What’s happening guys, you’re here with Nate (N828), and in this video I break down my 5 go-to tips for mixing vocals over a 2-track (stereo instrumental). This comes up all the time when you’ve downloaded a beat that’s already loud and maxed out, and then you’re fighting the kick, fighting the vocal level, doing car checks, and it still feels like karaoke over the record. The fix starts with headroom and control—before you start stacking plugins and hoping for magic. First thing I do is gain stage the 2-track so I actually have space to work—usually turning it down to around -12 to -6 dB. Then I control the vocal level (I like using iZotope Nectar’s ALM to ride the level automatically) so the waveform isn’t peaks and troughs all over the place. After that it’s de-essing and EQ (always in context of the mix), plus dynamic EQ to tame harsh areas like that 10k rasp without killing the life. If I need compression, I use it more for tone and “in-the-record” glue than smashing it. Finally, I check in mono so I don’t get tricked by stereo, and if the beat is crowding the vocal, I’ll create a pocket using mid/side dynamic EQ or Trackspacer in the mid channel. It’s subtle, but it’s what takes you from “vocal on top” to “vocal inside the track.”