What are your favorite tools for mixing vocals?
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- KVRer
- 5 posts since 3 Aug, 2021
I know Melodyne and CLA vocals tend to be major ones, but is there anything else?
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- KVRAF
- 2989 posts since 5 Nov, 2014
Xfer OTT, not joking.
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Scrubbing Monkeys Scrubbing Monkeys https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=397259
- KVRAF
- 1837 posts since 21 Apr, 2017 from Bahia, Brazil
imrae wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 7:06 am EQ, saturation, compression, delay and reverb. Most mix effects, really...
Yeah pretty much.
DD Channel 2 from Dead Duck ( or any SSL )
Ivg2 from Klanghelm
Kotelnikov from TDR
Valhalla Room
Replica delay.
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- Boss Lovin' DR
- 14312 posts since 15 Mar, 2002 from the grimness of yorkshire
Izotope Nectar Breath Control (because there's nothing ruins a song more than compression amplifying quiet breathing to dirty pervert levels....
)
TDR Nova GE to de-resonate and even out my frankly piss-poor mic technique.
Klanghelm DC8B compressor - high ratio to really tame peaks
TB Ferox - for more gentle tape style compression (always like to use 2 compressors - spread the load etc..)
TB Sibilance de-esser or Air windows de-esser
Just a teeny bit of slap-back delay to add depth, not much
Reverb - depends on the song which one, but always roll off the reverb before 500hz, and pre-delay of 50ms and upwards.
Tend to also use a lot of spot effects for harmonies/fairy dust etc on duplicate tracks to make things easier- Delays, MUnison, lofi stuff (distortion etc, RC20), chorus, all kinds of stuff..
Lots and lots of automation...
TDR Nova GE to de-resonate and even out my frankly piss-poor mic technique.
Klanghelm DC8B compressor - high ratio to really tame peaks
TB Ferox - for more gentle tape style compression (always like to use 2 compressors - spread the load etc..)
TB Sibilance de-esser or Air windows de-esser
Just a teeny bit of slap-back delay to add depth, not much
Reverb - depends on the song which one, but always roll off the reverb before 500hz, and pre-delay of 50ms and upwards.
Tend to also use a lot of spot effects for harmonies/fairy dust etc on duplicate tracks to make things easier- Delays, MUnison, lofi stuff (distortion etc, RC20), chorus, all kinds of stuff..
Lots and lots of automation...
- GRRRRRRR!
- 17724 posts since 14 Jun, 2001 from Somewhere you're not!
I use either iZotope's free Vocal Doubler or WA Production's $29 Vocal Splitter to double the vocals and give them some width. From there it's just a bit of EQ, compression, saturation/distortion (if artistically required) and reverb/delay. If you've got a good mix, it's usually pretty easy and a lot of the decisions around it are artistic, not technical.
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Korg Odyssey, bx-oberhausen, Proxima, PolyMax, GR8, JP6K, Union, Atomika,
Invader 2, Flow Motion, Olga, TRK 01, Thorn, Spire, VG Iron
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- KVRAF
- 3086 posts since 4 May, 2012
I don't think there are any specific tools that I use for processing vocals. Maybe Little Plate gets used more on vocals than anything else. I don't like auto-tuning vocals.
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- KVRer
- 7 posts since 5 Aug, 2021
I always experiment with all the effects I have. Well, I don't have a favorite right now but you should try experimenting too and find your "own" sound, if that makes sense. Even the stock effects sometimes makes a big difference.
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an-electric-heart an-electric-heart https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=182734
- KVRAF
- 2513 posts since 13 Jun, 2008 from Napier,New Zealand
The basics are any E.Q, starting by high passing all the bass I don't need, then the 670 T-Racks plugin with the 'Vocal' preset (threshold adjusted to taste), followed by the BBE Sonic Maximizer plugin with just a tiny touch of the high end dial (I think it's called process). That's the bread and butter stuff that I do every time. Then I send that to another track where I apply reverb or delay (at 100%)... or sometimes reverb and delay!
Oh and I quite often put autotune on a send followed by a thick chorus, then blend it in so that it's pretty quiet, just for thickening effect.
Oh and I quite often put autotune on a send followed by a thick chorus, then blend it in so that it's pretty quiet, just for thickening effect.
- KVRian
- 631 posts since 10 Jan, 2017
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Ezilyboredgames Ezilyboredgames https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=507530
- KVRist
- 114 posts since 10 Apr, 2021
UAD API channel strip, struder A800 then Fabfilyer plug-ins to further eq and compress if needed. fabfilter reverb on the bus.
- KVRAF
- 7664 posts since 2 Sep, 2019
UADx 1073 IK TR5 EQ-73 (MIC)
UADx 1175 Rev E IK TR5 Black 76 (fast attack)
UADx LA-2A (silver) IK TR5 White 2A (COMPRESS)
UADx Studer A800 IK TR5 Tape Machine 80 (456, 15 ips)
UADx SSL 4000 E Channel IK TR5 British Channel
Eventide H910 or H949
Relab LX480
Other than that, it hasn't changed.
UADx 1175 Rev E IK TR5 Black 76 (fast attack)
UADx LA-2A (silver) IK TR5 White 2A (COMPRESS)
UADx Studer A800 IK TR5 Tape Machine 80 (456, 15 ips)
UADx SSL 4000 E Channel IK TR5 British Channel
Eventide H910 or H949
Relab LX480
Other than that, it hasn't changed.
Last edited by jamcat on Thu Aug 07, 2025 9:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
THIS MUSIC HAS BEEN MIXED TO BE PLAYED LOUD SO TURN IT UP
- KVRian
- 811 posts since 10 Sep, 2015 from You haven't unlocked this character yet
Easy...EQ and Compressor. You had to ask this? For mixing right? Yes...these two. Now...for effects...that's a different question. Maybe you should post that question.
...and the electron responded, "what wall?"
- KVRAF
- 12185 posts since 7 Sep, 2006 from Roseville, CA
Maybe it's just me, but I don't really consider Melodyne a tool for "mixing" vocals, except arguably when I adjust amplitude of some notes to balance them out, or reduce sibilant sounds or plosives. Regardless, the plugins I use most often for vocals include Fabfilter Pro-DS, Pro-G, Pro-C, and Pro-Q (still dying for a FF channel strip!), Waves RenChannel (often on the vocals or BG vocals submix buss), Waves LA-2a when I want in-your-face-ness. EchoBoy is my go-to delay for vocals, and Valhalla Room, Plate, and VVV are my go-tos for vocal reverb sends and inserts.
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