Your Vocals Are Buried If...

Mastering can't un-bury a vocal. If the singer is lost in the mix, fix it before uploading.

Mastering can't un-bury a vocal. If the singer is lost in the mix, fix it before uploading.

The vocal is the center of most songs - it's what listeners connect with emotionally. When it's buried under instruments, mastering can't separate them. EQ and compression in mastering affect the entire stereo mix, not individual tracks.

Signs your vocal is buried You can't understand the lyrics on first listen The vocal only sounds clear at high volume Instruments feel louder than the singer during choruses You keep turning up the vocal but it still gets lost

Tip: The "turn everything else down" trick works magic. Instead of pushing the vocal louder (which eats headroom), lower the instruments by 2-3 dB. The vocal pops out and you gain headroom for mastering. Win-win.

Key takeaway: If you can't understand the lyrics on first listen with earbuds, the vocal is too low. Turn everything else down instead of turning the vocal up.