Mix and master acoustic folk vocals in your browser
To mix and master acoustic folk vocals, put your vocal and your beat side by side in Lyro’s studio, which runs in your browser. Start the vocal on the “Vocal, warm” preset and the beat on “Beat, under a vocal”, balance the two, then master to the Streaming target (-14 LUFS) and export WAV.
Mixing and mastering run on your own device, so they cost no credits, on every plan.
At a glanceAcoustic folk
| Tempo (BPM) | 70 to 125 |
|---|---|
| Keys | open guitar keys such as G major, D major, C major and E minor, often with a capo |
| Feel | gentle 4/4 or a lilting 3/4 or 6/8, with fingerpicked patterns or steady strumming |
| Signature sounds | a fingerpicked or strummed steel-string guitar, a close, unprocessed lead vocal with simple harmonies, and light support from upright bass, brushes, piano or fiddle |
| Song form | usually a short guitar intro, verses that carry the story with a chorus or refrain line between them, instruments joining gradually, a brief instrumental break and a quiet ending |
| Vocal preset | Vocal, warm |
| Beat preset | Beat, under a vocal |
| Master target | Streaming, -14 LUFS |
How it goesThree steps
- Drop in your vocal and beatLyro reads the tempo, so the waveforms snap to the beat grid and timed effects land on the beat.
- Shape and balanceStart from the suggested presets in the table, then adjust the low cut, EQ, compression, reverb and delay until the acoustic folk vocal sits where it should.
- Master to a target and exportPick the loudness target, compare before and after, and export WAV with its loudness and true peak shown.
Tips for this genre
The voice in folk is close, natural and unprocessed, with warm, simple harmonies.
- Keep it natural: light compression, a gentle low cut and a short, small reverb.
- Balance the guitar and the voice before anything else; most of an acoustic mix is those two levels.
Where the limits are
- This is a mixer you operate, not an automatic mix; the presets are starting points.
- It shifts pitch but does not correct it: apply pitch correction (auto-tune) before you upload, if you want it.
- It has no de-esser and does not load third-party plug-ins.
- Phones have less memory than computers; long projects with many tracks belong on a laptop.
Questions
What loudness should I master acoustic folk to?
Start at the Streaming target, -14 LUFS. Folk depends on its quiet moments, and pushing it louder squashes them; Streaming keeps the dynamics. The studio shows the measured loudness and true peak when you export.
Does mixing or mastering cost credits?
No. The studio runs in your browser, so nothing is sent to a model while you mix, and it costs no credits on any plan.
Can I mix a beat and a vocal I made somewhere else?
Yes. Upload any vocal and beat, or stems, and mix them in the studio. You need the rights to what you upload.
Can the studio auto-tune my vocal?
No. It shifts pitch by semitones and fits a clip to the project tempo, but it does not correct pitch. If you want that sound, apply it before you upload.