KVR Audio

Greg Houston · Post by **Greg Houston** » Mon Mar 31, 2014 4:44 am

It has taken me a long time to deal with harsh and brittle highs in my vocals and so I thought I would share what I have found works for me.

Obviously you want a mic suited to the vocalist and a good mic pre. I haven't tried it myself, but the SM7B (not SM57) is often cited as being very warm. At about $350 USD it's price is just a bit above entry level. I am using a Rode NT1-A, a totally different animal, but only $200.

Room treatment is important and probably more so if you are using a condensor mic like the NT1-A versus using a dynamic mic like the SM7B.

Now to ITB...

3 Essential Plugins

1. An LA-2A emulation. There are several options here including offerings from IK Multimedia, Native Instruments/Softube, Waves and UAD. Save yourself a lot of frustration and get one of these.

2. Voxengo Overtone GEQ. This thing is free. It is magical. I've been using Voxengo products for years, and their UIs still confuse the hell out of me, but you want this setup so that EQ1 and EQ2 work independently of each other. For smoothing out vocals the 2k and 6k bands on this EQ are particularly useful. The 12k band on this EQ is yummy. I've never heard anything like it.

3. A warm/dark reverb. Most reverbs will accentuate harsh and brittle highs. The only two that I have found that do just the opposite are Breverb and EAReverb SE (I haven't purchased the full edition of EAReverb yet, but imagine it would give the same results as SE). There are a lot of reverbs out there, but if you are going for a smooth/warm sound in general, save yourself a lot of time and give these two a demo. If I could only choose one of these it would be a difficult choice, but I would probably go with Breverb. I tend to use Breverb for slightly more obvious reverb and have started using EAReverb SE more for fitting sounds into the mix. On instruments that I want even more obvious reverb (not vocals), REVelation is generally my choice.

In lieue of the differences from one voice to another I am fairly confident the three plugins above will make a world of difference in most cases.

Other things to try:

- Another compressor in series after the LA-2A emulation. Give Brainworx Vertigo a try.

- Saturation/Harmonics plugins to demo: SPL TwinTube, ToneBoosters Ferox, and Kramer Tape.

- For a delay FabFilter Timeless 2 is incredibly versatile. None of the presets are really oriented toward vocals at all, but with the filters, saturation, and modulation the possibilities are fairly endless.

- Finally I just want to include one more plugin that I put in the magical category which is Waves OneKnob Pressure. I don't have the slightest clue how this plugin works meaning I would not be able to reproduce its effect with other plugins. In any case it makes bringing a vocal forward in the mix super easy. I generally use it at very low settings, between 0.1 to 0.5 with 0.3 probably being my most common setting.

Hopefully the info above will help folks save some time and money in the trial and error department while exploring various plugin options.

Cheers!

V0RT3X · Post by **V0RT3X** » Mon Mar 31, 2014 4:48 am

I'd also recommend something like the sE Reflexion Pro Filter, Blue Reactor Microphone, and a good interface with high end converters.

After you got a great signal then definitely dive into the plugin aspect.

Greg Houston · Post by **Greg Houston** » Mon Mar 31, 2014 5:00 am

Along the lines of the sE Reflexion Pro Filter I use the Auralex MudGuard.

Agreed · Post by **Agreed** » Mon Mar 31, 2014 9:53 am

Believe it or not, I've found that you can literally get a one-stop-shop for vox in the box with Voxengo's Voxformer. It's a channel strip highly specialized for vocals and it does what it does extremely well. It's what I like to throw on for tracking if it's something that needs to be done in a hurry/on a serious budget, or if it's scratch track material. The signal chain gets a lot more complex for really serious work but this one plugin does vocals so very well, and is built pretty much from the ground up to give you all the options you need to eliminate problematic vocal issues while focusing due attention on proudly hoisting a good take into the spotlight.

It won't autotune for you, though, so if part of your needs includes a means to correct pitch you may be SOL.

4 selectable saturation modes so you can get a sound like a pricier & older preamp than you actually have (:D), Single- or two-band compressor that sounds great, 5-band parametric EQ tuned from the start for super quick vocal range usage, de-esser with its own module, noise gate emphasizing breath frequencies... Automatic makeup gain, and zero-latency operation.

There's a reason this is my grab-and-go tool for vocals

Of course put more stuff in your bag of tricks (aka signal chain) for a more sophisticated experience to suit needs that don't include "need this done asap" or "just a scratch track, taking it from the hook..." etc. But man does it kick ass at FAST vocal magic in a plugin.

Greg Houston · Post by **Greg Houston** » Mon Mar 31, 2014 10:33 am

I purchased Voxformer not too long ago actually and played with it for about a month. I agree it would probably be great for tracking and/or scratch track material. All four of the saturations are nice and I might play with putting Voxformer on a send or two at some point just to mix those character effects in.

If someone is specifically having issues with harsh, brittle, or gritty tone though I would spend an additional $30 and pick up either the Native Instruments/Softube or IK Multimedia LA-2A emulation instead.

Mudcat007 · Post by **Mudcat007** » Mon Mar 31, 2014 4:12 pm

If you are looking for a good deal on an acoustic screen I recommend this one from Monoprice. It is extremely well made, does a great job and is very affordable. Unfortunately it is currently out of stock but you can request notification for when they have it back in.

http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=1 ... 1&format=2

Ah_Dziz · Post by **Ah_Dziz** » Mon Mar 31, 2014 11:37 pm

That seems like an awful lot of processing just to get a passable vocal sound. Working on microphone placement techniques will get you farther than most plugins. Try having the vocalist back off the mic for a smoother sound. You should be able to have a good sounding vocal straight from your preamp if you set things up appropriately. If you don't have a space for vocals and are forced to do extremely close mic placement than simple eq settings should be utilized to clear up some harshness befor you start compressing things.

JJ

Greg Houston · Post by **Greg Houston** » Mon Mar 31, 2014 11:43 pm

Its only two main plugins really, a particular compressor (LA-2A), a particular EQ (Overtone GEQ) that works well for this function and then optionally/secondarily, a couple reverb suggestions for enhancing the desired quality. Everything else I mentioned is gravy.

Uncle E · Post by **Uncle E** » Mon Mar 31, 2014 11:45 pm

Timbaland's engineer, Marcella Araica, says she uses the Lexicon 480L preset "Whispering Reverb" on almost all vocals, sometimes putting that through a hall preset on another reverb.

itneveris · Post by **itneveris** » Tue Apr 01, 2014 4:09 am

The best way to get smooth vocals in the box is to record smooth vocals.

Greg Houston · Post by **Greg Houston** » Tue Apr 01, 2014 4:12 am

itneveris wrote:The best way to get smooth vocals in the box is to record smooth vocals.

Thanks Captain Obvious ... and when that fails you have the tips above.

Agreed · Post by **Agreed** » Tue Apr 01, 2014 4:58 am

To balance out captain obvious level "just track it better idiots" I'll comment that I do quite like IKMM's LA-2A emulation, and I think the recent upgrade to the saturation behavior was kind to its saturation qualities. Also, here's something not so blindingly obvious that a child could grasp it intuitively: Voxformer works really well as a channel strip for guitar, too, mainly because the human voice and fundamentals for (especially acoustic and baritone) guitar share a lot of the same frequency range. The de-esser can become an excellent de-hisser for high gain aficionados, and the noise gate is nicely configurable too. The saturation characteristics can give some character to a very clean sound, too, allowing for direct-to-board recording in conjunction with the EQ for an all around very nice sound. Of course, if you're using an amp you may not want to add more saturation, or at least not very much more, so that part works best with acoustic-electrics or miked acoustics.

I think Voxengo also makes one aimed specifically at drums, and I am waffling right now between nabbing it OR getting The Glue. Voxengo rules. Oh, shit, now I'm captain obvious.

I am still not sure what is my favorite reverb. I use a LOT of IRs, including some gathered from pros I really respect who were kind enough to put out some of their favorites (yeah, you lose some modulation, but that's really not the magic of the thing /most/ of the time). Apart from that, generally use CSR - I think I actually have two concurrent CSR installations because I've got the T-Racks version but I've owned the actual CSR plugin since forever ago, haha. At this point I don't think I've got any work I'll be revisiting that I would need the original CSR plugs for, so I feel like I could probably safely uninstall it. I finally did that with Amplitube 2, Metal, and Jimi Hendrix, and ol' X-Gear. Good ol' X-Gear.

Do sometimes use Breverb, and I like it enough I want to upgrade to Breverb 2, but then I go back and dick around with CSR some more and remember that it actually pretty much nails the Lexicon sound and if I actually want to get closer to it, I'll need to spend money on either some outboard hardware I can nab at a good deal, or pay the piper and get the real deal plugin and just not worry about whether my Lexicon plugin is algorithmically accurate anymore. It already feels like it is, but, who knows.

I haven't tried Valhalla so I'm way behind the times anyway, I guess, I just haven't felt the need to go reverb shopping as I generally get what I want with what I've got already. I know I am supposed to feel as though that isn't the case, but... not yet, haha. Try harder, marketing departments, I'd spend money if a product reeeeeeally appealed, I promise!

Uncle E · Post by **Uncle E** » Tue Apr 01, 2014 5:20 am

itneveris wrote:The best way to get smooth vocals in the box is to record smooth vocals.

Awesome! Thank you! Yes, I'm pretty sure Beyonce would sound incredible with any one of the techniques cited here.

metamorphosis · Post by **metamorphosis** » Tue Apr 01, 2014 5:24 am

Or, just buy an SM7B and nectar from izotope. Just as good.
Any EQ will do really, if you know what you're doing.

Greg Houston · Post by **Greg Houston** » Tue Apr 01, 2014 5:39 am

I haven't had the opportunity to use Lexicon in or out of the box. It's a bit out of my price range so I don't really have the "gold standard" to reference verbs to.

I have CSR, and if I didn't have any of the verbs listed above it would be my go to plugin, but there is something about the tone that is just a little off to me, like it is sort of a dull gray. I don't really have words for it. I've ran into several posts raving about a set of presets a fella had made that supposedly had really good modulation settings that made them sound a lot like the Lexicons, but those presets don't appear to be available for download anymore. If anyone reads this and has them, I'd be thrilled if you PM'ed me to exchange emails.

I also own Valhalla Room. I don't really use it much any more, but for the price I don't think it can be beat. It is the most "ordinary" sounding reverb I've heard. If it has a character I would say it sounds like sound reflecting off of drywall/sheetrock to me. Some verbs sound like sound reflecting off of tin or some other metallic surface. The 2C Audio reverbs sound like sound bouncing off of some sort of metallic/ceramic hybrid material from the future. Sort of cool, but after playing with them for many months I decided it wasn't my thing. Those I prefer tend to be less "pingy" than the 2C Audio reverbs, and sound more like sound hitting fabric. I have to use a verb for quite a while before it suddenly occurs to me what material it sounds like and I haven't had that moment with REVelation yet, but it is definitely the most "expensive" (definitely not drywall) sounding reverb I have. I don't think my "music" as a whole however is "expensive" enough sounding to quite fit it though. I wish.

I've gone through phases with IRs downloading all the free stuff I can get, and playing with some of the IRs that comes with the 8dio products. Ultimately I came to the decision that I use verb more as an effect and prefer the complexity of modulation over the complexity of spacial detail. I like the space itself to sound simple, but with just enough movement to breathe/mesh with the groove of the track.

Tips for Getting Smooth Vocals in the Box