Every Song On Earth Should Use This Vocal Mixing Trick

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  • Опубліковано 1 лют 2025

КОМЕНТАРІ • 1,6 тис.

  • @storah-raw
    @storah-raw Рік тому +2272

    A before/after comparison would have been really cool

    • @JoshuaTMagee
      @JoshuaTMagee Рік тому +36

      Agreed

    • @RONNIESAWLIN
      @RONNIESAWLIN Рік тому +29

      Wanted to write the same. thx.

    • @Hive5ive
      @Hive5ive Рік тому +73

      Literally at the 16 second mark is the before.

    • @JoshuaTMagee
      @JoshuaTMagee Рік тому +117

      @@Hive5ive, I think you already know what everyone here is asking. If you can critically listen while hopping back and forth between precise timestamps, more power to you, but a simple A/B comparison at the end of the video would have made this great video even more helpful. Have a good day.

    • @Hive5ive
      @Hive5ive Рік тому +81

      @@JoshuaTMagee The easiest thing to do is fire up your daw, implement the trick as he described, hear if it works, then come back here and thank the man for giving you literally pro level techniques for free. But sure, lets gather round and complain about an a/b comparison he didn't provide.

  • @paulmisty8998
    @paulmisty8998 6 місяців тому +86

    I'll add that:
    1. Soothe reduces the frequency unaware of potential frequency maskings. This means that the instrumental will be reduced in volume as soon as there is a vocal coming in.
    2. There are other plugins that are specialised for unmasking duties that analyse the s/c input and then only lower the volume if there is any frequency masking happening.
    → in short words: Soothe doesn't care what's going on in the instrumental. It's reducing the incoming s/c signal away from the instrumental - even if there was no real problem with clashing frequencies (masking). On the other hand, there are plugins that analyse masking problems and only reduce if there IS a problem.
    Ducking plugins: Soothe, Trackspacer, Multiband Compressors.
    Unmasking plugins: SmartComp 1 and 2, SmartEQ4.

    • @ts4gv
      @ts4gv 4 дні тому

      i suppose you could just feed some blend of vocal & instrumental to the sidechain input of soothe (or trackspacer or whatever) & adjust threshold such that only clashing frequencies cross it

  • @NickLynar
    @NickLynar Рік тому +167

    I’ve been mixing and producing for 15 years and this just blew my mind !

    • @ptkk21
      @ptkk21 6 місяців тому +32

      You've been mixing for 15 years without knowing sidechain compression?

    • @ptkk21
      @ptkk21 6 місяців тому +26

      @@billyjohnson1086 Every dynamic eq is an automated sidechain compressor.

    • @ILnessx
      @ILnessx 3 місяці тому

      ​@@ptkk21soothe is something different

    • @snorkelwinkydinkyedits
      @snorkelwinkydinkyedits Місяць тому +1

      @@billyjohnson1086 Its actually not an EQ, OEK sound said this themself, all the bands that soothe makes are actually multi-band compressors. Also, even if it was a dynamic EQ, a dynamic EQ is literally a frequency specific compressor... lol

    • @SpencerTenney
      @SpencerTenney Місяць тому

      @@ptkk21that’s what i’m saying i get so much joy clicking these guys’s accounts and hearing their music

  • @guthriejenkins
    @guthriejenkins Рік тому +94

    The mixing part of this is as excellent as always but the video production is also crazy good. The way you overlaid the frequency spectra was just so perfect! Sound effects, close-ups, zoom-ins,... awesome!!!

  • @iamOnenO
    @iamOnenO Рік тому +136

    I would suggest turning the “quality” from 1x to 4x when doing this technique. I have noticed some artifacts in my instrumental channel while at 1x, but switching to 4x preserves my mix. Great video man! Keep it up!

    • @LokiBeckonswow
      @LokiBeckonswow Рік тому +10

      nice, this is turning up oversampling? great point here

    • @jcmapula1544
      @jcmapula1544 Рік тому +1

      where can i do this? dAW or PLUGIN?

    • @nolanfontaine7973
      @nolanfontaine7973 Рік тому

      What do you mean by turning up the quality

    • @iamOnenO
      @iamOnenO Рік тому

      @@nolanfontaine7973 In the plug-in there is a parameter called “quality”. It’s in the middle just to the left of the graphic eq

    • @JackieStacyBakerMusic
      @JackieStacyBakerMusic Рік тому +1

      Super good tip. I just did this and it helped the reverb tails come through better. Thanks!

  • @necroticpoison
    @necroticpoison Рік тому +108

    For those that don't own soothe but want to try out a free form of this (and simple), check out TDR Nova. You can sidechain with it, and use the dynamic eq bands to affect whichever areas you would like, with whichever q.

    • @KOSMIKFEADRECORDS
      @KOSMIKFEADRECORDS 7 місяців тому +1

      F soothe. Kills sonority

    • @Noshu4me
      @Noshu4me 7 місяців тому +1

      Thank you for this...trying to figure this out

    • @lNowHerel
      @lNowHerel 5 місяців тому +2

      Got a video on how for newbies?

    • @MrDJSTRATEGY
      @MrDJSTRATEGY 4 місяці тому +1

      Or trackspacer

    • @typicaltilly2535
      @typicaltilly2535 3 місяці тому

      Ty for suggesting something affordable

  • @kiingjk7705
    @kiingjk7705 11 місяців тому +87

    I LOVE THAT YOU KEEP IT SHORT AND SIMPLE. IM TIRED OF CLICKING ON VIDEOS AND WAITING 10 MINUTES FOR SOMEONE TO EXPLAIN SIMPLE THINGS LIKE THIS!! THANK YOU

  • @TheAJKid
    @TheAJKid Рік тому +22

    this is the best use of Soothe 2 I've ever seen and I'm going to try this. Hats off to this man. I've rarely used Soothe 2 since I bought Pro Q 3.

    • @kenmula4624
      @kenmula4624 6 місяців тому

      Can PRO Q 3 be used for the same effect as Soothe? any idea

    • @TheAJKid
      @TheAJKid 6 місяців тому +1

      @@kenmula4624 Kind of. Depends on what you’re using it for. Soothe is essentially just a dynamic EQ reacting to thresholds but it’s more automated and algorithmic. PRO Q is just a really diverse EQ. It has dynamic bands as well if you want to use them.

    • @kenmula4624
      @kenmula4624 6 місяців тому

      @@TheAJKid i was hoping to do this trick from this video, but i don't have soothe2. i was hoping to use PRO Q3 or something else that is less expensive or that i already own.

    • @AFRoSHEENT3ARCMICHAEL69
      @AFRoSHEENT3ARCMICHAEL69 Місяць тому

      Pro Q 4 has spectral resonance suppression. Some say spectral resonance suppressors sound bad and that it is better to use a dynamic EQ for resonance suppression.

  • @SteveBakerProducerMusician
    @SteveBakerProducerMusician Рік тому +286

    Very useful info to share for people learning to mix or producing their own Pop style tracks with loads of synths etc. Soothe is great but also so is Trackspacer for around £50. A thought I had which might be useful to share here: techniques like this are most relevant for 'modern Pop, EDM, Dance Pop' and genres that are super slick, sonically dense and full of layers of synths. BUT if you actually work on arrangements that minimise masking (the problem being solved by the technique in this vid), then side-chain EQ, dynamic EQ / multi-band compression etc don't really need to be used as much. The most experienced of the Pro mixers (and probably those close to dinosaur age) will always talk about the fact the mixing starts with the arrangement. Well-arranged tracks mix themselves - it's a principle that goes back to older times, but still holds true. Listen to the tone of the singer's voice and the other main focal points and choose other sounds (synths, guitars etc) the complement them and don't mask them. Also, if you leave space in your arrangement for the vocal to breath, the music is much easier to mix. But again, most modern Dance Pop isn't made like that - some is though. Just listen to Billie Eilish production. So clean!

    • @blursedd
      @blursedd Рік тому +11

      i just cracked both lmao

    • @PrinceRayMusic
      @PrinceRayMusic Рік тому +2

      When it comes to rap vocals it can be tricky at times

    • @shanonkiyoshi4784
      @shanonkiyoshi4784 11 місяців тому +7

      TRACKSPACER works with ANY genre (regardless of arrangement) because sound is sound and frequencies CLASH -- just the nature of the beast. It's an infinitely adjustable spectral effect that basically makes a traveling matte for AUDIO instead of images. I use it in every way imaginable, especially when setting up INTERACTIVE Sonic Hierarchies (i.e. Instruments BELOW Bass, Bass BELOW Drums, & Drums BELOW Vocals 😉). You can AUTOMATE it for more punch in the choruses & more impact in the Drops. I'm a film composer so I've used it seamlessly in jazz, Orchestral, Hybrid, Country & Electronic. I am not affiliated with the company @ all but absolutely swear by it. Of course Arrangement & Sound Design/Choice are CRUCIAL for Sonic Clarity & Emotional Impact, but TRACKSPACER is literally a Spectral Cheat Code for FAST & DECISIVE mixing. Definitely check it out -- it is completely UNDERRATED for it's Utility, Speed, & Flexibility 🔥😎👍🔥

    • @Joe_Pass
      @Joe_Pass 11 місяців тому +2

      @@shanonkiyoshi4784 Totally agree, good Sir.

    • @Katya.s
      @Katya.s 11 місяців тому +2

      @@shanonkiyoshi4784 amazing info, thank you! Do you happen to know if Logic’s new Mastering Assistant doubles on any Trackspacer abilities?

  • @pfft5275
    @pfft5275 5 місяців тому +17

    Note for people taking this as a perfect solution: the problem with making a perfect inversion of the dynamics means that the backing track gets cut most when a loud sound comes in, and cut the least for quietest sounds-- in other words, the opposite of what we need to make room. The loudest parts were already loud enough to cut through and now they've got even more space, and the quietest parts that needed the most room get the least attention.
    It's still a useful tool for your arsenal, just don't get confused about what it's doing. Keep in mind what's actually happening, so that you'll know if it's right for your mix or if you need to compensate for it.

    • @wolei_sway
      @wolei_sway 3 місяці тому +1

      This is absolutely true! It's there actually way to do the opposite?

    • @psydewise3813
      @psydewise3813 3 місяці тому

      true , but if we use clippers and make sure the loud peaks are not all over the show its still a useful sidechain a lil different to the usual

    • @marcusp5345
      @marcusp5345 2 місяці тому

      ​@@psydewise3813Ya, clip the side chain before feeding to sooth then raise the threshold in sooth.

    • @ts4gv
      @ts4gv 4 дні тому

      good points. 2 workarounds:
      you could throw a "ducking" compressor on the sidechain vocal input to emphasize quieter stuff. Pro-C2 has a "Mix" slider & when increased from 100% to 200% it simply doubles all gain reduction. Hard limiting + "200% mix"= louder stuff actually gets quieter, driving soothe less than the quieter stuff.
      or: use a low ratio gate & blend it with a phase inverted copy of original vocal. perfect cancellation when loud enough to cross threshold (leaving no volume left to trigger soothe), little to no cancellation when quiet & getting cut by the gate (leaving full volume to trigger soothe). adjust gate settings (including a reduction of output gain in order to set a maximum amount of cancellation) to taste. more elegant solution imo, don't have to think about the tone or distortion characteristics of a compressor doing extreme limiting.
      hot tip: in Reaper, alt/opt+click the mix knob in top right corner above your gate plugin's interface to enter "delta" mode, which just does the phase cancellation for you within that instance (leaving only the "difference" between dry & processed).

  • @Esthy
    @Esthy Рік тому +11

    :DDDD I am crying, what a great transition: "but if I were to do an AD...."
    Love this trick, kinda forgot about it so thanks for the reminder! You are the most straightforward and informative mixing channel out there! 💕

  • @freqhandy
    @freqhandy Рік тому +12

    Excellent explanation of one of my favourite techniques! More dynamic version of bus splitting and phase inversion of the copied vocal, or master bus compression/creating instrumental duck side-chained to vocal.

  • @kydiamusic
    @kydiamusic Рік тому +77

    Thanks for this! It took me awhile but I figured out how to do this in Ableton:
    Set up a Return Track, toggle the Post/Pre button to Pre
    Turn down the Return track to -inf
    Route your vocal track to the Return Track; all the way up to zero
    Put Soothe2 on your Instrument Group
    Sidechain it to the Return track, Post FX (this is in the Audio Effects bar at the bottom, not in the Plug-in window itself)
    In the Plug-in view of Soothe2, turn on the Sidechain button
    From there, you should be able to toggle the Delta button on and off to hear the vocals--this is easier to hear if you solo the Instrument group AND the Return track

    • @wllywllywlly
      @wllywllywlly Рік тому +8

      nice find, thank you for sharing! Ableton gang 💪

    • @lurkwave
      @lurkwave Рік тому +1

      Gangggggg

    • @ak5
      @ak5 Рік тому +21

      Easier way, duplicate vocal track and disable it, group instrument tracks and select side chain from the Soothe2 device at bottom - cheers!

    • @FlowFormMobileMusic
      @FlowFormMobileMusic Рік тому

      Big thanks!

    • @lilneillowercase
      @lilneillowercase Рік тому +14

      you literally just sidechain to soothe2, no return track or duplicate track nonsense necessary

  • @kidknik
    @kidknik 11 місяців тому +4

    You have opened my mind to so much with your courses and training methods, thank you so much for the value you bring to the community. You are creating artists! It’s people like you that make the world a better place with better music. Nobody should have to struggle when it comes to learning music production. Thank you again!

  • @JakeAdkinsOfficial
    @JakeAdkinsOfficial Рік тому +152

    This is like the most important mixing tip ever. I feel like everyone should learn this right off the bat but almost no one does. Thanks for this.

    • @Skrenja
      @Skrenja Рік тому +11

      Nah, this technique uses a 3rd party plugin and "yOu dOn'T nEeD tO bUy plUgInS. YoUr DaW dOeS eVeRyThInG." 😂

    • @sologemeni
      @sologemeni Рік тому

      @@Skrenja laughed

    • @Louisis
      @Louisis 10 місяців тому +6

      @@Skrenja it just uses a 3rd part EQ, every DAW has an EQ that can sidechain like this no?

    • @JohanBuurma
      @JohanBuurma 10 місяців тому +7

      It's a huge trick I use, but I 100% think that if you're gonna be a mixing engineer, you should learn all of the basics first. If you just do this between every track, then things may fit, but it'll constantly be changing and lopsided in how, what, and when things fit where. Gotta get the mix going a good bit before using this to a great effect

    • @jameswhitaker4357
      @jameswhitaker4357 10 місяців тому

      @@JohanBuurmathis trick is also reallr great when used on a reverb bus

  • @tarastmichel
    @tarastmichel Рік тому +26

    This is basically similar to what I do with TDR Nova. I send the vocal bus to unused channels in Reaper and use those as the sidechain reference in Nova. This will work with pretty much any dynamic EQ or multi-band compressor and it’s great for mixing to premade beats when you can’t adjust anything to carve out the space manually even if you wanted to. You only really need to do it on any frequencies that are actively obscuring the vocal too much and not every single space the vocal exists. I usually do somewhere in the mids and around 5khz since those are usually spots that clash with vocal clarity and depth.

    • @davelowry123
      @davelowry123 Рік тому +1

      I'm slowly figuring out how to do this in Reaper too. Do you recommend doing it on every project like BigZ said?

    • @tarastmichel
      @tarastmichel Рік тому +5

      @@davelowry123 I usually find myself doing this on every project even if it’s just to kinda tuck the vocal into the instrumental a bit more. Not all projects will necessarily need it though. If you start to hear the vocal getting hard to hear or understand and raising the vocals makes it sound like the vocal is sitting on top rather than as a part of the whole piece, then you definitely want to use this. Otherwise use your discretion. Some genres or styles may naturally make room for a vocal pretty well in the instrumental mix and you may not need this.

    • @SAPhoenixat
      @SAPhoenixat Рік тому

      Do you know how to sidechain it like he does here but in reaper ?@@tarastmichel

    • @tarastmichel
      @tarastmichel Рік тому +2

      @@SAPhoenixat The main thing is Reaper works a little differently than other DAWs in that you don’t really have specific bus tracks or sends. What you’d want to do is group all your vocals in a folder track (which I like to think of as a bus) and send that track to the instrumental track or folder (depending on whether you have stems grouped in a folder or a pre-rendered track) on channels 3/4. This effectively makes a copy of the stereo vocal audio on channels 3 and 4 which are not used in a stereo mix and thus aren’t heard on the master track. Then you add your plugin to the instrumental track or folder and tell it to reference those channels (which may also show up as EXT, External, or Auxiliary in some plugins). This should work the same as what he does in the video but working around Reaper’s odd layout. There’s a ton of videos outlining how to side chain in reaper if you get stuck cause it’s not quite the same as a DAW where you have set busses and sends… instead your tracks become what you make them based on layout and usage.

    • @SAPhoenixat
      @SAPhoenixat Рік тому +1

      Thanks I did exactly that and it works wonderfully @@tarastmichel

  • @ULTRALIONE
    @ULTRALIONE Рік тому +61

    havent seen your videos in a while and oh my god the production values and editing you've implemented are insane. the hard work is showing man! keep it up!

  • @MinchrisHeaven
    @MinchrisHeaven 24 дні тому

    This just changed my mixing Perspective. Woooow

  • @starrmixstudios
    @starrmixstudios Рік тому +16

    This is fire. It makes so much more sense to use soothe instead of a dynamic eq! Excellent tip!

    • @freddymercury2259
      @freddymercury2259 8 місяців тому

      Can't you just use side chain on another plugin?

    • @danzirvine
      @danzirvine 8 місяців тому

      @@freddymercury2259 it has to be a plugin that can spectral track the freqs

  • @DrProgNerd
    @DrProgNerd 3 дні тому +1

    Just learned about this watching Joe Gilder talk about this video. He encouraged his subscibers to check out your channel and to subscribe. Great video. Subscribed.

  • @tamashalo
    @tamashalo Рік тому +306

    Super good content man your videos are getting super pro as well....
    Worth mentioning that if you use soothe 2 in 'mid side mode' instead of left/right for vocal carving, you could have your instruments 'wrap around the vocal' better. Just adjust the balance to be 20-30% side the rest mainly mid where your vocal sits 🧡🧡

    • @deceptionfighters
      @deceptionfighters Рік тому +19

      This is amazing.....It does sound like the instruments are wrapped around! THANK YOU BOTH

    • @souravsaikia2995
      @souravsaikia2995 Рік тому +3

      Hey @tamashalo and @deceptionfighters , you guys use logic ? Or you guys used this trick in another daw?

    • @tamashalo
      @tamashalo Рік тому +5

      @@souravsaikia2995 I use Cubase 12 but you can use it with any DAW

    • @deceptionfighters
      @deceptionfighters Рік тому

      @@souravsaikia2995 FL Studio here 😎😎

    • @JoelFreck
      @JoelFreck Рік тому +1

      Gotta try this haha

  • @Bigboyb5900
    @Bigboyb5900 3 місяці тому +33

    For people wanting the same effect but don’t want to splash out on soothe … Waves just released Curves Equator and it will do the exact same thing for a 5th of the price. You’re welcome

  • @maxmonies
    @maxmonies Рік тому +65

    I use trackspacer. It's great. Send the vocal through a send to the backing music. Move the high and low pass towards the kids so you don't lose the sheen on top or the bottom, but carve out the kids you need for vocal clarity.

    • @omnipop4936
      @omnipop4936 Рік тому +25

      Please explain to a newbie what "kids" refers to here.

    • @Mineiro426
      @Mineiro426 Рік тому

      @@omnipop4936 haha I was asking myself the same.

    • @maxmonies
      @maxmonies Рік тому +40

      I meant "mids" (damn auto correct)

    • @AdMBandLeader
      @AdMBandLeader Рік тому +15

      ​@@maxmonies😂😂😂kids

    • @GTSongwriter
      @GTSongwriter Рік тому +4

      He's a MAP in disguise.

  • @CharlieStooks
    @CharlieStooks Місяць тому +1

    Thats why Soothe 2 is a must in your mixing plugins!!

  • @kadenjames
    @kadenjames Рік тому +111

    His editing to make the complex things seem so simple is underrated 🔥

    • @LizaLavolta
      @LizaLavolta 10 місяців тому

      truth

    • @LifeOfnuruDeen
      @LifeOfnuruDeen 5 місяців тому

      It's really simple in FL studio 😂😂😂 just using the FL studio fruity limiter to sidechain the instruments

    • @Brositive
      @Brositive 4 місяці тому

      You can do that too in ableton as simple as in fl studio.
      So whats the point?
      This video topic is soothe . Lol@@LifeOfnuruDeen

  • @hosannie
    @hosannie Рік тому +1

    This is side chaining your vocals to your instrumentals!!

  • @ryanladd6667
    @ryanladd6667 Рік тому +32

    Love this trick! Would you mind explaining the reason for creating a vocal bus with no output and why you wouldn’t just sidechain to the vocal track directly?

    • @Jimburai
      @Jimburai Рік тому +32

      I was thinking the same thing too! But I came to the conclusion that this duplicate has all the regular processing without the effects (delay, reverb, ect), so it would be helpful in carving out the track only when actual words are spoken for intelligibility and then immediately going back to normal. If you side chained to the vocal bus directly, I feel like you would end up needlessly killing your instruments by messing up the EQ when the space isn't needed or adding a pulsing effect where this effect is being activated with the delay. That's the only answer that makes sense to me, but I do find it a bit weird that he doesn't directly explain why.

    • @jess_jnstn
      @jess_jnstn Рік тому +3

      My guess is that creating the bus is more relevant when processing layered vocals, so he's just showing a 'best practice', even if a bus isn't required for a solo vocal.

    • @jdrukman
      @jdrukman Рік тому +5

      He wanted to access the vocals after all the insert plugins are applied. In logic at least if you just use the track as the sidechain, it’s tapped before all the inserts.

    • @ssmbl
      @ssmbl Рік тому +2

      can anyone explain how to do this in ableton, please?

    • @DEANCROSS615
      @DEANCROSS615 Рік тому +3

      @@jdrukmanThis is incorrect.

  • @westthampton
    @westthampton Рік тому

    Usually I learn something from videos, this taught me absolutely nothing, but I get it he charges for real teaching

  • @hporemixhub
    @hporemixhub Рік тому +52

    Your content is one of the best and precise. No long videos just to the point content that is easy to understand thanks for helping out the community ❤

  • @zsombigregor
    @zsombigregor Рік тому

    And that's what you can do with the multiband sidechain preset of the patcher in fl studio. I love that sooo much.

  • @oddowlstudio
    @oddowlstudio Місяць тому +4

    Good producers have been able to carve space for vocals in the composition and production for eons. This plugin is a "trick" that introduces compromises and makes sure producers don't get better at their job.

    •  Місяць тому

      thank u

    • @cedricw2820
      @cedricw2820 7 днів тому +1

      I agree. I’ve been trying similar stuff but with The Masker, and it just destroys parts of the instrumental sometimes. If you don’t have the individual tracks, this probably your only option. Otherwise, I think this as like a finishing touch is fine tho. Everything in moderation.

  • @SoundDocta
    @SoundDocta 2 дні тому

    I just subscribed to your channel, from hearing you on Joe Gilder-Home Studio Corner's page, regarding this technic.
    Thank you for sharing your knowledge 🙌

  • @yahyeet6163
    @yahyeet6163 11 місяців тому +71

    I'm boutta bus 😫

  • @andrijucken844
    @andrijucken844 Рік тому +37

    You can do the exact same thing with "Trackspacer" just by adding a Sidechain Input from the Vocal to the Instrumental Group. No "Ghost Group" needed. But Soothe is such a crazy Plugin.

    • @macsiggi
      @macsiggi Рік тому +1

      and trackspacer is way cheaper + actually goes on sale from time to time

    • @alananthony7762
      @alananthony7762 Рік тому +1

      I just use the stock sidechain plugin on Ableton, it's totally underrated for how good it is, especially if you layer it well ;)

    • @milomaurermusic
      @milomaurermusic Рік тому +2

      How do you mean by this? Would the Soothe2 plugin go onto the VOX BUS and receive sidechain from INST BUS? Explain it out for me please

    • @d-boyzeighteenhundred
      @d-boyzeighteenhundred Рік тому

      @@milomaurermusic Curious as well

    • @trond-oien
      @trond-oien Рік тому

      Soothe2 goes on the Instrumental bus and receive sidechain from the vox "ghost" bus thus carving out space for the vocal. The point of the ghost vocal bus as I understand it is that you'll want to include the full spectrum of the processed vocal in the sidechain signal for a more precise result. Great trick. @@milomaurermusic​

  • @happyshadow
    @happyshadow Рік тому +9

    You can go further by using mid side unlinking OR Stereo unlinking to focus the effect

    • @Rocky2Up
      @Rocky2Up 11 місяців тому

      What? How

    • @happyshadow
      @happyshadow 11 місяців тому

      @@Rocky2Up at the bottom right there is a left and right or mid side button and a link percentage you can turn down

    • @jameswhitaker4357
      @jameswhitaker4357 10 місяців тому

      @@happyshadoware u focusing your effects on mid processing I’m guessing

  • @sleonse
    @sleonse Рік тому +1

    Big Z you really are Great man! Thanks!

  • @remydupon9965
    @remydupon9965 Рік тому +9

    Great tip!!! Works the same as trackspacer but with much more precision on the frequencies.
    Thanks

  • @digdigdigdigdig1749
    @digdigdigdigdig1749 Рік тому

    Literally fucking game changing, usually mixing tutorials are hit or miss, but you fucking killed it my g

  • @bostin3535
    @bostin3535 Рік тому +4

    nice! I also like to use soothe to sidechain any reverb/delay i have on the vocal, really convenient way of carving out space for the vox especially in a wet mix.

  • @ronkayofficial
    @ronkayofficial 11 місяців тому +1

    This has been one of the best and most useful things I've learned so far, and I thought it was such an important topic. I really appreciate you taking the effort to teach it for free. I'm truly a big fan now, thank you so much for your help, and I will definitely purchase your course. You're the man!! ❤👑🚀

  • @prowarren517
    @prowarren517 Рік тому +6

    Seriously thank you so much for these guides, tremendously helpful and right to the point

  • @SouvikSinhaOfficial
    @SouvikSinhaOfficial 9 місяців тому

    Ufff!!! It's a masterpiece!!! Chokh bondho kore just visual korchhilam gaan ta!!! E gaaner bhobiswate jeno sob bangalir kachhe pouchhoi ei prarthona kori!!! Khub khub bhalo hoyechhe dada!!!! ❤

  • @osmark86
    @osmark86 Рік тому +37

    I do this with trackspacer for the same effect. Just really nice to have a tool in one's arsenal that can sidechain EQ duck one channel from another. Absolutely essential imo.
    Btw you don't have to do the send bit in Ableton, if you're in that DAW, since you have an option of sending sidechains pre or post fx.

    • @RemmyMusic1
      @RemmyMusic1 Рік тому +1

      literally 😂

    • @ScottThePisces
      @ScottThePisces Рік тому +5

      you don't need to do the send bit in Logic either idk why he did that lol

    • @tobiaslofi
      @tobiaslofi Рік тому +3

      @@ScottThePisces he probably learned to do that in ProTools years ago and transitioned this "bad habit" to Logic? I guess?

    • @AutPen38
      @AutPen38 Рік тому +5

      I think he did it in this convoluted way because his vocal bus also contains backing vocals. He only wanted the lead vocals to be sent to Soothe's sidechain input, so he sent the lead vox to a separate channel first. You could have much simpler routing if the busses in your mixing template are set up differently.

    • @BALTAOFC
      @BALTAOFC Рік тому

      true 100

  • @prodnothingtodo
    @prodnothingtodo 8 місяців тому

    how do people even come up with stuff like this
    my respect man ty for showing this

  • @LexAladar
    @LexAladar Рік тому +4

    This one is def a bit advanced but the result sounds amazing. I think I figured out how to do this a bit using Izotope plugins that let you unmask a track in the same manner. The plugin is chained throughout, so they can speak to each other in the same manner. Not familiar with the side chain process or what it does too well though, but I think I just gotta watch the video a few more times.

  • @bsv7525
    @bsv7525 Рік тому

    This is literally the best thing I've seen. Hella helpful, now I'm also excited for my music😂😂. Thank you🙏

  • @pjbosman4191
    @pjbosman4191 Рік тому +6

    Top notch content, as always. I always learn so much from you. Thanks Big Z! Much love from South Africa! 🎧

  • @OneBiteBeats
    @OneBiteBeats Рік тому

    this is prob one of the smartest and useful tricks for fitting a vocal in the mix i ever seen

  • @martinthe3rd664
    @martinthe3rd664 Рік тому +10

    I've been doing this for years but this is the best explained video of it I've ever seen. I also use TrackSpacer for this instead of Soothe. Soothe only lowers resonant parts of the audio (as heard in your example) whereas TrackSpacer doesn't make that distinction. Any reason why you'd want only the resonant frequencies to duck?
    Also, I'm always surprised as how hard I can push the trackspacer in this sidechain mode, if I mute the vocals the instrumental sound very wobbly and strange but with the vocals on it's perfectly natural :) One just needs to remember to disable this stuff when bouncing out instrumentals...

    • @soundsliketree
      @soundsliketree Рік тому

      I’m also curious about this.

    • @casualintrovert207
      @casualintrovert207 Рік тому +2

      It's more precise this way, I normally use trackspacer too but you can't have it on too strongly or else it will just start to really do some wide EQ carving of your instrumental. With Soothe you can mess with the sharpness and selectivity knobs to really fine tune exactly how much it's cutting out. You can make it carve out the sharper resonances only, or if you turn both knobs lower you can have it do a wider carve like trackspacer would do. With soothe you can dial it as precise carving as you want before you start to hear artifacts which is nice. Every day I find more uses for that plugin. And it has oversampling which can help reduce aliasing distortion on the high end if you start to carve out a lot there.

    • @ScottThePisces
      @ScottThePisces Рік тому

      Well actually soothe can do exactly what trackspacer does if you reduce the sharpness

  • @infuschia2229
    @infuschia2229 Рік тому

    the delta actually sounds sick, sounds like a very smooth vocoder, gotta try that

  • @NateVanDeusen
    @NateVanDeusen Рік тому +8

    why do you even create a send for the lead vocal at @1:29? Why not just add soothe2 onto your instrumental bus and sidechain it right to to the lead vocal audio channel "vox"?

    • @Mopsie
      @Mopsie Рік тому +1

      Right, was wondering this too. Seems convoluted. But maybe I’m missing something?

    • @NateVanDeusen
      @NateVanDeusen Рік тому

      @@Mopsie right? curious if you have a specific reason for this, or if its just how you have always done it @big z ?

    • @jochembroersen
      @jochembroersen 10 місяців тому +1

      More control...you can control how much volume you sent in and automate this if "needed" and you could make choices on which return tracks you'll include in the signal. For instance, you might not want a room, that you also use for the instruments to be included in the side chain.

    • @TheCruzayder
      @TheCruzayder 28 днів тому

      @@jochembroersen Precisely.

  • @hvnkai
    @hvnkai 8 місяців тому

    The way that ad slid in after saying this isn’t a Soothe ad was smooth lol. Also I don’t know how well Surfer EQ works with vocals but it’s literally built for this producing trick when trying to get instruments to pop in a mix.

  • @CarloDanger
    @CarloDanger Рік тому +6

    I like doing this with just vocals sc the chords and leads. Don’t want my bass getting any sidechain compression from the vocal.

  • @Beatsbysummer9
    @Beatsbysummer9 11 місяців тому

    You’re editing has gotten allot better

  • @TorchArts
    @TorchArts Рік тому +11

    i knew what this was going to be but actually that soothe Delta Vocoder sound is really sick i'm definitely going to try that as a vocal effect with different backing sounds LOL

    • @aper6014
      @aper6014 Рік тому +3

      i was gonna say lol i didn’t realize the delta would sound so cool i’ve never seen anyone use soothe like a voocoder but that’s def something i wanna try now 😅

    • @codybeachchair
      @codybeachchair Рік тому

      Yeah, that was crazy

  • @JackieStacyBakerMusic
    @JackieStacyBakerMusic Рік тому

    This was a huge help to me. Thank you! And...I went out and bought Soothe2 immediately. LOL

  • @RaphyJmusic
    @RaphyJmusic Рік тому +8

    I believe that if you use Soothe for this, it would result in only the problematic resonant frequencies of the vocal being cut into the instrumental. Rather than the full vocal. Whereas something like trackspacer would make a space for the full vocal.
    Anyone else have any thoughts on this? Maybe it was the goal to only cut the resonances?

    • @steppabanton9753
      @steppabanton9753 Рік тому +3

      Why would you want to "believe" anything when mixing?

    • @payetadisquette492
      @payetadisquette492 Рік тому +1

      what you said have sense unfortunely...

    • @AckzellMusic
      @AckzellMusic Рік тому +1

      This is what I was thinking. I've tried this out in 2 projects myself this morning, and I am hearing 'improvements' in the overall sound of the vocals with the instrumental. It genuinely feels like it is tricking me into liking the result more.
      But my brain is saying that I use this plugin to cut frequencies I don't want in something. Aren't I just highlighting the unpleasant vocal frequencies by making room for them on the instrument bus? It doesn't 'sound' like that's what it is doing, but how could it be doing anything else?
      I'm gonna keep it one of the projects I visit often atm for the next couple days and then turn it off and see if I hear an 'improvement' again. Then I'll know my brain/ears are genuinely playing tricks or not as they so often do!

    • @steppabanton9753
      @steppabanton9753 Рік тому

      @@AckzellMusic it's in sidechain mode. It doesn't "care" about any of what you're talking about. It's simply ducking the frequencies it's receiving from the sidechain (vocal) out of the instrumental. Stop over thinking guys.

    • @AckzellMusic
      @AckzellMusic Рік тому +2

      @@steppabanton9753 With plenty of experimentation done today myself I am agreeing with you that this is not something to worry about in the end. I already had other methods of doing something similar, so I wanted to be sure. I've settled on Soothe 2 for this as it really does seem to make the music 'wrap around' the vocals in a pleasant way!
      I overthink everything, cheers for your input :)

  • @DarkMuzishn
    @DarkMuzishn Рік тому

    This is god like!!! ive come to this video by suggestion, i think this is the best suggestion youtube gave me! this is amazing! i didnt nkow i needed this till now, now i cant live without it XD epic job dude!

  • @Username_Invalid
    @Username_Invalid Рік тому +31

    Love your videos but not sure about this one especially with Rock or Pop. We should mix to make things sound like they belong together and not necessarily for separation. To me the before sounded more glued together. Sometimes dirty and clashing sounds better than separated. Love your content again and your course line was sleek as hell lol

    • @BigZMusic
      @BigZMusic  Рік тому +10

      Thanks for watching my vids man 👍🏼

    • @elreyabeja4539
      @elreyabeja4539 Рік тому +14

      I get ya. The modern desire to hear the vocals so far forward from the mix is a little irritating to me. I do like the vocals tucked in and enveloped by the track more than sitting right out on top. However, a lot of my clients want their vocals sooo far forward so that's what I give them.

    • @Username_Invalid
      @Username_Invalid Рік тому

      @@BigZMusicThanks for the content and ideas 👍

    • @paulhelsby
      @paulhelsby Рік тому +4

      @@elreyabeja4539 agreed, stands out like a sure thumb, but its hidden in the poor sound quality of what the majority people use to listen to music on like their cell phones and Amazon Alecia etc, even their flat screen huge tv. when was the last time you went to someones house and they played some music on a quality home system?? for me it was the 90s...

    • @paulhelsby
      @paulhelsby Рік тому +2

      and these kind of techniques are needed on such tiny poor quality music systems (if you can even call them that)

  • @darkvilleproductions6485
    @darkvilleproductions6485 Рік тому

    Bro, I just watched this video and when I saw what you did, my mind went crazy! Thank you so much for this tip. I’ll be taking a peep at your course my dude. Again, thank you!

  • @robertsteinberger
    @robertsteinberger Рік тому +31

    Trackspacer.

    • @thehiddenchannel636
      @thehiddenchannel636 Рік тому +2

      Haha

    • @djthope9710
      @djthope9710 Рік тому +4

      I guess this method gives better results than trackspacer

    • @maruserumangaka
      @maruserumangaka Рік тому

      @@djthope9710ofc. Because you can control the bandwidth and other parameters 🤓 🔥

    • @robertsteinberger
      @robertsteinberger Рік тому

      @@djthope9710 why though?

    • @djthope9710
      @djthope9710 Рік тому +1

      @@robertsteinberger cause its cutting/filling precise frequencies instead of a band,
      But I’d still stick with trackspacer, as it kinda literally feels like creating space and have some breathing room according to my need. And then fill it. (Resonances can however be controlled later by Soothe, creating a glued feeling)
      until and unless there is a specific scenario where even minute differences matter(maybe bass or lower mids) then prolly I’ll use his method.

  • @TheLockdawg
    @TheLockdawg Рік тому

    man its crazy when you find videos like this added this to my new song I'm working on, deff sounds better, you are a saint.

  • @prowler2783
    @prowler2783 Рік тому +14

    Trackspacer is a $60 plug-in that is specifically made to do this

    • @tawixdu64
      @tawixdu64 Рік тому +2

      Not that precise but basically yes

    • @BigZMusic
      @BigZMusic  Рік тому +7

      Yeah it’s not nearly as precise

    • @B2svn465
      @B2svn465 Рік тому

      ​@@BigZMusicgood for instruments not so much for vocals

    • @joeclarmusic
      @joeclarmusic Рік тому +1

      One would argue that using a resonance suppressor (soothe) on all the instruments is too many notches.

    • @JonKunis
      @JonKunis Рік тому

      It’s almost always on sale for $25-30.

  • @jamesmcrayjohnsoniii2889
    @jamesmcrayjohnsoniii2889 Рік тому

    This is a powerful, elegant ducking technique. And so easy. Cleaned up one of my mixes in 5 minutes.

  • @prodby430
    @prodby430 Рік тому +5

    If you ask me trackspacer is an better solution but both ways will work. For me personally trackspacer sounds better on such stuff.

  • @dpdpforlife
    @dpdpforlife Місяць тому

    This scoops frequencies from the instruments whether there is a clash or not. Perhaps summing a copy of the instrumental (prior to soothe being added) with the vocal to a bus and using that as a side chain would make soothe work in a way more akin to traditional unmasking.

  • @duguy182
    @duguy182 Рік тому +6

    Just like trackspacer lol

    • @traezaX1
      @traezaX1 Рік тому

      Just thought about that

  • @10commvndments
    @10commvndments 11 місяців тому

    Shesssh! This plugin is a game changer. I’m used to just side chaining with a multi-band comp.

  • @heleaven_music
    @heleaven_music Рік тому +2

    How do you do this is FL Studio? I can't sidechain the plugin (soothe 2) to the vocals
    any help would mean a lot, thanks!

    • @OSE7EN7
      @OSE7EN7 8 місяців тому

      Did you find out? I'm curious about this, would love to hear an answer!

    • @heleaven_music
      @heleaven_music 8 місяців тому

      @@OSE7EN7 No, I didn't. I ran out of trail version before I could figure anything else lol

    • @OSE7EN7
      @OSE7EN7 8 місяців тому

      @@heleaven_music Ayyy, i see. Ty for answering though dude!

    • @heleaven_music
      @heleaven_music 8 місяців тому

      @@OSE7EN7 no problem! please let me know if you figure it out, if possible.

    • @OSE7EN7
      @OSE7EN7 8 місяців тому

      @@heleaven_music Sure thing!

  • @losttribez186
    @losttribez186 3 місяці тому

    You just blew my mind

  • @musicbydenchik
    @musicbydenchik 5 місяців тому +3

    how to do on fl?

    • @KeebKwmMusic
      @KeebKwmMusic 4 місяці тому

      1.) Send all instruments to one bus
      2.) put soothe 2 or a dynamic eq on that bus
      3.) send your vocals into a single vocal bus
      4.) side chain instrument to vocal bus
      Basically you want the frequencies of the instrumental to duck when your vocals kick in. Helps the vocals cut through the mix for a clean and crisp sound and keeps the power of the mix

  • @zan6585
    @zan6585 Рік тому

    Thanks so much! Really subtle but almost perfectly carves the vocals out without having to worry too much about compromising the instrumental. Think it may have been helpful to share what you're looking for in sharpness and sens but I kinda felt it out, by the end I could really hear the separation a lot better.

  • @meungawa
    @meungawa Рік тому +8

    Dude, you have to stop the upspeak. It's unbearable. DON'T trail your voice upward at the end of each sentence like you're asking a question. There are great videos on UA-cam on how to stop upspeak. Your videos will be much better received and you'll sound like an adult versus a child's inflection asking for permission with your voice trailing upward like you're asking a question instead of confidently speaking a statement as all good speakers do. You can do it and you'll never go back once you realize this. Thanks for the good video.

    • @jackkerry4137
      @jackkerry4137 10 місяців тому +1

      @meungawa you should try therapy

  • @Patonwave
    @Patonwave Рік тому

    okay this one just blew my mind, its a dope tip

  • @gmealing66
    @gmealing66 Місяць тому

    Ok, mind blown!!! Thank you and definitely gonna try this on my next mix. I might have to go back and redo some mixes too. LOL

  • @NormanTiner
    @NormanTiner Рік тому

    I NEVER would have thought to use sooth2 for this. I'm really impressed. Thank you

  • @Processor609
    @Processor609 Рік тому +2

    >My trick has always been FL Studio's "Multiband compression" use a multiband compressor for the beat and also the vocals individually. One on each track. Then one in the master track but you really have to fine tune and choose lows, mids and highs, and the compression rate for them individually.

    • @amirv1422
      @amirv1422 5 місяців тому

      fl is so powerful. it can do everything with the stock plugins if you know how to

  • @Ryan_3gRi
    @Ryan_3gRi 8 місяців тому

    okay so to my understanding soothe is a dynamic “resonance” suppressor. I think what you did is let the soothe hear the frequency spectrum of the vocal and find those resonance points and apply the reduction to the instrumental. The typical unmasking plugin like trackspacer does things differently from this by scooping the exact frequency that vocal has, which I think makes more sense for what you are trying to achieve.

  • @MikeBurnsArrangedAccidents
    @MikeBurnsArrangedAccidents Рік тому

    I finally have a good use for Soothe! Thing never improved any individual track I put it on and only slightly improved my masters, but THIS, I've gotta try. Thanks!

  • @labavemusihg
    @labavemusihg Рік тому

    Love the way you slid that ad in there. Iconic.

  • @evanh75
    @evanh75 10 місяців тому

    Side chain is a good trick to make some spaces for the elements. For producers, play with the notes of instruments first rather than fixing it with eq. instruments fill the space of human hearing spectrum. That’s why you don’t necessarily play the same notes as the vocal all the time. Also, if some instruments are clashing each other with notes that are too close to each other harmonically like major/minor 2nd, it leaves no space for the vocal.

  • @dburnmusic
    @dburnmusic Рік тому

    Gonna try this, the man!

  • @SweetKeyCo
    @SweetKeyCo Рік тому

    this was the perfect plugin for this!! thank you!!
    I hope this will improve my future tracks!!!

  • @brenmac
    @brenmac Рік тому

    soothe 2 seems soooooo worth it. I'll be investing eventually

  • @losttribez186
    @losttribez186 3 місяці тому

    ive watched this 10 times and i think my routing isnt correct for it ...this is gold but i need more step by step

  • @adissabovic
    @adissabovic 2 місяці тому +2

    1:34
    - Single EQ
    - R Compress
    - Pro-C 2
    - Soothe
    - Soothe
    - Soothe
    - R DeEsser
    - Saturn
    - Pro-Q 3
    - Ozone Img.
    - Valhall
    - Pro-Q 3
    ...not over-processing at all!

    • @emboar7247
      @emboar7247 Місяць тому

      You’re not being sarcastic because it indeed is not over-processing, especially with the mildness of his knob turning.

  • @ForMeOnlyk
    @ForMeOnlyk Рік тому

    I needed this haha my mixes are so bad ty brother

  • @daviddelpinoherrera2672
    @daviddelpinoherrera2672 4 місяці тому +1

    I’m still not sure if this is what I was looking for, but I need to try this.

  • @mehdigolshan914
    @mehdigolshan914 22 дні тому

    wtf its amazing , nice trick in soothe , keep working , this video has a another new subscriber

  • @WhoIsYaMinko
    @WhoIsYaMinko 2 місяці тому

    Excellent. Thank you!

  • @zenithapollostar487
    @zenithapollostar487 9 місяців тому

    Quite a difference from start to finish. Well done😊

  • @wirelessguyny3787
    @wirelessguyny3787 2 місяці тому

    Many people use the plugin and the overall concept here is impressive. The one question I would likely ask is how did people separate the acoustic space before plugins? Two quality examples of great mixes would have to be songs like Foreplay by Boston or Black Magic Woman by Santana. The instruments are very full but both the vocals and lead guitar manage to cut through the mix quite effectively.

  • @C-MAGs
    @C-MAGs 7 місяців тому

    I fucking love that song. I've played it to death on Spotify. Your production quality is always top notch. Will be a useful course no doubt!

  • @prettyOP
    @prettyOP Рік тому

    Great technique, explained well and executed concisely! :)

  • @marinowong
    @marinowong 4 місяці тому

    This was awesome, thank you so much Big Z!

  • @RokSivante
    @RokSivante 2 місяці тому

    Soothe2 is hands-down one of the most essential tools in any pro’s arsenal. 💎

  • @niklasneumannmusic
    @niklasneumannmusic 9 місяців тому

    it sounds really professional, i think big producers use the same effect

  • @levimalachiofficial
    @levimalachiofficial Рік тому

    This is so sick bro! Amazing tips

  • @charliekey2979
    @charliekey2979 5 місяців тому

    That's a cleaver trick! I have to try it. Thank you for sharing.

  • @DumboSanchez
    @DumboSanchez 10 місяців тому

    Trackspacer does exactly this and makes it a piece of cake to dial in the depth