Should Vocals be louder then the beat?

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SlowJoe

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As far as hip-hop and R&B, should the vocals be slightly louder then the beat or a lot louder. Or should then be at the same level. What i usually do is bring the vocals about a hair or two louder then the music. Let me know what yall think or what yall do? Thanks
 
I would say neither. It should be blended, or "mixed" if you will.

I'll usually hear most of the background music lower, with varying degrees to give one instrument dominance, with the kick and the snare louder with the vocals sitting around the clap.

Correct me anybody if i'm wrong or way out of bounds.
 
well....

i was told yea. the vocals are always up farther than the beats...but if you want to achieve that dont turn the vocals up. just have the vocals where they are and turn the insruments down. til the vocals fit where you want them..
 
contrary to popular belief

the vocals need to be louder than the instrumentation and lower than the drums......i dont believe in "blending" i think the vocals need to be sandwiched between the instruments and drums
 
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It's pretty typical in pop recordings to have the vocals and the drums be the loudest elements. Pretty much the same for hip hop. Rock music, it would depend on what kind of band you've got, sometimes the vocals are on top, but I prefer them right in the middle or even buried. Most styles outside of pop and hip hop will require different things based on the mix, but like I said, in typical Top 40 music, the vocals and drums are the driving forces. Think about a crappy little one speaker AM/FM radio, even with that kind of terrible sound the vocals and drums are generally still pretty easy to hear.
 
The vocals should be loud enough to be heard. The instruments should be loud enough to be heard. No element should drown out the other elements or be drowned out.
 
The vocals should be as loud as they need to be to serve the mix.

One thing is for sure -- The vocal should be clear and easily heard even if it's considerably lower than it should be in the mix. If they're "fighting" to be heard, fix the mix.
 
needs to be a 'perfect' mix

i dont think theres a standard answer for this one. The vocal needs to be clear, and not muddied into the rest of the track
 
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I think that if you look at it in terms of what's louder than what, that outlook will be detrimental to your mix. If you can't hear something, figure out why and fix it.
 
ahh.. Yeah.. vocals are allways louder... oh.. in any stile.. and that includes Hip hop..
 
not to mention when mixing a project for a client, it is perfectly normal to print more than one copy i.e. vox up 1 dB, down 1 dB etc.,, this is common practice for alot of mixing engineers if not the majority, i do it
 
i was always taught that the vocals SHOULD be slightly louder than the beat. i mean, just listen to songs on mastered cd's....the vocals are ALWAYS just right on top of the beat. im listen to 50 Cents "Follow My Lead", and his vocals are sitting nicely on top of the beat.
 
SlowJoe said:
As far as hip-hop and R&B, should the vocals be slightly louder then the beat or a lot louder. Or should then be at the same level. What i usually do is bring the vocals about a hair or two louder then the music. Let me know what yall think or what yall do? Thanks
Click to expand...


The only answer is to listen to the song and make the instruments and the vocals sit at levels that sound good.

You have heard songs before. You know what they sound like.

This is not even something that requires any sort of "mixing techniques" pre se... this is just pushing up a fader.

You listen to a song and if it makes you say to yourself "I can't hear the vocals very well in the track", then you turn them up...

If you listen to a song and it makes you say "damn, those vocals are too loud!" then you turn them down.



This question is like asking:

Q: "how much salt should I put on my food?"
A: "put the amounbt that makes it taste good to you."


Q: "How loud should I turn up my TV?"
A: "Loud enough for you to hear it and not so loud that it bothers your neighbors... unless you want to bother your neighbors."


Q: "When should I turn the lights on?"
A: "When it gets dark enough that you can'tsee well without them."


Q: "What size shoes should I wear?"
A: "whatever size is not uncomfortably tight and is not so big as to not be secure on your foot."







...although, in reality, there is more to getting instruments to sit right in a mix than moving a volume fader around... but as far as the relative perceived levels between the instruments goes, it is just something you listen to.
 
Yeah, thats kind of right.. but when the vocal is supost to be the focal point in a track, then it most be louder (including choir in a orchestra), now as the question was asked.. how louder? then, thats when Dvyce's questions should be asked as well, and also why, when, where, how.. Now if the vocal is treated as one more instrument within the track ( I mean it always is an instrument no matter what) but for example lots of house music use very small samples of vocal frases like " Can you feel it" and what not, and are used just the same way you would use a pad synth or little backround flute.. then the volume goes equal as the other instruments.. but again.. when why how where...
 
man fusquito, you high or what? That's some good weed there man....
 
MASSIVE Mastering said:
The vocals should be as loud as they need to be to serve the mix.

One thing is for sure -- The vocal should be clear and easily heard even if it's considerably lower than it should be in the mix. If they're "fighting" to be heard, fix the mix.
Click to expand...

Exactly, like i know for this, works for me.

some songs i should sound a bit lower some should sound a bit louder
but clear. it depends on what chu aiming at in the mix in my opinion.
 
MASSIVE Mastering said:
The vocals should be as loud as they need to be to serve the mix.

One thing is for sure -- The vocal should be clear and easily heard even if it's considerably lower than it should be in the mix. If they're "fighting" to be heard, fix the mix.
Click to expand...

AMEN,
Clarity.....
Unless you're cutting an instrumental, you always want the vocal to be the main focal point. Fader levels are just one factor when producing a clear vocal. Let's not forget the other basic factors; Mic Choice, Eq and Compression, Panning, Stereo Imaging, Excitement etc... Treat the vocal with only what's necessary. In my experience mixing with plugins ITB, excessive treatment tends to make the vocal sound "plastic" .
Most importantly
USE YOUR EARS!
:cheers:
 
It doesn't matter which is louder. What matters is that the vocal is clear enough to understand and the beat is healthy enough to dance or groove to.

There are some songs out there where the vocals are buried, and other stuff where the vocals are blasting. It all depends upon the song. And realistically it depends upon which frequencies are present in the sounds.
 
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