Elementary Mixing Tips for VOCALOID Vocals

4. Examples

I took the time to make some examples of some of the things I talked about in this guide. I picked my first VOCALOID Original to use as the example piece because it was VERY poorly mixed (I’m using Sweet Ann for these, but the original was made with Megurine Luka’s English bank).

If you happen to like the song or want to hear it in full, here’s a link to the video; don’t yell at me that it’s poorly mixed because I know! :V

Compression+EQ

 

Effects

 


You were waiting for it, and here it is: the Bottom Line.

Your piece can be a soft ballad singing out a story from daily life, or an epic masterpiece of metal guitar sure to kick The Man hard in the  behind, or even a psychological mind-trip that would make Tim Burton want your autograph. No matter which extremes you take VOCALOID to, your singer has got to be heard!

If we can’t hear what the voice is telling us, then we can lose interest, or even give up on a particular song. Make sure your work isn’t skipped over because someone is looking for something a little more professional, make it more professional.

The best way to do all this is by making sure your vocal line soars clear above the rest of the music, while at the same time not distorting or over-shadowing the music. Mixing is definitely an art, and people are paid thousands of dollars to do it with inconceivable accuracy, but everyone has to start somewhere. Since we can’t all afford a studio with a staff, why not pick your next VOCALOID Original or cover to be your mixing practice-pad? I guarantee each time you try it you’ll learn more about mixing and get better. In fact, I learned a lot about mixing just by writing this guide!

Best of luck and skill to all your musical endeavors. Koda out~

About The Author

Kodakami

I'm an independent video game musician with a love for VOCALOID music. I've written a few Engloid originals, and always have more in the works (though it takes me a while to release them). I own Big Al, Sweet Ann, Oliver, Galaco, LOLA, LEON, and MIRIAM.

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