Before equalizing a vocal, or anything for that matter, one should familiarize themselves with the characteristics and their ranges within the spectrum of frequencies. The human voice develops lower frequencies from the chest/stomach, to mouth/teeth where higher frequencies occur. The characteristics I focus in on were derived from my studies during the Audio Post Production course of my curriculum at Full Sail University; a class that focuses on audio for video production. An emphasis was placed on speech intelligibility, as it is crucial for dialogue.
I have found great success working within these ranges, especially with rap/hip hop, where a crystal clear vocal placed up front in the mix sells the song!
Fundamental Frequencies:
Men (80 Hz - 240 Hz)
Women (140 Hz - 500 Hz)
These frequencies will undoubtedly vary, as some people naturally have lower/deeper voices, particularly when comparing a mans voice to a woman's voice. Frequencies below this can be filtered out using a High Pass Filter.
Prominent Frequencies (1 kHz - 3 kHz)
These frequencies are the most sensitive to human hearing.
Sibilance (5.12 kHz and above)
This is the ess sound produced by pronouncing F's, S's, T's, etc. These frequencies typically begin to occur at the 8th octave of human hearing, but more often, depending on the numerous factors, are found between 7 kHz - 12 kHz. A De-Esser is used to control sibilance; it is by definition, a frequency specific compressor. Some De-Esser plug-ins can be extremely intricate, providing the user numerous parameters, which can also make it more difficult to use. If need be, a simpler De-Esser can be created by running an equalizer through the side chain input of a compressor.
Distribution of spectral content (above and below 600 Hz)
This frequency is the dividing line between consonants and vowels. Consonants occur above 600 Hz, and vowels occur below 600 Hz. This is important to know especially when recording vocals in another language.
Trying to get a vocal to cut through and intelligibly stand out in front of a heavy/loud mix can be difficult at times. I find that band compression may sometimes be the best solution. I find that compressing both the ranges within the fundamental and prominent frequencies and blending the two results in a more consistent vocal.
Using both a High Pass and Low Pass Filter will create a Band Pass Filter. Feeding that band into the side chain input of a compressor will affect only the frequencies in that band. It is important to understand the fundamentals of speech and how they sound. Sweep through these frequency ranges and become familiar with the sound of these characteristics. Use them to create a crystal clear vocal track, or experiment to create new vocal effects.
I have found great success working within these ranges, especially with rap/hip hop, where a crystal clear vocal placed up front in the mix sells the song!
Fundamental Frequencies:
Men (80 Hz - 240 Hz)
Women (140 Hz - 500 Hz)
These frequencies will undoubtedly vary, as some people naturally have lower/deeper voices, particularly when comparing a mans voice to a woman's voice. Frequencies below this can be filtered out using a High Pass Filter.
Prominent Frequencies (1 kHz - 3 kHz)
These frequencies are the most sensitive to human hearing.
Sibilance (5.12 kHz and above)
This is the ess sound produced by pronouncing F's, S's, T's, etc. These frequencies typically begin to occur at the 8th octave of human hearing, but more often, depending on the numerous factors, are found between 7 kHz - 12 kHz. A De-Esser is used to control sibilance; it is by definition, a frequency specific compressor. Some De-Esser plug-ins can be extremely intricate, providing the user numerous parameters, which can also make it more difficult to use. If need be, a simpler De-Esser can be created by running an equalizer through the side chain input of a compressor.
Distribution of spectral content (above and below 600 Hz)
This frequency is the dividing line between consonants and vowels. Consonants occur above 600 Hz, and vowels occur below 600 Hz. This is important to know especially when recording vocals in another language.
Trying to get a vocal to cut through and intelligibly stand out in front of a heavy/loud mix can be difficult at times. I find that band compression may sometimes be the best solution. I find that compressing both the ranges within the fundamental and prominent frequencies and blending the two results in a more consistent vocal.
Using both a High Pass and Low Pass Filter will create a Band Pass Filter. Feeding that band into the side chain input of a compressor will affect only the frequencies in that band. It is important to understand the fundamentals of speech and how they sound. Sweep through these frequency ranges and become familiar with the sound of these characteristics. Use them to create a crystal clear vocal track, or experiment to create new vocal effects.
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