Best Vocal Mixing Plug-in?

Heyclown said:
Thanks. She´s a 15 year old girl and that was the first take. 1 take for the whole song. The VOC is a little too low in the choruses now. Will fix that some day.
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Well Done and she's got a bright future in front of her. That's for sure.

---------- Post added at 05:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:14 AM ----------

I ended up getting Antares Toolkit (how Ironic) it includes autotune Evo and a bunch of other plugins for voice(hey...it was on sale). I'll end up getting Waves Tune Lite too (since I believe autotune evo doesn't handle those situations where manual editing is needed. I was going to get Nectar, but vendors wanted too much for it when all the competing companies are having sales on their plugins.

My vocal chain will be:

Vocal ToolKit
Waves Tune Light
Ozone 5 Plugins (which I already own)
 
I use BBE maximizer plug ins, Fab Filter Pro DS, Q, L, G, or waves vocal plugs. The only all in one i use is izotope. I got enough to work with right now i might try Nectar later but for my money really and less DSP use BBE or Fab filter shits is my go to first.
 
WAVES PLUGINS - Best for vocals mixing

WAVES plugins...hands down...you won't look back...Google it

Beats for sale
Marlo Stamps
R&B Producer
 
I ended up getting a little bit of everything. I got an Antares bundle, waves tune lite & Izotope Alloy. I had to go this route because I didn't want to compromise on certain features.

1. T-Pain effect (auto tune Evo)
2. Note Editing (Wavies Lite)
3. Harmony, doubling, dessing, etc (Antares)
4. Compression, EQ, Imaging, etc (Alloy 2)

Believe it or not, this all came in the price of Nectar, with all the sales that were jumping off. I would have got Nectar, but fools wanted too much for it.
 
You can get a quality recording running an SM58 to any old audio interface and using the stock EQs, Filters, Gates, Reverbs, and Comp/Limiters(sometimes all included in single channel strips) within whatever DAW you choose.

It's gonna take the ear and knowhow above the tool. Alot of big recordings were done using nothing but stock sounds that far surpass the quality of what I hear from average homestudio guy with a waves bundle.

I suggest above everything else really learning your tools and how to use them in place of software that may be missing from your input chain.

You already own Nectar. Even if you don't like the results it gives, studying how it works will set you up to go with the right plugs after researching in the future.
 
deRaNged 4 Phuk'dup said:
You can get a quality recording running an SM58 to any old audio interface and using the stock EQs, Filters, Gates, Reverbs, and Comp/Limiters(sometimes all included in single channel strips) within whatever DAW you choose.

It's gonna take the ear and knowhow above the tool. Alot of big recordings were done using nothing but stock sounds that far surpass the quality of what I hear from average homestudio guy with a waves bundle.

I suggest above everything else really learning your tools and how to use them in place of software that may be missing from your input chain.

You already own Nectar. Even if you don't like the results it gives, studying how it works will set you up to go with the right plugs after researching in the future.
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I agree with you whole heartedly. Believe it or not, my main focus in buying new plugins was workflow/ease of use more than anything. IMO there are a few variables to consider when buying plugins. Workflow, price and Sound quality. If two competing plugins are close in quality I'll pick the one that has a workflow I like better (easier). That's why I like the Izotope stuff. Since I'm new to vocal processing, I was really set on getting Nectar. But, I changed my mind, mainly because of price. But, it also had short comings compares to other plugins that I found undeniable.

1. It's Processing GUI looked "wimpy" compared to other Izotope products(like Alloy).
2. It's T-Pain effect was not as convincing as I've heard from Antares Auto-tune Evo
3. It's Pitch correction editing screen was not as easy to read as Waves Tune Lite .

I feel that if I had to buy the Antares & Waves Tune Lite at their retail price, I would have got Nectar instead. But, since there seems to be a "plugin battle" going on, I got a great price on an Antares bundle and Waves Tune Lite. I then went out and bought Alloy, because I want to use that as my ONLY "all in one" channel strip (the controls and metering are easier for me). All of this came in at the price of what everyone wanted for Nectar. I feel I accomplished three important goals. Sound quality, ease of use (easier to master), Value. So, whenever I want T-Pain I just insert Auto tune EVO, Channel Strip Alloy 2, Doubler Antares EVO. Later on, when I get "picky" about the vocals, I'll work with Waves Tune Lite and then If I get really picky, I'll upgrade to Waves Tune.

My goal in the whole process is to get "better" & faster...faster, than I would if I had to learn plugins that didn't register with my brain as well. Some of the stock plugins fit that description. The money I would have saved using them would have been time that I would have lost getting the mix right and getting better results.
When some DJ spins my music in a club and mixes out of AVIIC or LIL Wayne, my sh** better bang as hard and clear NOW. Not later on when I "get it together". I wish I had that kinda time to learn more "ins and outs" but, I don't. I have to do the best I can with what I have a studio track, mix and master.

In reference to getting a good mix from "any" equipment. It's all relative and debatable. In other words someone who's learning the craft of studio mixing will do better with better gear than they would lesser gear. Better converters are more "forgiving"and have more headroom, better preamps usually take less time to sound clear and have more head room and though mic placement is one of the most important elements, a shitty mic at best will sound average. A good Mic will sound great.

So the saying "you can get great mixes out of any gear" theory may be valid if you're comparing either

1. Two different people with two different skill sets (the more skilled on the lesser stuff)
2. The same person now and the same person 4 months from now, after learning the "in & outs" of his or her gear.
/plugins.

As for me, I get better results using Izotope plugins better than I do using stock plugins or IK multimedia plugins because the Izotope GUI is easier to read for me. So, I'm not going to get the same results RIGHT NOW from those stock plugins.

Yes, I could be using an M-Audio Fast Track. But I chose a much better converter because I like the extra 2-3 DB I can get because the high end converter is more forgiving, sounds clearer and has more headroom.

Here's an perfect example: I'm working with a gifted artist, right now. He did all of his stuff on a Presonus Fire Studio. He knows his gear and he knows what he's doing because you can tell by his production. But, compared to my work done on way better gear, his work sounds like someone threw a thick blanket over the speakers. Some gear just has it's limitations and even if you only have "average" skills, better gear will make your sound BETTER. This has nothing to do with the Artist Talent, just sound quality & Volume. Now, you get Dave Pensado on that same Firestudio, it's a different story, but he's not the one making these beats.

I hear a lot of people say, "blah blah" made their hit album on just a 4 track. That was back in the day when an 8 Track was state of the art LOL! Compared to todays sound quality, there's no denying that if the same beat was done over again, it would sound more clear and louder which then would be seen as better.
 
I like using my waves, the masarati plugin ins a great all in one for vox, but basically you just need to train yourself the builtin basic plugins, and always remember to drop in a desser
 
lekzbeatz said:
I like using my waves, the masarati plugin ins a great all in one for vox, but basically you just need to train yourself the builtin basic plugins, and always remember to drop in a desser
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I would avoid using a "de-esser" unless you actually need it...

I can probably count the times I've needed to use a de-esser over the past 20 years on just one hand.

They will tend to mess up the sound of the track, so unless you really need to "fix" something, I would say it is not worth the damage.

And if you use it too heavily, it will actually create an audible "lisp".
 
I ended up getting the Antares Suite that has AutoTune EVO, a Doubler and a few other things I don't really need. It was cheap, so it seems like a good value. I got Waves Tune LT too. It's way better for editing notes ( I don't think autotune EVO can edit notes anyways). If I knew that I could get the hardtune/T-Pain sound in Waves to sound as cool as AutoTune, I would probably return the Antares Suite (It's not opened yet).

---------- Post added at 04:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:07 PM ----------
lekzbeatz said:
I like using my waves, the masarati plugin ins a great all in one for vox, but basically you just need to train yourself the builtin basic plugins, and always remember to drop in a desser
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I agree and disagree. I believe for training purposes someone should know how to use "basic" plugins when they come across them or don't have access to their go to plugins. But, If it's affordable, I want to have my "Go to" plugins available so that my work flow is noticeably enhanced. Why I like about the Alloy 2 channel strip is that I don't have to reach for a different plugin every time I need to do something. I can load it on every track for almost every task.
 
There really is no "best" plugin or tool for anything... it comes down to knowing what certain things do and what you are most comfortable using. This notion that there is one magical plugin or preset that will work on any given source is simply not true. Experiment with whatever you have and find your own level of comfort based on what brings you the most pleasing results.
 
SUB LEVEL MUSIC said:
There really is no "best" plugin or tool for anything... it comes down to knowing what certain things do and what you are most comfortable using. This notion that there is one magical plugin or preset that will work on any given source is simply not true. Experiment with whatever you have and find your own level of comfort based on what brings you the most pleasing results.
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I can understand your point of view. But, I'm thinking that some plugins are better at doing certain things. For Example, what plugins give you the best T-Pain Effect without the least amount of effort?
 
Probably has been said already, but anything waves makes is great for vocals. I use Tune, TrueVerb (just a tad), Rvox and channel strip comp. Of course any stock delay plugin as well
 
If you can't get a decent vocal out of Nectar and your stock plugins then you have a bigger problem, and you should hit the books incredibly hard... you're probably not gain staging right, or your room isn't treated (or both). You should be able to just throw a preset on and get at least decent to good vocals without tweaking much, and great vocals with a little further tweaking. Nectar's got like 11 or 12 different processors in it... in all honesty, you could use pieces of Nectar for every single track in your mix... DeEssers' on hats and percussion, etc. etc.

On a side note, my vocal chain is always EQ first (usually just the stock Digi EQ... or if I want a colored EQ I might use the VEQ's from Waves) with a HPF, then an 1176 styled comp for the aggression and "in your face" vocal (the stock BF76 from bomb factory sounds decent), and then possibly another comp to just kiss the needle to bring it out a little further and give a little bit more color and attitude... it's usually always better to chain together a few comps than have one do all the heavy lifting.. especially on a vocal. And then top it off with volume automation, especially trying to ride the S's so I don't have to DeEss and make it sound unnatural.
 
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City Beats said:
If you can't get a decent vocal out of Nectar and your stock plugins then you have a bigger problem, and you should hit the books incredibly hard... you're probably not gain staging right, or your room isn't treated (or both). You should be able to just throw a preset on and get at least decent to good vocals without tweaking much, and great vocals with a little further tweaking. Nectar's got like 11 or 12 different processors in it... in all honesty, you could use pieces of Nectar for every single track in your mix... DeEssers' on hats and percussion, etc. etc.

On a side note, my vocal chain is always EQ first (usually just the stock Digi EQ... or if I want a colored EQ I might use the VEQ's from Waves) with a HPF, then an 1176 styled comp for the aggression and "in your face" vocal (the stock BF76 from bomb factory sounds decent), and then possibly another comp to just kiss the needle to bring it out a little further and give a little bit more color and attitude... it's usually always better to chain together a few comps than have one do all the heavy lifting.. especially on a vocal. And then top it off with volume automation, especially trying to ride the S's so I don't have to DeEss and make it sound unnatural.
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What do you think about the Waves JJP or CLA vocal plugins and how would you compare them with Nectar or Alloy 2? I never did get Nectar. I got Alloy, though, because I could use it for a channel strip.
 
SmooveMode said:
What do you think about the Waves JJP or CLA vocal plugins and how would you compare them with Nectar or Alloy 2? I never did get Nectar. I got Alloy, though, because I could use it for a channel strip.
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They're great... a friend of mine bought all the signature series... Maserati, JJP, and CLA. And will probably buy the Marroquin soon... but anyways, they're great sounding plugins they just offer little to no control for the more advanced engineer... or not even more advanced engineer, but the engineer that wants to get full on with tweaking knobs and parameters. Basically, just throw a Maserati/JJP/CLA Vocal plug on your lead vocal or whatever (when I used them I just bussed them all out to a single Aux or two and then just effected them there rather than having 5 or 6 plugin's going) and you'll get a great sounding vocal, just make sure you adjust the input accordingly... they're great tools for someone like you (I read earlier that you like to have tools that get you to a great vocal fast) because all you really do is turn one knob (the input) to make sure you're getting enough signal to it and then you've got a great vocal already without messing with anything else... they do give a few options as far as compression, EQ's, delays, verbs... but they're predetermined ratio's, frequencies, etc. etc... all you can really do is adjust how much or how little of it you want. Where as Nectar does the same thing, BUT has the option to dig deeper in their advanced view which is something I really wish the signature series would have done... if the signature series would have done that then they'd be far better sounding plugins than Nectar, and probably a little less of a CPU hog too. So like I said, if you're a "set it and forget it, I need results now" kind of producer or engineer who just needs great vocals extremely fast then I'd go to the Waves site and at least demo them.

How is the Alloy by the way... I've read about it but never really thought it was great enough to spend the money on when I've already got the SSL stuff... which I would highly suggest checking out btw... it's not exactly like you're running through an SSL, but it's close... and depending on what D.A.W. you have, Pro Tools 10 (and now 11 I would bet) has a channel strip plugin of their own that comes standard... I don't remember what it's called because I have 9, but it supposedly emulates an old analog desk too... so if you're ever thinking of making the jump to PT you could keep that in mind
 
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