Accusonus expanded their range of single-knob processors with ERA Voice Leveler. It is a new set-and-forget vocal leveling plug-in to take the place of a compressor or indeed save hours of automation.
What sets this apart from other similar plug-ins, such as Vocal Rider from Waves, is the Emphasis feature which is designed to compensate for differences in frequency balance caused by a vocalist or voice actor moving around the mic during recording. There are two modes of operation: ‘Normal’ for a more natural sound and ‘Tight’ for more of a producer, radio-ready sound.
Read more about this here: https://www.soundonsound.com/news/accusonus-aim-fix-your-vocals-era-voice-leveler
Archives for October 2018
Technique of the Week: Manually Removing Microphone Pop
When recording vocals, even if using a top-notch pop shield, there are times when the puff of wind caused by plosive sounds – “p”, “b” etc. – hits the microphone, creating a nasty ‘pop’ noise in your recording.
Locate the ‘pop’ sound in the recording and zoom in so you can see it in detail. Become familiar with the shape – a sudden, loud, low-frequency oscillation that rapidly dissipates. Create a cut in the audio part just before the start of the ‘pop’, and then use a fade tool to create a short convex fade-up that covers the length of the pop sound.
Read more about this here: https://www.musictech.net/2018/07/technique-week-manually-removing-microphone-pop/
The BEST VOCAL PLUGINS on the Market (plus my favorite freebies!)
There are a lot of vocal plugins out there that are very unique in their own way. Some people are looking for a particular sound when they try to search for a plugin while others are just looking for something to take up some sound. Depending on what you are looking for, you should still find something that will be generally pleasing to hear. Some people do not understand this notion and it hurts them down the road.
Key Takeaways:
- You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on fancy new plugins. Make do of what you have right now.
- The author recommends Softube Trident A-range analog EQ. He says it is very musical for EQs.
- The Fabfilter Pro-Q 2 is now the industry standard when one wants to purchase anything like a digital EQ. It is also versatile and clean on the market.
“Today, I decided to cut through the crap and give you my recommendations for the best vocal plugins.”
Read more: https://www.musicianonamission.com/best-vocal-plugins/
Roland's VT-4 Voice Transformer Is For Musicians, DJs, Broadcasters And More
Hardware vocal processing was once the preserve of live performers. But now the technology is much more advanced, not to mention affordable, and it has become much more widely available. Roland’s latest offering in this field is the VT-4 Voice Transformer, a powerful new effects processor for manipulating the human voice.
Compact and easy to use, the VT-4 allows the user to connect a microphone and quickly craft unique vocal sounds with performance-oriented controls. It puts a wealth of modern and retro vocal effects at the user’s fingertips, eliminating the need to employ a complicated setup with a computer and plug-ins.
Read more about this here: https://ask.audio/articles/rolands-vt4-voice-transformer-is-for-musicians-djs-broadcasters-and-more
SPL Crescendo 8 Channel Microphone Preamp
There are microphone preamps that we use when we need some color or when we need transparency. The new SPL Crescendo 8 channel mic preamp was intentionally created to be as colorless as possible by using an approach that you won’t see in inexpensive mic pres.
The preamps in the Crescendo achieve the transparency using what SPL calls “120V DC Audio Rail Technology.” SPL uses its own 5th generation SUPRA op-amps that use ±60 volt power to make a 120-volt power rail. The result is more than 10dB more headroom, 3dB less noise, and a preamp that’s really difficult to overload.
Read more about this here: https://bobbyowsinskiblog.com/2018/10/15/spl-crescendo-mic-preamp/