Fl Studio: Vocal Mixing Chain: De-essing and Parallel Reverb

Demo summary
A demo of using Maximus for de-essing and setting up a sidechained reverb bus to keep vocals clear while adding space.
Step-by-step
- Open Maximus on the vocal track and navigate to the Bands tab to view the frequency spectrum.
- Left-click on Presets and select either 'De-esser narrow band' or 'De-esser split band'.
- Hold Alt and drag the mouse to adjust the threshold line so it sticks to the 1:1 ratio line.
- Solo the high-frequency band to listen specifically to the harsh 'S' sounds.
- Adjust the threshold and ratio tension (knee) until the harshness is attenuated without losing vocal clarity.
- Add a Reverb plugin to the chain and increase the 'Lcut' to approximately 700 Hz to prevent low-end muddiness.
- Adjust the Decay and Size parameters to add space without washing out the vocal.
Options
- Choose between 'De-esser narrow band' or 'De-esser split band' presets based on vocal quality.
- Toggle 'Monitor' mode to visualize changes in the de-esser.
- Use the Master band in Maximus to compress the entire frequency spectrum like a standard compressor.
Watch out for
- Harshness typically appears in the 4 to 10 kHz range; settings must be adjusted based on the specific vocal.
- High decay times (e.g., 4 seconds) can blur the vocal and ruin the mix if not carefully managed.
- Ensure the threshold hasn't been accidentally moved upward during adjustments, as this can disable the effect.
Tips
- Start with small volume changes (1-2 dB) before pushing to higher levels like 3.1 dB.
- Use a low cut on your reverb (around 700 Hz) to keep the mix from becoming 'washed out'.
- Always be cautious and double-check your settings, as it is easy to mistakenly turn a parameter off while tweaking.
Highlights
“this will be very very useful tomorrow when we'll be mastering our track”
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