Michael Brauer’s approach to vocal mixing relies on compressors not just for dynamic control but as tone-shaping tools.
Instead of using EQ to sculpt the vocal, he prefers to let different compressors emphasize certain tonal characteristics—adding warmth, excitement, depth, and presence.
Michael Brauer's parallel vocal compression technique involves sending the vocal to multiple aux tracks, each loaded with a different compressor.
By blending these processed signals together, he creates a vocal tone that is rich, dynamic, and full of life.
Michael Brauer Parallel Vocal Compression Technique
Brauer’s parallel vocal trick consists of six (sometimes seven) compressors, each chosen for its distinct tonal character.
Below is a breakdown of each compressor, explaining its type, purpose, tonal effect, and how it works in the chain.
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1. Softube Summit Audio TLA-100: Smooth and Warm
This plugin emulates the classic tube-based TLA-100 compressor, known for its gentle, natural-sounding compression.
The TLA-100 adds warmth and softens transients, making the vocal sound more rounded and polished.
It naturally enhances the lower midrange, giving the vocal a subtle thickness.
In Brauer’s setup, this compressor acts as a foundational element, subtly controlling peaks and adding body without drastically changing the vocal’s character.
2. Korneff Pawn Shop Compressor: Grit and Throatiness
The Pawn Shop compressor is an original digital design with a unique, husky compression character.
It adds a throaty, growl texture to the vocal, making it sound more aggressive and intimate.
The Pawn Shop compressor enhances the midrange presence, making the vocal sound closer to the listener.
It also adds a slight edge, helping the voice cut through a dense mix.
In Brauer’s setup, this compressor contributes to the raw, forward character of the vocal, ensuring it remains engaging.
3. Kazrog Presto: Lush and Open
This plugin is another model of a hardware tube compressor, designed to provide a lush, open-sounding compression. Brauer uses it to add depth and width to the vocal, ensuring it remains smooth while still retaining clarity.
The Presto compressor smooths transients while slightly enhancing the high frequencies, making the vocal feel airy and spacious.
It also helps maintain the vocal’s clarity while adding warmth.
The Presto compressor helps blend the different tonal elements of the vocal, ensuring it retains a three-dimensional quality.
4. 1176 Bluey (aka “Blue Stripe”): Energy and Excitement
A model of a classic FET compressor, the 1176 Bluey is known for its aggressive, fast-acting compression. It injects energy into a vocal, making it more engaging.
The 1176 Bluey emphasizes the upper midrange, adding a sense of urgency and excitement.
It can also introduce harmonic saturation, making the vocal sound more aggressive and alive.
Brauer sometimes pushes it into “All Buttons In” mode, which adds harmonic distortion and a more explosive character.
This compressor helps bring a lifeless vocal to life by making it more expressive.
5. Distressor: Extreme Control and Presence
The Distressor is often set to “Nuke,” its most extreme ratio setting. Like the 1176, Brauer uses this to enhance excitement and bring the vocal forward.
The Distressor enhances transients while slightly saturating the midrange, making the vocal sound fuller and more controlled.
The Distressor has a highly flexible compression circuit, allowing it to emulate the characteristics of other compressors.
On this channel, he also uses a UAD Pultec EQP-1A, which adds a tonal signature and a boost at 8 kHz to enhance clarity.
This setup ensures the vocal remains upfront and crisp in the mix.
6. UAD Fairchild 660: Silkiness and Body
This plugin models the legendary Fairchild 660 tube compressor, a go-to for its smooth, musical compression. It provides warmth, silkiness, and a rich “head and chest” tone, making the vocal feel full and polished.
The Fairchild smooths out transients while subtly enhancing the low mids and upper highs, making the vocal feel polished and professional.
The Fairchild 660 is a variable-mu compressor, meaning its compression characteristics change depending on how much signal is fed into it.
It gives the vocal a refined, silky character that sits well in the mix.
7. VoxBox Inflator: Clarity and Weight
This final stage includes two processors working together: the UAD Manley VoxBox and the Oxford Inflator.
The VoxBox provides compression with a focus on clarity, while the Inflator adds perceived loudness and weight, making the vocal sound larger without introducing harshness.
Together, they help maintain the vocal’s presence without making it sound overly compressed.
Brauer uses this final stage to ensure the vocal remains clear and full-bodied in the mix.
Finding the Sweet Spot
Beyond adjusting the balance of these parallel compression paths, Brauer also fine-tunes the level of the lead vocal itself.
The higher the fader is set, the more signal is sent into the aux tracks, which in turn pushes the compressors harder.
There’s a delicate balance here—when he finds the right level, the vocal "blooms," expanding in size and character while maintaining clarity and depth.
The Michael Brauer parallel vocal technique creates a vocal sound that is rich without relying on EQ to shape the tone.
Michael Brauer Mix Template
You can download the complete Michael Brauer Mix Template below:
https://audiospectra.net/michael-brauer-template
This template is perfect for engineers and producers who want to achieve Michael Brauer’s sound with minimal effort.
By incorporating this technique into your workflow, you can achieve more controlled, polished, and professional mixes.
Whether you use the template or build the setup from scratch, this method is a game changer for mixing.