To start shaping the vocals for this track, I wanted them to sound clear and stand out at the front of the mix. The overall aim was to create a vocal sound that felt aggressive and explosive, matching the  atmosphere of the backing track. To achieve this, I used multiple different vocal effects in Ableton using a mixture of dynamic control, tone shaping and limiting.

The first effect I used was Ableton’s vocal control effect. I used this to split the vocal into separate low, mid and high frequency bands so I could control each area of the vocal independently. I boosted the low mids in the vocal as it made the lyrics sound clearer without making the vocal sound muddy or overpowering in the mix. I then further boosted the mids of the vocal to further shape the vocal , once these two frequency's had been boosted , the Vocal sounded much more clearer compared to dry.

After this, I used Ableton’s Vocal Presence effect to shape the tone of the vocal further and help it cut through the instrumental. I boosted some of the higher frequency's  frequencies around 4kHz range which added more presence to the vocal and helped bring out the detail in the fastly spoken words. This was important because the track already had a lot happening instrumentally, so the vocal needed to stand out and sound clear .

Next, I added a limiter to control the peaks and keep the vocal sitting consistently at the front of the mix. I did not want the vocal levels jumping around too much because the track relies heavily on maintaining intensity throughout. The limiter only reduces a few decibels, but it helps the vocal stay constantly loud and in-your-face feeling which fits the vibe of the song. 

Finally, I added a de-esser at the end  to control the harsh “S” and “T” sounds that became more noticeable after boosting the mids. This helped smooth out the vocal without removing the aggression or clarity from the performance. I made sure the dry/wet mix fully applied because I wanted the de-esser to control any harsh peaks in the vocal.

For the second drop , I felt the vocals had to stand out more on so I used all of the same effects on the vocal but tweaked them slightly until I got a vocal that I felt sat better in the mix for being at the end of the song. 

I also sampled the vocal and layered it with my drum kicks on the second drop to create a unique build up to the final drop.

From bar 69 of the track, I decided to strip the instrumental back and focus mainly on the vocals to create a more spacious and atmospheric section before the first drop. This was done to build tension and give the listener a short moment of release before the track becomes heavy and intense again. By reducing the amount of instrumentation playing at this point, it allows the vocals to take over and become the main focus, creating a feeling of anticipation leading into the drop.

To help achieve this effect, I used a large amount of reverb on the vocals. The reverb settings were adjusted to create a wide and distant sound which is a switch up to the track on the build up for the drop , which I think sets it up pretty well. I increased the decay to 3.24s on a second copy of the vocals so the vocal would stretch out and fill the empty space in the mix before the drop, helping the section feel more open. This also helped emphasise some lyrics being says and build tension for the drop to come in.

I also used Ableton’s Vocal Control effect to control and maintain the vocal levels whilst still allowing the vocals to feel softer and more atmospheric. This  kept the vocals smooth and controlled even with the large amount of ambience added through the reverb. I wanted this section to feel almost isolated and floating compared to the aggressive energy in the rest of the track. 

For the kick drum in this track, I wanted it to sound hard-hitting and aggressive whilst still feeling controlled enough to sit properly in the mix. To achieve this, I layered together the one-shot kick drum that I had recorded earlier in the live drum studio with a Makina-style kick sample. I felt the live one-shot had a natural punch and texture to it, but the kick sounded weak and not in the style of the track I was going to create.By layering it with the Makina kick sample, I was able to combine the raw acoustic feel of the recorded kick with the making kick giving the bounce feel throughout the track.

To help blend both kick layers together properly, I used FabFilter Pro-Q a2 to EQ the recorded drum sound so they would complement each other rather than clash. I boosted some of the low frequencies in the recorded kick, whilst cutting certain muddy frequencies in the low/mids to stop the kick from sounding too boxy.  After the EQ, I used the Punchy Driven effect to add extra energy and aggression to the kick. I used this effect to enhance the drive of the drum so it would hit harder throughout the mix. . It also added extra harmonics which helped the kick stand out more clearly. 

Alongside this, I also used limiting to control the peaks of the kicks and help it fit well in the mix with the kicks hitting hard and not distorted. 

The hi-hats were an important part of the mix because in Makina music they help keep the energy and make the track feel faster and with some nice ear candy with all the drums together.  the one shot hi-hats sounded quite weak in the mix, so I boosted the higher frequencies in the EQ to make them sound sharper. This helped them stand out more and cut through the rest of the track without getting lost. I wanted the hi-hats to sound snappy and energetic, so I adjusted the EQ until they had the right amount of presence without sounding too harsh. 

The snare drum was an important part of the mix because it needed to feel aggressive and stand out enough to sit properly on the build up to the drops throughout the track. The original snare one-shot sounded too weak on its own, so it was layered with an additional Makina snare sample to strengthen the overall sound.

The layering process was used to combine different sounds from both snares. The original one-shot provided some of the body and tonal character, while the Makina snare sample added extra attack, brightness and impact. This helped the tracks build ups feel much more unique with a strong sounding snare.

EQ was used heavily to shape the sound of the snare and make space for the rest of the mix. I cut all the highs and mids off the snare for this.