Daniel Braunstein’s Spiritbox Vocal Chain: “Circle With Me” Deep Dive

Nail The Mix Staff

Courtney LaPlante's vocals in Spiritbox are iconic. They soar, they snarl, and they carry an incredible amount of emotion. Mixing a voice like that for a track as dynamic as "Circle With Me" is no small feat. It's all about enhancing that raw power and delicateness without squashing the life out of it. Luckily, producer Daniel Braunstein gave us a peek behind the curtain into his vocal chain, and there are some killer techniques you can apply to your own metal mixes.

If you're serious about leveling up your productions, seeing how pros like Daniel tackle these challenges is invaluable. That's exactly what you get with Nail The Mix, where you can watch top-tier producers mix real songs from scratch.

The Foundation: Prepping Courtney's Vocals

Before any fancy effects or intricate bussing, getting the raw vocal track clean and consistent is key. Daniel mentioned a couple of steps that happen even before the main mixing chain.

Noise Reduction & Tuning: The Starting Point

For "Circle With Me," the vocals came in already processed with a couple of key elements:

  • Tune: Yes, even world-class vocalists often get a touch of pitch correction. The specific plugin wasn't named, but having vocals tuned before hitting the main chain is a common practice to ensure a polished performance.
  • Waves NS1: This nifty noise suppressor plugin was printed onto the tracks. Daniel emphasized he often has it at the front of his vocal chain, even at its lowest setting, to tame room noise, buzz, and other unwanted artifacts. He even keeps it active (not committed) on some harmony tracks.

Crafting the Core Tone: Individual Vocal Chains

With the vocals prepped, Daniel dives into the individual track processing. For a song with varying vocal dynamics like "Circle With Me," he creates separate tracks for different sections (e.g., verse 1, verse 2, chorus) to tailor the processing.

The "Delicate Power" Philosophy

A major challenge with Courtney's performance on this track was its softness, even in the choruses. Daniel's goal was to preserve this delicateness. He specifically wanted to avoid a "slammed out, super super pop vocal" and instead let it breathe within the dense mix, feeling open and natural. This led him to favor volume riding over heavy compression.

Essential EQ and Initial Shaping

The first plugin on the active individual vocal chain is typically a Renaissance EQ 6 (R EQ 6).

  • High-Pass Filter (HPF): He shaves off everything below around 100Hz, sometimes a bit higher, just enough to get the rumble out without thinning the vocal.
  • General Tone: Even though the incoming vocal was decent, some EQ was needed to sculpt it. Check out our EQ Strategies for Mixing Modern Metal guide for more on this.

Gentle Dynamics with Waves Vocal Rider

To maintain that delicate feel while ensuring the vocal sits right, Daniel uses Waves Vocal Rider. He describes it as the "least aggressive vocal plugin" and uses it subtly. Even if it shows significant gain reduction at times (like -7.4dB in his example), he emphasized it’s just doing a tiny bit to provide that gentle push and consistency. This is a great example of how finessed metal compression techniques can be.

Adding Warmth with Saturation: Soundtoys Decapitator

Here’s a cool trick, especially for mics that aren't tube-based or for higher-register vocals: Daniel uses Soundtoys Decapitator.

  • Creating a Tube Sound: He dials in a warm, tube preamp-style saturation. By playing with the mix knob (keeping it fairly light), he introduces subtle harmonic richness.
  • Low-End Lift: This saturation adds a subtle lift in the low-mid frequencies, which can be particularly helpful for higher vocals that might otherwise sound a bit thin.

Strategic De-Essing (After Compression!)

Conventional wisdom often says to de-ess before compression. However, Daniel prefers to de-ess after his initial compression stages. He admits it’s just what he’s used to, and on "Circle With Me," he applied a pretty significant amount of de-essing on the individual tracks.

The Final Polish: UAD LA-2A Legacy

To cap off the individual vocal chains, Daniel often uses the UAD LA-2A Legacy version. He's a big fan of its sound, noting it’s amazing and often comes free with UAD hardware. This adds a final layer of smooth, musical compression.

Adapting the Chain: Different Tracks for Different Sections

It's worth reiterating: Daniel doesn't use a one-size-fits-all chain. For a dynamic song like "Circle With Me," he splits vocals onto different tracks for verses, choruses, etc. This allows him to make subtle tweaks. For example:

  • Verse 2: Might have a bit of low-mids scooped out compared to Verse 1.
  • Chorus: Could have more high-end dialed in for extra cut.

Building the Lead Vocal: The "Sing LV" Bus

All the lead vocal tracks are routed to their own bus, which Daniel names "Sing LV." This bus is where he applies processing that glues all the lead vocal parts together. Background vocals go to a separate bus and don't share sends with the lead.

Bringing Back the Highs: Post-De-essing EQ

Remember that heavy de-essing on the individual tracks? Daniel mentioned it did seem to suck away some of the 's' sounds. On the "Sing LV" bus, he brings that sparkle back using an EQ (likely something precise like FabFilter Pro-Q). He adds a "healthy amount" of 8kHz to restore clarity and presence to the sibilance.

Broad Strokes for Cohesion: API EQ

Later in the mixing process, Daniel added an API-style EQ to the lead vocal bus. He used it for broad, sweeping adjustments:

  • 1.5kHz Boost: To help the vocal sit a little tighter in the mix.
  • 20kHz Boost: For that "sweet brightness" in Courtney's voice.

A Touch of Brightness: CLA Vocals

A familiar plugin in many rock and metal mixes, the Waves CLA Vocals plugin is also on the bus, contributing a subtle layer of brightness.

Taming Dynamics: The "Mess" on the Bus

Daniel humorously referred to a "mess" of plugins on the bus, likely dynamic EQs or multiband compressors. These tools are used to contain the vocal, ensuring it stays controlled and present, especially during the more intense chorus sections.

Creating Space & Character: The Send Effects Arsenal

This is where things get really interesting. Daniel, who usually leans towards inserts, experimented heavily with sends on "Circle With Me," and the results speak for themselves. These aren't just your standard reverb and delay throws; they're crafted to build a unique atmosphere around the vocal.

Beyond Basic Reverb: Braunstein's Send Experiments

He set up several sends, each adding a distinct flavor:

Effect 1: "Telephone Slap"

  • Plugin: He mentions "CAFX" as one of his favorite plugins for this, describing it as creating a "reverse, crazy reverse telephone driven kind of delay" with the direct signal turned off. This could be a specific plugin or a chain achieving this effect.
  • Sound: A filtered, effected delay that adds a distinct, characterful echo.

Effect 2: "Wide Guy Courtney"

  • Plugin: VocalSynth (likely from iZotope).
  • Sound: This send acts as a widener, adding a subtle, breathy layer underneath the main vocal. It's so subtle you might not pick it out on its own, but it significantly boosts the vocal's presence.

Effect 3: Classic Ambience with H-Delay

  • Plugin: Waves H-Delay.
  • Sound: A classic, straightforward delay used for some traditional back-and-forth echo, adding depth.

Effect 4: Crafting the "Verb" Send

  • Processing:
    • A little de-essing before the reverb to prevent sibilance from splashing around.
    • The reverb itself is likely something like ValhallaRoom ("room verb").
    • A touch of Waves PS22 Stereo Imager to spread the reverb slightly.
  • Sound: A lush, controlled reverb space.

Effect 5: The "Chino Vocal" for Phased Texture

  • Inspiration: Named after Chino Moreno from Deftones, this effect aims for that chorusy, phasey vocal sound.
  • Processing: Involves tape phase, more filtering, more slap delay, and a quarter-note delay.
  • Interaction: Works really well in tandem with the "Telephone Slap" send.

Effect 6: "Monster Vox" for Low-End Weight

  • Type: A more intense effect, this send adds a low octave to the vocal.
  • Plugin: This could be achieved with various plugins like Waves Doubler, Eventide pitch shifters, or even VocalSynth's pitch capabilities.
  • Mixing: It's mixed in very low, "chilling below the whole time," providing a subtle foundational weight. Some low frequencies are carved out of this effect itself to prevent boominess.

These sends all work together, creating a rich, three-dimensional space for Courtney's voice, adding character far beyond what a simple reverb and delay could achieve.

Putting It All Together: The Spiritbox Vocal Sound

Mixing vocals like Courtney LaPlante's for a powerhouse track like "Circle With Me" is a masterclass in balancing delicacy with impact. From the foundational cleanup with Waves NS1 to the meticulous individual track processing involving R EQ 6, Waves Vocal Rider, Soundtoys Decapitator, and the UAD LA-2A, every step is considered. The lead vocal bus further shapes the tone with strategic EQ and the CLA Vocals plugin, while an arsenal of creative sends—featuring everything from VocalSynth for width to custom "Chino Vocal" effects—builds a unique and immersive sonic landscape.

Want to see exactly how Daniel Braunstein put these techniques into practice? You can dive deep into the full "Circle With Me" mix session with him right here on Nail The Mix – Spiritbox 2020. This is your chance to get the multi-tracks and learn directly from the source.

Understanding these detailed vocal processing chains is just one piece of the puzzle. If you're ready to Unlock Your Sound: Mixing Modern Metal Beyond Presets, Nail The Mix offers unparalleled access to the techniques of world-class producers. Imagine having the multi-tracks to songs you love and watching the original producer mix them, explaining every decision. That's what Nail The Mix is all about.