Welcome back to our blog series on vocal mixing. In today's post it’s time to explore the creative side of vocal processing—effects.
Effects like chorus, tremolo, flanger, and distortion & saturation can add character, movement, and texture to your vocals. While these effects are often used sparingly, they can bring your mix to life when applied with purpose.
Read on below to discover all about vocal effects.
Creative Vocal Effects Overview
Effects are tools that go beyond basic processing (like EQ and compression) to add unique textures to your vocals and make them more interesting. In the hands of a skilled mixer, these effects are perfect for enhancing the catchiness of a track, creating a sense of movement and sonic interest, and helping to make the vocals stand out within the mix.
Let’s break down some popular vocal effects and how to use them effectively.
Chorus
Chorus is a time-based modulation effect that creates the illusion of multiple voices singing together. It works by duplicating the vocal signal, slightly detuning and delaying it, and blending it with the original signal.
The main benefits of using a chorus effect is to add width and fullness to the vocals, without having to add in extra voices. This is great for thickening up the vocals in a mix and creating a richer and more layered sound. Chorus is the perfect tool for creating dreamy, lush vocals and is frequently employed in genres such as r&b and pop.
For a subtle chorusing effect, we recommend using a mild chorus effect with low depth and mix settings to subtly thicken the vocal. For a more intense and pronounced chorus effect, you can increase the depth and mix values of your chosen chorus plugin.
Recommended Plugins
Soundtoys MicroShift: Perfect for creating wide, detuned vocals.
Valhalla Space Modulator: Offers lush chorus tones with great control.
Logic Pro X Chorus: A simple yet effective stock plugin for beginners.
Tremolo
Tremolo modulates the amplitude (volume) of a signal, creating a pulsing or wobbling effect. Tremolo can also be used to make the vocals oscillate from left to right within the stereo field of your mix. Tremolo is great for adding rhythmic movement to a vocal line, and can bring a hypnotic feel to your vocal tracks when used correctly.
Recommended Plugins
Soundtoys Tremolator: Offers tempo-synced tremolo with customizable waveforms.
Waves MondoMod: Great for creative modulation effects, including tremolo.
Logic Pro X Tremolo: A simple yet versatile stock plugin.
Flanger
A flanger combines the original audio signal with a slightly delayed version, creating a sweeping, and swirling effect with a slightly metallic texture. Flanger is most commonly used to create a psychedelic or futuristic vibe, but it is also ideal for use in transition sections, and lead vocal hooks.
Recommended Plugins
Soundtoys PhaseMistress: Combines phasing and flanging for rich modulation.
Waves MetaFlanger: Offers classic and modern flanging tones.
Logic Pro X Flanger: A straightforward option for beginners.
Distortion & Saturation
Distortion and saturation and two types of harmonic effect that can be used to enhance the tonal character of your vocal tracks, and bring some extra personality to the sound. They are slightly similar in how they work but have a couple of subtle differences.Distortion works by adding extreme harmonic content to the processed audio, resulting in a gritty, aggressive tone.
Saturation on the other hand is a milder form of distortion that is more typically used to add warmth and character to a sound. Many saturation plugins are designed to mimic the natural saturation effects that were present in vintage analog recording gear. Distortion and saturation are great tools for adding energy and grit to your vocal tracks, and can help vocals to cut through a dense mix and take centre stage in the listeners' perception. They are both used in a wide range of genres but can most prominently be heard in heavy styles of music such as rock and metal.
You can use a light saturation or distortion to add richness and presence to the vocal, whereas applying heavier distortion with yield and aggressive, bold, in-your-face effect.
Recommended Plugins
Soundtoys Decapitator: A versatile saturation/distortion plugin with multiple styles.
FabFilter Saturn 2: Offers precise control over saturation and distortion.
Waves Abbey Road Saturator: Adds analog warmth with vintage character.
Tips for Combining Effects
Combining and layering multiple effects together is a great way to get a unique sound for your vocals. Using saturation with a subtle chorus for example can deliver a warm and velvety vocal tone.
As with most things in mixing, it's good to stay subtle, so avoid overusing effects just for the sake of it. Too much vocal processing can muddy your mix, and so we would suggest focusing on enhancing the vocal rather than overpowering it.
Thanks for checking out this blog post. We hope you enjoyed reading. Stay tuned for the final part in this series where we will explore vocal automation techniques to help bring your vocal track to life.
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