Vocal Production

[john]

Hey

 

There’s some pretty useful vocal processing plug ins available these days. A far cry from analog days!

 

The increase in AI based tools is really gone up a notch. Especially in EQ based tools, even more so with ones that specialise in vocals.

 

Some are fairly straight forward, like Track Spacer, which saves a load of time implementing a side chain triggered frequency sensitive ducking. Ideal for quickly carving our a precise hole for vocals to cut through other instruments, or even other vocals.

 

Then there’s SynchroArt’s Re-voice Pro. It combines several tools in one. You can use it to match timing to a lead vocal, but much more you can match tonality, vibrato and pitch. When you update a designated lead track, all derived or connected tracks are updated. The sound is much more natural than Antares Autotune tools. Ideal for the tight timing of a modern pop song. Then again plenty of modern tracks use the automatic harmony of Antares Harmony Engine.

 

There’s a big difference between those who use these tools as an obvious effect and those that use them for performance enhancement or use them to create an unreal performance. I tend to use them primarily to tighten timing in a way that doesn’t take a day to edit!

 

AI enhanced Eq, compression and reference track comparison are all pretty exciting developments.

 

What do you currently use, and what would you like to use on vocal production? Have you seen any new VST’s or stand alone processors that you are excited about using?

 

Cheers

 

John

[Mahesh]

Though I've become more and more minimal with my use of external plugins as a trade for learning to tame the various in-built ones onboard the DAW, there is one plugin that has maintained its place in my channel strips:

 

Valhalla VintageVerb or ValhallaRoom - whether it's long lush reverbs or room sound, Valhalla has never failed me. There's something about the sound of the output it produces that is soo pristine. The lushness comes with not much harshness/shimmer (unless you wanted it to) and honestly, you don't need to add too much of it either to make a huge difference. Definitely one of a kind.

[GregB]

Most of the time I rely on just EQ and Compression.

 

Occasionally, for voice doubling, I'll:

• copy/paste a vocal block into a new track and time shift it
• actually practice phrase timing in a small chunk then sing the chunk on another track (works well)
• use a freebie Voice Doubler like this ... 

 

In a rare experiment I tried 4-part harmonising. It would have been quicker to sing the parts, but I got bloody-minded about learning a new technique.  Like most plugins, it turned to be far less reward than promised. I ended up having to go the MIDI route as most auto-harmonisers exhibit difficulty adjusting correctly between chords and major/minor!! 

In this example extract ("Pop Song" from The Flat White Album,Track 24), the main waveform is me singing the root notes for 'yeah, yeah, yeah".  I point the plugin at the MIDI track containing the exact harmony notes I want. The harmonies then play in real-time (and when bouncing). 

 

 

 

The results of the above are here:

 

 

Greg

 

[john]

First time I’ve seen that Freebie vocal doubler.