Get CLEAN R&B Vocal Mixes EASILY — The 5-Step Formula You Need In 2025 | EP 28

Mixing R&B vocals in 2025 requires mastering the full process from scratch to a finished, industry-level sound, and in this video you’ll be learning alongside my students as I break down exactly how to do it in any DAW. Together, we’ll walk through the essentials of vocal mixing step by step, from using EQ to shape tone, compression to control dynamics, and vocal effects like reverb, delay, and saturation to create depth and polish. I also show how to balance and blend background vocals with the lead, giving you the complete workflow for modern R&B vocal mixing that translates to radio-ready quality.

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STEP 1: LEAD VOCAL PROCESSING
0:00 - Intro
1:29 - Finding vocal volume level
2:30 - Cleaning up vocal with EQ
6:00 - Controlling dynamic range of vocal with compression
6:49 - Shaping the vocal tone with a PulTec style EQ
9:25 - How to make your chorus vocals stand out
15:33 - How to tame vocal harshness and sibilance quickly

STEP 2: VOCAL ARRANGING & GLUING
18:17 - How to make space for overlapping lead vocals in the mix
20:42 - Vocal leveling, arranging, and adding beat drops
23:23 - How to glue all your vocals together to the beat (FairChild)

STEP 3: BACKGROUND VOCAL MIXING
26:01 - How to mix your background vocals through a vocal bus
35:17 - How to ensure your BGVs don't compete with your leads
36:14 - How to make your "In and out" vocals sit perfectly in the mix
41:20 - Using a vocal doubler to make poorly recorded vocals sound more pro

STEP 4: ARRANGING VOCALS WITH BEAT
43:14 - Adding beat drops and effects to highlight moments in the song
45:43 - Creating a deep octave voice effect to enhance the chorus vocals
48:10 - Finding and reducing the last harshness in the vocal (FabFilter Pro-Q3)

STEP 5: FINAL MIXBUS PROCESSING
49:53 - Enhancing the entire mix with mixbus saturation (Ozone Saturator)
52:18 - How to get super wide mixes that's don't feel weird (Ozone Imager)
53:06 - Before vs After 2 plugins on the mixbus
53:37 - Vibing to the finished mix
55:48 - Before vs After entire mix

Throughout this lesson, I show you a step-by-step workflow that you can apply to your own mixes regardless of which DAW you use—Pro Tools, Logic, FL Studio, or Ableton. The focus is on making smart EQ moves to avoid muddiness or harshness, dialing in compression so your vocal sits consistently in the mix, and layering effects in a way that enhances the vocal’s tone without over-processing. These techniques are designed to help you create a polished, emotional, and competitive R&B vocal mix from start to finish.

This breakdown is ideal for home studio producers, aspiring engineers, and artists who want to mix their own vocals to a professional standard. If you’ve been struggling to get your R&B vocals to sound clean, full, and ready for release, this tutorial will give you the roadmap. By the end, you’ll understand not just the “what,” but the “why” behind every move, so you can confidently approach vocal mixing in your own sessions.

Whether you’re working on smooth R&B ballads or modern R&B-infused hip hop, this process will help you take your mixes to the next level. Subscribe for more in-depth breakdowns, mixing strategies, and tips designed to help home studio producers achieve industry-level results.

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