Should I finish a vocal first or the entire vocals at the same time?

Discussion in 'Mixing and Mastering' started by Kuuhaku, Feb 24, 2020.

  1. Kuuhaku

    Kuuhaku Platinum Record

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    Hey, I am a little new to mixing, so i have this doubt, I was mixing (cutting unwanted frequencies, leveling, etc...) then i come to the part where I will add things, but I only started the mix in one of a 3 vocals part (the verse of the song), the artist has provide me 3 vocals, but every one of them are really thick and full, so, after finishing the first part of the mix on the main one, I come with this question:
    1- Should I finish every other vocals first part of the mix and then start adding reverb, delay, fx etc..
    or
    2- Should I finish the entire mix of the first vocal and then start the mix of the other ones?
    (and why?)

     
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  3. tun

    tun Rock Star

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    personally i would throw all the vocal recordings on to one track (assuming its not different voices) and arrange them into the track so they are on one channel, then balance them and smaller parts within them so the whole channel has a nice general balance, then start work from there. even all EQ cuts and levelling etc will happen after that point.
    from there i would start to apply personal touch processing, such as reverb, delay, etc so they are all equally balanced.

    this helps keep the vocal track (or any other kind of track) as a whole peice raher than seperate recordings.

    if you are talking about 3 seperate recordings of seperate parts of the track completely, eg a main vocal, a secondary vocal and a chorus with 10 people, then i would process each one completely individually and seperate from each other, but of course with each other in mind at all times.

    edit:
    in the real world, working with remote artists, there is a good chance they have sent you 3 different recordings for different parts within the same song that are all recorded with different mics in different rooms. if this is the case i suggest cutting all ties from that artists and never working with them again.
     
  4. Trurl

    Trurl Audiosexual

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    Wait, so it's one vocal in three sections, or it's three vocals doing one part, or it's a lead vocal and harmonies? I don't understand yet.
     
  5. tun

    tun Rock Star

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    agreed. we need more info
     
  6. Kuuhaku

    Kuuhaku Platinum Record

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    Here, its 3 vocals at the same time.
     
  7. Kuuhaku

    Kuuhaku Platinum Record

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    ..
     

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  8. Trurl

    Trurl Audiosexual

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    Then probably I would pick the main one, get it more or less mixed, try to add the others into that and then adjust it all accordingly. It's hard to know without hearing it.
     
  9. The Pirate

    The Pirate Audiosexual

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    @Kuuhaku I didn't hear anything but saw a lot of fucking going on on the track. With that said, I do agree partially with the approach described by @tun
     
  10. Kuuhaku

    Kuuhaku Platinum Record

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    I did it, my main problem is that everytime that this artists works with me him asks for a mix like this one
    but he send me 3 vocals, and asks for a mix that uses only one...
     
  11. tun

    tun Rock Star

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    ah ok so they are layered.
    as @Trurl said, i would work primarily on the main vocal and make it sit nicely in the mix and work the others around that. although this is not the case if it is something like a chorus where they should be well balanced with each other, but it certainly does not look that way from the image.
    the latter part of my last reply is relevant here, but forget the first part in this case.
    also, although i said to primarily on the main vocal, you should keep other vocals in a similar space, just a different position in that space.
    although this is not always true. every project is unique.
     
  12. tun

    tun Rock Star

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    lol there really is. is it a recording of an orgy???
     
  13. tun

    tun Rock Star

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    wait, so he sends you 3 different takes of the same vocal? or 3 different recordings with different lyrics and asks you to choose one?
    the former is a great thing, but the latter is pathetic, that is not your job. at that point you should just pay another vocalist and have rights for the whole track. if it is the latter refer to my previous comment:
     
  14. Kuuhaku

    Kuuhaku Platinum Record

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    nooooo, I mean that he sent me 3 voices of the same part (same lyrics, but diferent moods) and the reference track was a 1 voice track...
     
  15. tun

    tun Rock Star

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    Best Answer
    oh ok i see, i misunderstood the situation.
    i would lay them all out in my DAW so they are over the top of eachother and choose the best parts from each recording, but only use one voice at any given time. at this stage you might find you need to make minor changes to each small clip so they are well balanced with eachother. then combine them to one track (if they are not already) and process them together as one thing.

    as a bonus you still always have 2 extra recordings that you can use if you need to layer them. you might find you can use them subtly to help the vocal but not too much that you lose the single vocal feel.
     
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