How To Mix Afro Beat Lead Vocals

1. Introduction: Hi there, and welcome to my class on learning how to mix Aprobt lead vocal. My name is Aramide Babal also known as Produce Amaka, and I've been in the music industry for over seven years, and I've had the opportunity of working with some great minds in the industry, such as Davido, Ozuna, Barry J Boy Spies, just mentioned a few this class, I'm going to be breaking down my vocal mixing process. You're going to be learning skills like cleaning up your vocals and preparing it for mixing. You're also going to be learning EQ, compression, you know, parallel compression, and how you could add reverb and delays to make your vocal. Really stand out. So you might be wondering who is this class designed for? If a beginner want intermediate, you know, in music production and mixing, this class is definitely for you, I'm going to be breaking down, you know, my skill and slowing it down to your understanding so you understand every bit of the class. So, you know, you don't need to have any fancy gear. All you just need is a laptop with your DAW, a pair of headphones or if you have a studio monitor that's also excellent and, you know, a heart that is willing to learn. You've got a fun project, you know, there's always a fun project lined up for you. You're going to be using the skill you're actually learning in this class to mix your own lead vocal. So as you follow along by the end of this class, I love you to met your own lead vocal using the techniques that I have showed you. Yeah, so I'm so excited to have, you know, an account wait to hear what you create. So what are you waiting for go grab your DW, load up your vocal track, you know, unless get into the class. 2. Track Preview And Tempo: You need to know what the tempo of the song you're mixing is. So, yeah, we have this here, you know, everything looking nice and properly recorded. So what I'm going to do, I'm just going to listen to, you know, the mix as it is without touching anything and just have a feel of what it sounds like. Yeah, I'm just gonna listen to it and get into, you know, into the work for the day. About the Yeah, it sounds really nice. So the first thing I'm going to do is to get the temple, like I said, and one way you can get the tempo is either getting the tempo, you know, from the artist or the producer that sent you the work, or if it using a door like FL Studio. I don't know how it works for DW. You could just come over here on the beat and just right click and detect tempo. So once you detect tempo, it's going to give you a range of what the tempo is. And for this, say the tempo 90 BPM, which I think that is a temple. So I'm just going to accept that and turn on my metronome and play it again and let's see if it sits well with the metronome. So let's play. Yeah, perfect. This is perfectly on 3. Removing Quite Spaces: See we're going to do is just going over and listening to, you know, the lead vocals and see how we could just take out all those spaces in between them. I can see the lead vocal, but just looking at it, I know that these are my backups, and I think these three up here should be my lead. Just by looking at it, I know that's our lead vocal. So I'm just going to listen to them and try to remove the spaces, you know, in between them. So I'm just gonna hold my t and drag this to take out this space. So it just starts immediately with the vocal. So let's listen to that. I spend 100 minute cause body banging. So I'm going to take out this space to just spend time taking out all the spaces. So I think I'm just going to speed up this part and just cut out these vocals. Alright, so you know, I've spent time just making sure that I've cut in all the spaces, so you can see the way it looks now. You know, we're just working with just the lead vocal. And I think I'm just going to do this final one, just cut this out. So what I'm going to do is to send, you know, this lead vocal to the mixer. And to do that in FL, you can, you know, double click on the sample and just, you know, track it and it goes straight to the mixer. So I'm going to send these other ones also to the mixer, which which is insert insert one. Yeah. So we have everything coming out from this insert right now. What do you think about my wife. I can turn off my metro room now, and, you know, we can start working on this. And so I produce these bits, so I make sure that the bit, you know, is as clean as possible and, you know, no sound clashing with each other. But, you know, you can always mix with the bit stems. The for B, I just chose to, you know, show you how you can just mix with a single wayfle of the bits because, you know, most people that might send you jobs might just have just the wayfle but it's also good to have, you know, the stems so you could manipulate it better. I sat there all 10 minutes body buying it. 4. Autotune: The first thing when mixing probit is the Atotune. You know, it's good to have the Auto to just to tune everything. Any vocal is going off key, it just brings it down and, you know, places it on key. So the first thing I'm going to be loading auto tune Evo, you know, nice, nice symbo we have to first get the key because you cannot just put in the autotune without knowing what key you know, the song is on. So I just going to quickly try to find the key. And one way you can find the key, just, you know, hit play, and you can load in any VST that has some nice keyboards on it or guitar and just try to find the key. So I'm going to hit play and just try to find the key. Bang. Yeah, so that's the key. And, you know, it might not be easy for you to just get the key, you know, in no time. But we constant practice, your ears, your ears get better and better. So I'm just gonna we're on the key of F sharp major right now. I'm going to go to my, you know, autotun and we can change the key here to FSharp major. And then we just increase our retoon speed. You know, the more retoon speed you put, you know, the more the vocal kind of sound robotic and that's what we're trying to avoid. So I'm just going to put in the retoon speed to a point where I feel like, you know, this is okay. So let's do the sing as we do that. After the bang. So yeah, as you can see I increase it all the way to zero. You can see how the vocal is shaking. And that's what we're trying to avoid. So let's go over to around, like nine. After banging. Yeah. I'm gonna add a little bit of humanize so, you know, it takes off that robotic kind of feel away from it. Aspende about the banging. Sessions Civ love. So, let me just mute you know, use the beat. Let's just listen to the vocal. I'm just gonna loop this particular point. Let's just work with this point. Aspen De re Milli, Cos about the banging. She session wants it person we go gi love it. Nice. 5. EQ: And I like having my EQ, you know, subtractive EQ to take out those frequencies that I feel I don't really like on the mix. So but before then, I'm going to be using, you know, wave studio verse. So, in case you don't have that plugin, I'll order you to just go get studioverse. You know, it makes you know, mixing quite easy because you could load all your plugins on just that, you know, rack. So I'm just going to go load in studio verse. Alright, so we have studio Vose loaded, and this is what studio Vose look like, so we can start loading in every of our insert or every of our, you know, plugins on, you know, this insert right here. So the first plugin I'm going to be using for my subtractive EQ is going to be, you know, an IQ. I have the going to go to the EQ section, and let's go. I think I'm going to be using F six. I'm going to be using this plugin to just listen to those frequencies that I feel are not nice and just, you know, cutting it down a little bit. Alright, so the first that I'm going to do is just take out the low end. I'm going to use this high pass filter, and let's just increase. Let's turn it on. And let's just listen. It's good to always listen as we make these changes. I only use everybody banging. Yeah, let's go over here. I love it. Nice. So I'm just going to pick, you know, let's pick one and let's boost it up and just listen to what this frequency sounds like and look for, you know, those frequencies that are not really nice and just cut it. So that's what we're doing. Looking for frequencies that are not nice and cutting. So in mixing your ears be very, very, very, very sharp. So let's listen to what this frequency sounds like. Obviously. This is not nice, so I go to cut it a little bit, a few DB. Let's pick up another frequency. I know B. I think I want to pick the two. Milli, Cuse body banging. Let's make the queue smaller. Let's listen. Si want it person we ci loving. I know Bimco So Milli, Cosby banging. Session want it person. So I'm gonna pick up this again. Let's listen to this. I know Banque smaller. Causby banging. She says she want it person, we'll go, give her, love it. Obviously, this is not nice. Let's cut it down. I spend there hundred minute Let's listen more and see whether we can see so frequency that no nice. Says want it person, we'll go, give her love it. I know B I spend 100 minute caused banging. So right now, I feel like, you know, I've actually just cut out the frequencies that are not nice. But, you know, for your own mix, it might be different. It's actually good. You spend time listening because, you know, it might be recorded in a different environment from where mine was recorded. So it actually there was good, you know, not just copying what we have here, but listening and tweaking to actually fit, you know, the song you're working on. So you know, once we've done a lot of subtractive is like this, there's going to be, you know, a change in, you know, the volume of the whole song. So we're going to just try to increase volume a little bit, to actually just match the volume it was having before I did this subtractive IQ. So I'm just gonna add in a few, you know, dB of gain. So I think about two dB. So let's listen. I spend 100 minute cause about the banging. Nice. She says you want it person, we go give I love it. Yeah, so the next I'm going to be bringing in is also another IQ. And for this IQ, what I'm just trying to do is boosting a little bit of the high end, you know, to have those sweet spot on your vocal. I'm just going to boost it a little bit. So I'm gonna be using the PT EQ. So let's go over to the EQ and just pick the PT. Alright, so I'm just going to increase, you know, as you can see this is our high frequency, and this is our low frequency. So I'm just going to increase this, let's increase this and hear what it sounds like. Aspenda and Milli, Cause boy banging. Yeah, let's increase this also. Session want it person, we'll go, give loving. Yeah, so you can see what this is doing. Watching crest. Aspenda re Milli, Cos her about the banging. Session want it person, we'll go, give love. Let's say it in context with the Bat let's hear what it sounds like with Bats. Aspenda Mi Cosa banging. Session was press. Hello. As spends the banging. Wh session was press B. Hello. I spend. Yeah, I think I like what it's doing. I'm just gonna bring this at a neutral. Let's take it back to zero. Let's. I think I'm gonna let's see this post this a little bit, and let's see. Aspen's banging. Sessions, I'm gonna increase the output gain a little to be less what it sounds like. Spend banging. So I'm just gonna turn off, you know, everything we've put in, and let's listen to what that sounds like. We added two EQs, let me just turn that off and let's hear what it sounds like. Aspen's body banging. So you can see it's better. We have some clips, you know, that high, beautiful end from the vocal, and we've taken out some frequencies that were actually nice on the vocal. So let's listen again. Banging. Session. So the next time I'm going to bring it in is another IQ. So basically, I'm just going to be using three IQs on this just to get that, you know, spot where I want it to actually be. So I'm going to be using the SSL EQ. So I'll just go over to the IQ section. I'm just going to pick the SSL. And with this, what I'm going to be doing just doing a little bit of compression and also, you know, doing a little bit of IQ on this. So with this opened up, let's see what we could do. I'm just going to come over to the compressor section, and I think I just want a little bit of compression. So this is going to be doing some compression, little bit of compression, and also, you know, playing around with the IQ to get you to the point where I actually want it to beep. Alright, so let's listen. Banging. Session Hello B. I spend it on them bay banging. Yeah, I think I like voice. I spend it on them, Millios body banging. Okay, so I've got to come over to, you know, the low mid frequency, the low mid and just try to, you know, cut it. Let's see. I spend it on them Millie de banging. Also, you know, the high mid frequency. I think I'm just gonna cut in so cut out a little bit of frequency there. I spend it on them Miller body banging. Around around, you know, this region around this region, I think I'm gonna cut out. Aspen the M about the banging. Session multi person? Co Baby. Yeah, I think I prefer it this way. Hello, B. Aspen Dec about the banging. W session ti person by lab. So I just want to let me reduce it because I've already used the subtractive, you know, to cut out those frequency. So right here, I'm not actually doing much because, you know, the first subtractive IQ I use have dealt with all these frequencies. So Aspen the Ms about banging. Session wipers? 6. Compression: Nice. So the next thing I'm gonna bring in is my compressor, and I'm gonna be in two set of compressor, which is the CLA two A. So I'm just gonna load in the CLA A, see what we could do with this I spend 100 minute body banging. S you want to pressing ce by labing. Yes, I don't want much, you know, much compression. Just, you know, around that minus three DB. I don't really want it to do much compression right here. So let's just I spend that milli poss up body, banging. So you can see when they say banging, you know, it's not going below minus three. I spend that on milli poss up body, banging. This session wanted pressing we got it by loving. I know Bim Aspenda hundred milli? Yeah, I like it. That's what I'm doing. Basically, I'm gonna load on that instance of CLE two. So with this, let's see what we're gonna do. Aspena hundred milli cause everybody banging. She says she wants it pressing JactiV loving. You know, so it really increased, you know, a lot of the gain. So I'm t. I spend that on them, Milli, Cs up about the banging. She says she wants it pressing, acti, loving. Yeah, so this is gonna deal more with the frequencies, you know. Let's see. I spend it on them, Milli, Cs her about the banging. She says she wants it pressing, JactiV loving. I know, Bim I spend it on them, Milli, Cern about the banging. Q session wants it pressing, we go, ki, B. I know, Bim Aspen Dad Millios. Yeah, so I think you know, we just added our EQ and compression, and this is sounding really, really nice. So, you know, let's just let me turn off everything, so we hear, you know, what it sounds like before, you know, adding all this effect on it. So let me just turn this off. It sounds like this. ApendaGebdy banging. So let me just remove the loop point so you can hear everything. Aspen Dad Milli pose body, banging. QSessi wants it pressing, we go ki, b. I know Bama love the fight in many words. But if you give me, you make her show you plenty of love. Because I love, I know they send the Manka something where their boss Malia. I know they'll do again. You go grab me and saying, Ma her give you my love on that money, you got to C myt you collar me for jelly. You go put me for a penny my love in. You know what never love nobody like I did with you? Tell me why you taking me? He said. You know what, my love and body, I'm so hove you. You making me they think about love. Bam w to pam pain and to collar my pail until he fad. Tell you what this sounds really, really, really nice. So I think I'm done with, you know, this. I think I like 7. Sends: Next thing I can do is just, you know, adding some reverb and some delay. So with our reverb and delay, you know, tissue sound really, really amazing. So why I love, you know, this studio is I could just create, you know, a parallel split. And with this, I could add my reverb, you know, add my reverb, add my delays. So the first reverb I'm gonna be adding is a true verb. Sobot gonna add the true verb and let's see what we could do with this. Soby gonna turn it on here. I spend there d Mi goose body, banging. Somebody gonna bring this down. I just need a little bit of it, so I spend there un Mi pose body banging. You say you want it person we cookie but in. I beim lob part in many words. But if you give me, me I show you plenty love because a love her. So I'm just going to add on that EQ, just to tame you know, tame the reverb. So let's go to this, and I'm just going to bring in my low pulse and my high pass filter, turn them on. And let's bring this and also for this. I spend it on them, Milli, pose body, banging. She session one person we got it by loving. Yeah, I'm gonna add in the next reverb. Since it's Aber plates, I'm gonna be using this reverb. And let's see. I spend there on that? Gonna increase the wetness to 100. Let's turn this on. And we're gonna hear what it's gonna sound like. It's gonna sound really, really, you know, reverby. I spend Yeah, so by window, we're just gonna bring it down and just blend it in. I spend there on the Milli, posse body, banging. She says you want it person, we go to Bob. I know beam. No about the part in many words. But if you give me, you make I show you plenty love because I fall love. So if they gonna use, you know, the EQ, just to tame the reverb, the same EQ. I spend it on them mainly use e body banging. This says you want it person we go keep by loving. I know Bim. Nobody fight in many words. But if you give me chance, theme I show you plenty love. Because I fell love, I know they send you Mia something with their boss in my liver. I know they do again. You go grab me he saying. Meta give you my love my money. You go to Ti buy youthing. You go me for Jenny. You go put me for a penny my loving you know what I love? I think is gonna go back and just try to bring down the gain. Just put this minus one DB. Let's see. Also, this just bring down to gain a little bit. I spend 100 minutes a body banging. Yeah, so this is sound really nice though. Let me just turn off everything. Then we can hear what it sounds like before and after. So without the effect, it sounds like this. 100 minutes y. So in effect? Session one person the coke love. Mice. I know Bimove Love by the part in many words. But if you give it me I show you plenty love. Because I fell love, I know they send in my ker something where the busting my i I know they'll do again. Nice. This is really, really nice. So I could actually add some nice delay. So let's go over to the delay section, and I'm just going to load in the H H delay. Just load this in and just go to increase this. I'm gonna be the timing of 1/4. Pen on that. Let's turn it on. Bring it down. Aspen Da on milli. Go up body, banging. Okay, so I'm using like the ping pong delay. I'm just gonna bring down the feedback. I missed the ping pong delay with the timing of one of four. So yeah, so that's why I couldn't hear because of the ping pong, you can hear it left and right if you're using your headphones. Aspen De on D milli, goose body, banging. She says she wanted pressing, we got it by bing. I know Bim no L about the party many words. But if you give it, it makea show you pretty low. Yeah, nice. I like the way it's sunny. 8. Final Touches: Let's see. I think I want to add, like, a parle compression on the vocal going to load in, you know, a compressor, like Let's see CL 76. I spend 100 minute for somebody banging. She says she wanted pressing the cookie by loving. I know B maan lo lo by the pass in many walls. But if you give it, Ica show you plenty love. Because I fell love, I know they send him Manicka something with the boss Malia. I know they do it again. You go ribbing saying, M I give you my love my money, you go T W return? You go me for henny. You go put me for a penny my loving you know I never love nobody like her. I could create, you know, macros for my scent. So what I can do is create macros right, click here and add macro. So I've added a macro. So this is going to be my reverb. So I can use these knobs now. I could use this knob to control my reverb. For example, if I increase it, you can see it increasing over there. So Aspen Mili Poser body, banging. If says you want it person, you got it by b. So I'm going to do the same thing for my delay, right click Add macro, and I'm going to use the second macro. Let's call this delay. Aspenda Mili Poser body, banging. She says she wants it press. Then I'm gonna go to, you know, this, create another macro and let's go about three. I'll call this weight. I spend that on the music use body banging. She says she wants it pressing the cookie love it. You give me J Meca I show you plenty love. Because I fell love, I know they send you my Nika something with the busting my liver. I know they'll do it again. You could drive me in saying, Mac I give you my love Mammon. Yeah, so I've used this power compression, you know, just to add in some weight. Banging. Session? Yeah, so you can see what he's doing there. H there, Milli, Goss up, buddy, banging. You know, sad blending it in with, you know, the original vocal. Spend there, Milli, go up, buddy, banging. She says she wanted pressing we got you by loving. I know Bamby fight in many words. But if you give it, Ma show you plenty love. Because I fell love, I know they send him Mika something where their boss Mia. I know they'll do it again. You could drive me ins Ma give you my love my money, you go to time time. You could me for here. You go put me for a penny or my love in. You know what? I love nobody you know, this is, you know, a quick one on how you can just easily mix a lead vocal for an aphobt track. So, you know, just a recap, we started with, you know, our tempo, putting it in the tempo. Then, you know, we went over to cutting up the dead spaces, the quiet spaces in the vocals. Then we went to adding our autotune because, you know, aphobt love autotune. Alphobet vocals love autotone. So putting in the autotune there, then, you know, adding in wave verse where we added in, you know, a subtractive EQ you know, added up another EQ just to boost the high end. Then use our SSL channel, you know, with some compression, then use the CLA two A, you know, did some parallel compression, added our reverb and delay, and we have this amazing vocal you know, you're hearing here. Arya, let's just listen from the top again, and, you know, let's see, you know, what this mix sounds like. I spend 100 miteebybnging. She says she wanted pressing you go give I love it. I know Bim Nobody fight in many words. But if you give me, mecca show you plenty love. Because I fell love, I know they send him Mania something with the bus in my liver. I know they do again. You could drive me and saying, M I give you my love my money, you go to 9. Out Row: I hope you actually got something from this. And if you have any questions, you could just always drop it down. I'm definitely gonna respond to, you know, every one of your questions. Thank you, guys. And trust me, guys, like I always say, keep on practicing and you definitely get better at whatever it is you're doing. So if you keep on practicing, you know, mixing, you're definitely gonna get better at mixing. Thank you guys for taking this class and see you guys on the next class that will come up with peace.