A good trick to make chorus 2 pop

Here’s a situation that comes up semi-frequently: chorus 1 in your big epic rock / pop / punk / emo song is KILLER. And then you get to chorus 2, which is arranged the same, and it feels … like a letdown? Less intense, somehow? Kind of like how the drive back from somewhere you’ve never been before seems quicker than the drive there.

One tack is to escalate. And this can work! But it isn’t always appropriate, and also if you’re mixing something that someone else has produced, sometimes there aren’t the necessary levers to pull to make that happen.

But here’s a nifty little trick: try turning the lead vocal down half a dB, and turning the vocal reverb up +1.0 dB.

Now all of a sudden the vocal sounds both slightly further away and slightly bigger — which can make the listener want to lean in and recommit. Which are the two basic goals for chorus 2!

Opposites attract — jamie