Welcome to Sage Audio. Today we’re covering how to mix Vocals with Free Plugins. But first,
If you have a mix that you need mastered,
send it to us to receive a free mastered sample of it with the link in the description.
Equalizing Vocals with MEqualizer
First things first, the plugins we’re covering here are from independent developers- they’re
not stock plugins, so if you have a DAW you should be able to get these on your sessions.
Also, I’m not going to be making a vocal chain, but first, show your 3 great EQs,
then 3 compressors, 3 saturators, and show how to use them on vocals.
Without wasting more of your time, let’s look at the first EQ.
MEqualizer is a 6 band parametric EQ, with a helpful interface, and some surprisingly
advanced features. On this vocal, I’m going to cut the lows with a high pass,
cut some of the fundamental to reduce muddiness, then boost 4kHz and add some air with a shelf.
I’ll change the bell filter to bell analog to make the Q values more indicative of analog equipment,
and also introduce a little saturation to add even more presence.
Let’s take a listen and notice how the vocal goes from kind of undefined, to sounding a lot clearer.
Affecting Vocals with SSQ
If you prefer a semi-parametric eq or an analog emulated one, SSQ by Analog Obsession is a great
free option - with it I’ll do the same I did in the last chapter. I’ll use a high pass,
dip some of the fundamental, add clarity with 4kHz, and some air.
The main difference we’ll notice is how the analog emulated curves create a slightly
different frequency response - so let’s listen and note if we can hear a difference from chapter 1.
If you’re enjoying the video, hit the like button; it helps us bring you more videos
Clarifying Vocals with Overtone GEQ
Overtone GEQ by Voxengo is a graphic EQ with mild harmonic distortion added to
make them sound more complex. I’ll adjust the sliders and the frequencies above them
to control what I attenuate and amplify - like before I dip the lows, and boost some highs.
We’ll notice with this EQ that the mild distortion and the fixed bandwidth of the bands
give it a distinct sound. Let’s take a listen.
Compressing Vocals with MCompressor
The MCompressor offers a lot of advantaged functionality like the MEqualizer - with
it I’m going to select custom shape so that I can more precisely affect my ratio, knee,
threshold, and pre-threshold ratio. I decided to set a short attack,
short release, and maximize the low-level signal.
Let’s listen and notice how the low-level maximization is controlling the vocal's dynamics,
even more so than the peak down compression. Also, for the next 6 chapter demonstrations,
I’m going to keep our MEqualizer on to clean up the vocal prior to any additional processing.
Only a small percentage of people that watch our videos are subscribed, so if
you’re enjoying the video consider subscribing. It’s free and you can always change your mind.
Optical Vocal Compression with LALA
If you want a classic compression sound, indicative of the LA2A, then Analog Obsession’s
LALA is a good option. With it, I’ll leave the side-chain portion off, then increase
the gain and the peak reduction until I get a few dB of program-dependent attenuation.
For an even more program-dependent sound, you can increase the peak reduction dial past 50,
but I find this is too aggressive on vocals.
Let’s listen and notice how this compressor smooths the vocals out.
Colorful Compression with TDR Molotok
I wanted to cover this one in case you’re looking to achieve a unique tone on your vocal - with the
quick attack, quick release, and by varying the compression style, I can achieve some distinct
distortion. I’ll compress more aggressively here just to make the effect more apparent.
Let’s listen and note how this compressor can control dynamics like the other 2,
but can also add a unique style to the vocal.
Waveshaping Vocals with MSaturator
The MSaturator is going to have a similar effect to the maximization I did with the MCompressor
in chapter 3, but, it gives us more control. For vocals, I recommend using a soft mode,
and enabling the harmonics section but keeping the sliders at a low percentage.
A 2nd order harmonic will add some warmth to the vocal, and a 4th will add mids that are in key
with the track. Let’s take a listen and notice how the vocal becomes fuller and more upfront.
If you're enjoying the channel, join the community with the link in the description.
Transistor Distortion with PreFET
I wanted to include this one since it can create a great sound without much effort - in short,
it’s a really realistic sounding transistor saturator that can add a really great tone
and timbre to your vocal. All you need to do is increase the drive dial, and gain compensation.
There isn’t much more to it than that so let’s listen and
notice how it provides unique sounding saturation.
Tube Amp Saturation on Vocals
Voxengo’s tube amp is kind of a classic free plugin - it has a great sound and it’s easy to
use. Simply increase the drive function, cycle between the 2 modes to find what you like,
enable oversampling if you’re distorting heavily, and adjust the bias to change the timbre.
Let’s listen to the plugin and notice how it gives the vocal character, makes it fuller,
and also notice how cycling through some of these options gives us a lot to work with.
Free Channel Strip for Vocals
For these last 2 chapters, I wanted to look at some unique vocal plugins
that are still incredibly useful.
Channev by Analog Obsession gives us Neve 1073 preamp emulation,
a de-esser, a semi-parametric EQ, compressor, limiter, and tape saturation. That said,
I’m going to equalize like I did in the first 3 chapters, compress like I did earlier as well,
and then add some tape and preamp saturation to achieve a unique tone.
I’ll use the de-esser too to control sibilance. If you use this plugin,
know that everything works how you’d expect, and similar to how we covered in previous chapters.
Let’s listen and consider if you could use this plugin to replace other ones on your vocal.
Transient Emphasis on Vocals
If you’re working on hip-hop, pop, or other genres in which vocal pronunciation
and transient detail are important, then I’d really recommend Diablo Lite
by Cymatics. By increasing the punch function, and soft clipping,
we can achieve a very aggressive sound that works surprisingly well on vocals.
The mix dial helps a lot when trying to find the right amount of the effect,
so I’d recommend utilizing that.
And as an added bonus for those of you that stuck around to the end of the video, Cymatics
makes another free plugin called Origin, which is great for achieving a Lo-Fi sound on your vocals.
So let’s listen to both and consider how the first works well for pop and hip hop,
while the Origin plugin could be great for BGVs or Lo-Fi genres.
If you have a mix that you need mastered, send it to us to receive a free mastered sample of it
with the link in the description. Thank you so much for watching.