Compressor Settings for Mixing Singing Vocals Aggressive and dense songs often need a more aggressive vocal compressor. Add makeup gain as needed so the vocal My Review: Keeleys small range of world-class compressor pedals is hugely popular amongst guitarists worldwide, and with the K-Comp Compressor Plus they have produced arguably their best offering to date. Slate Digital - FG-Stress (Best Compressor for Rock and Rap Vocals) - $14.99/Month Slate Digitals FG-Stress aims to emulate Empirical Labs EL8 Distressor. Typical settings may look like this: Threshold: 8dB. TC Helicon VoiceTone Single H1 Intelligent Harmony. Too much compression can make your tracks distort. Opto compressors tend to color a signal more, and are therefore used for effect. Set your release as fast as possible (7 on the plugin) and slow down your attack to add aggression. The GML 2020 is like calculus. Parallel compression is also a useful technique here so we added the Parallel Inject control to facilitate that application. Mixing vocals is more than setting the volume and making some EQ changes. By varying the attack time on the compressor you can radically change the tone of a vocal. Mike here, with a quick guide on the Best Compressor VST Plugins. 1. This distortion can sound cool on a rock mix, but most of the time you wont want your mix to sound super compressed. vocals preset by Opto-Comp gives a vocal a lot of presence without being overbearing. 4.5 of 5 stars. Best Compressor Plugins for Pro Tools. C4 Multiband Compressor is an extremely powerful, yet lightweight plugin that gives you full control over your bass dynamics. Slate Digital - FG-Stress (Best Compressor for Rock and Rap Vocals) - $14.99/Month. 2. Gain Reduction 2 from JST is focused solely on vocal compression, with some additional features for perfecting your vocal tracks. To best utilize this compressor, a faster attack time and higher ratio are needed. For the best vocals, record while youre slightly away from the mic. (Exclamation point). 1. 50 Great Compressors The List. This sounds more natural and musical. If you want a perfect glue for a mix without applying heavy colorization, this compressor is a great mix bus application for you. By Jonathan Horsley May 18, 2021. With great options from Boss, Keeley, MXR and more, there has never been a better time to add one of the best compressor pedals to your pedalboard. Whether you are a musician or a sound engineer, behind the mixing desk or in the booth, finding the best Microphone Preamp is essential for a clean and professional sound. More importantly, it does all of that well. Youll most probably need a professional space to be able to enjoy this mic to the fullest. The rock legend looks tickled pink with this limited edition take on the budget-friendly amp Corts new Artisan C OVMH basses use a trio of mahogany, maple and ovangkol tonewoods. The time lag between the photocell and detector makes for a slow attack and release and this makes this type of compressor perfect for processing vocals, performing gentle automatic gain changes and mastering. Every aspect of the Distressor has been modeled, which is no simple task due to the Distressors unique topology where every ratio is essentially a different compressor! If your compressor has independent control knob on Knee parameter, then you have to adjust it manually by listening to the vocal. Compression should be used whenever something requires taming: vocals are a given, unless your singer has great mic skills, while drums and often entire mixes can also be moulded into shape with a compressor. A chain for every vocal. The combination of this preamp circuit with the beautiful passive EQ makes dialing in a vocal or guitar tone a breeze. The plugin version of the VSC-2 captures every nuance of the hardware version and puts it right into your digital audio workstation. Split the compression over two compressors in series, one to hit the peaks with roughly -4dB reduction and the second for a more gentle, overall compression of -2 to -3dB. Used in this way, the FET Compressor reveals a large, explosive sound in the vein of Led Zeppelin. =) Dynamic Range Compression, or Compression for short, is probably the most fundamental effect in music production. lead vocal(s) - there are a lot of variables that go into deciding what & how much. A mainstay in esteemed British studios throughout the classic rock era, the original Pye processors are considered by many to be among of the best buss compressors of all time. Your best option is to do gain riding. Get everything you need for pro vocals in seconds with six under-the-hood audio processors and intuitive controls. Ratio: 1.5:12:1. Many independent developers are turning to new methods of distributing their software. In addition it does expansion and de-essing. This compressor is known for being incredibly fast. By using a fast attack time youll clamp down on the transient (the onset of each word). By far the most important part in any song, and by extension, any mix. This particular unit is an amalgamation of two of the most popular products from this maker; the Teletronic LA2A compressor and the Putnam 610 preamp. After youve addressed any problematic frequencies in the vocal, its time to start adding some character. A well-compressed vocal track can turn flat, dull, imbalanced vocals into a spacious, smooth, radio-ready performance. 1. To broaden the scope of artists you're able to work with comfortably, let's take a look at the top 4 tips you should try. The VCA-65 (solid state) Compressor. And, exclusive to the 1176AE, theres an even lower, 2:1 ratio for a smooth, soft-knee compression thats perfect for vocals. This has the effect of making the vocal sound thick and heavy. Conclusion This is definitely one of the higher-rated compressor VSTS that is often used. I'm mastering an electronica/rock demo, and my choices are: Drawmer DL241 DBX 166A Digitech VCS-1 I've used the DBX and Digitech for vocal compression before, but never for mastering. Name any pro record they probably used one of these compressors. Sweet Saturation. level 1. noaniemusic. Nectar Elements intelligently combines our latest DSP for compression, de-essing, tonal and subtractive EQ, pitch correction, and reverb into one easy-to-understand interface. $29.95. The slow attack used in the third compressor (bottom) deliberately re-introduces some dynamics in a very controlled way. The fixed 12 kHz high band found on the Neve 1073 EQ is famous for its ability to add air to vocals, drum rooms and overheads. $499.99. FabFilter Pro-C 2. It can go from very subtle glue compression to sounding punchy and explosive to completely smashed or heavily pumping. 4.0 of 5 stars. C) The preamp will always be far more important than the compressor. EQ is a valuable tool because it allows you to cut frequencies that occupy the same space as vocals, lending to a sense of balance in the final mix. Jennifer Rushs The Power Of Love has the clicky bass drum, various reverbs and delays, and that huge snare sound. That being said, the CLA-76 is best for drums, but also sounds great on guitar, vocals, and bass. The most widely used FET compressor is the Urei 1176, which has been emulated in plugin-form by many different companies such as IK Multimedia, Waves, Universal Audio, and others. The analog counterpart of this plugin is often recommended as the first outboard compressor audio engineers should buy due to While the list is not in strict rank order and features a round-up of the very best compressors of all types, this time around we have condensed some of our very favourites into the top ten positions, providing something of a 10 Best Compressor Plugins list for those who asked. Slate Digital's FG-Stress aims to emulate Empirical Labs' EL8 Distressor. The thing about vocals is that they are all over the place when it comes to dynamics. The first step to getting a great rap vocal sound is to record it correctly! In fact, it's the "go-to" compressor for vocals and bass in LA and Nashville. Enjoy! If youre doing any kind of mixing, one things for sure youre going to need quality compression. You need to hear every word. A good compression setting has a fast attack to catch the stray transient, a quick release so that the compression doesnt color the sound of the singer, and a low ratio so that when the compressor does go on, it smoothes out the vocals without squashing them. Analog Obsession FETISH is an excellent free software 1176-style compressor. This unit provides you with the ability to compress your mids and sides independent of one another when you deactivate Channel Link, and engage M/S mode. Vocal synth 2 is also dope. Just like the LA-2A, you can rarely go wrong with an 1176 on vocals. Compressing Vocals 101: Best Way to Compress Vocals to Radio Quality! Luckily, there is no need to stress out every time you get to the mixer and start working on getting the perfect vocals. All you need to do is to know which free vocal The best VST compressor plugins 2020: top-quality mixing tools for your DAW. Waves CLA-76. The Retro Instruments 176 is based on Bill Putnams classic UA 176, which was used heavily for rock vocals throughout the 1960s. Simple, yet effective VCA compressor. Compression is synonymous with rock music because of its tone shaping abilities. The result is a more natural yet fully present sound. The best vocal compressor is both light and portable, making it easy to take on the road with you. Best Beatles: Chandler Limited Opto 500. backing vocals will usually get grouped & compressed, if possible, but you can get away without it. So, here were the 7 of the best mix bus compressors masters use in their mix. Step 5: Additive EQ. Y ou can almost never go wrong with an opto-compressor like the LA-2A on vocals and all the LA-2A plugins made by 1176. ), the purpose of a compressor is to make loud things quiet, and quiet things loud. You might find situations in which the punch compressor type works on a vocal, bus works on an individual track, etc. Vocal Assistant Here are some great options based on the optical sound of the LA-2A. The CLA Classic Compressors consists of three plugins the LA-2A, the LA-3A, and the 1176. Smooth Vocals Comp T-RackS Opto-Compressor The smooth. It might help to lay out some general ground rules for where ratios, attack, and release times should sit for different levels of vocal aggression. Estacin, Luis Fonsi, Bisbal, Gloria Trevi, Malu) #2. For rock or even intimate personal vocals, this preamp sounds amazing. In this video: Weezna shows how he adds a compressor to a vocal chain to add control during the tracking process. Loud sounds get reduced in volume while softer sounds get raised. You can either use volume automation but I prefer editing the waveform. 9 Best Compressor VST Plugins. In one of my eBooks, Mixing Strategies, I lay out the steps you need to take to get a professional vocal sound. New York Compressor is a nice option that sounds great on drums. Free plugin: Analog Obsession FETISH. Free Plugin: Smacklabs SL84 Console EQ. Dont have Nectar 3 but Nectar 2 was good. Period. If youre looking for an incredibly versatile compressor, check out the FabFilter Pro-C 2. Set the threshold so that the compressor is engaging on pretty much every word (watch the gain reduction meter) and then adjust the ratio until you see 2-3dB of gain reduction. The FET-76 (solid state) Compressor. Compression can help with smoothing out your mix, giving your tracks a more even sound, adding punch to your drums, and its a powerful tool at the mastering stage too. Male vocals are usually at the bottom end of this spectrum and female vocals are up top. I use this on 95% of my vocal chains. For instance, its common to have a heavy low end when mixing hip-hop vocals to add a sense of power, to boost the midrange when mixing rock vocals to help cut through a dense mix, or to boost the high end in pop vocals to add presence. $499.00. When youre trying to find the perfect vocal compression settings, there is one motive worth paying attention to. Windows 10 64 bit. * Factory Refurbished - This item has been 100% tested for proper operation and carries the full manufacturer's Limited Warranty. Levelator is a popular and free, standalone compressor/limiter/gate. How To Nail The Perfect Threshold And Ratio: Set the ratio to a moderate setting (~3:1). This 5-series Opto compressor is designed to be used alongside Chandlers TG2-500 preamp and the companys TG12345 mkIV EQ. Total Bass Control. Mar 22, 2013. Best way I can explain it. By using a fast attack time youll clamp down on the transient (the onset of each word). By varying the attack time on the compressor you can radically change the tone of a vocal. You dont need a hard knee for dynamic control here. 200:1 ratio maximizes gain before feedback, while the control room section allows you to add a touch of warmth. Get them in the pocket with level before worrying about compressing the dynamic range. See On Waves. The Fairchild 670 is my favorite piece of gear. A natural function of the FET Compressor is in drum mixing.Engineers love to use the FET on room microphones, overheads, or across the entire drum bus. 2.While listening to your entire mix ( do not solo the vocal ), pull down the threshold until the compressor starts compressing. And it just wouldnt be rock and roll without the loud, bombastic sound of a super fast compressor clamping down on your vocal. 2 years ago. In this video we look at using the Waves RVox to glue our rap vocals. Yup. They work best when tweaked together. It will be easier for you to get the best possible compressor setting that will help the vocals sit well in Modern pop/rock vocals are at their very best when allowed to be expressive, but they usually need assertive dynamics control so the lyrics can be heard clearly. A. EXPANDERS . De-essing your background vocals this way, naturally, at the beginning of your process, will help them feel more professional, and will help situate the vocals in the mix. Then the main section is a VCA compressor, which can be bypassed as well. Its probably the most well known optical compressor and many engineers all-time favorite for vocals. A typical setup involves three bandsone for the bass, midrange and treble frequencies. Softube Summit Audio TLA-100 Compressor. To Make Vocals Sit On Top Of The Mix. The Neve 33609 is a versatile two-channel compressor thats ideal for a wide variety of applications including mix busses, mastering, and individual instruments like drums, vocals, or piano. Softube Tube-Tech CL-1B Compressor. This gives you a complete Abbey Road EMi console strip of preamplifier, compressor and equalizer for the ultimate Beatles sound. A vocal microphone Controlling Tone. Continue this thread. This has the effect of making the vocal sound thick and heavy. Comp 160 Compressor - Fat Channel Plug-in*. Knowing what too much sounds like is key to getting to a goldilocks sound. As a vocal compressor in particular, its mixture of characteristic warm slow opto gain reduction and surprisingly versatile cant-sound-bad operation have made it a staple across a wider variety of genres than perhaps any other optical compressor. If you use hard knee in vocals, you can hear the annoying effect of compressor clamp down on a vocal when it hits the threshold. How: Send your vocal to two different compressors, an 1176 FET style compressor and LA2A Opto compressor for instance. Compression is synonymous with rock music because of its tone shaping abilities. If you are mixing this lead vocal, among other sounds, through a bus compressor, the lead vocal itself will become even more compressed if it is the loudest part of the mix. The original vocals. Enter the CLA-76. Universal Audio is a renowned name in the audio product industry, and the LA-610 is one of the best products from the manufacturer. Using a powerful multiband dynamics processing plugin on your bass creates beautiful things. Very close vocal micing overwhelms the ribbon mic and delivers an unnatural mid-range. Youll find all the features you would have with a traditional compressor along with many extras. Its alternative Bluey compressor mode emulates the Urei 1176 compressor which was still very popular in the 80s for vocal compression. It's more important if the backup singers are doing a lot of harmonies it seems - keeps the levels nice & consistent. Compressor/Limiter Switch is the higher U73b knob and it shifts between Limiter mode (Begr), Compressor mode (Kompr), and Bypass (Durchschalt). The best place to position your microphone considering these rules if just off the center of your room. Compressor Perhaps the most misunderstood piece of gear in the vocal chain, at the most basic level (hey, a pun! When: If you want to retain the dynamics of the main vocal track but add thickness and punch, you can add multiple compressors in parallel to get the best of both worlds. For raw auto tune Antares is still the best in my opinion. Also, if its a real pop tune I use the all in ratio setting as it really slams the compressor and makes the vocal jump out. Simply drag your .wav or .aiff audio onto the program, and it processes the audio into a new file (appended with .output). Compressors are super-useful devices for smoothing out volume spikes while also giving quieter sounds more punch and presence. Compressing your vocals helps them sit on top of the mix. Best Deal $9.99/mo. Rock is a bit more flexible in terms of vocal compression. In article , Ty Ford. You must manually adjust those soft parts to merely match the loud parts. 10.12.6-10.15. The FG-Stress is a digital replication of one of the industrys most highly coveted analog compressors, the Empirical Labs Distressor. The original model is a studio classic, but BAE offers surprisingly accurate recreations. Smooth out the rough edges by compressing the peaks, or go hard with ultra high compression for MOODerator. The 176 was the predecessor to the iconic 1176, which also sounds great on rock vocals. Widely regarded as one of the best new compressors in the business, Wamplers Ego Compressor brings new levels of control to the Ross/Dyna Comp style of compression with the inclusion of an ingenious blend knob. Aside: I used the Chandler TG Channel MkII for years on vocals, electric guitars, and snare. Standard compressor settings for rap vocals Threshold: 5dB Ratio: 4:1 Attack: <60 ms Release: About 40 ms Gain: Add 2dB to allow the compressor to color and thicken the overall sound If you find any, automate the gain instead of the volume. The slow attack used in the third compressor (bottom) deliberately re-introduces some dynamics in a very controlled way. The SM7b, does not allow you to get into the range where proximity effect becomes an issue. Original is an aggressive and dirty type of compression and modern is one that was designed by Waves to help you retain the highest quality of audio while keeping the loudness.. Use a fast attack time for thick, heavy vocals and a slow attack time for punchy, aggressive vocals. With a unique built-in interface, once you get the hang of it, it becomes a smooth workload. Best for Pop and Rock Styles At first glance, this compressor plugin looks like a basic processor with limiting, gating, and expansion features, all of which are externally sidechainable. > slow, RMS and peak. Start off in the sweet spot with a compressor geared up for great vocals! Overall, its also the best Waves compressor. Pro Demo Sessions in Hip Hop, EDM, ROCK, Metal in all DAW formats; Easy-to-follow tutorials to get your amazing results, fast demo session, masterclass, and sample pack are FREE! So, for dynamic compression, start with a 5:1 ratio and explore going higher, even up to an 8:1 ratio, depending on the threshold. The compressor and limiter module offers two colorations, original and modern. Top 20 Best Compressors Of All Time. Typical settings may look like this: Threshold: 8dB. Best Free Vocal VST Plugins. (Image credit: Fender, Wampler, TC Electronic, Boss, JHS) This slower compressor is going to focus on control of the sound overall, allowing you to gradually reduce gain. Multiband compression is an extension of this idea. The legendary Teletronix LA-2A is an optical compressor with a tube makeup gain stage. The Waves BSS DPR-402 compressor is one of the best Waves plugins for drums. They work best when tweaked together. Now that we have a better idea about what a compressor does and how we may use it lets take a look at some of the best compressor plugins for Pro Tools out there: Waves SSL G-Master Buss Compressor. Its a real smooth compressor, perfect for putting the final touches on a mix. Having a good starting point makes mixing vocals much easier. The how is the simple part, the why is the more important when it comes to using compressors. The compressor also provides preamp distortion that helps make your drums stand out. A vocal microphone Controlling Tone. Butch Vig Vocals. My favorite for this is the Waves CLA-76. Clip-gain and EQ each vocal, but compress them all together. In this video: Weezna shows how he adds a compressor to a vocal chain to add control during the tracking process. Finally, you can pick from Nickel/Iron/Steel transformers to alter the sound in a subtle fashion. FabFilter Pro-C2 Compressor. You might set the crossovers on the lowest band to act on material up to 200 or 300 Hz. This way the vocal is more consistent before it hits your compressor. Original is an aggressive and dirty type of compression and modern is one that was designed by Waves to help you retain the highest quality of audio while keeping the loudness.. To Make Vocals Sit On Top Of The Mix. The Elysia Alpha Compressor is a 100% discrete class-A analog modeled software compressor. Best Universal Audio Plugins for Vocals. The CL 1B has gone on to become an industry standard found in pro studios worldwide. Yes, you can get some really nice sounding vocals doing that work but effects processors allow you to take it to the next level. An expander is the opposite of a compressor. This compressor comes packed with Grit and Tube Warmth - sure to add some heat, sweetness, and saturation to any voice.. Set the optimal input level with an easy to find Sweet Spot; Start compressing instantly with the Comp knob; Push your vocals harder post-compression with the Gain knob or take Generally, the Soft knee is used to compress the vocals effectively. The most famous Opto compressors are the LA-2A and Avalon AD2044. I heard the Drawmer is the best, is that true? I will also be running the audio through an wrote: > The GML 2020 compressor is VERY unique in that it works simultaneously on. The LA-3A is more tailored to vocals (in my opinion), and offers a slow, smooth character. Then blend the compressed vocals underneath to taste. Leo Fender was one of the greatest revolutionaries of our time Bad vocal sound = bad mix. Stacks Of Stacking? 10 best compressor pedals 2021: Tame your tone's dynamics with compression. Compressing Rock Vocals in 3 Simple Steps Step 1, Apply Automation. Drum Compressor, Vocal Compressor, Limiter, etc. Softube FET Compressor. As far as best UAD plugins for vocals, the Channel Strip plugins are a separate category, so well exclude those here. Opto compressors, such as the Universal Audio LA-2A, are popular for treating vocals, drums, and bass guitars in pop and rock music, where a larger than life sound is desired. The compressor and limiter module offers two colorations, original and modern. Modern pop/rock vocals are at their very best when allowed to be expressive, but they usually need assertive dynamics control so the lyrics can be heard clearly. I also recommend using a soft knee compressor for this approach if possible (just turn up the knee parameter if your compressor has one). This one is an emulation of the master buss compressor on the amazing SSL 4000 G console. https://www.protoolsproduction.com/top-10-best-compressor-plugins-pro-tools Ratio: 1.5:12:1. The original hardware Vertigo VSC-2 Quad Discrete Compressor built its reputation largely on the four, custom hand built, discrete 1979 VCAs used in its design. Before we dive into vocal compression settings and how to compress The Tube-STA (tube) Compressor. For a thick, rich vocal sound with plenty of harmonics and a classic rock vibe, try one of the many iterations of the Neve 1073 preamp. Opto compressors, such as the Universal Audio LA-2A, are popular for treating vocals, drums, and bass guitars in pop and rock music, where a larger than life sound is desired. It has never been easier to replicate some of the best-loved Marshall tones. The melody and lyrics carry a song, so if your words and voice get overpowered in the mix, the listener will be lost. Compressing your vocals helps them sit on top of the mix. Consider a lead vocal that was compressed during tracking and is also being compressed in real time during mixdown. This is important because vocals naturally tend to have a large dynamic range, making them too quiet or too loud in a mix. With vocals I always spend a long time on the attack and release settings as they make a HUGE difference to how the voice sits in the mix. TASCAM TA-1VP Vocal Processor With Antares Auto-Tune. How To Nail The Perfect Threshold And Ratio: 1.Set the ratio to a moderate setting (~3:1). GAPs latest compressor is an authentic-sounding take on the classic LA-2A in a compact case. Its simple-yet-clever operation is ideal for vocals, bass instruments and most sources where transparent levelling is desired, rather than heavy compression effects. It does all the hard work so you dont have to. Top 7 Multiband Compressor Plugins 2021. The four buttons on the right set the various metering methods. Softube Tube-Tech CL-1B. A) A compressor on the input is going to make any room issues much worse -- B) Automating vocal levels comes before compression - All the time, every time. Think of it this way: Compression invites the vocals to the front of the stage; to the front of your song. Product Price. The signal chain for rock vocals is all about subtle distortion from driving the preamp and generous compression.