My Reverse-EQ Trick for Cleaner Vocals

Published: Wed, 02/28/18

Today's tip will be a simple one, but so very useful when you're trying to get instruments to fit together.

I do this all the time when instruments start cluttering up the vocal.

You're probably familiar with the scenario:

Pull the fader up and vocal gets too loud.

Leave it alone and some instruments start clashing with the vocal and making it sound cluttered.

I'm sure that's a common problem.

But...

Usually people approach the situation from the perspective of the vocal track. You might start boosting some mids in order to get it to punch through the other instruments. Or you might compress the vocal too much just to get it to sit better on top of the mix.

Unfortunately both of those approaches might not work.

Then it's time to leave the vocal alone and start focusing on the tracks that are actually in the way.

So that's when this trick comes in handy, and look, I even made easy to follow steps!

Step 1 - Make the vocal sound as good as you can.
Step 2 - Find the instruments that are clashing with the vocals (let's use the bass as an example).
Step 3 - Use an EQ to boost and sweep around the mids. Find the area where the bass is masking the vocals the most.
Step 4 - Cut the bass in that EQ area until the vocals sound cleaner.
Step 5 - Rinse and repeat for other instruments if needed.

Creating frequency clashes by boosting makes it easier to hear where you need to cut. It's a lot easier than guesswork and reducing frequencies in other instruments to make room for your most important ones makes your EQ'ing cleaner.

That's just a typical example of the easy to follow and practical tips found within EQ Strategies - Your Ultimate Guide to EQ. Here's what Edward, a customer had to say about the guide:

I love the way you broke down the different frequencies and explained how and why each are so important in each instrument. The book is concise and to the point, no bull, just the facts! I would recommend it to anyone interested in mixing and mastering. -Edward Snow

Grab your guide right here and start your EQ'ing off on the right track (no pun intended!)