Outboard gear or software plug-ins?

You want to weigh out the pros and cons. If I got to choose one, and only one between the two, it 

would be outboard gear. My opinion is a subjective one and Ill tell you why.  Outboard gear is appealing to the eye then plug-ins. Outboard gear doesn't use processing power from your computer. They also have their own internal processing to prevent the computer from overloading. You're less likely to run into any glitches, or technical problems during a live show or recording session. The cons that I see in outboard gear is the bulkiness of all the equipment. In a studio environment the equipment can usually stay in the same place depending on how you have everything patched, but, in a live sound environment, you're moving equipment from show to show. Outboard gear is always more expensive then the plug-ins, because it cost more for the company's to build the physical devices rather then creating them virtually. Plug-ins can be great. You don't have to worry about carrying them anywhere. Download them on to your drive and use them as virtual gear on to your DAW (digital audio workstation). They don't cost as much as the actual hardware device and they take up no physical space. You can use them in live sound or even in the studio. The cons I see with this, is the amount of processing power it uses up. So if your going to stock up on plug-ins you better have a computer with lots of processing power. Another problem that you can have with plug-ins are the possibilities of running into glitches. Its running off digital software instead of pure analog signal processing. Use these pro and cons figure out what you need according to your profession.

Which Compressor Do You Use in Your Studio?

Your microphone first of all, is most important before even thinking about the compressor. In a situation when recording vocals use a condenser microphone. They have a greater frequency response, dynamic range and sensitive to change in sound pressure then most other microphones. A microphone that I would recommend for vocal recordings would be the Neumann U87. If you're looking for something that can fit into a smaller budget, I would recommend the "Studio Project" C1. I own this mic as well and use it quite often. Now you need preamps. Control boards and interfaces have built in preamps, but you want preamps that are reputable in the world of recording vocals. In this case I have a Lexicon U82s interface. This interface is equipped with class IV Dbx  preamps running on a high voltage supply to ensure a nice clean signal running from the interface into the DAW (digital workstation)  and a wide dynamic range. Now with a good condenser mic and some great preamps, we can get to the compressor. The compressor I would recommend, would be the "Avalon 737". This has a class A preamp using two vacuum tube triodes. Vacuum tubes are perfect for vocals giving them ultimate warmth and sheen. The preamps on the Avalon'sare amazing. Very low noise, considering that they are running on vacuum tubes. If this seems to be something that can not fit in your budget at the time, then I would recommend the "PreSonus Studio Channel". This Also runs off of a Class A tube pre-amplifier and has a built in compressor and parametric EQ .

                         

                                                               

One of My Favorite Plug-Ins This Year

The plug in that I would like to talk about this month would be the Waves Vocal Rider. This plug in saves me so much time during the final stages of mixing vocals. Insert this plug in onto your final vocal track and it literally rides the fader for you during automation, maintaining a balance between your vocals and instruments. This really fine tunes your vocals in the mix and is definitely a must have in my book. Keep in mind that this doesn't, shrink or change any dynamic range in the vocals it simply preserves the dynamics while riding the track volume as it blends in with the instrumental. I work on countless sessions that involve mixing vocals whether its ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement) for film, band recordings that involves a lead vocalist and I cant tell you how much time and extra work I've saved my self by owning this plug in. You can also run this plug in on a live set as well which I think is amazing. You can use this on a Mac or PC as long as you have the required operating system needed and can run with any DAW system that supports AAX native, RTAS, AudioSuite and AU. Want to see how its done? Watch a perfectly demonstrated video from Waves Audio right here.

            
      
                                                                       

Create a Fuller Sound on Your Lead Vocals in Your Mix

First, INSERT a 7 BAND EQ and pin point the sound DYNAMICS that you want out of the MAIN VOCAL TRACK. Then, apply some COMPRESSION (dynamic effects) to your main vocal.You can either insert that on the main vocal track, or use the SIDE CHAIN COMPRESSION TECHNIQUE. Next, DUPLICATE that track in order to keep the same settings on your EQ and compression. Now, insert a REVERB (TIME BASE EFFECT), adjust how you want it to sound and slightly PAN that to the right or left and bring the AMPLITUDE down at least by 6 dB. This is an actual reverb side chain compression technique. Next, go back to your main vocal track. Duplicate that track, bring the amplitude down by at least 6dB and Insert a MODULATION time base effect (Ex. Slap back delay). Put your cursor to the beginning of the verse and begin to WRITE your AUTOMATION onto the track with the modulation on it. While automating, RIDE the FADER in and out to create an effect that will make your thin vocal track into a more FULL, BEEFY LEAD vocal track. You can also slide this track a mili-second forward or backward to create an even fuller effect. Dont forget to ride that fader in and and Wa-La! What a difference that made.

                                      

© Victor Nguyen 2014