RADIO READY Vocal compression | Pro Engineer Mixing Tutorial

Summary

In this informative video, professional audio engineer Streaky shares his expertise on achieving powerful and clear vocals in music mixing. With over 25 years of experience working with top artists, Streaky guides viewers through the process of using compression settings to make vocals stand out on any speaker system. He demonstrates the use of a UAD 1176 compressor with specific attack and release settings, followed by a limiter to smooth out the mix and control peak levels. The video concludes with a blend of the processed vocals with the track, emphasizing the consistency and engagement of the sound. Streaky also invites viewers to join Streaky Plus for personalized feedback, exclusive lessons, and access to social media presets and sessions.

Takeaways

• 🎙️ The video is about achieving a professional vocal mix that cuts through on any speaker system.
• 👤 The speaker, Streaky, is a professional engineer with over 25 years of experience working with leading artists.
• 🔗 There is a link to a previous video in the description where the speaker processed the vocal track.
• 📊 To normalize levels, ensure the vocals are at peak level before hitting the compressor's threshold.
• 🎛️ A UAD 1176 compressor is used with specific settings: attack at 30, release at 18:3, and a ratio of 4:1.
• ⚙️ The 1176 settings are the reverse of normal, with a slow attack and a very fast release for heavy compression.
• 👂 The heavy compression results in a consistent sound that engages the listener's ear.
• 🚫 Adding a limiter helps to remove stray peaks for a solid and consistent sound in the mix.
• 🔊 The purpose of limiting is to control the vocal level and prevent it from jumping during mastering.
• 🔄 After compression and limiting, the vocal is rebalanced to sit nicely on top of the track.
• 📚 Streaky Plus is a platform offering one-on-one feedback, exclusive lessons, and downloadable resources.
• 📧 A link to Streaky Plus is provided in the video description for those interested in additional content.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video?

The video focuses on demonstrating the compression settings for mixing vocals to achieve a sound similar to that of big mix engineers, ensuring vocals cut through on any speaker system.

Who is the speaker in the video?

The speaker is Streaky, a professional engineer with over 25 years of experience working with leading artists, who shares his knowledge on YouTube to help others improve their music sound.

What is the first step in the compression process shown in the video?

The first step is to ensure the vocals are normalized so that the level is at its peak when hitting the threshold of the compressors.

Which compressor is used in the video?

A UAD 1176 compressor is used in the video for setting the compression settings.

What are the specific settings used for the UAD 1176 compressor in the video?

The settings are 30 on the attack, 18 on the ratio, and 3 on the release. It's noted that the attack and release settings on the 1176 are the reverse of normal.

Why is a limiter added after compression?

A limiter is added to remove any stray peaks, ensuring a solid and consistent sound that plays well on speakers and helps in achieving a strong, consistent mix during mastering.

What is the purpose of heavy compression in the context of the video?

Heavy compression is used to reduce dynamics and keep the vocal sound consistent, which helps it engage the listener's ear and sit nicely on top of the track mix.

How does the limiter affect the vocal track?

The limiter reduces about minus 3 dB of gain reduction, ensuring a consistent sound by taking off the peaks and allowing for better control of where the vocal sits in the mix.

What is the final step described in the video after applying compression and limiting?

The final step is to rebalance the vocal bus over the top of the track to ensure it sits consistently and nicely within the mix.

What is Streaky Plus and how is it related to the video content?

Streaky Plus is a platform where Streaky provides one-on-one feedback on people's mixes, offers exclusive weekly lessons on mixing and mastering, and shares social media presets and sessions from his YouTube and Instagram content.

How can viewers access the session and other resources mentioned in the video?

Viewers can access the session and other resources by subscribing to Streaky Plus through the link provided in the video description.

What is the recommendation for viewers interested in the previous processing steps of the track?

Viewers interested in the previous processing steps should watch the next video, which is linked and described as showing all the processing done on the track before the compression demonstrated in the current video.

Outlines

00:00

🎙️ Vocal Compression Techniques for Professional Sound

This paragraph introduces the video's focus on vocal compression settings essential for achieving a professional mix. The speaker, Streaky, a professional engineer with over 25 years of experience, shares his knowledge to help viewers improve their music sound. He mentions working with leading artists and provides a link to a previous video where he processed the vocal track featured in this tutorial. Streaky demonstrates how to use a UAD 1176 compressor with specific settings (30, 18, 3 on the attack, and 7 on the release, with a 4:1 ratio) to achieve a consistent and engaging vocal sound that cuts through speakers. He also discusses the importance of normalization, the role of compression in taming dynamics, and the use of a limiter to control peak levels for a solid mix that translates well in mastering.

05:01

🎛️ Downloadable Sessions and Streaky Plus Platform

The second paragraph provides information about additional resources available to viewers. It mentions the option to download the session showcased in the video and other sessions as well. The speaker promotes Streaky Plus, a platform where he offers one-on-one feedback on mixes, exclusive weekly lessons on mixing and mastering, and access to social media presets and sessions. A link to Streaky Plus is available in the video description. The paragraph also encourages viewers to subscribe for more content and teases the next video, which will cover the processing done on the track before the compression demonstrated in the current video.

Keywords

💡Compression settings

Compression settings refer to the parameters used to control the dynamic range of an audio signal. In the context of the video, these settings are crucial for achieving a professional sound where vocals are clear and prominent in the mix. The video emphasizes the importance of proper compression to ensure vocals cut through on any speaker system.

💡Vocals

Vocals are the singing or spoken words in a piece of music. They are a central element in most songs and the focus of the audio processing discussed in the video. The script discusses how to mix vocals to make them stand out and be clearly audible without being overpowered by the instrumental track.

💡Mix engineers

Mix engineers are professionals who blend multiple recorded sounds into a final version of a song. The video suggests that following the provided compression settings can help achieve a similar vocal sound to what is produced by experienced mix engineers.

💡UAD 1176

The UAD 1176 is a reference to a specific type of compressor emulated by Universal Audio. It is a well-known hardware compressor that has been used in the music industry for decades. In the script, the UAD 1176 is used to apply compression settings to the vocals, emphasizing its role in shaping the final sound.

💡Attack and Release

Attack and release are parameters that determine how quickly the compressor starts to reduce the gain after the audio level exceeds the threshold (attack) and how quickly it stops reducing the gain once the level drops below the threshold (release). In the video, specific settings of 30 and 18 on the attack and 3 on the release are mentioned for the UAD 1176, which are reversed from the norm, contributing to the unique sound being achieved.

💡Ratio

The ratio in a compressor determines how much the output level is reduced for each increase in input level above the threshold. A 4:1 ratio, as mentioned in the script, means that for every 4 dB the input level exceeds the threshold, the output level will increase by only 1 dB. This heavy compression helps to even out the vocal levels.

💡Limiter

A limiter is a type of dynamics processor that prevents an audio signal from exceeding a certain level. It is used in the video to control the peak levels of the vocals after compression, ensuring a consistent and loud but not distorted sound. By using a limiter, stray peaks are minimized, which helps in achieving a solid and strong mix.

💡Gain Reduction

Gain reduction refers to the amount by which the level of an audio signal is decreased by a compressor or limiter. In the script, the limiter is used to achieve about minus 3 dB of gain reduction, which helps in controlling the vocal levels and ensuring they sit consistently on top of the mix.

💡Mastering

Mastering is the final step in music production where the track is polished and prepared for distribution. It often involves further compression, equalization, and limiting to optimize the sound for different playback systems. The video discusses how the compression and limiting settings applied at the mix level can contribute to a strong and consistent sound in the mastered track.

💡Streaky Plus

Streaky Plus is a platform mentioned in the video where the host, Streaky, provides additional resources such as one-on-one feedback on mixes, exclusive lessons on mixing and mastering, and downloadable social media presets and sessions. It is a place for viewers to get more in-depth knowledge and personalized guidance on improving their music production skills.

💡Dynamics

Dynamics in music refer to the variation in loudness or volume in a piece of audio. The video discusses how heavy compression reduces the dynamics of the vocals, leading to a more consistent and less variable sound. This treatment makes the vocals more audible and engaging when they are played over the instrumental track.

Highlights

The video offers the only compression settings needed for mixing vocals to achieve a sound similar to big mix engineers.

The compression settings will make vocals cut through every speaker they're played on.

Streaky, a pro engineer with over 25 years of experience, shares his knowledge on YouTube.

A UAD 1176 compressor is used with specific settings to achieve heavy compression.

The attack and release settings on the 1176 are reversed, with a slow attack and fast release.

A 4:1 ratio is used for a significant amount of compression.

Heavy compression removes dynamics, keeping the sound consistent and engaging to the ear.

Adding a limiter after compression helps to remove stray peaks for a solid, loud mix.

The limiter ensures the mix is strong and consistent, which is important for mastering.

Gain reduction of about minus 3 dB is used to achieve a consistent sound.

The vocal sits nicely on top of the mix due to the compression and limiting.

Streaky Plus is a platform where Streaky provides one-on-one feedback on mixes, exclusive lessons, and downloadable content.

The video includes a link to Streaky Plus in the description for those interested in additional resources.

A previous video is referenced for viewers interested in the initial processing of the track before the compression shown in this video.

The final mix plays well on speakers due to the careful balance of compression and limiting.

The video demonstrates how to rebalance the vocal bus over the top of the track for consistency.

Viewers are encouraged to subscribe for more content on sound mixing and mastering.

The next video will show all the processing done on the track before the compression discussed in this video.

Transcripts

what you're about to witness is probably

the only compression settings you're

ever going to need when you're mixing

vocals well that's if you want the same

sound as big mix engineers and you want

your vocals to cut through every single

speaker they're played on but if you're

after weak barely audible vocals then

this video is not for you if you're new

to my channel my name is streaky and

I've been a pro engineer working with

some of the world's leading artists for

over 25 years and I'm here on YouTube to

share all the knowledge that I have so

that you can make better sound in music

anyway less about me let's get in the

door and I'll show you how to do this

compression so the track that I'm

working on is a vocal that I processed

in last week's video if you want to see

that video it's will come up at the end

of this one and there's a link in the

description I'm going to show you the

compression settings that really finish

it off now so this is how it currently

sounds with the

[Applause]

track about that never dir work now it

cannot be undone

you w't take my head but it's too late

now that's your should never had your

dirty plans now we cannot

[Music]

be my don't that's why

the

energy your will keep you in TI it's

moving up so slowly hands on my

I don't

wor so make sure that you're locals are

normalized because then we're making

sure the level is at its peak for when

it's hitting the threshold of the

compressors we're going to get a uad

1176 and then what we're going to do is

set this to the settings of 30 18 three

on the attack and seven on the release

now remember these on the 1176 are the

reverse of normal um attack and release

so that's why we have the release all

the way around here so it's a kind of um

slowish attack and a very fast release

and the ratio is 4:1 this is going to do

a massive amount of compression which is

quite scary when you see it happening

but it sounds really good so let's

listen to the effect of that on the

vocals which I've now

soloed about that should have never did

your dirty work now it canot be

undone you won't take my hand but it's

too late now that's your bed should have

never had your dirty plans now we cannot

be undone

[Music]

my that's

Hypno so as you can see there's quite a

lot of heavy compression going on there

but because it's taking away so much of

the Dynamics and just keeping it very

consistent when it's played over the top

of the track is really nice to listen to

and it really engages your ear so we've

got another stage to go now which is to

add a limiter to this now the reason

that we're going to do this at this

point is because we want to get rid of

any stray Peaks this is why mix can get

really loud Masters because you're not

having loads of Peaks left in the track

it's a very solid sound so when you go

to master it the compressors and the

limiters aren't reacting to those stray

Peaks because they've already been

removed at the mix level and you get a

very strong consistent sounding mix so

let's put the limiter on this and you'll

see what I

mean that should have never did your

dirty work now it cannot be

undone you want take my hand but it's

too late now that's your bad should have

never had your dirty plans now we cannot

be undone so you can see I'm taking away

about minus 3 DB of gain reduction the

point of that is we just want to get

that consistent sound take those Peaks

off so that we can just be totally in

control of where the vocal is it's going

to sit on top of the mix nicely and then

when it goes to mastering when it goes

has a final limiter put on it it will

not be jumping up and down it will be

solid and that's why it plays the

speakers really well let's now play that

all together with the track and then

what I'm going to do as I'm doing it is

I'm just going to rebalance that vocal

bus over the top of the track so it's

sitting there nicely but it's going to

be consistent because of the compression

and the limiting here we

go now you want to go back about that

should have never did your dirty work

now it cannot be

undone you won't take my hand but it's

too late now that's your bed should have

never had your dirty plans now we cannot

be under

no my waistline don't Li that's why the

boys

hypnoti energy and good surely will keep

you in TI hips moving up so slowly hands

on my way side only don't rush take your

time take

time oh n n now you want to go back how

about that should have never did your

dirty work now we cannot be undone

you won't take my hand but it's too late

now that's your B should have never had

your dirty plans now we cannot be

UND my waist line don't Li that's why

the boys

hypnotize energy and good surely will

keep you in TI hips moving out so slowly

hands on my wayist side only

[Music]

don't so if you want to download this

session and others then go to streaky

plus there is a link in the description

for streaky plus if you don't know what

streaky plus is it's the platform that I

give onetoone feedback on people's mixes

I also do exclusive weekly lessons on

mixing and mastering and it's the place

where you can download all the social

media presets and sessions that I do on

YouTube and Instagram so if you want to

check out streaky plus make sure you

click the link in the description and if

you enjoyed this video don't forget to

hit subscribe so as promised watch this

next video if you want to see all the

processing that I did on this track

before today's compression