The next task I tackled was making mine and Serena's vocals sound as cohesive as possible since they were recorded with different microphones. The AT2020 USB microphone I used seemed to have a greater frequency range, so my vocals sounded warmer, richer and clearer than Serena's. To fix this, I used the Channel Equalizer to increase the lower and higher frequencies of Serena's vocals so it would sound as if we recorded using the same microphone.
Once I was content with the compression and EQ settings of the lead vocals, I added reverb (or "AVerb" as it is in Logic) so that the lead vocals wouldn't sound as "dry". Also, in Erykah Badu's original, there is a slightly noticeable amount of reverb used on all the vocals and my aim was to get my mixing to sound as much like the original as I could.
Mixing the background vocals was relatively easy as they were all recorded by me with my microphone, so I used the same compression, EQ and reverb settings. However, the levels of the tracks vary, with the lower harmonies being mixed one or two decibels lower than the main melody parts.
For the ad libs track I simply added compression and reverb before turning the level of the track down so it was audible but not as loud as the lead and backing vocals.
I then played around with the Mastering presets on Logic Pro for the whole track, but they made the song sound over-compressed, as if it was being broadcast over radio, so I took them off and left the track how it is. It's also key to note that the instrumental was already professionally mastered when Erykah Badu's original recording was mastered for release as a single and included on her New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) album.
This is a screenshot of the Mixer, which lists all the tracks and effects along with the volume settings of each track:
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