Vocal mixing and mastering question

Didnt really see a post on this, but what are some great ways to mix and master vocal. I usually record and solo the vocals making them as clear as can be. Hard part comes when trying to blend the vocals with the beat so they sync together. I used to listen to various artist and see how their songs come together, doenst work all the time. No clue if I have that "ear" for this, but im still learning. Any suggestions?

... Hard part comes when trying to blend the vocals with the beat so they sync together. ...

I'm afraid I don't understand this.

In what way are you trying to "sync" the vocals with the beat? Rhythmically? Dynamically? Time-wise?  (although on the face of it, if that's what you are trying to do, then you're hopelessly on the wrong track!)

Which are you multi-tracking first, vocals or instrumental tracks? In most situations like this, a basic rhythm track is assembled first for use as a reference when the vocalists or instrumentalists are laying down their tracks. I'm afraid that if you are not using one to reference the other that no one can help you. You cannot expect to meld two disparate tracks into a cohesive blend.

As far as the rest of it is concerned, your musicians must be working with each other in order to get a finished product! If you are expecting  dynamics to blend,  then the musicians must be able to do it when they are recording the tracks. This is beyond the scope of a recordist, and frankly, there's no way to fix bad musicianship with good mixing!

Let's get one thing straight, before we go any further.  You do not 'master' vocal tracks - or any other single track, for that matter.  Mastering is a process that nobody in their right mind would attempt in a home studio and involves getting a series of individual songs to 'sit' together for an album release.  What you are doing (or should be doing) is getting the best mix that you can - leave any mastering to someone who really knows what they are doing and has the equipment with which to do it. 

Some people (me included) would say that, if you can mix properly, then mastering isn't necessary - but that's another discussion (not to say a can of worms).

Although you don't say so, I get the impression that you are recording vocals and mixing them with an already recorded and mixed backing track.  This is almost impossible to pull off, as you have no control over the individual elements of the back track.

I suggest you first confirm my impression (or not, as the case may be) and post a short sample of a piece that you don't think is working properly.

Well first off I wanna say thanks to both of you for not saying im stupid lol. Been on many forums and thats all I hear is that im dumb for asking question since im still new to the mixing process. Far as the sounds ill post a link to a song ive done and u can tell me if my mix is ok or not. Just a word of caution, I am a hiphop artist but not one of those commercial clowns talking about nonsense.

http://soundcloud.com/ackuratethawise/the-conclusion

First off, I am probably the last person to comment on a hip hop mix - they all tend to sound the same to me.  Maybe others here can guide you better.

For me, the 'flute' sounds are really distracting and I would have pulled them down - which leads me to believe that the back track was not recorded/mixed by you, but was purchased/leased or whatever, as a completed mix.

If this is the case, you are never really going to be able to produce top notch mixes, as you have no control over the individual elements.

I stand firmly with Graeme on this! Hip Hop is not my cuppa tea, and I speak out of turn when offering advice in the genre.

I listened to the sample you provided and can't really find any "syncing" between vocal and the back track... I am ignorant of the effect you're trying to achieve, but I think my original premise stands...  Not to be detrimental, but it sounds like a vocal presentation over an canned back track with no regards to any matching of timing between the two... What little hip hop I've listened to, at least tries to achieve a level of synchronization between the vocals and the instrumentals, which are usually bass-heavy and bass-prevalent, hence the reference to "beats."

However, if you're making a distinct effort not to be "one of those commercial clowns talking about nonsense."  it's not for anyone else to tell you what's "right."  Put your stuff out in the market and see if it sells.

Ahhh I think im getting a decent hang of it, and yea I understand you on the hiphop genre,but still thanks for the feed it is still appreciated. Either way I tend to spend mutiple session finding that sound that appeals to lead vocals and well as the other vocals so they can sync as best as possible with the beat.

Im glad you both steered me away from the mastering cause that is just painful, so for now I will be focusing on just find better ways to mix the vocals. With a more vibrant clarity and feel I guess.

Thanks alot guys preciate it

Had a listen to a few of your tracks - they're better than I was expecting from your post and the vocals are blending pretty well already. My thoughts are that you need to pay a little more attention to timing - both on the vocal tracks and the backing. I don't know who loops the backing, but some of the tracks feel like they've been looped just slightly too early which gives a slightly disjointed feel rather than a smooth continuous feel. A few milliseconds here and there can make a big difference to the feel of a track. This also makes it harder to rap over them as you're constantly having to adjust your timing on the loop boundaries. You possibly need to pay some attention to the headphone mix as a good headphone mix makes things much easier.

Hope this helps.

James.

Ahh i see, when you put it like that James I have a little more confidence. But yea I can work on the times more which it pretty easy if you ask me