Hi Ray,

I think you are right - you don't want a thin vocal sound.

I start EQing all vocals by first rolling off everything below 120 Hz with a gentle Q of .71. This allows the vocals to sit down in the mix without competing with the bass and kick.
(The only exception is with a very deep male voice where a different setting may be required e.g. rolling off everything below 90 Hz)

If there is still some mud I look at frequencies around 250 Hz and try some gentle 2-4 DB cuts with a Q of around 1.25.
The challenge here is that 250 Hz is in the fundamental range of most singers so I very rarely use this cut.

The only place I add EQ (where necessary) is a 2-4 Db shelf starting at 5K and a Q of .71.

If you use the Nectar Plugin (Izotope) vocal presets - many of them include an EQ with the above three settings or similar (highly recommended plugin).

I hope this information is of assistance and look forward to hearing about other members' vocal EQ settings.

Best Regards
Nigel

Nigel Spiers
Christchurch, New Zealand
info@nzacoustics.com