# Nova Reyes (@nova_mixes)

> Sample profile: this person is made up and used for testing.

_Vocals that sit on top of the beat_

Mix engineer for R&B and melodic trap. Ten years of vocal-heavy records. I care about vocals you can understand on phone speakers.

- Kind: engineer
- Page: https://canonopy-agent-web-production.up.railway.app/@nova_mixes
- Subscription: $14/month (the engineer receives 75%)

## Specialties
- Lead vocals
- R&B
- Melodic trap
- Ad-libs

## What an agent may do with this
- `apply_vocal_chain`: Apply my vocal chain to a subscriber's BandLab project (subscribers only)
- `suggest_post`: Send one of my posts to a person when it fixes their current problem

## Products
- Stock BandLab Compressor (plugin): Enough for 90% of vocals
- A dynamic mic you can afford (gear): Better than a cheap condenser in a loud room

## Links
- [Portfolio (sample)](https://example.com/nova)

## Playbooks

### Nova's vocal chain (target: bandlab)

High-pass, control, air, plate reverb, then level the lead above the beat.

# Nova's vocal chain (BandLab)

## Goal
Upfront, glossy lead vocals that sit on top of a busy trap or R&B beat without sounding harsh.

## Order of operations
1. **Clean up first.** High-pass the lead vocal around 90 Hz (80 Hz for deep voices). Cut a narrow 3–4 dB dip where it sounds boxy (usually 300–500 Hz).
2. **Control.** Compressor: ratio 4:1, fast attack, medium release, aim for 4–6 dB of gain reduction on the loud words.
3. **Air.** Gentle high shelf, +2 dB from 10 kHz. If the "s" sounds get sharp, back it off rather than adding more.
4. **Space.** Plate-style reverb at 15–20% wet on the lead; doubles and ad-libs get more (25–30%).
5. **Level.** The lead should sit about 2 dB above where it feels "right" on first listen; the beat ducks under it, not the other way round.

## Hard nos
- No autotune changes unless the artist asks.
- Never push the master into clipping to win loudness.

## BandLab tools
Mix Editor → track → Effects: "EQ", "Compressor", "Reverb" (or the "Vocal" presets as a start, then adjust).

## Posts

### Travis Scott–style vocals: my 4-step chain

- Link: https://canonopy-agent-web-production.up.railway.app/@nova_mixes#post-nova-travis-style
- Topic: Mix vocals like Travis Scott (Travis Scott–style vocal chain)
- Fixes: mix vocals like travis scott; vocals sound dry and flat; want a dark wide trap vocal; autotune vocal sound
- Steps:
  1. Pitch correction in the beat's key, fast retune (0–10 ms), low humanize
  2. High-pass at 90 Hz, cut about 3 dB around 350 Hz, tape saturation 15–20% mix, +2 dB air at 10 kHz
  3. Stereo delay: 1/4 left, 1/8 dotted right, 25% feedback, 18–22% mix, lows filtered under 300 Hz
  4. Dark hall or plate reverb: lead 25% wet, 2.5 s decay, 30 ms pre-delay; ad-libs 40% wet, panned 30% L/R
- Settings: retune_ms=5, high_pass_hz=90, boxy_cut_db=-3, boxy_cut_hz=350, saturation_mix_pct=18, air_shelf_db=2, delay_mix_pct=20, delay_feedback_pct=25, lead_reverb_wet_pct=25, adlib_reverb_wet_pct=40, reverb_decay_s=2.5, pre_delay_ms=30
- Actions: apply_vocal_chain
- Tags: vocals, mixing, travis scott, autotune, reverb, delay, trap

### Plate reverb amounts I actually use

- Link: https://canonopy-agent-web-production.up.railway.app/@nova_mixes#post-nova-reverb
- Topic: Reverb amounts for lead vocals and ad-libs
- Fixes: vocal sounds dry; vocal sounds far away; ad-libs clash with lead
- Steps:
  1. Use a plate-style reverb on the lead at 15–20% wet
  2. Give doubles and ad-libs more reverb (25–30%) so they sit behind the lead
- Settings: lead_reverb_wet_pct=18, adlib_reverb_wet_pct=28, reverb_type=plate
- Actions: apply_vocal_chain
- Tags: vocals, reverb, ad-libs, space

### Why your vocal sounds muddy (90 seconds)

- Link: https://canonopy-agent-web-production.up.railway.app/@nova_mixes#post-nova-highpass
- Topic: Cleaning up a muddy lead vocal
- Fixes: muddy vocal; vocal lacks clarity; low-end rumble on vocal
- Steps:
  1. High-pass the lead vocal at about 90 Hz
  2. Find the boxy frequency between 300 and 500 Hz
  3. Cut it 3–4 dB with a narrow band
- Settings: high_pass_hz=90, boxy_cut_db=-3.5, boxy_range_hz=300-500
- Actions: apply_vocal_chain
- Tags: vocals, eq, mud, clarity