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EQ'ing a Vocal Track

Q'ing a vocal track depends a lot on the sound of the track and the context in the mix. Getting rid of low frequencies below the range of the vocal is the best bet and a good idea.

Why? ...... well the vocal sits better when you roll off the unneeded low frequencies, depending on the vocalist and the key of the song, rolling off somewhere around 40Hz and sometimes up to 150Hz will fix the vocal, you know the stuff you don't need.

I find a lot of problems with low-end rumble and noise on vocal tracks recorded in home studios, and that's only because they might not have the right mic to do the vocal, you want a mic with a low-cut filter. However, most EQ's have a low-cut on them. Using a stage mic to record is not a good idea.

Boosting the high frequencies is another typical vocal EQ treatment, putting a little air in the vocals around 18kHz sometimes adds life to a vocal but don't over do it. Sometimes I push it up to 20kHz, and what happens is the curve extends down, and you end up gently nudging up the entire top end.

Riding (automation) on the vocal is one of the best things to do. What I mean is you can automate the EQ, volume, compression, etc... automating the EQ can even-out the vocal through the different ranges of the person's voice, something like if the singer sounds really good in a certain range but then when they go down deep, and all of a sudden 150Hz comes up like 6dbs; it will sound tanky and muddy.

But the best thing to do first and foremost is to "LISTEN TO YOUR TRACK" in full mix and solo. Listen to it with and without reverb, sometimes the reverbs' delay times are off and it's the thing driving you nuts, so listen, listen, listen.......

De-ess'ing your vocal can be a big plus, the more humid the day (when your using a condenser mics) the more your going to need de-essers; keep that in mind when you record your vocals. And the more you compress the more you need de-essers. The closer you mic, the more you need to de-ess.

The sibilance might not become noticeable until you start to EQ and process the track. Probably you're brightening your vocal a bit and it's competing with other instruments like cymbals, and it starts to sound essy. Adding a de-esser in most cases fix that.

Most De-essers have a "listening" function that lets you hear the frequencies your attenuating, listening to the side-chain is very important, flipping through the frequencies will help you find the offensive areas. I like to set a de-esser at 3 kHz and put another one at around 7kHz and ride (automate) the threshold on the de-esser.

Do multiple takes of your vocal, you can always crossfade a bad part and replace it with a good one.

For pops you can use a high-pass filter and automate it on the pop. Just roll off everything under 100Hz or 120Hz even 150Hz during the pop; it's so brief you don't notice the filter coming in and out.

Take your time when you work on your vocal, make sure it sits right in the mix. Record multiple takes, relax and just sit and listen to the vocal, read the words to the song when you mix it, you will find words that need to come out in the vocal.

Ken Sutton
WaterFall Records.
Sweetkenny Sound.

Copyright 2006