hi fi reverb and it just sounds pure sweetness

[@briberysproductionhouse]

It’s so crazy that they named Abelton Live after The Weeknd 🥰

[@no1u521]

😭😭

[@6695John13]

Lol what? It’s ableton not abelton 😂 How much weed do you smoke man

[@TheRussianGenius]

@@6695John13 🤣🤣🤣

[@CBGCmedia]

I'm late but you killed me with this lmao

[@antonellomascarello4698]

After hours is absolutely a masterpiece. Illangelo is a great part of it. Thank for sharing !!!

[@jayjohnson4027]

I was so impressed by the mixing and creativity on the album. This guy is a fucking genius! This is ART!!

[@sixsixseven2896]

Illangelo is so gooooddd

[@sixsixseven2896]

This track is one of the most beautifully sung and produced out there

[@deitunegold4593]

@@sixsixseven2896 what’s the title please?

[@shavvanie]

@@deitunegold4593 alone again

[@deitunegold4593]

@@shavvanie thank you so much

[@cloudnumbers96]

Weeknd sings so well, the mixing on this compliments it so well

[@JennVix]

This track is flawless. Illangelo, you're magnificent, as is Abel!

[@ddinoboy]

4:33 sounds SO good on its own

[@gmchessplay9043]

He designed the song around the vocals, that's how amazing Abel's vocals are.

[@InfamousAWJ]

???? That doesn’t mean anything a producer is supposed to build the song around the vocals lmao. Abels have good vocals tho

[@user-rv7ge1tc4l]

this is literally vocal production lmao it did not have the instrumental. obviously it is going to be designed around his vocals? lol

[@InfamousAWJ]

@@user-rv7ge1tc4l Right? Lmao.

[@tungochuy]

The more you talk the bigger hole you dig for yourself

[@gmchessplay9043]

@@InfamousAWJ So you’ve never heard of an artist rapping or singing over a pre built instrumental? Ok…

[@manuele.itriagom.728]

Mixing is so beautiful

[@kidofthaworld9964]

This one is definitely worth watching full version

[@pizzaburgerslime839]

those vocals are something else. Daaaamn

[@raynbirdmusic]

His natural voice is incredible

[@pizzaburgerslime839]

@@raynbirdmusic I totally agree. I have in the vault some vocals of his songs. I could listen just the acappella and have goosebumps.

[@ruthlessxo99]

Angelic voice!

[@David4413]

This is a masterpiece at work.

[@flinskikun]

Sounds so magical

[@birdedex]

glad to see that the weeknd is working with him again, the man's a genius with sound, and a big reason why I started listening to the weeknd in the first place

[@BlackRootsUNLIMITED]

Mind blowing stuff. So much work goes into producing this Music. Watching from Uganda 🇺🇬👊🏿🖤❤️

[@ladidaix]

Abel’s voice is SO beautiful! Love watching exactly how the effects on his voice were achieved

[@doneboyremo]

We need part two 😭

[@joshuabreeden8720]

Trilogy is probably one of my favorite albums of al time i still listen to it to this day

[@LowTunedHalftime]

I can highly appreciate producers and the knowledge they have to make everything sound so clean and professional. I might not listen to pop music but I must admit the production of it is top notch.

[@aabc]

producers and engineers are the most underrated and overlooked people in the music industry

[@neelkandsharma4451]

0:17 am in heaven …. What a voice Weeknd can deliver ….. one among the best live + studio singer

[@cripz1436]

Watching this never gets old I love it

[@88Doug]

I'm soo glad I watched this! Great stuff!!

[@Tkyotripz]

one of the best producers

[@justingonzalez8309]

Literally no idea what he’s saying, but my goodness watching a master work on his craft is fascinating

[@KPEMJlEYOB]

Just wanna say thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. Appreciate it

[@ahiddenshy6539]

He say the words so clearly

[@tian_obia]

Abels lush vocals and amazing songwriting talent in combination with the incredible producers that he works with like Illangelo and T-minus is just chefs kiss, The Weeknds Trilogy album (along with Kissland) is so underrated but its really what helped make him the superstar he is today

[@diegoperezserrano7002]

Alone Again, such a masterpiece, without the instrumentals sounds sick.

[@ShermanBMason]

I like how intimidating this is. This is so much 🔥

[@CheloScotti]

not only a genius producer but a great beautiful personality!

[@jordanlyons7025]

abel should drop a cappella for every song

[@unimaginableboi7164]

yesssss

[@NativeInstruments]

Good use of Raum here 👀

[@CrazyHorse151]

What would happen when FabFilter, Celemony, Valhalla, Ableton and all the other plugin / software devs we see in this video would comment "good use of XYZ here 👀" in every video where they spot producers or artists use their software? Good use of marketing budget here 👀

[@1eighty]

Hey I need help with Kontakt

[@tian_obia]

Native Instruments showing up 🙌 Love Raum!

[@mixwiththemasters]

👀

[@melohypewill777]

I need that plug-in

[@dwanyemade7163]

this is insane mixing

[@tekis0]

I love COMMITTING to a sound. And when I'm really confident in that sound, that's what I do.

[@daily23]

The vid should be longer 😭 thanks for all the insights tho 🖤💫

[@MT-jq9ij]

Quality mainstream artists are very rare

[@xsartistry8476]

Such nice details fine tuning to a beautiful frequency

[@Jaa_morant]

We need more of him and after hours production

[@willstewartbeats8151]

That's a lot going on in the mix

[@magicninjabeats8048]

Dude has serious processing power and Ram to keep the overhead for all that

[@roanaya2598]

its a pleasure watching him produce and explain, most people don't know how to put one foot in front of another let alone explain their craft, this guy is smart, only straigh answers

[@Coolguy8623]

Most Excellent dissection , very detailed and informative . Thank You

[@kingdavidakinyemi]

dope video!

[@ayeeeck4512]

Weeknd's voice is fucking magical❤️

[@kxngjrmusicofficial854]

Amazing! Such attention to detail. You have this down to a science.

[@TrexMom]

Amazing, thank you for the upload

[@JayDeeOfficialx]

This is another Level of Mixing & Effects!!! you have to be a Jedai

[@TheEffex]

I need a blunt and 4 hours with Illangelo that’s my dream collab with producers yess cant wait 🦇

[@soniksaint3008]

Amazing! In the box in Ableton! What he is doing is revolutionary. Majority of Mix with The Masters is engineers using gear that is out of reach to the most. If you’re serious and creative you can afford these plugins and a powerful laptop...So much respect to him for showing his process❤️

[@yaboyyq]

so dope to see what really goes down.

[@mahadalisajid7374]

That harmony at @4:32 🔥🔥🔥

[@cesarq6011]

Best mixed modern album hands down. People talk smack on all the processing used for the vocals. It’s a stylistic decision, we all know the weeknd is one of top 3 vocalists in mainstream. IIIANGELO truly took his creativity to another level

[@gobrad]

Nice presence off that vocal... it be great to get that presence on a live vocal

[@xTigerx777]

wow. so much movement in his vocal chain. didnt know reverb could be processed like that - heavy but delicate

[@dm-ew6dg]

Only saw this now. Would love to see more of Illangelo.

[@shaunmasonmusic]

This is awesome. I was hoping for more of a breakdown of the lead vocal effects. Dude is smart he ain’t giving away all his tricks haha

[@GIRTHYANDITCURVES]

when he said one by one i got so happy mad grateful for the tour

[@novacorncob1222]

wow, this is a lot of new and. useful information to me, also your voice is very calming

[@MrFree-vj8qj]

I got the full course, I expected more about production in those 2h since it was also categorized there. But the whole class is just a huge list of plugins and what they did in that case, which is what works exactly for him, but it can make the beginners believe they need all that to sound great when everybody's different. Still worth it if you go w the subscription, its not a gem but its still good to see others approaches.

[@TheCuttyBrown]

Damn

[@koolkidapf]

wow. got a lotta respect for this guy just from watching this lol

[@fabianaadc]

this sounds heavenly