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Mixing Vocals 101: How to Mix Vocals Perfectly
by Ilan Adar, NoiseWorks CEO 15.08.2023
Table of Contents
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Distortion, the Ultimate Game Changer
A technique you might find beneficial is the application of some distortion to your vocal tracks. It’s essential to remember there’s no absolute ‘right’ way to do this. Instead, listen closely to your reference track, experiment with the options your DAW provides, and make decisions that align with the sound you’re aiming to achieve. This process is as much an art as it is a science, and it’s your playground to explore and create.
Reasons to Add Distortion to Your Track:
- Emotive Powerhouse:
- Distortion can act like a magnifying glass for emotions, amplifying the rawness and intensity of a performance. It brings a potent edge to vocals, making them even more moving and potent.
- Harmonic Heaven:
- Adding distortion means adding extra harmonics to a signal. This introduces a richer, fuller vocal sound that will captivate your audience.
- Textural Tapestries:
- Distortion creates an additional layer of texture, helping your vocals stand out in the mix or blend seamlessly into the soundscape, depending on your artistic vision.
- Achieving the Perfect Tone:
- Clever use of distortion can help balance vocals that are either too bright or too dark, creating a more rounded, sonically pleasing result.
With saturation
Without saturation
Types of Distortion - Sound examples
Distortion isn’t a one-size-fits-all concept. There are multiple types, each lending its unique character to your sound. Let’s explore some of the most commonly used ones:
Tube Distortion: Known for its warmth and smoothness, tube distortion is used to inject harmonic complexity into the sound.
Fuzz Distortion: This type of distortion brings a heavily distorted, harmonically rich, and gritty sound that adds a potent layer of power to your vocals.
Transistor Distortion: Offering a harder, more aggressive character than tube distortion, transistor distortion lends a bright, edgy tone to your vocals.
Overdrive: Overdrive is a gentle type of distortion that adds body and warmth to your vocals, enhancing their sonic impact without making them overly harsh.
Bitcrushing is a form of digital distortion that manipulates the bitrate or sample rate of your audio, creating a wide range of effects from a touch of warmth to extreme sonic degradation.
Saturation: Saturation is a softer form of distortion that boosts harmonic complexity and ties elements of the mix together, giving vocals a fuller, more polished sound.