Alright, so today I’m gonna break down this “blackbear phase” thing I’ve been messing with. It’s basically trying to mimic Blackbear’s vocal processing, that kinda vibe. Let me tell you, it was a journey.
First off, I started by listening to a ton of Blackbear tracks. Like, obsessive levels of listening. I was trying to figure out what the heck was going on with his vocals. Is it the autotune? Is it some kinda crazy distortion? The answer is: probably a bit of everything.
Then, I jumped into my DAW (I use Ableton, for those who care). I recorded a super basic vocal track, just me humming some random melody. Nothing fancy, just a blank canvas. This part is crucial. Don’t skip recording a dry, clean vocal, otherwise you have no starting point.
Next up: Autotune. I slapped on some Autotune, but not the heavy-handed kind you hear in some pop tracks. I wanted it subtle, just enough to tighten up the pitch a little. Messed around with the retune speed until it felt right. Experimenting with the attack and release is key!
Okay, here’s where things get interesting. Blackbear’s vocals often have this kinda lo-fi, slightly distorted edge. I tried a bunch of different things here. First, I messed with a saturator. I used Ableton’s built-in one, but any saturator plugin will do. I dialed in just a touch of drive to add some grit. Nothing too crazy, just a little bit of warmth.
After that, I experimented with bitcrushers. Again, subtle is key. You don’t want to sound like a broken video game. Just a little bit of bit reduction to give it that lo-fi vibe. I also played with the sample rate reduction, but be careful with that one, it can get out of hand quickly.
Next in line was EQ. I cut some of the low end to clean things up. Also, a slight boost in the high-mids to add some presence. It depends on your voice, of course, so you gotta use your ears. Don’t just copy my settings blindly.
Compression was important to even out the levels and glue everything together. I used a relatively fast attack and release time, with a medium ratio. This helped keep the vocals consistent throughout the track.
Now, for the secret sauce: reverb and delay. Blackbear’s vocals often have a dreamy, atmospheric quality. I used a short plate reverb to add some space, and a synced delay to create some cool echoes. I played around with the feedback and dry/wet settings until it sounded right.
I spent hours tweaking these plugins, adjusting parameters, and generally just messing around. It was a lot of trial and error, but eventually, I got something that sounded pretty close to what I was going for.
The real secret is patience, my friend. Don’t expect to nail it on the first try. Experiment, listen closely, and don’t be afraid to break the rules. And most importantly, have fun!
Here’s a quick recap of the plugins and order I used:
- Autotune
- Saturator
- Bitcrusher
- EQ
- Compressor
- Reverb
- Delay
Hope this helps someone out there! Peace!
