Looking for the best plug-ins for Vocals

[Mrcodyd]

Hello, it's been a while since I've been on. I'm back using Auria and I'm using it with my iPad Pro 12.9 inch ( I recommend it to everyone ). I do a lot of vocals with Auria, then send it to my producer. Recently I've been wanting to do more mixing and I wanted to know the best plug ins to use for vocals.

Thanks in advance.

[mtingle]

I use fabfilter saturn to add some saturation. It's very versatile and can add grit too.

old timer compressor might be useful too.

[richardyot]

The most essential ones would be Pro C2 and Pro Q2, which I use on every vocal track. Pro-DS is a lifesaver on the occasions when you need it.

For reverb I generally use the convolution reverb with the Golden Glue expansion pack, the "CreamyVox" patch being my favourite. I always run an instance of Pro Q before the reverb to cut out both the highs and the lows, so that the reverb is only affecting the frequencies between 200Hz and 3000Hz, it makes a much smoother sound. I do this on a separate track that is acting as an AUX send.

After that, in the nice-to-have category I would also add Timeless 2, PSP Echo (great for a fake ADT sound), OldTimer, and Microwarmer.

It's taken me a while to find a vocal sound I'm happy with since I started out as a complete beginner a couple of years ago, learning to sing and record at the time, but over time I have managed to find a decent signal chain to make my voice sound musical.

You can hear an example here:

https://soundcloud.com/richardyot/kings-of-nothing

The vocal sound is a combination of using the built-in compression on the channel strip on the individual vocal tracks, and the double-tracked vocal is then fed into a sub group where an additional level of compression is added using Pro C2.

The double compression can create a really musical sounding vocal, but it's also very easy to mess up (especially S sounds), so it has to be handled with care. You also need to trim out all the audio around the singing because every breath and mouth sound will be picked up. The strong compression is really good at amplifying the harmonics in the vocal timbre though, but unless the singing is done very carefully you may also need to add a D-Esser to the Subgroup. Also it's a good idea to trim out any S sounds completely from the doubled tracks, as well as any plosive sounds like Ps and Ts.

[Mrcodyd]

Thank you guys so much. This will help out a lot.

[JosephDignamMusic]

What are you chasing here? are you trying to manufacture a particular vocal sound for use on a complete album or are you just trying to get some "go-to" tools pre-selected and ready?

I know you have probably heard this 100 times but it surprising how much power lies in the standard DAW without the need for 3rd party plug ins unless your trying to carcve something unique... Vocals is probably the one track where I take a minimalist approach and I dont even need to De-Ess now that I am using a high quality mic, high quality filter and my singing style is very "microphone aware".

I will use a little bit of reverb for some depth (I also record with some low CPU hungry reverb to give reassurance whilst singing) and If I use Echo, it will be only through small sections with automation. I rarely need to EQ my own vocals.

With these "add ons" being very minimalistic, the most significant tonal change in my vocals from song to song now is purley and simply distance from the mic and mic/daiphram angle...

As richardyot has indicated, these plug ins can appear to be a saviour one day, and an audio destroyer the next so tread lightly

Joe