Hi guys,
Do you mind to share what your routine is for getting the best smooth, clean sounding vocals and what process and plugins do you use to achieve this result? Your input will be appreciated - Thanks and cheers!

 

Last edited: May 10, 2020

Good LDC, popfilter, vocal booth or dead room, great preamp, some subtle compression on the way in. ITB I cut lows to reduce rumble/booms, de-ess (Pro DS or DMG Essence). An EQ to correct and maybe "EQ/color feed into the compressor" coming after. Compressor to catch the peaks (1173 style emu), another compressor with slower attack and some saturation (LA2A style). Maybe add some slight saturation (Decapitator or similar). Sometimes I like to add Dolby-A style high-end compression/saturation on dynamic mics. Then I EQ and dynamic EQ to compensate to taste.

Edit: But then again, "best smooth, clean sounding" is subjective. It can be through any mic and through any vocal chain.
I haven't even talked about double-tracking, reverb, delay, microshifting, etc.
Edit2: I take for granted that the singer is good (most important). Different mics also works "best" on different types of singers/vocalists, timbres, ranges, etc (matter of preference and taste). A good singer can still sound good through a potato mic. Self-explanatory, but decided to do an edit just in case.

 

Last edited: May 10, 2020

took me a minute to figure what that meant. lol.
for newbies, ldc = large diaphragm condenser (microphone)

 

Use a clean, quiet preamp with any mic in a quiet room. The less in the vocal chain the better as every piece of hardware or colored modeled vst pluging will subtract from what you seem to be asking about. Perhaps defining "clean" will get you the best answer from knowledgeable members.

 

Ah, good point.
SDC is small diaphragm condenser.

 

Thanks for the response lol. Preamp in this case you mean an audio interface?

 

Preamp, audio interface?

 

A dedicated preamp or a good preamp on your audio interface. With a dedicated preamp you can usually increase the quality and/or add some color/character.

 

1. The microphone will vary from singer to singer. A Shure SM58 will work better over a condenser for shouty rock singers. A large-diafragm condenser will work for most vocal purposes.
2. The next thing is distance between the mic and the singer. Not only because of proximity effect, but also to account for how much a singer moves.
3. The cable you use for your mic might make the most simple and noticeable change in the chain. I use Proel cables with either Proel or Neutrik plugs. They're not high end but they deliver a lot of bang for the buck.
4. The mic preamp or audio interface is the next big thing. Fortunately, any current audio interface has very clean sound. The expense of a preamp (and reason for high-end preamps) is a pleasantly colored sound. I love the Universal Audio 4710d with the compressor active, but sometimes I get great results from the Apollo with Unison pres. Most of the time I use the UAD Neve 88R, with mild compression on the way in.
5. A send with reverb to make the vocalist feel comfortable (which won't get recorded) is the last step in my vocal recording chain.
6. In the box, there are different ways to go: If the take is fairly consistent in level (thanks to the compression on the way in), I'd most of the time just use Waves CLA Vocals and call it a day. I could use a compressor before CLA. On the other hand, if the vocal take isn't consistent (Maybe it's a group recorded at once, or perhaps the singer is too dynamic because my compression on the way in is very light), I use Waves Vocal Rider and then the stock Pro Tools compressor or Sonible Smart:Comp if the sound fits.

All this is done as part of the recording process or vocal sound design before I even think of mixing. Additional compression and EQ come later at the mix process.

 

Last edited: May 10, 2020

@Cube Sixty-Three ,what @Baxter ,@Lois Lane & @mercurysoto already told you
I would like to add to not forget to use a gate plug in in the beginning of your vocal chain (with the right settings),especially if you're recording vocals at home & not in a vocal booth/ studio
I start with (vocal chain) :
Gate plugin (removing unnecessary noise/rumble) ---> De esser (removing sibilance) ----> eq subtractive (removing unwanted frequencies)----> Compression ----> Delay----> Reverb(i prefer delays into reverbs,if i don't have them on aux busses) ____-----> coloring Eq(Something like a Pultec or maag Eq)
also riding manually your threshold of your compressor can give you better results,but you will need an audio engineer to know what he is doing,
when you cut your vocals.
The most important thing is always to capture an amazing/the best performance that you possibly can first imho ,cheers !

 

Surprisingly, nobody has mentioned the most important factor in this equation. The singer. A good vocalist is the starting point. Having a good voice is only part of that. Knowing how to deliver for a recording is what separates the "pros" from the rest. The rest of the chain is subjective. From the pre amp to the microphone to the outboard gear to the plugins, it is a matter of individual choice and budget. After I have decided on which pre amp and mic I will be using based on the characteristics of the singer's voice, I end up using 99% of the time the following hybrid chain of hardware and plugins:

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

You also need to take into consideration the quality of the ADC. It does make a big difference. Even a good pair of headphones factors in. Spillage from headphones can kill a terrific vocal take.

Edit: Pirate you forgot to mention the Ganja

Signed by Bob Marley

 

Last edited: May 11, 2020

uh oh

 

Pirate meant Soothe 1& 2*****

 

Just take DSEQ instead of Soothe2 .. nearly same results, and much better CPU consumption ..

 

DSEQ messes up my vocals. My vocals sounds better when disabled. I've both Soothes and DSEQ so yeah...

 

Nearly is not good enough for me vro! Clients don't pay me for nearly this or nearly that. If you are getting paid for it, and Soothe fits your work flow, you take $200 and forget about nearly this and nearly that.

 

Amen. I can't tell you how many times I've fallen into dispair thinking, oh crap, our stuff sucks, the mic must be moldy, the preamp is sh*t, our plugins are terrible, my ears are shot, why can't I make this sound good?? And then a really great singer with a great voice comes in and there it all is. A little verb, a little comp, sounds like a million bucks. And that's true for guitar, drums, all of it.

 

1. comfortable and happy singer
2. comping
3. melodyne
4. manually fix volume inconsistencies between comps
5. de noise, de clip clop clup

My plugins:
1. decapitator
2. dseq (@The Pirate pls give us that STFU)
3. rvox
4. deesser
5. I'll mess with various sweeteners like JJP Vocals / voice centric / vocal enhancer / rs56 and see if they do something cool.
6. deesser
7. broader eq
8. cla76 just for colour
9. maybe retro colour / goodhertz wow
10. maybe limiter / inflator
11. maybe additional eq

 

That is why I mentioned that I was surprised that after 11 comments the vocalist was nowhere to be found. Pre amps, mikes, cables, plugins, and the crucial ingredient absent. I can't believe it.