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How to Make Vocals Sound Crisp

Achieving crisp sounding vocals doesn’t have to be a hard task. Vocals, which can be mixed and blended a variety of different ways by using effects, must be recorded with complete clarity before voice enhancement effects can be applied. Vocal clarity effects such as compression, de-noise and EQ balance can be used to make vocals more crisp and pleasing to the ear. Music software enables you to control these different effects to give the vocals a better overall sound. By setting the proper audio parameters and effects, you can turn muddy sounding vocals into crisp and clearly arranged samples.

Things You'll Need

  • Music software
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Instructions

    • 1

      Open the software and create a new project by selecting it from the “File” menu. Import the vocal samples by selecting the “Import” option. Check to see which media files are supported in the software before you import the vocals. Vocal samples in WAV or MP3 will work best for editing.

    • 2

      Right-click the vocal sample, or select “Effects” from the “Option” menu at the top. Select the “De-noise” option from the list of effects and set the gain between 2 and 4 with an “Attack Ratio” of “4.1.” Wait for the effect to be applied and press the “Play” button to preview the vocals. Listen to see if the sample is clearer than the original version. Reset the settings if you are unhappy with the vocals; save the vocals if you’re satisfied.

    • 3

      Click the “Effects” option again and select the “Compression” effect from the list of options. Compression will allow you to control the vocal peaks of the song. Set the “Threshold” to “4-5” and the “Attack Ratio” to “4:1.” Play the vocals to preview the effect, save the sample if you’re done. Reset the settings if you are unhappy.

    • 4

      Select the “EQ” from the “Effects” or “Mixer” window. Set the “High Pass Filter” option to “40hz” or what you feel is appropriate. EQ will ensure that all parts of the vocals are on the same wave length and don’t peak. Preview the song and click the “Stop” button. Highlight the harsh parts of the vocals and select the “EQ” effects. Apply “2.5KHz-4Khz” to the “Low Frequency” sliders or settings. Play the vocals to preview the recording. Save the project when you're done.

Recording Music

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