Yeah, interesting thread FJ.

One of the things I've noticed with this and most other examples, is that the vocal mix is not static. The processing may even be similar but it is always dynamic - changing from verse to chorus. Sometimes with different processing on even a few words. Much like the arrangement the processing on the vocals evolves and ebbs and flows with the song beyond just fader riding.

One of the things that caught my atIention (if I read it right) was compressing the reverb itself. The reverb used on the vocals here is a convolution impulse. Never tried compression on the reverb.

I find this stuff interesting and I like to experiment. However, I think NOT ALL but SOME processing just for the sake of piling on more processing can lead to overkill and is often so "subtle" that it's unnecessary for my hobby purposes. Not that I wouldn't like my mixes to sound better with every new mix - of course I would, I'm just saying.

(Rant alert.) For me, no matter how much processing a track has or how well or how modern it's mixed, if on a scale of 10 the song is a 5 - it's still gonna be a 5 no matter how great the singer is or the mix is once it's out there competing for attention in the real world. You don't want to screw up a good song with a bad mix but a mix can only do so much.

I also don't think the mix in and of itself is solely what makes it sound modern. How it's written, sung and arranged, then mixed is the order of potential effect on the masses in my opinion. Your opinion may differ. (End of rant.) grin

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