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5 Mixing Tips for Better Vocals

Elliot Voss · 30 Aug 2026 · 7 min read

Most amateur vocal chains fail in the same five places. Here is how to fix each one without buying anything.

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Vocals are the first thing a listener judges and the last thing most bedroom producers get right.

1. Fix the source before the plugin No compressor rescues a badly placed microphone. Move the singer, not the fader.

2. Subtractive EQ first Sweep for the boxy 250-400Hz build-up and cut it before you reach for a shine boost.

3. Two stages of compression A slow 3:1 to catch the performance, then a fast 6:1 catching only the loudest syllables.

4. De-ess after, not before De-essing before compression means the compressor puts the sibilance back.

5. Reverb in mono, checked in mono If the vocal disappears in mono, the reverb is doing the hiding.

Elliot mixes records out of a converted garage in Leeds and has spent fifteen years arguing about compressors.

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