Lead Vocal:
RVox (Waves)
– TLDR Notes:
While it might not have the ‘analog magic’ of other options, this can really make a vocal sit in a mix.
Even in a dense rock context with heavy guitars, or overly dynamic live vocals.
The ability to really tame and control the vocal in a natural way (without giving the classic compressor sound grab) means that this is sometimes the perfect choice for a voice.
Also has a handy gate, again useful for instance on live recordings.
– Review:
Just like there are classic hardware pieces there are classic plugins as well. This one is a true icon when it comes to vocal plugins, the Waves Rvox.
Used by award winning mixing engineers around the world and known for it’s simplicity as well as it’s undeniable qualities.
I still haven’t found another vocal plugin, that can make the vocal sit that way within a high dense mix featuring big distorted guitars, heavy drums and mid forward bass, and all with a single slider.
I’m always looking for alternatives to plugins, just so I can compare the two and go for the best option, but even after all these years there is still no direct alternative to Rvox as far as I know. Nothing that quite does what it does.
I especially like it on live vocals where it’s not so much a game of final polish but often more of a basic fight to make elements work.
The inclusion on the nice gate comes in handy when working with live vocals.
Rvox is well suited for rock studio vocals as well, because of the way it keeps the dynamics under control in crowded mix if you have a very dynamic singer.
Gold (Acustica Audio)
– TLDR Notes:
One of the best “like a record” suites available, perhaps the very best when it comes to lead vocals.
A collection of vintage Neve gear.
The EQs and preamps stand out.
• 8066 EQ: Neve 1066
• 8112 EQ: Neve 33122
• 3081 EQ: Neve 1081
• 8093 EQ: EMI-Neve 1093 (shelf filters only: Neve 1081 with Marinair transformers)
• 8193 EQ: EMI-Neve 1093 (Bell/peak mode: Neve 1081 with Marinair transformers)
•8077 EQ: Rare Neve 1077. Mid frequency bands are duplicated.
•3102 EQ: Neve 31102 (from a 8068 console equalizer module. Characteristics: a 1073 with added frequencies in the high band and an added mid range high Q .)
• H073 EQ: Homebrew 1073 clone
• 8115 EQ: Ultra rare Neve 3115
.
• 8252 Compressor: Neve 2252
• 8254 Compressor: Neve 2254
• A variety of tube preamps, including a Neve 9001
– Review:
Old neve gear. Without the maintenance. What’s not to like?
Acustica Audio’s Gold suite is all about tone and vibe. I would go so far as to say that this one is not about compression even those you do get several compressors included.
It’s about console colors, preamps and Equalizers. That’s what you will find yourself reaching for with Gold.
If you get a lead vocal recorded by a singer using a cheap mic, through a purely digital interface, well, the name of this suite will hint at its value under those circumstances.
And for a vocal recorded with a nice high end mic, the sonic flavors of Gold just add more likability to the end product.
When I think of “Sounds like a record” plugins, I think of Gold, and specially for vocals.
It features interesting, vintage Neve gear, with V4 adding a rare 8115 EQ from the 70’s.
If you’re missing an authentic sounding analog suite, with Preamps and Eqs as the clear strengths, you can’t go wrong with Gold 4.
It’s not a lightweight in any sense of the word, including on system resources, but you get what you pay for in terms of processing load.
Highly recommended.
U76 (TimP)
– TLDR Notes:
Great go-to comp on vocal. Ratio 4 usually. Preamp can be used as well.
Tip:
Instead of the TimP preamp, the Black Box HG-2 can be used to emulate the harmonics of the WA76 hardware with these settings (after the compressor):
Set to “High”
Saturation = 54
Pentode = 52
Triode = 52
Air = On, 27-29 %
Preamp after comp instance.
– Review:
There are few compressors that combines “distinct” with “versatile” on the level of the Bill Putnam designed UREI 1176 Peak Limiter.
Perhaps the number one application for this versatile classic is vocals. It has fast attack and release potential, and it can grab the vocal in a very musical way.
To nail a UREI 1176 the emulation needs to get the compression action right, the weight and the overall color. Many plugins struggle with at least one of those areas. After testing countless 1176 plugins, the TimP library for the full commercial version of Nebula is my favorite.
On female vocals there are many good 1176 options out there, but for male vocals the ability of a compressor to retain the low end throughout the compression action becomes an important sonic quality.
This isn’t a bassy sounding compressor, but a natural one. It respects what you feed it tonally while keeping the low end of the original more intact than the average 1176 plugin.
As a bonus, it’s a third party plugin for Nebula that doesn’t kill the CPU.
Using the preamp is optional here, it does sound very good as most of the time it’s perfect, but if you want to fine tune the harmonic distortion I recommended using the Black Box HG2 from Brainworx as the preamp.
For the truest 1176 emulation, place the preamp instance in a separate instance of N4 after the compressor.
It requires the full commercial version of Acustica Audio’s Nebula (N4 or N4.5). If you already own N4/N4.5, the U76 is a no-brainer.
Brighton 2 (London Acoustics)
– TLDR Notes:
Impressive and natural opto tube compressor sound. Ratio 3 or 4 usually.
The saturation control comes in handy.
When tube is set to “hot” it gives more upper harmonics which can be useful for getting the vocal to sit in the mix.
Since the update to version 2 it works great on low end elements as well making it a true all rounder.
– Review:
A custom built Opto Tube Compressor that excels on vocals.
You can get that classic smooth RMS opto tube compression and add more saturation and punch when needed.
You can hit it pretty hard while retaining qualities that are beneficial in a mix. Even if the meters were showing a tad more compression than is really happening, it would still be impressive as this one sounds premium.
It’s based on a Vactrol VTL5 optical photocell detector as well as a custom-built one with a custom-circuit tube preamp.
There are two tube settings, “normal” and “hot”. If you lack those extra harmonics on a lead vocal, try the “hot” setting. It sounds great and can be just the ticket when you need to place a vocal in a dense mix.
When London Acoustics released version 1 it was heavily praised for it’s qualities on vocals. Version 2 features improvement in the low end handling as well as the general compression action.
London Acoustics highlights its its capabilities as a vocal compressor, noting that it’s “well suited to a wide range of applications, especially for vocals (even with a high amount of gain reduction)”.
It you want an extremely versatile tube opto compressor for vocals and low end heavy elements, you might want to seriously consider this one.
It is not the lightest on system resources, so don’t expect to feature this one on every single track unless you have quite a powerful machine.
Requires the full version of Nebula (N4 or N4.5) from Acustica Audio.
Opto32 (TimP)
– TLDR Notes:
Very faithful LA2A. Opto compression. One of the best for vocals.
2A = Very natural, full, big low end.
3A = More transparent tonally and more grabby at same peak reduction settings.
Clicking “Edit” once toggles alternative (white) skin.
Clicking “Edit” again brings a description of features.
Clicking “Simple” toggles back.
Pre>COMP>Clipper (Optional clipper can be used to capture peaks)
– Review:
There are times where you just want the sound of a classic on your lead vocal, and the The LA-2A Leveling Amplifier by Teletronix Engineering Company from 1965 is one of the most famous, widely used vintage compressors in existence, heard on countless vocals as well as other applications on a sea of hit recordings.
If you’ve never used a good Nebula library on vocals the qualities will be obvious the first time you try the TimP Opto 32, which is actually two compressors in one; the legendary LA-2A and the less famous but equally useful LA-3A.
You get a big, very full low end with the 2A. If that’s too much of a good thing, you can quickly switch to the 3A giving you a more neutral frequency response with more grabby compressor action.
It’s got a highly musical sound with frequency dependent attack. It’s useful on a variety of sources, my favorite applications tend to be bass, vocal and for slower material even kick drum.
Don’t sleep on the included clipper – that one completes the puzzle by subtly taming the peaks. However, I suggest using it carefully to just catch the very loudest peaks on most lead vocals.
I like the simple GUI and the ability to switch between the black and white skin is a welcome touch.
Requires the full version of Nebula (N4 or N4.5) from Acustica Audio.
In the LA-2a category, honorable mention goes to Waves CLA-2A, which is actually underrated.
Usually the CLA76 gets the limelight, but the LA-2A is the more authentic sounding emulation out of the two, so non Nebula users wanting a low CPU, high quality plugin emulation of the LA2-A, especially for vocals might want to check out the CLA-2A from Waves. I find that the Waves version shines on female vocals or higher register male vocals especially.
100a V4 (TimP)
– TLDR Notes:
This version of the Summit Audio TLA-100A seems tailor made for vocals.
It does ‘intelligent’ leveling with a very soft knee for subtle compression on low compressing settings, and going into limiting on high compression settings.
Can be pushed hard and still sound good.
Preamp can be used.
Clicking “Edit” toggles alternative (light) skin.
Clicking “Simple” toggles back.
Preamp after comp instance.
– Review:
Here’s a long time favorite among Nebula users when it comes to vocal compression. When it comes to vocal leveling it’s hard to beat this offering from TimP.
The hardware Summit Audio TLA-100A sounds fantastic on a variety of sources, but when A/Bing the TimP version against the hardware on a lead vocal specifically, it’s safe to say that the average listener wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. Very impressive that this is possible in the box.
On things like a full drum kit or acoustic guitar, ironically the TimP version sounds a little more ‘cosy’ or ‘old school’ than the hardware, which seems to be primarily due to the TimP preamp module.
That could be a good or a bad thing, depending on what you’re going for.
A cool variation of that sound can be achieved by not loading the separate TimP preamp but instead using something like the Black Box HG-2 from Brainworx for the harmonics, with a little “air”, say around 7-10 %, engaged on that.
With 100a’s V4 the program dependent attack and release was significantly improved. We also got improved preamps and a bonus mode, a “Linear” preset, which gives a more hi-fi sound as a bonus option.
Little Microshift (Soundtoys)
– TLDR Notes:
Spreads out the mono vocal and adds a chorusing type effect.
Adds some interest and width to a vocal.
Useful on backing vocals as well, and sometimes instruments and reverbs.
– Review:
There are basically two ways to think about this one. Either as an obvious effect that calls attention to itself like a chorus pedal, or as a subtle widening with very slight pitch shift doubling that the listener won’t know is there, but the vocal would get a little more dull if you removed it.
I typically like the subtle approach for vocals.
Similar to how you might place delays and reverbs under a vocal in a mix that you don’t really hear, but they provide a type of padding around the vocal which helps make the vocal work in the mix.
This is a great tool for adding a little width a depth to a typical monophonic vocal recording.
You can quickly choose between model I,II (Eventide H3000 Harmonizer) and III (AMS DMX 15-80) to find the best sound for the context, and then use the mix dial to control the amount. That’s literally all there is to it. Easy and effective.
Note that with Soundtoys plugins you need an iLok account, but you don’t need a physical account – you can just store the iLok license on your computer via the iLok License Manager.
Black Box HG-2 (Brainworx)
– TLDR Notes:
Can be inserted after any compressor. After TimP compressors it functions as a replacement for their preamps.
Works as a customizable pre. In the case of the image emulating the harmonics of the WA76.
Honorable mention:
True Iron. Less customizable but some great transformer models for adding weight.
– Review:
It can be tricky to find the right placement for a vocal in a mix, especially when you have a lot of things happening in the mid range such as piano, guitars, synths etc.
One of the essentials that can help make a lead vocal sit without having to over-compress it is saturation, harmonic distortion.
Harmonic distortion also has the advantage of giving a familiar pleasing sound that we’re used to hearing on older recordings going through a lot of analog gear, and in fact a lot of modern recordings as well as they either do the same or use tools to emulate the effect.
Black Box HG-2 hits a sweet spot for me when it comes to dialing in harmonic distortion on a vocal. It doesn’t get overly tweaky but offers enough controls that you can do the sound shaping needed for vocal application saturation.
I find that aliasing isn’t an issue with Black Box HG-2, unless you really drive it hard, and adding just 7 % of air via the “air” feature usually fits a vocal very nicely.
With Black Box HG-2 you’re getting excellent sounding increased perceived loudness at a given peak value and that means you can go a little easier on the compressor. That is one of the reasons compression goes hand in hand with the use of saturation.
With the “Saturation” control you get parallel saturation, and it comes in “Low”, “Flat” and “High” variants. This determines which frequencies are contained in the saturation.
“Flat” means that the saturation circuit is fed the full spectrum, “Low” means only the lows and mids are received by the saturation circuit, and with the “High”-setting only the mids and highs are received by the saturation circuit.
This gives you further control over your sound.
With the “Pentode” tube you get pleasant even order harmonics, and the “Triode” tube has a grittier “ovendriven tape” style saturation with its third order harmonics.
It’s a rock solid plugin that is very well executed in every aspect. Highly recommended.
Lime2 (Acustica Audio)
– TLDR Notes:
‘Desert island’ plugin suite consisting of the more modern side of Neve, AMS.
Extremely versatile. Preamps and EQs stand out.
A = VR B = 88RS. C/D = 8051 5.1 Surround Compressor/Limiter E = FJ V Series Channel Strip
Preamp F = 1073.
Note that the EQs need to be turned “ON” (orange light) as well as selected (A/B).
– Review:
Whereas Acustica Audio’s “Gold” represents the really old, vintage side of the spectrum, Lime provides the next chapter in the history of the classic British console sound. We’re talking roughly from the mid 1970’s until the early 2000s.
One of the great things about Lime 2 is that it doesn’t just give you one or two flavors within that famous british sound. The PRE88 module lets you choose between no less than 35 preamp models!
This comes into play for important track such as vocals, where being able to pick the right preamp color has great value.
Lime 2 was released with the inclusion of Acustica Audio’s Enhanced Harmonic Response Technology as well as dynamic routing and the overall sound, regardless of exact preamp choice, is one that’s remarkably pleasing to the ear.
In mixes where the very characterful Gold suite is too heavy handed sonically, Lime usually hits the spot, and in that way they are both great additions to the vocal toolbox.
With Lime 2, just like with Gold, it’s all about the preamps and the Eqs more than it’s about the compressors for me.
That said, compressor C is my favorite on the bunch, and I find that can be used successfully on a lot of sources.
When using the EQ modul on a lead vocal, I find myself reaching for the ‘C’ EQ for the high mids and especially the top end. It sounds sweeter than ‘A” and ‘B”, but they are all top notch with distinct and useful character.
If I need some more body or low mids, I might go with ‘A’.
This is no problem, as Lime 2 lets you pick which EQ model you want for each band.
Lime 2 would be one of my first recommendations for someone looking for a versatile, analog sounding gear collection that will be of use on any genre from vintage to modern.
Tulip (Acustica Audio)
– TLDR Notes:
This rare Phillips console from the Polygram related studios sounds like a well maintained, high end studio console. Perfect when the vocals need to have the sweet, big, polished side of the analog console sound.
Go-to setting for vocal is like the image; “Mic” preamp on, input driven a little, and internal oversampling set to 8X(The OS button at the top).
If only the pre is needed without EQ the stand-alone preamp module can be used instead.
– Review:
Tulip is part of Acustica Audio’s Boutique Collection, a series that features rare, hard-to-find gems usually only produced in small numbers.
This console is from the Netherlands and may not be as well known as name likes Neve, API and SSL, but based on how it sounds it deserves to be mentioned along side those icons.
The preamps from this thing are very hard to beat for “clear, big console”-vocals. What makes it special, is that it sounds like an extremely well maintained large console found in a very nice studio. You could say a bit more modern than even the semi modern British Lime collection.
It gives polish to a lead vocal, makes it bigger and feel better, along with great sounding EQs.
The biggest praise I can give this thing is that I rarely ever get past mic preamp 1, even though there are 16 preamps. I just don’t feel the need to.
It also has something that’s rare for plugins in general, including Acustica Audio plugins, which is a compressor that works very well on the masterbus.
That could be due to the hyper technology. According to Acustica Audio, the ‘Hyper’- comp tech gives you the most improved and precise compression to date.
RA6 (TimP)
– TLDR Notes:
Impressive, smooth vocal comp/limiter (RCA BA6A) with nice harmonics in the highs.
Preamp can be used as well, adds some extra weight.
Note that there is both a mono and a stereo version of the pre.
There are two compressor units. Unit 2 has slightly slower time constants.
– Review:
I find that a lot of compressors that work well on bass are also great on male vocals, such as the 1176, the LA-3A and this one, the RCA BA-6A known as the RA6 from TimP.
It’s solidly smooth and really loves lead vocals, bass as well as acoustic guitar.
Shoot it out against the LA-2A (or LA-3A) you thought was the obvious choice, and see which one you prefer on your vocal.
Because the preamp, as per usual with TimP, comes as it’s own module/library, you have the option not to use it if you don’t want to. However, I do think that when it comes to lead vocals, it’s usually preferable to load the preamp as well, as it adds some extra weight to the singer’s voice. It needs to be loaded last in the chain, after the unit and the clipper.
This one feels a little bit heavier on the system than other TimP libraries to me, so the option of freezing or rendering the track in the DAW might come into play at some point.
It comes with two units – Unit 2 having slightly slower time constants.
The time constants are approximately 0.6ms attack, release around 300ms, and the ‘dual release’ mode injects an additional, longer release.
The best thing is just to play around with these settings to see what works best for the sing and the style of music.
Requires the full version of Nebula (N4 or N4.5) from Acustica Audio.