The Power of Clarity
Solo/Lead Instruments and Background Vocals
By Charles Dye
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Kelly Meister + Greg Gershengorn singing backgrounds on Live to Be in Love
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We're getting there... one more month with our mix and we'll have all our tracks up. This month, with Crease's Live to Be in Love, we're getting sounds on Fritz Dorigo's lead and solo guitars and Kelly Meister and Greg Gershengorn's background vocals, along with tweaking last month's tracks as we add these new ones. Regarding those tweaks, I have several analogies for mixing that we discussed in HDL 6, such as my "mixing as storytelling" approach and its related analogies ("the mix's point of view," etc.). Another: Mixing's like working with clay, at least the way I work with it. I'm no sculptor, but I see the tracks like malleable clay: I add a bit of FX here, some compression there, continually shaping the mix until it begins to be something I'm ready to show to others. (This may seem like an eccentric concept, but I'm hoping that being inside the head of another mixer will provide a different perspective.)
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Fritz's Peavey 5150 II head that we used for the Solo + Lead 1
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Much like molding clay, mixing is about experimenting. When most of us first hear a song, we lack a precise vision of the mix's end result. We have ideas pointing us in the right direction, but we always try different things along the way. I can't tell when I have enough of something until I've found out what too much is. I always find it helpful to draw that line in the aural sand. Once I've crossed it, I know it's too much. As with the clay, I push and pull the mix in all different directions, eliminating this idea while keeping another, constantly molding it into its final form.
Should It Stay Or Should It Go?
Another thought: The most powerful sound sculpting tool we have to bring clarity and focus to a mix is not EQ, compression, panning, or a processor of any kind — it's the mute button. Just because a part was recorded doesn't mean it must be squeezed into the mix. Parts are often recorded with the full intention of seeing if they'll be used in the mix.
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"The most powerful sound sculpting tool we have to bring clarity and focus to a mix is not EQ, compression, panning, or a processor of any kind — it's the mute button."
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As a mixer, how can you tell when you should mute a part? One of my telltale signs is that I can't find a fader level that works. I may keep turning it up because I can't hear it; then shortly after I find a seemingly perfect level, it's obviously way too loud. So, I may turn it down until it fits into the track just right, only to realize that then I can't hear it at all. This generally means one of four things: 1.) The part's out of tune, 2.) It's out of time, 3.) Both, or 4.) Neither, but the part sucks or it's completely inappropriate for the song. If the problem is any of the first three, you have the tools at hand to fix many of those ills. But if the answer is #4, mute the damn thing and hear if the mix is improved by eliminating the clutter.
How do clay and the mute button relate to our mix of Crease's Live to Be in Love? Before we move onto our new tracks, let's discuss where we stand with HDL 8's keyboards. Although I trimmed the keyboards down and eliminated sections from the tracks we recorded last month, the track was still sounding too keyboardy (read: I found the line in the sand). So, I've toned them down further, trying to add clarity to some of the busy sections, or removing them where they didn't seem right for the band's style (by using the mute button). Now, the keys are playing a strictly supportive, albeit important, role. Most of the time, their presence isn't obvious. But without them a lot of the color would disappear from the track.
Click here to hear what Live to Be in Love sounds like after tweaks, and with our new BG's, solo/lead guitars (see details below) and a scratch vocal. We're getting close. Our tracks are really beginning to take shape.
The Tracks
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Fritz Dorigo soloing at OUT LINE Studios on Live To Be In Love
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We recorded Kelly and Greg's background vocals at The Gate using an Audio-Technica AT4050 microphone. And we recorded Fritz's Solo + Lead Guitar 1 track at OUT LINE Studios when we recorded the rhythm guitars, through his signature rig (a Peavey 5150 II head with a Marshall cabinet) and a Shure SM7 for the mic. His Lead Guitar 2 was recorded at The Gate in Miami, using Line 6's Amp Farm. In some of the previous .mp3 mixes, you've been hearing the solo + lead guitar tracks but without the proper sounds dialed in; we'll fix that this month. Below, I'll go through each track and discuss my use of plug-ins and settings. For the exact settings, see the screenshots of all of the plug-ins from each track or download the session from DigiStudio. Remember: To get the plug-in settings only, you can download just the session data without the audio files by setting the Audio Receive Quality to None. (See HDL 8 for more details.)
Solo and Lead Guitar 1
I see solos as instruments that take over the lead from the vocal; I go for an energy and a size that can compete with whatever the vocal is doing. Also, a solo is usually the song's climax (not with this song, but almost). By keeping those two things in mind, I make the solo sound big while keeping its level at a volume where attention is simply transferred from the lead vocal over to the solo and back again.
When a guitar plays a lead break (versus a solo), its duration is usually shorter, and it may even occur at the same time as the lead vocal. The main thing I do differently is to keep the listener's attention on the vocal by keeping the lead break (guitar or other instrument) at a lower level. I may also use a different (or lesser) effect on it to make the solo more momentous than the lead breaks.
DaD Valve
If you've been following the column, you know how I favor this plug on electric guitars. It adds a nice beefy low/low-mid that sounds like the thumping of a Marshall cab usually only heard by guitar players when they stand next to their cabinet.
Ren Comp
I love this compressor on electric guitar. It's set up similarly to an 1176.
Ren EQ 6
Not too much EQ: a little at 3k, a little more at 8k. Ren EQ has a sweet vintage quality.
DaD Tape
The saturation from DaD Tape sounds really good on the top end.
Aux Sends
All these FXs give the solo a very big sound.
DPP-1 — Split Harm. This makes it thick and wide. With solos, I normally add more of this than I do on most other instruments to really make the solo pop out.
Reverb One 1 — Large Hall. This clearly puts it in a big space.
DDL 2 — 1/4. This makes the Hall sound even larger. (See note below for DDL3 — 1/8 no flange.)
Listen to samples of the Solo and Lead Guitar 1
Before | After
Lead Guitar 2
Some times you pull up a fader and the sound is perfect. Resist temptation and fight all your instincts: Do nothing (and preserve DSP). This is one of those Allman/Lynyrd dual solo vamp moments — not in the style of the guitar playing, but in the sense that it's two players, one after the other, each playing with a different sound. (Both tracks are Fritz, but because they're so different in their approach, this is how we are treating them.)
No Plug-Ins
This space left alone intentionally; no need.
Aux Sends
> DPP-1 — Split Harm. Same as the solo.
> LexiVerb 1 — Vocal Plate. I'm choosing a smaller (but still large) reverb to distinguish Lead 2 from Lead 1.
> DDL3 — 1/8 no flange. The speed of the part often dictates the delay time. Longer, more legato solos/leads (like Lead 1) work better with 1/4-note delays. Faster parts like this one can sound better with an 1/8-note delay. Gives the part a nice lift. The different delay also gives each part its own feel, which is the goal.
Listen to samples of the Lead Guitar 2
Before | After
Chorus BG Vocals
The chorus backgrounds on Live to Be in Love consist of six stereo tracks, each consisting of four vocals blended down. They are divided by part: melody, middle harmony, high harmony, low octave, and (to add size in later choruses) two stereo tracks: BIG group (melody) 1 and 2.
I want an initial blend for the first chorus. As the song progresses, I'll bring certain parts up further (the highs, for example) to create different emotions in the listener, as well to give the song a sense of movement. That's why I prefer to keep my BGs separated by part. To blend them, I like to find a balance anchored by the melody, and then place each successive part slightly below its predecessor. After the melody, I add the mids so that their apparent energy (not level, but sonic energy — you have to do this with your ears, not the meters) feels like it's almost level with the melody, but a little under. I then blend the highs so I can still hear both the melody and mids without the highs standing out on their own. I want the three parts to sound like a chord played on a piano; in other words, relatively even. Last, I add the lows. They're tricky, because once they seem loud enough in solo, they completely disappear in the track. Always set your levels for lows while listening in the track. While you're at it, check the overall blend; component parts won't always sound the same in that context.
I'll often send all my unprocessed BGs through a sub, as I do here. I do this for a few reasons, the foremost being that I can do it without sacrificing control while saving on DSP. If it seems like I'm making a compromise of any kind, I'll start processing the tracks separately. The second reason is that since it gets me the results I want, the added benefit is that it can save time. On consoles, I often find myself doing the same thing to every BG track (of a particular part), so it seems logical to do it once to the group instead. And lastly, by simply blending uncompressed vocals, they naturally create their own kind of compression that has a nice, warm sound. I then prefer to compress that blend (if necessary). To create width, I frequently pan my vocals hard left and right.
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Ren Comp
My preference for vocal compression is an Opto setting with a high ratio and Waves ARC on. ARC (Automatic Release Control) is great, allowing more compression without the pumping, which is sometimes a good thing.
DeEsser
A great DeEsser preferred by some high-profile mastering engineers. For vocals, I like wideband with the sidechain set to HPF. I then set it so it reacts on the bright consonants (s's, t's, k's, etc.), but not to other parts of the vocal because in that case, you're using your de-esser for a compressor which doesn't sound so great. I also prefer to de-ess after compression (it sounds more even) and before EQ; it gives me more top end headroom with the EQ.
Ren EQ 6
Again, I love the "golden," bell-like quality of Ren EQ. I'm not certain why that description comes to mind. It might be from a resonance created when I use a narrower Q setting (I prefer 1.3) that gives a nice color to the instrument, in addition to the EQ. For these BGs, I used a HPF so they wouldn't clog up the lows, made a cut in the low-mids to open them up a bit and to keep them out of the way of the lead vocal, and added a bit of hi-mids and highs.
Aux Sends
> DPP-1 — Split Harm. To provide additional width, and because the vocals are so wide in the first place, I use more of this than I might on other tracks without it feeling effecty. It's quite effective, especially on BGs; it makes them sound like a larger group.
> LexiVerb 1 — Vocal Plate. I used this reverb on other tracks just because it was there, but I use it on Lead and BGs because that's why I wanted it there in the first place. A great, glassy Lexi plate.
> DDL 2 — 1/4. Just a bit to splash the BGs on "the back wall" of the mix's space in the big chorus. It helps make them blend with the large-sounding track.
Listen to samples of the BG Vocals
Before | After
Tag BG Vocals
This is a simple part in the tag, and there's a lot already going on there. I especially like the dual leads. So, as not to distract the listener from the guitars but still allow this part to be heard, I chose a mid-range, moody effect. It kind of makes the vocal seem like a thought, and not so much a proclaimed lyric, which is a nice touch at the end of such a big-sounding song.
FilterBank F2
Rolled off the highs and lows before compressing. As mentioned in previous columns, the sound is tighter by filtering before compression.
Ren Comp
Pretty much the same settings as with Chorus BGs, but I squished the crap out of them.
DeEsser
Also, the same basic settings as with the Chorus BGs, but I had to de-ess them more because the EQ really brought out the s's.
Ren EQ 4
Boosted the mids for the reasons mentioned above.
Aux Sends
> DPP-1 — Split Harm. For the same reason I use it elsewhere.
> MetaFlanger — Mutron Tape. Lots of flange to give them the moody quality I wanted.
Listen to samples of the Tag BG Vocals
Before | After
Next month we'll continue our mix with the lead and harmony vocals. The vocal is our most important instrument. We'll discuss how to keep the listener focused on the lead without it overpowering the track, how to process the vocal in ways that reinforce the lyric, and most importantly, how to make the artist sound like a star.
Engineer / Mixer / Producer Charles Dye (Jon Bon Jovi, Sammy Hagar, Ednita Nazario, Julio Iglesias, Robi Draco Rosa, Ricky Martin) is based out of Miami. www.charlesdye.com email: charles@harddisklife.com
©2002 Charles Dye
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