Lead-vocal level in recordings of popular music 1946-2020.

Lead vocals constitute the central element of popular music. Here, the lead-vocal-to-accompaniment level ratio (LAR) was estimated from representative recordings of popular music. Measuring the LAR from 1946 to 2020, two distinct phases were observed: the average LAR decreased from around 5 dB to 1 dB until around 1975 but remained static from thereon. Comparing the LAR across musical genres, positive values were observed for Country, Rap, and Pop, values around zero for Rock, and negative values for Metal. Solo artists featured consistently higher LAR values compared to bands. These results establish a baseline for a central aspect of music mixing.