Leave room around the vocal

The problem

In one phrase the words get hard to follow. The obvious fix is more top end on the vocal, and that often makes the S's harsher without making the words any clearer.

What to do

Loop the phrase where the words get lost. Listen to what's playing under it, not just to the vocal. A strummed guitar, a busy hi-hat pattern or a pad in the same register is usually the culprit.

Pull the suspect part down for a moment. If the words come back, you've found the masking. Bring it back up and look for the smallest move that keeps its job: a couple of decibels of fader automation for that phrase, or a quieter part only while the singer sings.

Sometimes the problem isn't the level of the part but its attack. A bright strum or a hard piano lands on every consonant. Transient changes the front of each hit without touching its body. Put it on the competing part, try a small Attack cut and listen to the words, not the guitar. The part keeps its level and its sustain, and sits behind the vocal.

If two parts still fight, give them different jobs in time. A piano that answers between lines, instead of playing through them, leaves the words in the clear without any processing at all.

When to stop

If the competing part starts to sound limp on its own, you've taken too much. It still has a job in the song. Check quiet words, held notes and hard consonants across the whole track, because one setting rarely suits every phrase. Automate where the song changes.

The test

Play the phrase at a low listening level. You should be able to write down every word without straining. Then play it loud and check the guitar or piano still sounds like itself. If both are true, you didn't need a brighter vocal.

Rory