Parallel Compression to Mix Rap Vocals Like A Pro
Are you struggling to give your vocals that professional and crispy sounding touch or just want to give them more punch? Trust me, you are not alone with this problem. Before you man audio engineers have been facing the same problem.
With this article I want to give you ideas on how to use parallel compression to mix your rap vocals like a pro!
This technique can help you to add warmth, presence or punch to your vocals in order to take your music to the next level!
Now you are probably wondering what parallel compression is? First I will give you a quick overview what parallel compression is when and how to use it and lastly how parallel compression can be used on vocals for a professional sound!
What is parallel compression?
First you need to understand the concept of a compressor for more information about this topic, check out my article about compression here! (Insert Link)
Parallel compression also called New York Compression is a special mixing technique which blends a unprocessed audio track with a heavily compressed one to give it a powerful and dynamic sound. The processed or in this case compressed vocal track will add body and sustain to the sound while the unprocessed version lets you keep the dynamic range of your natural voice. You could say this technique gives you the best of both worlds!
When to use parallel compression
There are a couple of situations where you might want to try New York Compression in order to bring out the full potential of your voice.
New York Compression To Add Presence
If you are looking to give your vocals more presence try mixing your unprocessed audio track with a heavily compressed one, check out my compression here for more information about compression for presence. https://adrikbeatz.com/blogs/music-production-tips/how-to-compress-rap-vocals-like-a-pro
After that blend the heavily compressed sound with your unprocessed vocal track until it sounds good to you. If you want to you can add EQ or Saturation to enhance the sound of your vocals even more. If you want to learn more about how to EQ vocals check out this link right here.
New York Compression To Add Warmth
For added warmth duplicate your unprocessed track and send it through a compressor. Ideally one that emulates a tube compressor for example.
Set the compressor to a Slow Attack and Fast Release Time, add some Saturation and an EQ that gives the lower mids a slight boost. Compress the hell out of your vocals and blend them in with your unprocessed track until it sounds good to you.
New York Compression To Add Width
For added warmth duplicate your unprocessed track and send it through a compressor.
Again try using a Slow Attack and Fast Release time. In addition add a stereo enhancer Plug In like Ozone Imager by Izotope or S1 Imager by Waves. Alternatively you can use Mid/Side EQ Techniques which I will cover in another article, so stay tuned!
Once again blend your tracks until it sounds good! For added width you can try and play around with reverb and delay if that suits your style.
Conclusion
New York Compression or Parallel Compression is an advanced mixing technique that aims to blend a heavily processed and an unprocessed audio track. Depending on your needs and goals you can achieve more presence, more depth or width with this technique.
The advantage of New York Compression lies in the use of an unprocessed and a heavily processed track mixed parallel. This lets you maintain the dynamics of your natural while giving your vocals more body and presence without sacrificing the dynamic range of your mix! In addition you can play around with adding EQs, Saturation or Reverb on your processed vocals to achieve a unique and professional sounding vocal mix.
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