Vocal Processing Vst

[Carmelina Olden]

I like to use two stages of compression: the first to do a basic compression job, levelling out the volume of the vocal, to help it sit more comfortably within the mix and give it greater impact; and the second to catch only the real peaks of volume, allowing the overall level of the vocal to be raised without the possibility of the signal getting out of hand.

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Processing vocals like a pro consists of performing equalization, compression, distortion, as well as adding temporal processing such as reverb and delay. Processing vocal like a pro as incorporates properly recording and editing your vocal, so that further processing can be performed in an effective way.

Although many engineers typically reach for a compressor at this point, the better option is to use clip gain. The reason being, if there are any particularly loud dynamics, the compressor will be hit harder , resulting in more compression and making the compression more noticeable.

With that in mind, it's best to start with clip gain to attenuate and amplify specific sections of the performance. This is made easier by the waveform display which changes when increasing or decreasing the gain of a clip - this way you can visually determine if the volume of your clip is balanced.

This ensures a clean vocal - one that can be further processed without worrying about accidentally amplifying undesirable frequencies. For example, any saturation or distortion will amplify various aspects of the frequency spectrum - if your vocal still has these undesirable frequencies, you might exacerbate their sound.

A great start when performing subtractive equalization is to use a high-pass (low-cut) filter, up to roughly 80Hz with an 18dB/octave slope. This will help to attenuate plosives and any rumble or electrical hum that is occurring.

A shorter attack will cause compression to occur sooner. If the attack is short enough, the transients of the signal will be attenuated, making the sound smooths and less intelligible . A longer attack allows for the transient to pass through unaffected.

You might also be interested in using an analog-based compressor, one that employs harmonic generation. Some examples of these compressors are tube-based or transistor-based compression.

When compressing your vocals, 3dB - 5dB of attenuation is an appropriate amount. By compressing this much, and then using make-up gain, you amplify the quieter aspects of the vocal, making them more detailed and complex.

Of all the forms of processing, saturation is perhaps the most important when processing vocals. The harmonics it generates can take a vocal that is being lost in the mix, and push it forward enough to separate it from other instrumentation.

When adding harmonic distortion and saturation there are no exact settings that should be used - it should be performed to personal preference. Of course, too much will sound distracting and abrasive, so use it somewhat sparingly or at least in a controlled way.

If you divide 60000 by the BPM of your song , you will calculate the timing of quarter note . You can then multiply this number to create a half note or whole note, or you can divide it to create eighth notes, and so on.

Additionally, it's important to create multiple reverb sends - one with a quick reverb time to create almost a doubling or thickening effect, and another for your more stylized or aesthetic-based reverb, or in other words, one that adds character to the vocal.

Similar to your reverb aux send, you can add delay to your vocal via an auxiliary send. These delays can be long for a stylized delay, or shorter to thicken your vocal - this depends on your personal taste, the complexity of your mix, and the vocal performance.

With all of your processing complete, and your decisions made, you can not begin to create more dynamic processing - meaning, you can alter the amount of processing in particular regions of your vocal.

You can also create incredibly unique and creative effects by implementing aggressive plugin function automation for a short duration. One example is increasing the delay send to a significant amount for 2 or 3 seconds.

However you choose to process your vocal, automation is the best way to add some creative effects. This is really the stage of vocal processing that will separate your vocal from vocals in other recordings.

Hot tip: Several techniques have been developed over the years to simulate the effect of double-tracked vocals. One of the most famous is the ADT (automatic double tracking) effect developed at Abbey Road. There are even plugins that can help you get the classic effect of Abbey Road ADT in your mix.

Stereo widening typically works by delaying and modulating a copy of the signal. But unlike stompbox-style chorus effect dedicated vocal wideners have a more subtle sound that works like glue in a mix.

Everyone knows pitch correction plugins like Antares Auto-Tune were designed to patch up pitchy vocal takes.

Building up harmonized lines, shifting the formants, and separating the notes are just a few of the unique techniques you can use with pitch correction.

Vocal processing is the secret sauce that brings every track together, providing that final, polished touch that separates beginner's work from polished, professional releases. It's an essential skill for every budding producer and engineer - but where should you begin if you have no idea where to start?

The vocal is the heart of every song. Vocal processing helps sit a recorded performance within the world of a polished track by cleaning the vocal and adding effects to help it sit well within a mix. To create a radio-ready vocal, engineers need to commit to two main types of processes:

Additive processes are used to add on effects to a cleaned vocal. Remember that additive processing should come after subtractive processes since all effects build on top of one another within a signal chain.

Preferred vocal chains will vary greatly based on an engineer's preferences. However, generally speaking, there are some commonalities: Main vocals are usually fairly clear, upfront in the mix, sometimes with a short delay or reverb tail.

The process of tracking a strong lead vocal starts with the recording process. Make sure your singer is in a suitable recording room, preferably utilizing a clean preamp to record into your interface.

During the mixing process, a lead vocal is usually EQed to remove any unwanted frequencies or imperfections. Next, it's processed with tuning and finally polished with some form of compression to glue the take together. When in doubt - this is a great starting point for your lead vocal processing.

Vocal tracks cleaned with EQ, pitch correction and light compression make a great starting point for creative vocal processing. As a reminder, it's key to clean your tracks up with any subtractive processing before adding on to them with the following:

Chopping, resampling, and playing around with bits and pieces of your vocal is a great way to help your vocals stand out amongst a dense mix, or even build a strong hook in your chorus as showcased in the hit Stay by Alessia Cara and Zedd :

Simply playing with the position of your vocals or vocal effects within the stereo field can have a huge impact on your mix. Typically, vocals are housed in the center of a mix, so any deviation from this can have a profound creative effect. For instance, take a listen to the intro of Reckless Abandon by Blink 182:

Reversing your vocal track certainly captures the listener's ears and doesn't take a lot of processing. You can even hear tracks with parts of the entire song reversed, like in Iron Maiden's Still Life .

Quick tip: If you take the first syllable of your main vocal, isolate it, add reverb, record it and reverse it, you'll get a cool effect that can serve as the perfect transition from one part of your song to the next! Take a look at this processing in action:

Delays are another spatial effect that can transform vocals tracked in an ultra dry recording room. You can add delay throws to transition from one section to another, or using delays across your main vocal as heard in Yes' The Gates of Delirum :

Some songs, especially those in alternative genres take to a crunchier vocal sound, rather typical straightforward vocal. Distortion is a great way to take your clean vocal signal and transform it to something with its own sound packed with color. If you take a listen to the classic Midnight City by M83, the earworm hook is a vocal that's been distorted and resampled:

Basic pitch correction is standard practice for polishing any vocal sound. Today, it can be so much more! From the popularization of auto tune in emerging genres like hyperpop, cloud rap, and otherwise, pitch correction can be as much of a creative process as it is a technical one.

When you process lead vocals, you're usually going for a forward, clear sound that feels in the center of the mix as a good starting point to reference. To process a lead vocal, you'll want to EQ, apply pitch correction, add compression, and finally, any effects like reverb, delay or distortion.

The processing order of vocal effects is additive. Each effect builds on top of itself. Therefore, anything that cleans or simplifies the vocal should come before any processing like reverb or delay that completely shifts the vocal sound.

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