Dynamic Vocals

In today's music, a song doesn't become popular unless we can all sing along with it, well, at least that's what the big record companies think.  My point is this: the lead vocal is a deal breaker for a good song, so I'd like to talk a little about how to make it sit right in the mix.  My inspiration for this topic was an amazing article I read in Electronic Musician that talked about using dynamics processors properly.  I definitely recommend reading and implementing some of the discussed techniques, but first I'd like to mention which dynamics processors I currently use and how.  

When tracking vocals I rarely compress in the process, usually when I have an inexperienced singer who can't sing at a consistent level, with screamers and with rappers who use a lot of emphasis.  I use my DBX 160A patched directly after the preamp and try to keep the ratio between 2:1 and 4:1; my purpose for this is only to prevent clipping, not to squash the sound.  I like this compressor because it controls the levels without adding a noticeable amount of color to the sound.  Once I'm inside my DAW and begin mixing, I like to start with whatever I notice first; if I feel the vocal levels are all over the place, I'll insert a compressor (usually the Waves V-Comp) and if there's some harsh sibilance I'll insert the Waves DeEsser.  The aforementioned article suggests an amazing way of de-essing by copying the vocal track, inserting an EQ and boosting the unwanted frequency.  After this, bus the signal into side chain input of a limiter inserted on the original track.  This is essentially what a de-esser plugin does, but manually.  

When it comes time to enhance my vocals, I drop an EQ on the track, cut the bad frequencies and boost the good.  It's really just that simple, but be careful to not take away too much of the natural characteristics of the singer's voice or boost too much on the high end creating an ear piercing screech.  When I'm EQ-ing, I flip back and forth constantly between my monitors and headphones.  As for the plug-ins, I use the Waves VEQ4 for a warmer sound or the Focusrite Midnight EQ to add a little more color.  Quality transparent EQ's are normally found in mastering environments, so I won't go too deep into that here.  Besides, I think when mixing a lead vocal, a little color or warmth is necessary to develop your own unique sound.  Part 2 of the article goes into a little more detail about equalization from a different point of view.  

Remember; use your ear, not the gear.  When playing around with all of these dynamics processors, don't focus on the name, the look, or the settings someone suggested; trust your ears and make adjustments so that the vocal sound is appropriate for the song.