I am vocalist and to my surprise NON of the VST effect addons have a decent preset for effects I use! Right now I am using waves 13 plugins and also the ones that come with Studio One. I tried all available reverbs and delay plugins and non was usable with their own presets. I had to work them myself.
I was wondering if you have the same experience? Which effects do you use for singing (preferably from waves and Studio one). I wonder if we can share any good settings for some standard effects.

I personally use: Vocal Rider, C6, RVox, RS56, Room Reverb (Studio one) and Beat Delay.

What would you suggest? And oh... is it better to put them on Inserts or Sends channel?

 

Lexicon PCM Native Reverb is not bad ...
In studio i use my Digitech TSR-24s ( Amazing Piece of Gear)

 

Last edited: Jan 4, 2022

Presets are only Starting Points. They will get you "close" to a certain type of effect.

You use an Insert when you want an effect module to only effect that one channel strip. You use a separate channel for your reverb or your compressor, and use sends so that you can apply the same effect to multiple channels with only one loaded instance of the Effect Processor.
This way you can also mix Wet and Dry signal for those channels by setting the Send amount (and also having it on a fader).

It's best use is reverb, because it lets you put all the channels audio "inside the same space", without having to match all the parameters in a second instance. Second, would be compression. They are the most common modules to use as send fx.

 

Presets on these types of plugins are made by people with some credibility in the industry so they can't be that bad. Either you don't know how to use them properly or you're fortunate enough to have found a unique sound that presets aren't made for. Learning to make your own isn't the worst thing in the world.

 

With vocals, sends/aux.
If it's an instrument and the fx are part of the sound, as insert.

 

Frame that in all caps for the sloths that think reaching an extra inch is too much for them right now.

Inserts if you want that to be on a solo channel and sends if you intend to use the same plugin and preset on multiple channels like you're bussing to save CPU.

 

I've never actually played with presets in effects plug-ins, I've always just did my own settings until i found what sounded right, like RC 20 and the Valhalla plug-ins.

I have never seen a reason to use presets, most effect plug-ins are so simple its usually a waste of time just Tryna go through presets when i can easily get what I want in a short period of time by messing with parameter, it's honestly that simple.

There was however one instance where I decided to try out stuff from Output (They made Thermal and Portal), since those plug-ins were kind of complex for me, I scrolled through presets, every single one sounded bad. Yes I even searched on the specific sections like either drums or synths or whatever, but almost none of them worked, I don't know what I was doing but so many sounded so bad... so I guess you are kind of right on your point. After that experience I never touched those plug-ins again and Uninstalled them lol but it was a good shot to atleast KINDA try them.. I mean i didn't really try them, but oh well.

 

what I would personally do? would be to ask other vocalists how they set themselves up. because it is almost never how a producer would.

there are too many vocalists making samples to where this is difficult. it is probably something like logic, uad or other dsp effects on the input recordings, and a decent mic. that's it. buy a good sample pack from one and just ask one nicely on their twitter.

not to dissuade you from production. op. but this should be like a load once mixer template solution. reverb and compression can be again more important, because people often "perform into them", meaning the effect actually changes the take. other than those preferences, you should just be shooting for a clean/correct take. these vocalists are not reinventing any production wheels, and I am sure would be happy to share tips. social engineering.

I recently saw a tv show about this chef in Britain who shoots the stuff first. a metaphor is on the horizon, about the "ingredient stages"

 

Last edited: Jan 4, 2022

From my experience, presets are just a way of showing off what the plugin is capable of. I don't think I have ever used a standard preset without some sort of modification. Come to think of it I don't like any of my OWN presets either.
Like some of the others have said above, presets will get you into the ballpark of where you want and the rest is down to personal choice.

 

I think we've gone ot re. presets.
What you say is true. But apart from compression, the monitoring reverb that a vocalist needs when you record them is not going to be committed to the take. I know you know, but just saying.
Morning @Sylenth.Will.Fall !

 

Mornin' buddy @F.L.O.W.
Ya know? At this time of the mornin' I don't know anything. If it wasn't for the supermarket delivery I arranged to turn up between 6 and 7 this morning I would be asleep by now.

Yes I know I know it's off topic but WAIT! I do have a preset setup with the supermarket to bring the core shopping so it's not as off topic as one would expect from me :D

 

Waves plugins suck, S1 plugins are fairly basic, presets are meant to be only a starting point, sends can be independently processed and don't affect dry signal's volume, inserts are easier to set up and do affect dry signal's volume, which might or might not be desireable.
With reverb, for example, if you want the sound to feel close to the listener, you better use a send. If the sound is meant to be distant, an insert will do.

 

ALL 100+ of them?
You must be nu-school, because that's pretty much all we had as 3rd party at one time.
And because we've all been using them for so long, we still do.
I know it's contextual to them being the OG plugin makers, but they are very much still used in most commercial studios, just along with all the other stuff we now have.
I guess I'm wanting to say, don't throw the baby out with the bath water.

 

This is a misconception I fell into as well.
The problem is, different sound positions within the same actual place will lead to different reverb parameters. As an example, the distant sound that is closer to the wall than to the listener will have a shorter predelay, higher initial density and a lower dry/wet ratio. The ones on the left and right will have different early reflections. If you want to create a real space, one reverb send is never enough.

 

Maybe some newer ones don't, haven't tried them in a few years. Also Hybrid series is competent, once you turn the noise off.
I've started with them, you see. And I say they suck because this is my experience with them.
They are harsh, noisy, imprecise, the very definition of anal-mod plugins, i.e. worst of the both worlds with no upsides. Once I discovered FabFilter, TDR and AudioDamage, I never looked back.
And then there's TBProAudio, PSPAudioware, sonible, U-he, Wavesfactory, Pulsar Audio, even Softube most of the time. Man, Waves are literally obsolete. Their best is others' median.

 

Last edited: Jan 4, 2022

The problem is that Waves stopped releasing truly innovative plugins, like those they created in the days of Ultramaximizer, etc.
Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

i got three words for you ''Eventide Black Hole'' thank me later sir i understand

 

Just as I said I did too, you see.
It doesn't mean they are all excellent though. They are just tools, and they sufficed back then. For top 20 tracks, personally.
They worked then, they work now.
As I said, it's contextual. And I don't know of anybody of our age and experience who bothers to dis them, is all.
Waves still have old plugins that other devs haven't tackled yet.

Same! I never bothered updating them since waaay back!
But I actually refer to some of the old gems that are still good...
Yes, TDR were actually my first real 3rd party love! +1 for them.
I pretty much use my DAW stock plugs and Fabfilter now!

 

Let me make a long story short Waves is not the best plugins....... its just that they are very well known and a lot of people use it

 

facts sound like he depending on presets to be the final destination