EQ and Compression Strategies For Vocals and Acoustic Guitar

Compression

Once I first began studying about compressors I used to be hopelessly misplaced. The terminology was technical in an nearly mean-spirited manner and I could not make heads or tails of what was being written. To maintain issues easy, I consider compression as a manner of night out the loud and soft components of any vocal or instrument in order that its habits is a little more predictable. In different phrases, compression brings up the actually soft spots and tames the actually loud spots so that you simply’re not continually reaching for the amount fader in your mixing board (or digital mixing board in your DAW). In its easiest kind, a compressor, whether or not a {hardware} unit or a plug-in, will squeeze the audio in order that its highs and lows are much less pronounced. This lets you do issues like carry down the amount stage of the compressed monitor with out concern that its softer components will get misplaced, or carry up the amount stage with out concern that the loud components will soar out. It’d assist to think about all compression settings (attack, launch, ratio and threshold) as methods to squeeze your audio roughly aggressively. Not sufficient compression will depart tracks that soar out of a mixture at inappropriate instances or get misplaced within the sound of the opposite devices; nonetheless, an excessive amount of compression could make a monitor sound lifeless or uninspired. My rule of thumb is to be much less aggressive compressing audio on the best way into your DAW (since you’re caught with no matter you do) and extra aggressive with my plug-in compression (as a result of you may at all times dial it again).

EQ

Whereas an exquisite (and important) software, EQ can be fairly presumably the quickest option to royally mess up the sound of a mixture. Overuse of EQ ranks second solely to overuse of reverb because the hallmark of an inexperienced combine engineer. EQ must be used to subtly (or not so subtly) colour the sound of the actual monitor you are engaged on in order that it relates nicely to and leaves area for the opposite tracks in a mixture. My expertise has been that it is what you pull out and never what you place in that makes EQ work finest. For instance, even once you’re in search of a lift within the excessive frequencies of a monitor, it is typically simpler to drag a couple of dB from a decrease frequency which, in flip, brightens the sound.

Vocals Vocal Compression on the Manner In

For the reason that vocal (regardless of what your guitar-playing buddies would possibly inform you) is an important factor of any widespread music combine, let’s begin right here. Getting a vocal to take a seat nicely in a mixture is a mixture of compression, EQ and sometimes quantity fader automation. It is a pretty frequent apply to compress a vocal a little bit on its manner into your DAW. This should not be an aggressive kind of compression however reasonably simply sufficient to tame a number of the loudest spots of a vocal in order that your total recording quantity could be hotter.

An method to the vocal chain in my studio runs as follows: microphone into {hardware} preamp/compressor after which instantly into my DAW. To get into the nitty gritty, I typically set my {hardware} compressor’s attack settings at round 30ms and launch settings at about 1 second and my compression ratio to three:1. Then, I play with the edge ensuring that on the hottest components of the vocal, the acquire discount is at a most of -3dB. This leaves me room within the combine to compress additional utilizing a software program compression plug-in. The hazard of compressing too aggressively on the best way in is that you will find yourself caught with the sound of the overly compressed vocal with no manner of adjusting it later.

Vocal Compression within the Combine

As soon as the vocal is within the combine, I am going to a plug-in compressor to additional assist preserve the vocal current within the combine with out leaping out an excessive amount of within the loud spots. My suggestion can be to discover a compressor that has a clean, clear sound that lets you squeeze the vocal just a bit extra (roughly -3dB of acquire discount on the loudest spots) in order that the vocal maintains it is presence. I set my attack at 26ms and my launch at round 300ms. For extra element, take a peek at my basic vocal settings within the display screen photographs on the best. If the combo is a very full one the place the voice wants to chop via a bit extra and present a little bit extra sparkle, I am going to use a frequency-specific compressor (just like the Waves C4 on its “pop vocal” setting) which is a bit more particular by way of which frequencies it chooses to compress. On this case, 40hz, 500hz, 6khz and 16khz. To see precisely how the attack and launch settings are arrange for every frequency, check out the display screen shot right here under.

Vocal EQ

I hardly ever, if ever, EQ my vocals on the best way in. I favor to get uncolored vocal sound in order that when it comes time to combine with the ultimate instrumentation, I’ve the flexibleness to work with the un-EQed vocal audio. That is notably helpful once you begin by monitoring a vocal towards a single instrument just like the acoustic guitar however find yourself mixing it in with a full band. EQ choices should not be made in a vacuum. Finally it is the connection of the voice with the entire different parts within the combine that determines the EQ method. Usually, a vocal EQ that works in a mixture will not sound notably good when the vocal is soloed. As I discussed earlier, my desire is to chop the EQ in sure frequencies versus boosting it.

Listed here are a few situations the place slicing frequencies can clear up frequent vocal issues:

 

• Muddy or Boomy Vocal – On this scenario, I have a tendency to drag a dB or two at round 200hz. This additionally has the impact of constructing the vocal reduce via a mixture higher or sound brighter.
• Piercing or Painful Vocal – Right here, I am going to pull a couple of dB at round 3 khz. This tends to take the sting off of the vocal with out eradicating any of the readability.

 

Listed here are a few situations the place the tasteful boosting of frequencies is helpful:

 

• Bringing out the low finish in a vocal – add 1 or 2db of acquire at between 80hz and 100hz
• Including Brightness – Often if a vocal sound is only a bit too darkish or undefined, I am going to add a couple of dB of acquire at 5khz
• Including Air or Breath – Right here I am going to use a shelving EQ which boosts all frequencies above 12.5khz

Shelving 

In a shelving EQ, a band of frequencies, in both the excessive or low frequency finish of the spectrum, is elevated or attenuated by a hard and fast quantity. The time period shelving does not normally apply to a mid-range enhance or reduce.

Acoustic Guitars

Whereas working as an engineer in Nashville, I spent a whole lot of time miking and recording acoustic guitars. Regardless of the steadily enhancing pickup methods being put in in acoustic guitars, I nonetheless consider that there is no such thing as a substitute for a well-placed condenser microphone (or microphones) on the subject of capturing the heat, physique and air of an acoustic guitar. Nevertheless, as with all acoustic devices, it is a problem to correctly sit one in a mixture and protect its texture and character whereas additionally mixing it with the opposite devices. There are a few approaches to compression and EQ that may go a good distance in direction of fixing this drawback.

Acoustic Guitar Compression on the Manner In

When compressing acoustic guitar on the best way into my DAW, I discover it is higher to be a bit extra aggressive with attack and launch settings than you’ll with a lead vocal. I am going to use the extra of a medium quick attack (roughly 22ms) and launch (roughly 500ms) on a {hardware} compressor with a ratio of three:1 after which play with the edge knob till, once more, the acquire is attenuated by about -3dB.

Acoustic Guitar Compression within the Combine

At this level, it is a good suggestion to base your compression settings on the sort of a mixture you are doing. If it is a easy acoustic guitar and vocal recording, it is solely attainable to depart off all compression on the acoustic. Nevertheless, if it is a full band combine and I wish to ensure you can hear the acoustic strumming or finger selecting clearly among the many different devices, I am going to use a compression plug-in (like Metric Halo’s Channel Strip) and compress a bit extra aggressively: 16ms attack and 160ms launch with a ration of three.5:1. Take a peek at my settings.

Ratio

A compressor reduces an audio sign’s acquire (stage) if its amplitude exceeds a sure threshold. The quantity of acquire discount is decided by a ratio. For instance, with a ratio of 4:1, when the enter stage is 4dB increased than the edge, the the compressor will course of the sign in order that the output sign stage shall be 1dB over the edge. So the acquire (stage) has been lowered by 3 dB.

Acoustic Guitar EQ

Very very like vocals, I do not consider in EQing acoustic guitar whereas I am recording it, solely as a result of I hardly ever know what the opposite parts of the combo shall be. Nevertheless, there are a two very particular approaches I exploit to EQing an acoustic guitar relying on whether or not or not it is accompanying a vocal efficiency or part of an even bigger combine. Typically phrases, the EQ method is extra refined within the easy guitar/vocal to protect the fuller tone of the acoustic and extra aggressive within the full-band combine to make room for different devices whereas nonetheless preserving the important parts of the acoustic’s sound.

Listed here are some EQ settings for a easy acoustic guitar and vocal recording:

 

• Eradicating Boominess – I like to drag 1 or 2 dB at 125hz to take away the boominess that usually accompanies miking an acoustic too near the sound gap.
• Including Sparkle – If after eradicating a number of the boominess, I am nonetheless in search of extra sparkle within the acoustic, I am going to enhance a dB or two at 5khz 보컬 믹싱.

 

Under are some EQ settings for an acoustic in a full band recording:

 

• Including Readability – I’ve discovered {that a} high-pass filter at 120hz leaves room for the kick drum and bass guitar in a mixture whereas permitting the acoustic to shine on the increased frequencies. Leaving within the low components of the acoustic’s frequency will typically muddy the combo and obscure the kick drum and bass.
• Nonetheless muddy? – do not be afraid to take your high-pass filter as much as 200hz and even 300hz if the guitar nonetheless is not slicing via the combo. It could sound horrible soloed however good within the combine and that is the important thing.
• Including Sparkle – As above, if slicing out the low frequencies is not sufficient to get the acoustic to chop via a mixture, including two or three dB at 5k will do loads to carry out the strummed or finger picked strings of the acoustic.

 

Compression and EQ are two very highly effective weapons in your combine arsenal, however as with something, overuse will do extra hurt than good. I feel again to the phrases of an engineer whose work I actually respect who favored to say “I am going to compress till it sucks after which again it off from there.” In different phrases, understanding when to say “when” is an equally helpful talent. A last thought…so far as sign path is anxious, I have a tendency to put compression after EQ as a result of EQ successfully raises or lowers the amount of the monitor and I’ve discovered I get a simpler response from the compressor if I hit it with the EQed audio. I’d extremely suggest utilizing the above EQ and compression settings not as an ironclad rule however reasonably as a leaping off level. Each combine is totally different and your ears will inform you what’s working and what is not.

Good luck!