Mixing Vocals 101: How to Mix Vocals Perfectly
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Tune Vocals Using Only Stock Plugins
To avoid incorrect notes, we’ve used vocal comping.
But sometimes, you may still miss some single notes or you intend an auto tune effect on your vocals.
Here are some ways to correct pitch in different DAWs.
Ableton enables you to cut out single parts and manually correct the pitch of the clip. Pitching notes can result in weird sound effects. To maintain the natural sound of the vocal, Ableton offers different modes to choose from. Complex and Complex Pro deliver the most natural results. In Complex Pro, you have the additional option to influence the formants and the envelope.
- Formants: This control allows you to change the timbre of the audio while keeping the pitch the same. At 0, the formants are shifted, resulting in a changed sound. At 100, the formants stay where they are, maintaining the original sound.
- Envelope: This parameter influences how the transient (rapidly increasing) energy of the original sample is preserved. A low value may result in transients being less pronounced, while a high value makes transients stand out more.
- Load the Tuner Plugin: Open the tuner plugin on the track containing the wrong note.
- Select the Problematic Part: Highlight the portion of the track with the incorrect pitch.
- Cut and Paste the Segment: Press “Cmd + X” to cut the selected part, then paste it back into place with “Cmd + V.”
- Edit the Clip: Double-click on the clipped segment to bring up the pitch correction options.
- Adjust the Tuning: Use the appropriate controls in your DAW to adjust the tuning of the clip. This might involve sliders for full notes and cents (small adjustments between notes). Your tuner plugin will help you see how much adjustment is needed.
- Verify the Tuning: Check with the tuner plugin to ensure that the clip is now hitting the correct notes.
Pro Tools uses the Elastic Audio feature. In the main section of your track, click on the small button next to the automation mode, and choose Monophonic.
Here’s a brief explanation of the different modes and how to use them:
- Monophonic: This mode is ideal for material with one voice or instrument at a time. It works well for vocals, solo wind, brass, or string instruments.
- Polyphonic: This mode is suitable for complex audio material containing multiple voices or instruments. It works well for full mixes, chords, or any musical content with more than one note at a time.
- Rhythmic: As the name suggests, this mode is perfect for rhythmic and percussive material. It excels at preserving sharp attacks and percussive transients.
- Varispeed: This mode changes both the timing and the pitch of the audio, much like a classic tape machine. If you speed up the audio, it plays back at a higher pitch. If you slow it down, it plays back at a lower pitch.
These modes allow for powerful flexibility in editing audio, from correcting timing errors to creatively reshaping sounds. They are all non-destructive, which means that you can experiment freely without permanently changing your original audio files.
Berklee Online has already created a video on how to use elastic audio in Pro Tools: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUvlnq7vS8M
FL Studio includes the plugin Newtone in some versions. If you have one of these versions, I recommend watching this video from In The Mix: https://youtu.be/7GI7vmcs5l4
Logic Pro comes with a plugin called Pitch Correction. To use it, load it onto your track and select the key of your vocal. With the Response slider on the right, you can choose how strong the pitch correction will be applied to your track. This can yield very good effects.
However, if you’re looking for better results than Pitch Correction alone can provide, consider combining it with Flex Pitch.
Double click on your clip and click on the “Flex” icon. This enables Flex mode. For the mode, choose Flex Pitch. Now you’ll see a piano roll with MIDI notes, which looks similar to Melodyne. On the left, select the key of your song again. It’s possible that not every note will be correctly detected, so you should listen and manually adjust any incorrect notes. You also have the option to affect the vibrato of the vocals to achieve a more synthetic sound.
If you want to get more detailed insights I recommend watching this german tutorial.