Have you heard about the vocal barbeque? We need it brighter, more air! Those vocals need to cut through!! Deep fry those vox tracks!!
Nowadays in popular music, the vocals are bright, trebly, and the most in dominating part of the song. But how do we get such a bright sounding vocal in our song?
The EQ Contenders
First up is the Acoustica Audio Amber. This plugin is modeled after the Avalon 2055, and it does a fantastic job. To the far right of the EQ, there is a high band, aka the air band. Boost 25K here add it will give you a very natural brightness to your vocals. Keep in mind the input on this band needs to be boosted pretty hard to get the effect, so I don’t use it all the time…play it by ear!
Second is the infamous Maag EQ4. This eq is a legend and is used pretty regularly around here at Mix and Master My Song. Its a low hit on your CPU and very powerful! With the air band on this, you can boost at 20Khz or 40Khz, I tend to boost with the 20K option. Also, a secret weapon for a super thin vocal is the low end or sub option on the Maag, increasing it will add character back into a lean vocal.
Lastly is the Manny EQ from Waves. This is a powerful EQ that can take on anything. The four bands are modeled after some legendary EQ’s, including the Neve 1073. However, the high band is modeled after the Avalon 2055 just like the Amber. Just add in the desired amount and listen to the magic of air!
If your still not getting the results you were listening for you can always try boosting around 3k. You will want to be careful in this frequency range. Boosting or cutting can get your mix into trouble pretty quick. But when done tastefully this area can add a bit more high mid presence which will help the high end or air band play nicer together in the entire mix.
Let me know what you think about adding air to your vocals, and what EQ tricks you use to make your vocals more present. As always if you need professional mixing and mastering for your songs be sure to reach out to us.
