5 Ways to Give Your Vocals More Depth and Dimension (ft. Soundtoys & Mixdown Online)

[@SonicScoop]

Big thanks to Chris Selim from @mixdownonline for being on the channel! Please check him out at www.youtube.com/@mixdownonline. And thanks to Soundtoys for making this video possible. They have a big sale going this week only at soundtoys.com Try anything they make for free for 30 days.

[@acceptances]

This guy seriously knows his shit. Really detailed attention to the fine elements that make something great.

[@DeltaWhiskeyBravo13579]

Excellent demo of Soundtoys. Recently got my full 5.4 bundle after a free Little Plate showed me how great Soundtoys are. Great work there guys. That student mix was very good too.

[@ernestdaniels1671]

Excellent video Chris. I just invested in the entire Soundtoys suite, so I will definitely use this technique when mixing vocals.

[@mixdownonline]

Enjoy, my friend!

[@Yahoomediaclub]

Great well explained tutorial. Thanks

[@Jake_Bars]

Good to see Chris here!! Great video!. Thanks.

[@SonicScoop]

Agreed! :-) -Justin

[@mixdownonline]

Thank you, my friend!

[@DreamsongsProductions]

Great video. Good work Chris!

[@3dogrecordingstudio628]

Great information given here. I love that widener, I'm going to have to check it out. Thank you brother

[@mixdownonline]

You're welcome, Andy!

[@rome8180]

For a doubler, I've actually come to prefer the Crystallizer to the MicroShift. It has a preset called "Great Doubler." I can't remember where I first saw someone recommend this. Maybe MixBusTV? Anyway, I find that it has a bit more dimension and texture than the MicroShift. Sometimes I'll tweak some of the settings, but usually I just leave the preset as is. I find myself sending all my vocals to it and a lot of my guitars. I've even used it on the snare.

[@mixdownonline]

Good idea, I'll have to try that one out!

[@josuastangl7140]

I’ll try that, thank you, didn’t know!

[@DeltaWhiskeyBravo13579]

Good info. I'll have to try it.

[@Magnetic1908]

Best plug-in companies: 1. Waves 2. Izotope 3. Sound Toys 4. Fab Filter 5. SoftTube

[@sekritskworl-sekrit_studios]

Sorry that I missed this @Mixdownonline. You provide GREAT content, and I hope that @SonicScoop has you as a guest more frequently. By the way, hopefully you will re-join us during another @Cubase Zoom Hangout, and perhaps you may even invite @Justin Colleti to engage with us as well.

[@SonicScoop]

Love having Chris on the channel! We plan to have him on the SonicScoop Podcast soon. Would love to hang out there as well. Very best, Justin

[@sekritskworl-sekrit_studios]

@@SonicScoop It'd be great to have you. There is a @Cubase hangout on Zoom, every final Cubase hangout of the month (which occur on Tuesdays & Fridays). The next one will be this coming Friday at around 3PM E.S.T. (though it is short notice, and of course your schedule probably does not allow for such quick penning of new plans). There will be a number of us excited to speak with you and ask questions, when you can come.

[@mixdownonline]

@@sekritskworl-sekrit_studios Thanks! I will get back for a visit on the Zoom call this fall, I had a good time the first time :-)

[@sekritskworl-sekrit_studios]

@@mixdownonline That's awesome! Because we really enjoyed your company and your professional insights. I (and I feel comfortable saying this for all of us), hope that you and your family are transitioning happily and comfortably to your new area, and that you are met in that area with great success.

[@DavidGilden]

Great reverb chain in Effect Rack! Is it available as a preset that we can download?

[@SonicScoop]

I don’t think so, but it would be cool to see that happen!

[@TheirIAre]

I have a desperate question. I have a mix that sounds pretty solid on my studio monitors and Neumann headphones ( with sonar works calibration) but when i listen to it on my Bluetooth speaker there is so much pumping. Why do you suppose this is the case?????? Please help

[@SonicScoop]

The first big question is whether or not other mixes sound like that on that system. Have you heard other music in your style on that speaker, and if so, how does the low end sound compared to yours? -Justin

[@carlos-ni4hn]

Heyyy justinnn you already have a sponsor for Jason ?? looking forward to seeing in the mix con 2023?

[@SonicScoop]

Haven’t locked him down for this year as of yet unfortunately! But still in talks with a potential sponsor for it. It’s not mount very likely for this year, but I haven’t given up yet

[@carlos-ni4hn]

@@SonicScoop let's see if you can bring it, it would be a bomb this year

[@nottypebeats7667]

Honestly I think the original drier vocal sounds better... at least for this genre. The widening / microshift ruins it for me. The new plate reverb is quite nice though.

[@AppAxis]

I tend to agree with you here. The genre fits for the LESS treated vocal.

[@SonicScoop]

Whether it’s the best fit for the track is totally a subjective call, but I think Chris did a good demonstration of the concept no matter what you like :-) -Justin

[@AppAxis]

@@SonicScoop I loved the tutorial ❤️ 😀 huge fan of you BOTH!

[@nottypebeats7667]

@@SonicScoop For sure )))

[@mixdownonline]

Yes, this video is more about the concept, and demonstration of different things you can do to add depth, and dimension to a vocal, more than how to mix this specific vocal track. That will be for another video :-)

[@chizzulwinduh1941]

Great stuff again Chris and thank you. Only downside for me is; don't you think SoundToys are a bit...old fashioned, and lacking compared to the modern competition? I know they are, especially when you compare modern equivalents. I know they're like Waves, they're kind of trading on their previous success and the past. They do sound good, but there is free stuff and more cost effective plugins with more features out there. Justin is sponsored by ST though isn't he? I not that this is also sponsored by ST. Sound Toys are not for me thanks, even though I have them, their time is over, just my 2 cents.

[@SonicScoop]

Totally subjective! I don’t know, but a lot of really established mixers are using them to this day. This is the music industry. People obsess over 80 year old microphones. It’s not surprising that 10 year old plug-ins can still sound amazing and be fun to use :-) As far as cost benefit, the individual plugins are remarkably inexpensive if you buy the bundle, and then you have them for life. (Even moreso when they are on sale like now.) As for sponsorship, Soundtoys is invited to sponsor because I really like their stuff, not the other way around! :-) I’m a fan and a user. But it’s great that there are a lot of options out there. -Justin

[@mixdownonline]

To be honest with you, I don't see them as "Old Fashioned", and far from it, it's what you do with them that will make you sound modern or not for the most part IMO. And I have to say that the way they are designed is still very modern as far as the features, sound and workflow of their plugins goes. It's hard for me to stay from Echoboy and Decapitator for Delay and Saturation, I've been working with these since 2009, and I never get tired of them. That's why I accepted to make this sponsored video, it was a no brainer for me. With that said, I agree with Justin, it's pretty subjective, and also a matter of taste. I do appreciate your 2 cents though :-)

[@johntwigg7650]

Yeah, you’re right there, they are old fashioned with old fashioned interfaces. The old timers like what they know and stick with that. They don’t want the hassle of learning new stuff and setting up new deals. Sponsorship aside, it’s just a fact. So, it’s inevitable that these old timers with sponsorship deals are going to pass into irrelevance. I done think anyone is saying SoundToys are garbage, just that a lot of of people have moved on to more modern and sophisticated plugins. When you old timers come in saying “get off my lawn” you lose respect and people move on because they have a lot of choices.

[@athonygraham8353]

@@mixdownonline "I've been working with these since 2009" Kind of proves my point.

[@athonygraham8353]

@@johntwigg7650 You managed to say what I wanted to say, but better.

[@NagoyaHouseHead]

I don't like the distortion on the original vocal source, it does not sound good