Flat vocal with no body. One plugin fixes it.
The trick is Clean Tube saturation on just the mid band of Saturn 2. Saturating the whole vocal makes it harsh. Saturating just the mids gives you body and presence where it matters, without making the top end fizzy or the low end woolly.
That preset is doing the heavy lifting in 5 seconds.
Want the exact preset I used in this video for free? Comment "WARM" and I'll send it to you 👇
#vocalmixing #saturation #fabfilter #saturn2 #mixingengineer #musicproduction #vocalproduction #mixingtips #homestudio #recordingstudio
Master on one day. Listen on the next.
Even if you mastered on your mix bus, export the track as a stereo file. That one move switches your brain from mix engineer to mastering engineer. You stop hearing the kick drum, the vocal, the guitar. You start hearing the song.
The next day, sit down in the same room, on the same speakers, against the same references.
Now you're listening like a consumer. You hear what they hear.
If you try to master and assess in one session, you're too deep in the instruments. You'll miss the things a normal listener picks up in 5 seconds.
Save this for your next mastering session.
Do you give it a day before you assess your masters? Drop it in the comments 👇
#mastering #masteringengineer #masteringtips #musicproduction #mixingengineer #mixandmaster #studiotips #homestudio #recordingstudio #freshears
When a master comes in thin, most people reach for EQ.
I don't.
I use upward compression in the low mids. Negative ratios on the Ozone multiband.
Instead of pulling loud parts down, it pushes quiet parts up. Brings out the warmth that's already in the track without adding anything that wasn't there.
Half a dB of gain reduction at most. A/B with your ears, not your eyes. If it sounds warmer without sounding muddy, it stays.
Want to watch me master a full track in Ozone from start to finish? Comment the word "Ozone" and I'll send you the link 👇
#mastering #masteringengineer #ozone #izotope #masteringtips #musicproduction #upwardcompression #multibandcompression #homestudio #mixandmaster
Mastering EQ is not the same as mixing EQ.
When you're mixing, 4 or 5dB moves on a band are normal. You're shaping individual sounds.
When I'm mastering, I'm rarely going past 2dB on any one move. The track is already at near-final level. Everything is glued together. Small moves go a long way.
If I find myself wanting to pull 5dB out of the low mids, that's a sign the mix is in trouble, not the master.
On a good mix, mastering is small moves. Half a dB. One dB. Maybe two if I'm being bold.
That's the difference.
Save this for your next mastering session.
What's the biggest move you've ever made on a master? Drop it in the comments 👇
#mastering #masteringengineer #masteringtips #musicproduction #mixingengineer #mixandmaster #studiotips #homestudio #eqtips #recordingstudio
Reverb on the vocal vs reverb on a send. Two completely different sounds.
Here's the difference.
Put reverb directly on the vocal and the whole signal goes through it. The reverb becomes part of the sound. Works when you want the vocal to feel like it was recorded in the room.
Put reverb on a send and you're sending a copy to the reverb. The vocal stays dry and upfront, but you get space around it.
The send method also lets you EQ the return. High-pass it so it doesn't get muddy. Roll off the top so it doesn't clash with the vocal. All without touching the vocal itself.
One puts the vocal in a room. The other puts a room around the vocal.
Both work. Depends what you want.
Save this for your next vocal mix.
Which way do you do it? Drop it in the comments 👇
#mixing #mixingtips #vocalmixing #reverb #vocalreverb #musicproduction #mixingengineer #homestudio #studiotips #mixandmaster
The analogue mastering engineer's home hack nobody talks about.
Run your master out of the DAW, through a cable, and back in through your converter. Even with no outboard in the chain. Just a clean low noise XLR loop.
It adds something you can't get in the box. A bit of vibe. A bit of analogue feel.
I normally run mine through outboard, but the loop on its own still does something. The better the converter, the better the effect.
Save this for your next mastering session.
Do you run analogue out and back? Tell me what kit you use 👇
#mastering #masteringengineer #analoguemastering #musicproduction #mixingengineer #studiotips #homestudio #mixandmaster #masteringtips #recordingstudio
Same track. Same limiter. The only difference is I sorted the low end out before it hit the limiter. That's where loudness actually comes from.
If you want the full breakdown I use, comment 🔥 and I'll send it over.
#mastering #loudness #mixengineer #audioproduction #masteringengineer
This is what your vocal sounds like before and after one reverb preset. Concert Hall, 1970s colour, decay just over a second. Enough to sit the vocal in a real space without washing it out.
I've added this to my Valhalla Vintage Verb preset pack. Link in bio.
#vocalproduction #mixingtips #musicproducer #reverb #studiolife
Want air on your vocal without it getting harsh? High shelf at 20kHz instead of boosting 10k. You get the shimmer without the ice pick.
If you want the full breakdown I use, comment 🔥 and I'll send it over.
#vocalmixing #musicproduction #mixengineer #studioacoustics #producertips
Your low end is eating your headroom. Control it before you do anything else and the rest of the mix will open up.
If you want the full breakdown I use, comment 🔥 and I'll send it over.
#lowend #mixingandmastering #bassmusic #soundengineer #musicstudio
Your mix sounds small because everything is the same level. Nothing stands out. Pull things down instead of pushing everything up. Contrast is what makes a mix feel big.
If you want the full breakdown I use, comment 🔥 and I'll send it over.
#mixingtips #audioproduction #studioflow #ableton #musicproducertips
Your mix is crowded because you're adding layers instead of fixing what's already there. Before you add another track, fix the ones you've got.
If you want the full breakdown I use, comment 🔥 and I'll send it over.
#musicproduction #mixengineer #homerecording #producerlife #logicprox
