August 27, 2024
Best Vocal Plugins: Must-Haves For Every Music Producer
Sam Kearney
There’s never been a better time to elevate your vocal mixes and production with incredible plugins. The rising interest in AI vocal plugins is transforming music production workflows, making a significant impact on the industry. Each year, I’m amazed by the evolution in plugin quality, often indistinguishable from their analog inspirations. In this article, we’ll dive into some of the best vocal plugins on the market and my personal vocal plugin recommendations. Let’s get started!
1. Reverb: Creating Space For High Performance
Starting with reverb might seem unconventional for an article about vocal mixing and production, but it’s crucial for creating the right atmosphere for a vocal performance. Without a great vocal performance, none of the other engineering technicalities will be as impactful. Rarely do vocalists prefer singing dry, as it can feel naked and uninspiring. A well-chosen reverb plugin can help provide the inspiration and confidence a vocalist needs to deliver their best performance.
Top Pick: Valhalla VintageVerb
Valhalla VintageVerb stands out as a high-quality reverb plugin, inspired by classic hardware from the 70’s and 80’s. With its lush sound and budget-friendly price, it’s a go-to for many producers.
Honorable Mentions:
FabFilter Pro-R – A versatile reverb with excellent control.
Altiverb – The original convolution reverb.
Eventide’s Blackhole – Perfect for exploring otherworldly spaces
2. EQ: Shaping Your Vocal Tone
Once you’ve captured a great vocal performance, naturally or using an AI singing voice generator, the next step is to refine its tone with EQ. Equalization is key for both removing unwanted frequencies and enhancing the vocal’s character. Additionally, dynamic processing plays a crucial role in improving the fullness and professionalism of vocal recordings through controlled adjustments, ensuring a polished sound quality.
Top Pick: FabFilter Pro-Q 3
FabFilters Pro-Q 3 is a modern classic, essential for anyone serious about mixing. Its visual analyzer and band isolation make it perfect for surgical adjustments. Now in its third iteration, I can’t remember the last time I stepped foot into a studio and not seen an engineer tinkering with this plugin.
Honorable Mentions:
UAD Pultec EQP-1A – For warm, smooth tones.
Izotope’s Neutron – Includes AI-assisted EQ and tools to identify masking from multiple tracks.
Eventide’s SplitEQ – A unique approach for both surgical and creative applications.
3. Compression: Controlling Dynamics with Style
Compression is vital for managing dynamic vocals and ensuring they stay balanced within the mix. Mix engineers use compression to achieve a polished sound. Like EQ, it can also be a great tool for adding color to your sound. It's best to try different compressors and find the best plugins for your sound.
Top Pick: UAD 1176 and LA-2A
The UAD 1176 and LA-2A are faithful recreations of the iconic hardware compressors that have shaped countless records.
Honorable Mentions:
Softube’s Tube-Tech CL 1B – A fantastic emulation of a classic.
Kush Audio’s AR-1 – Known for its warmth and musicality.
FabFilter’s Pro-C – A versatile compressor with a clean sound.
4. De-Essers: Taming Sibilance for a Smooth Vocal
Sibilance can be harsh and distracting, but a good de-esser can help you control these pesky peaks without sacrificing tone in your vocal recordings.
Top Pick: Soothe by Oeksound
The Soothe plugin has quickly become a must-have for controlling sibilance, offering a visual graph to pinpoint and tame harsh frequencies effectively.
Honorable Mentions:
FabFilter’s Pro-DS – Precise and easy to use.
Sonnox Oxford SuprEsser – Offers great control capabilities.
Waves DeEsser – A classic choice for de-essing.
5. Creative Production Tools: Pushing the Boundaries
When it’s time to get creative, there are endless plugins to help you add unique effects to your vocals. Saturation plugins are essential for enhancing vocal tonal quality, emulating the effects of a tube preamp. Whether it’s delays, modulation, or harmonizers, the right plugin can transform your vocal track. The strategic placement of other plugins, such as compressors, EQs, and De-Esser plugins, in the signal chain is crucial for achieving clarity and impact in the mix.
Top Pick: Eventide H3000 MK II
First introduced in 1986, Eventide’s H3000 was capable of producing a wide range of effects and is one of the world’s most iconic digital effects processors. Recently Eventide released an updated H3000 MK II plugin version, which now also models the gritty and warm converters used in the original hardware units.
As the owner of both the vintage hardware and new plugin, I am simply amazed at the job Eventide has done. Often plugin emulations of their hardware counterparts do a great job of getting a close approximation of the original units. Eventide knocked it out of the park, and when A-B’ing the same patches of audio on both the hardware and plugin, I was unable to find any difference in tonality. Truly impressive stuff Eventide!
Honorable Mentions:
Soundtoys MicroShift, EchoBoy, and Decapitator – A trio of must-haves for creative vocal processing
Waves CLA Vocals – Easy-to-use, all-in-one vocal processing
Izotope’s VocalSynth 2 – Perfect for futuristic vocal effects.
6. Pitch Correction: Fine-Tuning or Creating a Signature Sound
Whether used as an effect or to repair missed notes, pitch correction plugins can save time and contribute to a stylistic choice in vocal recordings. Pitch correction can significantly enhance vocal tracks by improving pitch accuracy and overall sound quality. I tend to gravitate towards the repair end of things and make use of pitch correction when slight pitch adjustments are required.
Top Pick: Celemony Melodyne
Melodyne is great for natural pitch correction, offering detailed control over every note.
Honorable Mentions:
Antares Auto-Tune – The go-to for a classic hard-tuned effect. First released in 1997, Auto-Tune quickly launched into the mainstream a year later with Cher’s iconic hit Believe.
Waves Tune – Affordable and easy to use.
7. Kits.AI All-In-One Vocal Production Tool
Kits.AI offers a seamless way to experiment with various effects during the music production process. Additionally, it leverages AI voice models in vocal production, allowing users to transform their vocal takes into stylized, professional versions without singing experience.
Upload your vocal stem, apply EQ, compression, chorus, reverb, delay and pitch correction, then convert your track. It’s a time-saving tool that opens new avenues for creativity. Not only do these effects sound great, but they offer the user a chance to experiment with tonality prior to importing the AI voice model back into their DAW.
Conclusion: Craft Your Signature Vocal Sound
Whether you’re using Kits.AI or a collection of your favorite plugins, these tools are essential for crafting a professional vocal sound. Don’t be afraid to embrace the odd while respecting the necessary. Fischerspooner, an electroclash group I was lucky to tour with in the early 2000’s, used to sell shirts that said “Artists Have More Fun.” Go have fun and embrace what it means to be an artist!
-SK
Sam Kearney is a producer, composer and sound designer based in Evergreen, CO.
