Mixing Mitch Lucker’s Vocals: Machine’s Suicide Silence Techniques

Mitch Lucker. The name alone evokes the raw power and unforgettable presence of one of modern metal’s most iconic vocalists. While Mitch is no longer with us, his performances with Suicide Silence, like on the track “Wake Up,” continue to inspire. But how do you take such an already incredible vocal and make it sit perfectly in a dense, aggressive metal mix? We got a front-row seat as legendary producer Machine (Lamb of God, Every Time I Die) tackled this very challenge during a Nail The Mix session, revealing some killer techniques for handling extreme vocals. Let’s dive into some of his key strategies.

Mastering the Vocal Bus: Machine’s “Outsides vs. Insides” Philosophy

Right off the bat, Machine shared a core concept for how he manages vocal presence in a mix. Instead of just sending everything down one pipe, he sets up a nuanced bussing system.

Imagine this:

• Bus 32 (e.g., “Total Outsides”): This is where the main vocal bus outputs. Machine views this as floating independently, giving the vocals their primary space.
• Bus 31 (e.g., “Insides”): A separate bus then feeds a portion of the vocal signal into the main mix, acting as “glue.”

The idea? He wants the vocals to be predominantly on the “outside,” making them feel big and present without cluttering the core of the mix. Only a small, controlled amount feeds the “inside” bus. This is especially crucial for heavy vocal sections with harmonies or doubles. By keeping most of their energy on the “outside,” they don’t overwhelm the guitars or other key elements in the main body of the mix. It’s a clever way to keep vocals prominent and clear, yet “low” in the sense that they don’t fight for space, allowing them to float on top.

Dialing in the Lead Vocal: Core Processing for Mitch’s Intensity

With the bus structure in place, Machine turned to the individual channel strip for Mitch’s lead vocal on the “Why God?” section.

Sculpting with EQ: No Subs Allowed!

First things first: taming the low end. Machine is emphatic about this – you generally don’t need sub frequencies in many elements, and definitely not in a metal vocal. He applied a high-pass filter (HPF) aggressively to cut out any unnecessary rumble and mud, ensuring the vocal’s power comes from its core frequencies, not low-end clutter. This is a fundamental step in most EQ strategies for mixing modern metal.

Extreme Compression, Subtle Blend: The “Exploding” Vocal Trick

Next up, a fascinating approach to compression. Machine used a plugin he described as potentially “exploding” the vocal if used conventionally – likely something very aggressive, perhaps like a Waves RVox pushed hard. But here’s the trick: he embraced the extreme compression, noting how it made the vocal super dense in the mids and almost created an exciter-like effect. He then drastically lowered the “body” or low-mid presence that such heavy compression can accentuate, and blended this hyper-compressed signal in very subtly with the original. The result isn’t an overtly squashed vocal, but one that gains a unique presence and energy from this carefully mixed-in layer. This highlights how understanding metal compression secrets beyond just making it loud can lead to creative tonal shaping.

Strategic Distortion with Decapitator: Filling the Gaps

To further enhance the vocal’s density and help it sit in the mix, Machine reached for Soundtoys Decapitator. His approach wasn’t about adding obvious, fuzzy distortion. Instead, he set the Decapitator to 100% wet initially to precisely sculpt the distorted tone, focusing the saturation primarily on the low-midrange and midrange rather than the highs. Once he dialed in this character, he blended it back into the main vocal track. The goal? To “fill in the holes” in the vocal’s sonic picture. Since Mitch’s screams naturally have a lot of mid and high-frequency distortion from his throat, adding this controlled low-mid distortion creates a fuller, more complete, and denser sound that doesn’t necessarily scream “distorted” but just feels more solid.

Adding Depth and Space: Subtle Effects for Immense Vocals

Machine then layered in several time-based effects, all used with a light touch to create atmosphere without washing out the vocal.

Quick Reverb & Slap Delay: Adding Vibe Without Drenching

A very quick, almost “bathroom-sounding” reverb was added, used so subtly it was almost an on/off effect. This provided a sense of space without a long tail. Complementing this was a fast slap-back delay, also blended in sparingly. Even with multiple effects, the key was subtlety to maintain clarity.

Stereo Chorus and Panned Mono Delays: Widening and Movement

A standard stereo chorus added a touch of width and movement. Machine also employed a mono delay, which he panned slightly off to one side. He mentioned using lots of these small, nuanced pans and short delays to create a dynamic and engaging vocal sound that doesn’t feel static.

Taming and Tightening Vocal Doubles

When it came to Mitch’s doubled vocal parts (a mono center take with stereo doubles), Machine had a specific strategy, especially for the doubles.

The Power of Aggressive De-Essing on Doubles

For the doubled tracks, he bypassed any “crazy gain reduction compressor” and instead focused heavily on de-essing. Why? To control the “flaming S” sounds that can become overly prominent and harsh when stacking vocals. By aggressively de-essing the doubles (he mentioned targeting around 12dB of reduction), he effectively ducked the sibilant attacks. This makes the doubles feel present when holding a note but tucks their sharp transients out of the way, resulting in a tighter, more focused sound where the main vocal’s articulation remains clear. He also noted the importance of automating the de-esser, as its intensity might need to change when the doubles drop out.

Widening the Stereo Field: Dual Mono Compression on Vocal Groups

For stereo vocal groups or bounces, Machine shared a killer tip for enhancing stereo width and clarity: using dual mono compression instead of standard stereo compression.

Dual Mono vs. Stereo Compression: An Analogy

He explained it brilliantly:

• Stereo Compression: Think of an old-school wagon where the wheels are connected by a solid axle. If one wheel hits a bump, the other is affected directly. In a stereo compressor, if one channel (left or right) triggers the compression, both channels are compressed together.
• Dual Mono Compression: This is like a modern car with independent suspension. Each wheel (or in this case, each channel – Left and Right) reacts independently. You’re essentially using two separate mono compressors, one for the left channel and one for the right, within a single plugin or setup.

Practical Application for Wider, Sparkling Vocals

By applying dual mono compression to a stereo vocal bus, each side reacts only to its own content. This allows the unique stereo information to breathe and can make the vocals “sparkle out there,” as Machine put it. He stressed that this technique makes a major difference in the perception of your stereo field, not just for vocals but also in mastering when using dual mono compressors and limiters. While it can make vocals very wide, he might pan some of that width back in slightly to maintain focus. This is another advanced application you can explore using the principles from our metal compression guide.

Layering Screams for Maximum Impact

Machine also touched on handling layered screams, like having a “glow” (higher frequency) version and a “mid” version of the same scream. His approach involved giving them distinct spatial treatment: making the mid-focused scream layer wider, while keeping the higher, “glow” layer more focused or perhaps narrower, creating a rich, multi-dimensional vocal assault. And, true to his “delay-aholic” nature, a touch of delay found its way here too!

Bringing It All Together (And Learning More!)

Mixing iconic vocals like Mitch Lucker’s is about a series of intentional, often subtle, moves that add up to a massive sound. From smart bussing and surgical EQ to creative compression, distortion, and effect usage, Machine’s approach is all about enhancing the raw power already there. These techniques provide a fantastic glimpse into pro-level metal vocal production.

Want to see every single move Machine makes, from setting up his routing to dialing in those final effect sends for Mitch Lucker’s legendary performance? You can dive deep into the entire Suicide Silence “Wake Up” mix session on Nail The Mix. At Nail The Mix, you get to watch producers like Machine mix actual songs from scratch, giving you unparalleled insight. If you’re serious about taking your mixes to the next level, it’s an incredible resource to Unlock Your Sound and Mix Modern Metal Beyond Presets.