Gabi Belle: Musician, Producer, and (yes!) YouTuber

It has become increasingly common for YouTubers and other online creators to pivot to music—some for a brief season, to sing their heart’s song and experience the joy of bringing an original composition or two into the world, and some for a long-term shift (Addison Rae being, perhaps, the most famous example of someone pursuing this path). In many of these cases, the common, perfectly acceptable practice is to find a producer to work with who can midwife songs along with each artist to help them to live out their musical dreams. But this is not how Gabi Belle does things.

While most of her content can be classified as “commentary,” as she analyzes films and consumer products with her characteristic humor, chic style, and colorful decor, there has always been an instrument or two peeking out from behind her in her videos—a keyboard here, an electric guitar there—and a Beatles album is always visible (to my delight). This is not just an aesthetic or affectation. Gabi frequently brings her musical chops into her work, whether she’s exposing seemingly “live” TikTok videos as having been secretly auto-tuned (her channel’s most viewed video) or demonstrating concepts through Logic Pro X, as in a recent upload showing how tracks sourced from Suno can be used to fake a production workflow. Thus far, she has written and released some singles of her own, with videos and physical merchandise to accompany them, as with the bossa nova-style “Brigadeiro” on retro-inspired vinyl complete with a recipe for the delectable subject of the song on the back of the record’s sleeve. On June 5th, though, she is releasing her first full-length album CITY GIRL, tracked and produced entirely by Gabi herself along with her close friend, collaborator, and fellow content creator Josh Dare. We spoke virtually about her process in creating it as well as the challenges of being taken seriously as a musician, songwriter, and producer after having first achieved success creating content for the internet.

Meredith Hobbs Coons: What is something that you wish people understood about your background in music?

Gabi Belle: In general, when people hear “YouTuber doing music,” it’s kind of an eye roll. That’s a completely understandable reaction, but it’s interesting to see that because not every YouTuber is the same. That’s the beauty of YouTube: we’re all different. So I think people are gonna be surprised when they hear my album. People expect garbage—I don’t know how to phrase it better.

With my channel, specifically, my audience completely understands that I am a musician first. I have made that really clear in my content since the beginning, because I’ve had [pursuing music] in mind the whole time. I need people to know that I was a musician before YouTube.

Meredith: What did that look like? Before YouTube?

Gabi: I was so annoying. I loved High School Musical—I was, like, six, probably. I was just constantly singing. I would intentionally learn both parts of the duets for HSM so that I could learn how to do harmonies on my own. My mom plays bossa nova, so we always had a nylon guitar at home, and when I was 11 or 12, I became more interested in learning [myself]. She taught me how to play a few chords, like, A, E, and C, and from there, I spent the entire summer, and onward, learning how to play music. I’d start with Taylor Swift and the most accessible songs, then learned “Teardrops on my Guitar”—that kind of stuff. I love Lady Gaga. I’m a pop girlie at heart.

I also taught myself piano. My mom put me in vocal lessons to have me sing with technique, and my teacher was more of a contemporary theater person, so she had me sing in that fashion. It was cool to learn mixed voice and actual vocal training. That’s where I started [musically].

With DAWs, when I was 12, I would just plug in the aux cord of, like, a USB microphone to record into Audacity, or Windows Movie Maker, and it was probably the worst thing you’ve ever heard. Then, in early high school, I would download any free DAW that was around to figure it out. That’s also when I got my first microphone.

Meredith: What’d you get?

Gabi: I actually still use it. It’s a blue AKG Perception 220, and it is dented to hell. I’ve dropped it so many times, but it has never broken. It has never failed me. It’s awesome.

Meredith: That’s amazing. What were the free DAWs you were using and how were you learning to use them?

Gabi: When I was trying to learn DAWs and music production, it felt like you needed to have preliminary knowledge of music production, or a family member who already had a studio and could actually teach you things—I didn’t have any of that. YouTube tutorials were fine, but I feel like information is so much more accessible now. I didn’t have GarageBand or anything back then; I didn’t know that you needed an interface. I was like, “Where am I supposed to plug in this microphone?” I was stumbling my way around until I figured it out, which sucked.

I looked up a ton of microphone comparisons, information on a female voice and what would sound best with my voice, and only now that I am doing YouTube, do I even have access to [those mics].

Meredith: A lot of people have to work a day job—or be independently wealthy—to access materials to make their music sound the way they want it to. In that sense, YouTube seems like a day job in the way that anything else would be.

Gabi: Yeah, it was a means for me to be able to do music, essentially. I still love doing YouTube, but it can also fund my music endeavors.

Meredith: Yes. Prior to YouTube did you pursue gigging? Do you have experience in a local scene or anything like that?

Gabi: Yes. Oh my gosh. At first, I was doing any talent show that would take me: YMCA talent shows, any school talent show. I would also do open mic nights at my local library. That’s where I got a lot of experience gigging and singing live. That was especially important to do, because I didn’t have enough musician friends to actually perform with me. That’s always been the through line: having to do things myself. Even right now, I could hire someone else, but I’m like, “I think I’ll just do it myself.”

Meredith: That is such a gendered experience, too.

Gabi: That’s been my only experience. When I’ve worked with a producer, it has been nearly impossible to find someone who has the same vision, who will actually listen. I’m the only female producer I know. That’s why I look up to artists like PinkPantheress who are producing their own stuff. In almost every experience I’ve had with a male producer, they have not listened or understood my vision at all.

Even on this recent album, I sent a demo to a male producer—-a male drummer, actually. I just wanted the drums recorded. I explained exactly the kind of drums I wanted, had the MIDI drums recorded. I was like, “I basically just want this with extra fills,” and he took my demo, and was like, “Hey, me and my bros are really excited about this. Can we flesh out the song? Can we flesh out the demo?”

Meredith: That makes me so mad for you.

Gabi: Thanks. It gets worse. I was like,

“Okay, maybe it’ll be awesome.” I sent him the original chords. Then he sent me back something that was completely reharmonized. He changed all of the chords. He completely misinterpreted the sound I was going for. I had sent him examples of the sound that I was going for, reference tracks, and he sent me something that was completely different, that didn’t sound anything like what I was going for.

That’s why I was just like, “I’ll just do it myself,” so I’ve been working with a close friend, Josh Dare, because he completely understands the vision, and he trusts me to make the right call. We have equal level conversations about what will serve the vision of the song and album best. He actually respects and trusts my creative vision. He’s like, “It’s your album. You make the last call.” And we have similar taste, which helps a lot.

Meredith: It sounds like you’ve found an incredible collaborator for this stage of your career.

Gabi: Yeah, it’s hard to find someone who gets the creative vision and believes in it and your ability to do it. It has been demotivating, and has made me a little cynical, growing up in that producing space where it feels like no one gets it, no one thinks I can do anything right, no one believes in my ability to make music.

Also, the genre of the album is city pop, which, compared to general pop, or country, is kind of niche. A lot of people don’t get the sound. A lot of city pop inspiration is jazz fusion artists from the ‘70s, like Masayoshi Takanaka. That’s something I’m incorporating into the album, but that means there’s a lot of genre crossover that most people don’t fully get. A lot of the chords are complicated, a lot of the string parts are complicated. I’ve personally been playing the flute on the album, so there are a few flute solos on it, too, which is really fun. There’s a lot of key changes in the songs, 7 bar phrases, time signature changes, some phrases that are 6 bars before it goes into the next chorus—a lot of fun stuff that I think music nerds will enjoy, but that people who just like music will also like.

Meredith: Who are some of the other people who come to mind as influences?

Gabi: Well, Paul McCartney and Wings has been a big one. ABBA has been a big one. Lamp (a Japanese duo group) has been an inspiration, as well as a lot of bossa nova artists: Jobim, Astrud Gilberto, “Girl from Ipanema”—bossa nova classics.

Meredith: It seems like that’s been meaningful for you too, because your mom plays bossa nova.

Gabi: Exactly. She has been really enjoying all of the songs that I’ve been showing her for that reason.

Meredith: Does she do that professionally or for fun?

Gabi: Just for fun. She grew up playing guitar. She plays at church, and she plays Brazilian, bossa nova stuff. She sings also. She grew up playing with her family, with friends. At Christmas, we have family jam sessions, just me and her. My dad will sit by and kind of sing along and have a good time.

Meredith: Oh, that’s nice. I grew up in that kind of environment, too, so I’m rooting for human musicians, always and forever.

Gabi: Always. Yes. No AI whatsoever involved on this album—not even close to a little bit.

Meredith: In a recent video, you pulled apart songs created in Suno in your own DAW. How good did it feel, after making that video, to see the AI video company Sora crash and burn?

Gabi: Oh my God. I mean, it’s nice, but it’s also like whack-a-mole. They’re not done. It doesn’t actually stop the greater the bigger picture of everything that’s happening. Just because Sora’s done, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t ten other AI companies that are excited to take its place.

Meredith: You have done videos on the return of physical media. Is that something that you want to have as a part of this release?

Gabi: Yes. Vinyl, CDs, and we really want to make it a point to include digital so people can have a high quality download that they can keep forever with the full art and album package. I think people will really like all the avenues of accessibility. And it’s hopefully something where people will want to look through the little booklet again or something, even with CD booklets. It doesn’t have to be vinyl, but vinyl is so satisfying because you can include so much in a vinyl release. I love seeing physical products like that returning—within the last 10 years, especially.

Relevant links:

Website – https://gabibelle.com/

Bandcamp — https://gabibelle.bandcamp.com/

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@itsgabibelle

YouTube music – https://www.youtube.com/@gabibellemusic

TikTok – tiktok.com/@itsgabibelle

Instagram – instagram.com/itsgabibelle

Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/35XGyNw5Q7bvcF8BWWXbom?si=uCmakuPVQO6x0VFX2sO9rQ

Accepting Applications for SoundGirls Bloggers 2024

Blog for SoundGirls

Are you passionate about the industry, do you want to share your experience and knowledge with the SoundGirls Community? Then you may want to become a blogger for SoundGirls in 2024. Our bloggers volunteer for a year of blogging and choose how often to submit blogs (once a month, every two months, or four blogs for the 2024 year)

If you are interested, please apply here

Things we are looking for in our bloggers

Although we are mainly looking for people who can write well, are organized, and are passionate. All areas of audio & music are welcome to apply. We look forward to welcoming you to our community.

Industry Knowledge

Not only is understanding the industry from a concept/fundamental standpoint important but having real-life experiences is essential for any great blogger. Having real-life experiences allows you to share those experiences, learn from those experiences, build relationships, and learn things that are not taught by reading a book.

Passionate

Great bloggers must be passionate about what they are writing about. We believe if you are writing about things you are not interested or knowledgeable in, it will show in your writing and to your readers. People who are passionate about a topic or industry find it much easier to write about things that others with similar interests would enjoy. Long-term, you have to LOVE what you do.

Writing Background/Experience

Of course, if you have a writing background or you have acquired good writing skills through years of experience, it will help keep your blogs engaging and more enjoyable. Using proper grammar, descriptive verbiage, and compelling headlines can keep readers engaged in your content longer. We think overall if you are naturally a good writer, it will allow you to create high-quality content much easier and more efficiently.

Organized

A great blogger should be very well organized. It will be important to plan and manage your writing schedules. Like running your own business or planning your week for your full-time job, blogging should be no different. Brainstorming blog ideas and creating a writing schedule all need to be organized to maximize your work schedule.

If you fly by the seat of your pants (as many people do) and are disorganized, it will most likely lead to inefficiencies in your blogging. You can also find yourself so consumed with daily tasks, that your content quality suffers because you are just trying to rush through the writing process to get something out.

Strong Work Ethic

Having a strong work ethic turns good bloggers into great bloggers. Someone who is able to stick to a schedule, exceed personal goals and expectations, and push themselves, will stand out from the crowd. Many bloggers are writing for their blog so it is not exactly a situation where they are getting paid for each post they write. So it takes a person with a strong work ethic to see the long-term benefits and keep pushing themselves to consistently produce great content.

Network/Industry Reach

A blogger that has a large network and is known in the industry will make it much easier to promote their content. As we all know, even if you write great content, you still need to promote it. If you have built personal relationships with industry veterans, it can help earn credibility personally and for your blog. If you can shoot a few messages and e-mails to key people in the industry who you know will promote your content to their networks, that can be extremely powerful. Essentially you are leveraging your network and industry reach to promote content, gain feedback, and even help contribute to your blog.

SEO Knowledge

Having basic SEO knowledge is a plus for any blogger. Bloggers who understand the benefits of good keyword research, how to promote content, and maximizing the potential of each post, will gain a larger readership in a shorter amount of time.

Goes Against the Grain

To be a great blogger, you need to sometimes go against what everyone else is doing and do something that is away from “the norm”. Coming up with unique ways to stand out from the crowd is a way that great bloggers get found. It could be a post, design-related, new way of promotion, unique content delivery, or something that has never been done before in the industry.

Social Media

Generally, bloggers spend a good amount of time on social networks like Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin. Being active on various social networks and engaging with people regularly will help bloggers get noticed. If you are consistently promoting other users’ content, those users will begin to notice and return the favor. If you read other industry blogs and leave thoughtful comments or even personally contact the blog owner, this is all-important for building your network and getting noticed.

A plus for a great blogger would be being a power user on social bookmarking sites like Digg, StumbleUpon, and Reddit. If you can promote content and others in the community, notice and promote it as well.

Enjoys Sharing and Helping

Great bloggers genuinely enjoy helping others. Many bloggers blog because they want to showcase their knowledge in the industry. Of course, that is part of why people blog, but it should not be the only reason. Gaining satisfaction from helping others in your industry is a trait that all great bloggers have. Taking the time to personally reach out to someone ask a question or thanking someone who leaves an intelligent comment on your blog is going above and beyond. It shows that you do care about what others are saying.

Emily Pearce – From the Marines to Live Sound Engineer

Emily Pearce is the Monitor Engineer and RF Tech for independent artist Blue October. Emily is a longtime musician, learning to play piano at age seven, and would play throughout high school. She also learned to play clarinet and taught herself the oboe in middle school, while playing with percussion ensembles and the drumline during high school and college. Emily learned to play the bass guitar while attending The Los Angeles Recording School.

Emily would enroll at Grand Valley State University in the music education program, yet after two semesters Emily joined the Marines and auditioned for the Marine Corps band. Emily didn’t make the cut which Emily believes was a blessing in disguise after learning about her friend’s poor experience with the Marine Corps Band. Emily would serve a four-year term working in Marine Corps aviation with Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron-13 and VMX-1 both out of Yuma Arizona. She received an honorable discharge as a Sergeant.

After being discharged Emily became interested in the technical side of music production and reached out to a few engineers to get a feel for what that might be like. Emily loved the idea of touring and working live events and used her military benefits to enroll in The Los Angeles Recording School, graduating with an Associate Degree of Science in Recording Arts.

Emily believes the seeds to work in the music industry were planted long before she realized these jobs existed, growing up Emily says she has vivid memories “of Michael Jacksons Thriller, Journey, and Metallica playing in our living room. Alongside artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Dean Martin, Led Zeppelin, and The Beatles. I was always borrowing (with or without permission) my older brother’s mp3 player and my older sister’s CD player so I could jam some MCR, Atreyu, and Death Cab for Cutie. I developed a love for metal and went to my first show at 15 and fell in love.”

Career Start

How did you get your start?

I moved to Los Angeles to attend The Los Angeles Recording School in 2017 to take the opportunity to dip my toes into a major market. Since the program I attended was primarily studio focused, I took a lot of volunteer opportunities around town and was the person that showed up to a gig to just ask questions. I shadowed a few people at White Oak Music and Arts in the valley and The Viper Room on the strip in Hollywood. I attended a SoundGirls class on live sound at the Ventura Theater and was linked up with a summer internship at Schubert Systems. I worked my butt off and showed I could learn and be a part of a team. I was hired full-time and worked there up until the pandemic. During that time I learned so much and was afforded a lot of opportunities to network and grow. None of us were hired as just one specific role which gave me experience in many positions like being a Systems/PA tech, RF tech, stage tech, and mix engineer for notable artists. I also met people who hired me for my current gig, which may be the best part.

I also worked at a few clubs/theaters around town including The Whiskey, The Federal NOHO, and The Satellite in Silver Lake to name a few.

What did you learn interning or on your early gigs?

Understanding your place in a team is just as important as being the leader of it. Being teachable and asking questions when you don’t know something will make people trust you more than if you think you know better than everyone else. And if you are mixing monitors, don’t take it personally.

Career Now:

What is a typical day like?

I am primarily a touring engineer as of right now. We usually start loading in at 11 am and with a lunch break, we are usually ready for line check with techs at about 2:30-3 pm. The guys come to the stage to check a few songs and will sometimes use that time to work on adding new songs to the setlist. Depending on how long they want the stage, we are usually done and have a small break from 4-5 pm before the meet and greet.

During our meet and greet, the band plays one song and while the band takes pictures, the techs get the stage peeled for the opener and cover the set. Dinner break is 6-8 pm. I use this time to hang out and make sure I’m ready for the set by putting fresh batteries in all my wireless, checking my scenes/setlist for correct order, making sure I’ve saved my file, etc. We do another line check right before the set starts at 9 pm. Our show I almost 2 hours so we are usually loaded out and lock the trailer at midnight. Then we shower and get to the bus before call usually around 2-3 am.

How do you stay organized and focused?

I like to make sure everything goes back in the same place and in the same order just as a general rule. This applies to our trailer pack and how gear is packed in the cases and how it’s set up/torn down. Things like mics and labeled looms/cables are all inventoried by me before they go into cases. I always pack up my personal things like laptops, adapters and my in ears first followed by the band’s molds and wireless. Making sure you have a routine helps you not misplace gear especially when load out is moving fast.

I have a photographic memory so I’m pretty good at seeing when something is missing, but having a physical list of gear or order of operations for yourself could be a good way to do the same thing.

What do you enjoy the most about your job?

I love the problem-solving and technical aspects of my job. It’s always fun to figure out a new way to do something or an easier way to get the job done. I love live events because of the finality of a show and how fast things move.

What do you like least?

RF anxiety on a daily basis. Our space is shrinking rapidly.

If you tour what do you like best?

I love traveling and working with amazing people while doing what I love. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m really awake.

What do you like least?

I don’t love paying for an apartment back home when I’m hardly in it.

What is your favorite day off activity?

I love going to get a good meal on days off. Usually something local or what that place may be famous for. Second to that would be hiking and mall walking.

What are your long-term goals?

I would love to work on bigger festivals and shows than what I am doing right now, although I’m pretty content with the level of touring I’m at. I am spoiled and skipped van tours. I just want to always come to the gig excited to work the show and excited to see the people I work with. Right now I’m so blessed that I have both of those things.

My long-term goals are probably more knowledge/skill oriented than working for a huge artist. I just want to be the best I can be at my job.

What obstacles or barriers have you faced?

I am lucky that I haven’t faced too many obstacles along the way. I know that working in a vastly male-dominated world can be daunting to some, but that is something I was used to since I am a former Marine where the numbers are almost identical to live audio. I have been turned down from gigs because a touring camp didn’t want a woman on the bus, but that is their loss and I wouldn’t want to work with people who don’t want me around for something so trivial.

How have you dealt with them?

I find that walking into a gig or venue with the right attitude makes those around you respect you. I tend to show up to the gig with a level of confidence that shows I should be respected, not to be confused with arrogance or false confidence. I’d like to think that’s working for me because I rarely encounter anyone who gives me a hard time. Plus I know I have 11 brothers with me on the bus that always have my back.

Advice you have for other women and young women who wish to enter the field?

Have confidence. In my experience, the industry is changing, especially after the pandemic. A lot of the people who had old ways of thinking have been weeded out. Trust yourself and know that you belong.

Must have skills?

Wrapping cable and a good attitude will take you a very long way. Signal flow and having a good grasp of digital gear are a must as well.

Favorite gear?

I love having a Q box with me. I was generously gifted with one and it’s one of my favorite things to have with me if I need to troubleshoot. I’m also very grateful for Shure’s wireless workbench software. It’s essential for coordinating wireless and I use it daily while on tour.

Anything else you want to add or contribute

Never stop asking questions and learning your craft.

And a huge shout out to Mike G from Schubert Systems for giving me an amazing start, to Josh Sarraulte for teaching me and continuing to teach me everything I know, and to Mckenzee Morley for hooking me up with my current gig.

The people you meet and form friendships with along the way are one of the most important things you do!

Boosting Women’s Voices: Cutting Through The Noise

When it comes to editing voices, it’s a job filled with variety, constantly reacting to what hits the ears. While an initial setup of EQ templates might be a starting point for some, every voice is unique. Women’s voices tend to have wildly different tones and timbres that vary from person to person, and editing seems to be an area that’s often hit-and-miss across music and the spoken word. The NCBI Library of Medicine states that the male speaking voice averages around 60 – 180Hz, while the female voice generally sits around 160 – 300Hz, with roughly an octave’s difference in pitch. Despite this, there seems to be a wild disparity in how women’s voices are treated in general. Perhaps the most common problem can be summarised as cutting too much in the lower areas, and boosting too much in the higher areas when women’s voices are in the mix.

Spoken word

With the podcast industry booming, it’s interesting to observe the difference in the editing of women’s voices compared to men’s. The lack of De-esser treatment, and the copious boosting of high-end frequencies often lead to distraction with every ‘t’ and ‘s’ sound that occurs. Sibilance and harshness can abound, and pull us away from what women are actually saying.

Diagram of the Fletcher-Munson Curve

The Fletcher-Munson Curve measures how our bodies perceive loudness. It is also often referred to as the “equal loudness contour”. Created by Harvey Fletcher and Milden A. Munson in the 1930s, the pair demonstrated how loudness affects the human ear at different frequencies, and where we would perceive (or feel) these pitches and volumes as unpleasant. The most sensitive of these frequency areas that offends the ears lies between 3 – 5kHz, which is the danger zone for sibilance.

Business titan Barbara Corcoran is a fantastic speaker and all-around inspirational career woman. Her voice naturally leans to the high end in pitch and tone and has a propensity for sibilance. When I’d previously watched her on the television show Shark Tank, it was clear that this was her vocal sound, yet when I recently listened to her as a guest on a podcast, I was saddened to hear the edit of Barbara’s voice was jarring in the high-end, and desperately needed a De-esser. I was curious to see how closely my perception of the sound was aligned with what was measurably coming out, so I decided to analyse the podcast in contrast with another recording. I used a Spectral Analysis tool, capturing a snapshot of a word with an ‘s’ sound to compare the two different recordings as fairly as possible, and listened through the same speaker.

Barbara speaking at a TEDx Talk

I first measured Barbara speaking at a TEDx Talk. There was definitely a slight peak in the range of 3-5kHz when measuring Barbara’s talk, however, the peak was only a little above the others, notably its neighbour around 2kHz, and again a little above the 500Hz peak. Audibly, the voice still sounds high and naturally sibilant, however, there is a softness to the ‘s’ sound that does not detract from the talk.

In the bottom graph, the peak is marked around the 3 – 5kHz range and stands alone above the peaks in lower ranges, which demonstrates that this problem area is in fact considerably louder than the other frequencies, and not just perceived to be louder and distracting by the ear.

Diagram Barbara Corcoran’s voice in the TEDx Talk (top image) versus as a podcast guest (bottom image).

Music

In music, the same problems surround women singers. Often, in striving to add ‘air’ or ‘brightness’ or ‘clarity’ to a vocal, women’s voices succumb to the harshness in the 3 – 5kHz range. In boosting above 2kHz a little too liberally, and adding reverb or other effects that can further highlight the high-end, women’s voices can end up sounding thin, jarring, and full of squeaky ‘s’ sounds. So how do the experts celebrate the richness and full tonal spectrum of strong women’s vocals, and do it so well?

In a 2011 interview talking about the making of Adele’s album 21, producer Paul Epworth and mix engineer Tom Elmhirst gave a run-down of their process. The pair have worked with some formidable women’s voices, from Florence + The Machine and Amy Winehouse to Adele. On the song Rolling In The Deep, Elmhirst used the Waves Q6 EQ on the chorus vocal, pulling out certain frequencies “very, very heavily”:

“I had the Q6 on the chorus vocal, notching out 930, 1634, and 3175 Hz very, very heavily: -18dB, -18dB, and -12.1dB respectively, with very narrow Q. I also had the EQIII on the lead-vocal sub, notching something out again. Something obviously needed to be taken out. The vocal is the most important thing in the track, and taking those frequencies out allowed me to keep it upfront in the mix, particularly in the chorus. Regarding the outboard, I had the Pultec EQ, Urei 1176, and the Tube-Tech CL1B on the lead vocal sub-insert. The Pultec boosted around 100Hz and 12k. It’s colourful, but not drastic. There was not a lot of gain.”

Diagram of Adele Vocal EQ

When it came to De-essers, Elmhirst likes to add several for precision – on Rolling In The Deep, Elmhirst explained:

“I did use two Waves De-essers, one taking out at 5449Hz and the other at 11004Hz. Rather than use one to try to cover all the sibilance I used two. I do that quite often.”

While on Someone Like You, he went even further, summarising his EQ and De-esser decisions on the piano-vocal track:

“I had three de-essers on the lead vocal in this case, working at 4185, 7413 and 7712 Hz, and I did some notching on the Waves Q10, taking out 537, 2973, and 10899 Hz, with maximum Q in all cases. The Sonnox Oxford EQ simply takes out everything below 100Hz, and it adds a little around 8k.”

Boosting women’s voices

It’s interesting to compare and contrast the rich tapestry of content that is available to us these days, as well as the amount of guidance that is out there. Considering women’s speaking voices sit around 160 – 300 Hz it’s staggering how many guides and training materials generally recommend using a low pass filter cutting up to 200 Hz – where the voice actually is – and boosting from 4 kHz and up – where madness lies. Every voice needs something different, whether softly spoken, cutting through in an arrangement, or leading a band at a show.