Mallrat - "Better"

In Part 3, Andrew zooms into the final layer that separates a “good mix” from a record that feels finished: depth, width, and vocal emotion… without over-cleaning the humanity out of it. 

He walks through his master-bus mindset: careful use of mid/side to bring the sides to life, controlled multiband processing to keep impact without harshness, and a smart solution for a client request we’ve all heard: “make that section explode” while keeping the mix from actually blowing up. 

Then it’s all about the vocal. Andrew keeps Mallrat’s lead airy and whispery, only correcting what truly gets in the way. And he shares one of his go-to techniques for making a vocal feel bigger while staying dry: chorus into a heavy midrange de-esser to create width and warmth without that obvious “chorused vocal” effect. 

Finally, he shows how to make the chorus vocals pop with controlled intensity, creative harmonic processing, and space tricks that live behind the lead: delays that act like reverbs, background textures pushed back intentionally, and the mindset that matters most: your analytical brain and your lizard brain both have to say yes.