Crafting great pop vocals can sometimes feel like a monumental task. Something all too common in vocal processing is overcomplicating the vocal chain. Making drastic cuts and boosts can be counterintuitive and are these problems only become worse as we introduce more signal processing. What you want is a simple vocal chain that isn’t destructive to the original audio but still tames problematic frequencies and smoothes out the dynamic range. If that sounds too good to be true then read on…

EQ

When it comes to EQ there can be a lot of misleading information available. Copying another engineer’s EQ decisions will more than likely make your vocal sound worse. No two vocal takes are the same. You need to make decisions based on the performance the vocalist and microphone have captured. It can be tricky to decipher where problematic frequencies are if you haven’t got years of experience behind you. 

Waves F6

A great solution in this scenario would be to use a dynamic EQ, like Waves F6. By using F6 we can home in on individual bands and solo them to listen for resonant frequencies. Start by applying a tight Q value to each individual band, this allows your ear to focus on fine nuances as opposed to large regions where problems might not be as apparent. Then engage solo mode on F6 and sweep through that band. Doing this will make you aware of frequencies that are causing problems and could lead to bigger issues further down the line. Once you’ve deciphered the bands you want to make cuts at, dial in a negative range and threshold to taste. By using dynamic EQ vs just making cuts we can preserve the natural feel and tone of the vocal, yet still reign in on nasal, boxy, harsh, and generally bad moments in the performance.

Compression

Being too aggressive with compression is another reason your vocals don’t sound radio-ready. Cascaded compression is a method that uses two or more compressors and spreads the work between different processors. One compressor will catch the transients whilst another does smooth leveling. Even still, knowing how to dial in the correct attack and release parameters in balance with your threshold is a tough act to master. There is however a much easier and faster way to dial in a balanced dynamic range. 

Waves Vocal Rider

Waves Vocal Rider automatically adjusts your vocal levels in real-time. It’s the modern equivalent of someone riding the fader back in the analogue days. By setting the range markers and target you’ll hear a nice consistent level between troughs and peaks. The simplicity of Vocal Rider is what makes it such a great tool, it’s very hard to go wrong. If you want an added level of precision to bring up the level of the vocal, this will inform the rider when to be idle or ride the fader. The combination of using F6 and vocal rider will allow your vocals to sit perfectly in the mix without the need to reach for an EQ to make boosts or further compression moves. 

Vocal Chops

Vocal chops have become a well-known ear candy trick for creating pop vocal hooks. Making great chops doesn’t have to be hard and doesn’t require crazy plugin chains. In fact, you only need ONE plugin.

Waves Vocal Bender

Waves Vocal Bender couldn’t be easier to use. In this video, I’ve steered away from transposing the pitch of the vocal and I’m purely using it to adjust the formant to a value of -6 semitones. Formants are the frequencies that occur in the human voice which define the timbre of a vocal as opposed to the pitch of the note being sung, and can alter the perception of how a vocal has been performed. By dialling in a negative value, we’re creating the perception that this vocal has a lower and more masculine timbre. Once I’ve got the desired effect, I print the vocal and send it to an MPC style controller to then play the part in using MIDI.

Final Thoughts

Mastering perfect vocals do not have to be hard, but it can certainly seem that way when we create problems. Using the right tools is very important to achieve professional-sounding results. Using F6 and Vocal Rider properly you can achieve a great vocal mix every single time. Ear candy is a must in pop vocal production. Creative FX like OVox and Vocal Bender are essential for creating modern pop vocal chops and can give you endless options for vocal manipulation.

Photo Credit - Tima Miroshnichenko - pexels.com