No matter the genre or style of vocal performance, you’ll almost always want to use the fastest attack and release possible. On ballads or opera style vocals you’d use a lower ratio. The ratio is pretty strong, but that’s what you’ll use on nearly every pop, rap, rock, or metal vocal recording. That’s because the threshold is set as high as possible. If you were to press play and listen, you’d detect no changes. Set the make-up gain to 0 dB (as well as the output gain if you have that). Set the threshold to 0 dB, your ratio to 5:1, the attack and release as fast as they can go (usually 1 millisecond), and the knee to 1.0. 1) Set the starter vocal compression settingsīelow I provide some settings you can start with, but ultimately you won’t need them. If you don’t know how to do that, please read the manual for your DAW software. Obviously, the first thing you need to do is add a compressor plugin to your vocal track in your multi-track mixer. It may look different, but the same options will be provided, so you’ll still be able to follow along just fine. No matter what digital audio workstation you’re using ( here’s the best DAWs), it too will come with a default compressor. The plugin I’m using is a default VST in Logic Pro. Listen to them in the context of the full mix. Also, don’t solo your vocals as you mix them. That’s the only aspect that matters to your listeners. There will be tons of visual methods to see the effects of your work, but they’re pointless. Note: You must resist the temptation to mix with your eyes. I’m going to use a plugin for this walkthrough from Logic Pro.
The philosophy, the knobs and parameters you can change, and your goals will remain the same. Whether you’re using hardware or a software plugin, these steps are the same because they’re both a vocal compressor. My main goals will be to give you the guide that you can follow along with, then I’ll give you some advice on general vocal compression settings that you can reference again in the future, and finally I’ll share some of the tricks the top-tier professionals use. If you don’t, I’m going to write up the most summarized version possible at the bottom or you can read that linked article if you need the full explanation. If you’re here then you likely already understand what a studio compressor is and does. And that’s the goal of compressing vocals in the first place. These tricks aren’t a must but can take your mixing to the next level in terms of clarity, intelligibility, and presence in your vocal recordings.
In addition, I’m going to provide you with some professional tricks of the mixing trade that you can explore once you understand the lay of the land and feel comfortable with your results.
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