In this article, Julian Rodgers offers some suggestions for plugins that can take your vocals to the next level.
Vocals should be easy to produce. Setting a single microphone close on what is effectively a point source should be easy, shouldn’t it? It’s not like a grand piano or a drum kit. However, vocals can be really challenging to do well. In this article, Julian Rodgers suggests some plugins which can be useful in your vocal toolbox.
One of the things that makes vocals difficult is the fact that they change so much. We all know if a choice of mics is available trying the different options and matching the mic to the singer is really important. However, if you consider how different a singer sounds singing at moderate levels in their low register compared to reaching for the high stuff at the end of that big finish chorus then you can start to appreciate just how difficult it really is to nail a vocal production.
Beyond the bread and butter processing like a high pass filter, compression and basic EQ here are some other candidates which might help elevate your vocals.
UAD VoxBox
Good vocals start with good capture. Getting a well-prepared singer into a good dry space, feeling comfortable and in front of the most suitable mic (not necessarily the most expensive one!) and of course, a perfect headphone mix makes all the difference. There are not many plugins that can really make much difference to the quality of what gets recorded are there?
We’d say that one which definitely can is VoxBox from UAD. Modelling the Manley VoxBox, a dedicated channel strip that incorporates a preamp, compressor, de-esser and EQ, this is a tool that can help make sure what goes to your DAW is polished and mix-ready.
Preamps are usually beyond the influence of plugins but UA’s clever Unison technology means that when used in the Unison slot of an Apollo, the VoxBox’s preamp gain influences the performance of the mic and the tone of the vocals captured. Gentle processing using the compressor, de-esser and EQ, all of which are designed to be benign in nature, help ensure that all the changes this plugin introduces are likely to be decisions you won’t regret later in your mix.
Capturing an inspiring vocal benefits everything so it’s best to start as you mean to continue your project!
FabFilter Pro-DS
While every DAW features a stock de-esser, prominent and distracting esses are something which can be so maddening that it’s really worth investing in a great de-esser.
While you can usually get the job done with nearly any de-esser, esses are an integral part of the sound of a vocal and the aim isn’t to get rid of them. If you go too far with de-essing things get lispy, and distracting for a whole other set of reasons.
When it comes to dealing with esses, the secret to a happy vocal other than making sure the mic doesn’t capture the naturally present esses in an unhelpful way, things will only get worse with compression and EQ, is speed.
If you need to work at it to get the de-esser set up right you’ll never un-hear those esses! The de-esser that gets it right faster than any other for me is FabFilter’s Pro-DS. For the majority of de-essing duties calling up the split band Male or Female preset and tweaking the threshold is all that’s needed. If things are more challenging the filters’ slider lights up to show where the majority of the energy is centred which is a great help. You can always get really heavy-handed if you are de-essing the send into a reverb, a great way to avoid those esses turning into big splashes of sibilance.
Sound Radix Surfer EQ
A dynamic EQ can be extremely useful for dealing with resonances which only occur some of the time, a common example is when a singer shifts from their chest to their head voice. There are great options out there from the likes of FabFilter, McDSP and Sonnox, which all do a great job of dealing with these kinds of tasks but here I’m going to highlight something a little more unusual.
Surfer EQ is a pitch tracking EQ. Closer in spirit to a synth filter than a studio equaliser as it follows, or ‘surfs’ with the pitch of the incoming audio allowing the filters to track specific harmonics in a monophonic sound.
More usually demonstrated with instruments like bass where dramatic timbral shifts can be achieved, which are consistent from note to note, the treatment suggested here for vocals is for introducing some weight to a vocal that is lighter than is desired. The key here is subtlety as big EQ moves will change the timbre dramatically and probably in a bad way. Set a band to surf. Set the harmonic to 1.00 so the band follows the fundamental and dial in a modest boost to a dB or so and a useful additional weight can be introduced.
The pitch tracking in Surfer EQ is very good but if you find a section, which is mis-triggering then the plugin can be controlled via MIDI and even Pro Tools users can quickly access this feature by copying Audio to MIDI, editing the troublesome section and routing the MIDI track to a MIDI node presented by Surfer EQ.
Synchro Arts Vocalign Ultra
A tuning plugin is pretty much mandatory for almost any style of music these days. Unless you’re recording the strictest of trad folk or classical you’re probably going to have a tuning plugin lurking somewhere. The only difference between genres is how obvious its use is and whether or not you’re telling the client! Of the best known, premium tuning plugins Synchro Arts have transformed itself over the last couple of years into a go-to choice for tuning and much more. Even when compared to the big hitters from Antares and Celemony. Check out the results of our poll on a blind test between Revoice Pro 3, Autotune, and Melodyne.
Synchro Arts’ Revoice Pro has always been at the cutting edge of tuning when it comes to results but it did have a reputation for coming with a steep learning curve. This situation has changed markedly and as well as new features being added, Revoice Pro has become a much friendlier place to get your work done. however, it is Vocalign Ultra that we’re going to feature here as once your initial tuning work is done in your tuning software of choice, Vocalign Ultra makes the creation of great-sounding vocal stacks and doubles incredibly easy. With simple control over the timing and tuning of your doubles and a wealth of visual feedback, getting doubles and stacks as tight as you need them to be is simple and quick.
Sonnox Toolbox VoxDoubler
Double tracking is one of the hallmarks of pop vocals and while there is no substitute for the real thing (i.e. tracking the vocal twice) there has been a desire for ways to fake double tracking. The first method of Automatic Double Tracking or ADT was developed for the Beatles at Abbey Road.
If you record vocal stacks then Synchro Arts’ products offer powerful tools for tightening these stacks and even faking them from a single take but if you want a simple and cost effective way to get ADT effects then VoxDoubler from Sonnox’s Toolbox range fits the bill. Inexpensive and completely focused on doing one of two things - making vocals thicker or wider. Get natural results for a notoriously difficult effect without breaking a sweat, or the bank…
Liquidsonics Seventh Heaven Standard
Great reverbs place sounds in a space, they can anchor the sound but they can also add an indefinable something which just makes everything better. We only need to listen back to some low points of the 80s to hear what happens when people get carried away with reverb but if your reverb is good enough you can trickle in enough to add that expensive suzz of class without it getting tacky.
If you want rich, characterful reverb that pulls your vocal into your track, rather than leaving it plonked on top then Seventh Heaven from Liquidsonics is what you need. As a faithful reproduction of a Bricasti M7, this plugin’s slimmed-down interface gives you just enough control to tweak your reverb into shape but not so much that you are in any danger of disappearing down a rabbit hole of tweakery.
It will put your vocal exactly where you want it with the minimum of fuss. Of course, if you want all the tweaks then Seventh Heaven Professional is just an upgrade away but when it comes to sheer reverb quality Seventh Heaven Standard is the best value reverb out there bar none.
Conclusion
Whatever your genre and whoever your vocalist, vocals are front and centre of our projects and taking the time and making the effort to make them as good as they can be is always worth it. We deliberately haven’t talked about some of the basics here like compression and EQ.
What are your must-haves when it comes to vocals?