Hi, people! Just wondering how you lot would set-up your lead vocal plugin chain. I've been sticking with the same plugin chain for nearly a year now; which is : Waves CLA + Fabfilter Pro DS + Fabfilter Pro C2 + Acon Digital Equalize2.

So, I'm thinking about a new set-up now. I'd be awesome if you lot could let me know how your set up would be like. Yes, I'd be quite interesting to try out some of your set-ups.

 

Until recently:

Vocal rider > Pro q 2 > bx opto or bx townhouse > something a little more precise lilke sonible smart comp or cubase stock compressor > de esser (usually just stock cubase) > emulation eq to bring the highs back in > maybe some saturation


Since getting an apollo recently:

uad ALL the things

 

Not mine, but I have found this on internet:

 

autotune, then some more autotune, and then maybe a facelift if she looks as ugly as her voice...

 

If it's a good vocal recording, usually 1176 compression (Waves or Slate) > EQ (SSL, ReaEQ or CS-EQ) > De-Esser (Waves) > light Decapitator saturation > Automation > Reverb/Delay/Microshift depends on song. The EQ might go before the compression, depends on what I'm going for.

If it's a bad vocal recording, it would be the same but will probably include a multiband comp (Waves C4) after the 1176, heavy Decapitator saturation after the De-Esser, perhaps an EQ or tape saturation (Slate VTM) before the compression.

If there are a lot of vocal layers and background vocals, I might use light buss compression to glue and "auto-level" them, with an 1176 or Waves SSL Buss comp.

 

Thanks a lot mate. Really appreciate that. I'm gonna give that a shot.

 

Interesting find, buddy.

 

bx?? Is that bx brainworx? I think i've got that but havent given it a shot. 2 bx compressors?

 

On vocals the majority of times I find myself using the following combination of software/hardware

1. >Melodyne
2. >Soothe
3. >Manley Massive Passive EQ
   
4. >/Empirical Labs Distressor/UA LA 2-A
   
5. >Waves Abbey Road EMT140 Plate Reverb/UAD Lexicon/Fab Filter Pro R
6. >Lexicon PCM42
7. >Dangerous Music Compressor

 

bx_console SSL 4000 E on the track , deesser-townhouse on the buss

 

Interesting chain you got there mate. care to explain soothe? never heard of it.

 

Thanks. I was surprised no one mentioned Melodyne or Soothe.
https://oeksound.com/plugins/soothe/

https://theproaudiofiles.com/review-soothe-oeksound-dynamic-resonance-control-plugin/

There are a couple of threads here specifically discussing it. iLok is needed for authorization so the $149 has to be paid if you want it. You are going to hear a lot of "you dont need it, you can do that with Melda and ...blah blah blah". Trust me, Nothing out there does what Soothe does. The proof is that even a pirate paid for it.

 

Last edited: Aug 5, 2019

I assume that tacitly implies "if needed" beyond your basic eq/comp because I think that much processing on any track would be simply too much. Digital "film" would just about bury the source sound, I feel. Not natural sounding as much as processed sounding (unless that's what you're shooting for).
I start out with just 3 basics: Tape sim, comp, eq (and delay or verb on a bus). If that doesn't do it, then I may add/do anything extra if necessary. That's pretty much my chain for all tracks with the same "extra if needed or desired" attitude. I'm a KISS type guy.

 

Yeah. Brainworx and in general the plugin alliance collective has, IMO some of the better sounding "analog color" styled mixing plugins out there. Idk if they sound analog but they sound awesome... not all, but some of them. Bx Opto and Bx Townhouse compressor are great. They have some great saturation plugins too. Phil's cascade for dirt, HG-2 Black Box for more mix buss style stuff.

 

Kinda like me with Acustica Gold.

This has a lot of info in it about plugin chains for vocals and he explains pretty well why you use certain things:
https://www.masteringthemix.com/blogs/learn/mixing-vocals

He explains lots of different tricks to get subtle width and thickness.

I like this chain and use some elements from it:
https://mixedbymarcmozart.com/2015/...-vocals-a-complete-tutorial-on-mixing-vocals/

 

it changes obviously but its usually something like this:

- 1073 pre amp plugin (usually arturia)
- pultec (usually black rooster audio)
- Softube CL1B
- Arturia 1176/Rvox
- Soothe
- RX7 De-ess
- decapitator/HG-2 (parallel)

i dont think anyone really cares about each ones chains cus its very personal and its not like were famous or anything,
but lemme tell you one thing:
oeksound soothe --going into--> RX7 De-esser is one of the best options for natural de-essing, let each one of them do not too much - and together the de-essing sounds really natural!
happy mixing buddy

 

individual channels: Auto-tune - Waves ns-1 - fabfilter pro-ds - acustica amb3r - surf eq - slate vmr - breeze
Group: Airwindows tapefat - H-delay - El ray - Ca-2a

 

First Phase (Export)
-Vocal Rider
-Fabfilter in Linear Phase mode for low cut and hi smooting
-TripleD - Waves (very subtle)
-Waves De-esser ( if need it)
-Waves Debreath ( if need it)
-Rvox (just for Gate function - non compresison
-Melodyne
-Waves Tune Real Time (autotune)
Second Phase (Vocals Cleaned and Tuned)
- Acustica Audio CREAM Channelstrip - Pre -Eq and Compressor
- Acustica Audio Taupe Pre (Push It)
- Acustica Audio El Rey
- Waves L1 (ceil at - 6 db very smooth reaction)

All that for every single voice,
For the Lead vocal
1 parallel Channel with MELDA MUNISON (Hamonic enhance)
then all vocal channels feed into a bus with:

-DrMs (Stereo control)
-Acustica audio (SAND full Channel Strip Pre-Eq and Bus Compressor- SSL Clone) or (BIG CEIL Channel Strip -Focusrite Emulation)
-Acustica Audio Coral Bax-ter EQ

Sends:
REVERB - Nimbus - Fabfilter MB with external sidechain (Lead Vocal) on frequencies from 600Hz to betwen 4/5Khz
SLAP Delay - Waves H-Delay
Ping Pong - Audio Damage Dub Station- Fabfilter MB with external sidechain (Lead Vocal) on frequencies from 600Hz to betwen 4/5Khz

 

Sometimes you have to bite the bullet...or continue to dream about the day that iLok will be completely defeated. I did noticed that in the Mastering the Mix article, the author has placed Melodyne after the corrective EQ in his vocal chain. I know there are no hard and fast rules but in almost 20 years of using Melodyne I have actually seen, or read about, it being placed after the EQ on just a couple of occasions.

 

1176 into a Pultec, same as I used to use when I used hardware. Obviously any de-essing, autotuning etc I will do first. I like to keep it simple. As for which company plugins I use, it changes. Sometimes the Waves stuff, sometimes the Softube, however I have been using the Arturia 1176 recently just to try it out. I went through a stage of using the Nebula 1176 and Pultec but I just didn't like how transparent it was. I actually like a bit of character added. I look at the plugins being like the original hardware. They add their own character, and every companies version seems different.