The Three Ds of Vocal Mixing?

------=_Part_39861201_759198732.1646499875238 Content-Type: text/html;charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Special time-limited offer inside [Waves Audio]( Hey {NAME}, When’s the last time you had your mind blown about mixing? Mine was when I got ahold of Lu Diaz’s method for mixing vocals, along with his vocal chain from a video he made with Waves a while back. (If you don’t know Lu Diaz, his credit drop includes Jay-Z, Beyoncé, DJ Khaled, Pitbull, among many others.) This concept changed my workflow on vocals completely—an “ah-ha” moment which de-mystifies and de-complicates the process of mixing great-sounding vocals. The idea is to break down vocal mixing into a few distinct steps, with the first two being: 1. Remove harsh & problem frequencies 2. Add color & shine In the first step, we want to even out the vocal, concentrating only on cleaning up all problem frequencies. All else will come later. In a way, it’s also making it kind of ‘flat’ and boring. This is the idea. Then, by the time you get to the second step, you’ll have a good basis—or a canvas—on which to spruce up the sound and make it more exciting (literally)—with top-end EQ boosts, harmonic excitement, saturation, the works. There are a few plugins Lu Diaz uses in his chain to do this first cleanup step: Aside from the ‘old faithful’ [C6 Multiband Compressor](, he uses the incredibly simple but powerful [Manny Marroquin Triple D]( plugin. [Manny Marroquin Triple D]( This is D Way The Triple D was designed by Manny Marroquin: another mega giant in hip-hop & pop mixing… he’s mixed legendary albums & singles for Kanye West, Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Bruno Mars, John Mayer, Bieber, so many others. This plugin focuses on three Ds of vocal problem-solving: De-Box, De-Harsh, and De-Ess. (Did I mention de-stress?) I was blown away the first time I saw this plugin—it’s highly intuitive and effective. It’s a perfectly tuned, no-fuss, super easy way to clean up vocals, concentrating on common problem areas nearly every vocal tends to face. In the few seconds needed to dial up this plugin, you can solo each section, fine tune the target frequency, and move on. Then after we’ve tidied up the surface, or cleared the canvas on our vocal, we’re ready to get to the fun part of mixing—adding the stuff that makes it sound great. On to the excitement Once you’ve gotten the problems out of the way, you can focus on running it through all kinds of colorful processors to really make it sing, so to speak: a dedicated vocal compressor like [R-Vox](, or hit it with some multi-effect tools such as [CLA Vocals](, or, if you prefer, crank some SSL EQ + comp with the [SSL EV2 Channel]( (if you dare). R-Vox will compress while adding a ton of presence and harmonic excitement, bringing the vocal super up-front (think Drake) and make it pop through the mix and sit on top, like any good vocal should. In the SSL EV2, you can bump the low end around 250Hz for some ‘meat’, or around 8kHz for some ‘sparkle’ – but please, don’t do this on autopilot – be sure to listen when you mix :) I’m a huge believer in presets, and working efficiently & methodically, and this helped to seal the deal for me. Now I tend to always try out Lu Diaz’s (and Dave Pensado’s) presets—of which there are many across a ton of Waves plugins—and I find them to be amazing starting points. Time to clean house Here’s your opportunity to get your vocal takes to be spick and span. For the next 48 hours, take an extra $10 off the already slashed sale price. 48HRS Only: Limited quantity $10 OFF Manny Marroquin Triple D Use this code during checkout: TRIPLED10 Valid through March 7, 2022, 5:00 AM EST. This coupon can be combined with current sale prices and additional offers. Apply both coupons in your cart to get the best deal: TRIPLED10 and SAVE40. [Check out Manny M Triple D]( » Plus, make sure to take advantage of the free plugins being given out when you spend over a certain amount: Spend $50 get 1 FREE plugin Spend $90 get 2 FREE plugins Spend $120 get 3 FREE plugins If you’re not sure what else to get, check out our [40% Off Zone](, with rotating 40% off deals each week, using coupon code SAVE40. Here’s that video from Lu Diaz: [4 Steps to Mixing Hip Hop Vocals](. (You’ll need to log in to watch, but trust me, it’s worth it.) Enjoy, Sam at Waves Audio P.S. Another video that changed the way I mix vocals is here: [Vocal Mixing Masterclass with Leslie Brathwaite](. The song in the video is by Lil Uzi Vert & Pharrell Williams, and Leslie’s mix credits include Pharrell, Cardi B, Beyoncé. P.S.S. My recommendation is to create a [StudioRack]( vocal chain and always use it as your starting point. [See free plugin terms & conditions](. 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