KVR Audio

kvruser1000 · Post by **kvruser1000** » Wed Aug 22, 2012 4:19 pm

hi there,

i have a question. what plugins do you use to make the vocals sound good. i think a good starting point is an eq and a compressor. also delay and reverb are important. maybe you can give me some advice to make my vocals sound sweet.

nineofkings · Post by **nineofkings** » Wed Aug 22, 2012 4:26 pm

That's basically it. Some compression to make them consistently audible, eq to filter off anything below 70 hz and maybe bump the highs a bit, and some delay or reverb to give it space. In the same vein as compression, some saturation helps make them louder and a bit brighter.

kvruser1000 · Post by **kvruser1000** » Wed Aug 22, 2012 4:42 pm

thanks.

BERFAB · Post by **BERFAB** » Wed Aug 22, 2012 4:45 pm

All of the above mentioned are good basics. Don't forget pitch. And by pitch, I don't mean extreme auto-tune nonsense. Most DAW's now have some kind of pitcher, and the key is to NOT pitch to exact tones. Leave a little breathing room to sound naturally.

Also, chorus or doubling effects used in moderation will go a long way to getting a great lead vocal track. YMMV of course.

Cheers
-B

kvruser1000 · Post by **kvruser1000** » Thu Aug 23, 2012 10:03 am

what about a gate, to eliminate noises and breath?

ariston · Post by **ariston** » Thu Aug 23, 2012 10:51 am

I know you're asking for plugins, but, going by the age-old adage "you can't polish a turd", it's my experience that the most important factors regarding vocals are: a good microphone, a suitable recording environment, a good pre-amp, recording know-how and good mic technique, and a good vocalist (not necessarily in that order). If these crucial steps are ignored or executed poorly, no plugin in the world will save yo ass.

Voxengo's Voxformer is one all-round plugin that comes to mind. I also like The Glue and PSP's NobleQ for vocals, the the former for its gentle yet firm handle on vocal nuances, and the latter for a smooth high end. As a reverb, I prefer Eareverb for vocals, unless I'm going for an obvious effect, for which I'd use Aether or the new B2, which is... not of this earth.

Kaboom75 · Post by **Kaboom75** » Sat Aug 25, 2012 3:21 pm

Echoboy is a great delay that can do all sorts like chorus, tape delay it has many vocal presets.
DMG Audio Compassion is great for a bit of vocal type compression.

Jafo · Post by **Jafo** » Sat Aug 25, 2012 3:51 pm

MultiLens is great when your vocalist sucks and you want to bury the suckitude in trippiness. Other than that, I keep coming back to Blockfish for compression, ParisEQ or Electri-Q (posihfopit edition) for character EQ, and DX-Reverb or GlaceVerb for reverb. Be very, very picky and sparing about reverb -- it's very easy to get something awful and metallic. But ariston is right -- it's a chain with many places for weak points to fsck it up.

ruud07 · Post by **ruud07** » Mon Aug 27, 2012 12:32 am

For sweet vocals: Izotope Nectar

Plugins to make vocals sweet.