Let's Play Mastering - Boosting vocals using M/S, EQ & compression

Hello comrades in music! In this tutorial I come to you with a recent problem that I had to solve while mastering an album for a friend. In one of the tracks the lead vocals were coming in a bit soft and we wanted to boost it without changing the balance of the rest of the mix. Since vocals usually occupy the middle of the stereo field I decided to use M/S processing, while at the same time attenuating the rest of the middle element, namely the kick drum and the upright bass (and some of the high end too). As usual, you will find a brief description of the method used below the video.

Thanks for watching!

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So here are the steps for doing it yourselves:

• Duplicate the track (make sure you remove any unnecessary effects from the duplicate)
• Add a Mid/Side processor and filter out the sides of the mix (I used Voxengo's MSED which is free, but there are other tools out there)
• Use an EQ or filters to remove any unwanted frequencies. In this case I needed to keep from around 200hz-5Khz but it might be different for you so use your ears! I suggest no more than a 12db/oct slope on your filters otherwise you risk audible phase shifts when you blend with the original audio.
• Use a multi-band compressor to further attenuate unwanted frequencies. If you don't own such a tool you can adjust your EQ to be a bit more surgical instead. Be careful not to make your sound as if coming from a potato!
• Use automation to blend in the boosted signal at the appropriate moments.
• Never forget to A/B so you know you're not overdoing it.
• BONUS TIP: When mixing/mastering (and generally dealing with subtle audio changes) it's always a good idea to check your work with fresh ears. Save it and double-check it the next morning ;)

That's all! As always, the goal of these videos is to spark your creativity so don't take them too literal. M/S processing is a great tool that can have many applications so make sure you take advantage of it!

See you on the next one!

Support me by checking out my music: https://chrischristodoulou.bandcamp.com/
Support the composer of the music used in this tutorial: https://vassilislagosquintet.bandcamp.com/