Vocal Chain and Mix Buss ITB Plug in Question.

[sventvkg]

 

Also, while I don't often use tape saturation for vocals, I gotta say...Massey TapeHead rules. I use this on bass and guitar tracks and, quite often, on the mix buss for "glue". Wow. And the Vocal Rider...almost feels like cheating. This is basically like having someone ride the gain for you. Too easy. I've backed way off on compression since I got this. I'll hit a hardware compression going in, and maybe add just a wee bit of compression using a plugin, but almost more for shaping than anything at this point. The Vocal Rider is amazing....between this and the Massey TapeHead...and I rarely get excited about plugins, but these two are pretty great. Do bear in mind that I tend to record a lot of ethereal, experimental, and strange stuff, although obviously, much of this is common sense. I tend to use slightly stranger treatments than the average bear. That said, using auxiliary sends, de-essing (if you must) before EQs, nailing the sound exactly right before it gets to your DAW, etc. still don't change.

 

 

Ya know I have the Vocal Rider Plugin but I never read the manual on it and when I just tried to stick it on a track and see how it worked it really seem to work. Maybe I should check it out again:)

[sventvkg]

 

Temnov, why would you put a second compressor after the Vocal Rider? Just curious.

 

 

Ken, I tend to use a couple compressors in a series on vocals and or a limiter set lightly because I like my vocals to be upfront and present and not moving. If I want the vocal to move around dynamically in parts of the song, I use automation to accomplish it.

[UstadKhanAli]

 

Ya know I have the Vocal Rider Plugin but I never read the manual on it and when I just tried to stick it on a track and see how it worked it really seem to work. Maybe I should check it out again:)

 

 

That's the eerie thing is that, with the default, if you just stick it on a vocal track, it really seems to work just like that!!!!! It does, however, reward a bit of fiddling around. I know I keep saying this, but it almost feels like cheating. This is what I used to do with a board, gain riding. I still use a bit of automation just to completely nail something, but I like having the option of not having the compression "work" so hard (now, I may sometimes go ahead and compress really hard as an effect or for a certain sound, but I like having the option of not "needing" to do this so much, or to get carpal tunnel automating all the vocals...I used to spend so much time doing this!!).

[sventvkg]

Right on Ken, I think I'll do some experimentation tonight! As far as feeling like you're cheating I say we're lucky and blessed to have the tools we have now and technology is a great thing if not abused!

[boosh]

Do you work for Waves?

 

That's the eerie thing is that, with the default, if you just stick it on a vocal track, it really seems to work just like that!!!!! It does, however, reward a bit of fiddling around. I know I keep saying this, but it almost feels like cheating. This is what I used to do with a board, gain riding. I still use a bit of automation just to completely nail something, but I like having the option of not having the compression "work" so hard (now, I may sometimes go ahead and compress really hard as an effect or for a certain sound, but I like having the option of not "needing" to do this so much, or to get carpal tunnel automating all the vocals...I used to spend so much time doing this!!).

[UstadKhanAli]

Do you work for Waves?

 

 

That'd be a definite NO.

 

But you know, I love a fantastic product. If you look around on the internet, you'll see a bunch of people saying that they stole the idea from someone else (I forget who, but I mentioned these guys in an old post I made here when I was considering getting Vocal Rider).

 

Some people also thought I worked for Massey because I absolutely LOVE the TapeHead and L2007 Limiter and the TD5 Tape Delay. But this guy makes fantastic stuff, absolutely brilliant stuff.

[UstadKhanAli]

Right on Ken, I think I'll do some experimentation tonight! As far as feeling like you're cheating I say we're lucky and blessed to have the tools we have now and technology is a great thing if not abused!

 

Exactly!!!!!!!

 

'Sides...it *almost* feels like cheating....

 

I used to spend sooo much time doing automation just to get it to do what this darn thing does by slapping it on. Now, I do still do a little bit of automation just to get it right where I want, but what a difference!!!!!

 

Craig did a review on Vocal Rider shortly after it came out, and he more or less came to the same conclusion. Whoever came up with this thing, whether it was Waves or someone else, really did something amazingly useful and cool and time-saving.

 

Now, I track most of my vocals with a hardware compressor. I don't tend to hit my compressors really hard unless I really want a certain effect, so I doubt I do much more than 3-4 dB of compression when tracking. I also do it to impart a bit of color with the FMR RNLA if desired, or if not, I use the FMR RNC in Super Nice Mode. Then, if I use compression again, I use it very very lightly, and then I usually have the Vocal Rider last, although I should mess around and see what a compressor sounds like after the Vocal Rider.