Plug-in advice Vocals

[Stratdw]

I am going to purchase a plugin for Vocals. I need some advice on some plug-ins. I was looking at Antares Auto Tune Vocal Suite. What do you think? Need to bring the vocals out in the mix.
I have rack mount Antares now but I am going with plug-ins now. I have found now that I am using Amp plug-ins recording has become fun...I am just now tweeking in pro tools using plug ins. any advice would be helpful

I use PT 3.01 XP

[TOM@METRO]

There is no one vocal plug-in for everyone but the Antares suite is very useful, especially if you have no other tools for tuning. I use "Waves Tune" for pitch correction when needed. There are also many must haves such as compressors and De-essers. I assume you mean you have 8.0.1, if so, there is a lot of good plug-ins that come with PT, experiment with those too.

[Stratdw]

Tom-

must haves such as compressors and De-essers? Is there some " Abby Road" type plug-ins? I do practice a lot and experiment.

I still need to set my profile and yes it is 8.0.1

I could never get my vocal chain to sound good...ever. I am hoping to work on recording vocals and acoustic guitar for the next few months...see if I can make some progress

Old Vocal chain...Mic ( MXL V63m) - Antares rack mount- pro tools. I was using the compressor that came with pro tools..It did not sound good.

Recording voice and acoustic guitar is my next hill to climb

[Shatzer]

Originally Posted by Stratdw

Tom-

must haves such as compressors and De-essers? Is there some " Abby Road" type plug-ins? I do practice a lot and experiment.

I still need to set my profile and yes it is 8.0.1

I could never get my vocal chain to sound good...ever. I am hoping to work on recording vocals and acoustic guitar for the next few months...see if I can make some progress

Old Vocal chain...Mic ( MXL V63m) - Antares rack mount- pro tools. I was using the compressor that came with pro tools..It did not sound good.

Recording voice and acoustic guitar is my next hill to climb

First thing i would try would be to remove the Antares from the chain. (I'm not for sure but aren't those things made mostly for live performances?) Besides that I wouldn't want anything extra in my signal path that i couldn't do with a plug in. If that doesn't work I would look into getting a good Mic as I believe MXL are cheap chinese Mics. I would go with something (if your pocket allows you) like a Shure KSM 32 or AT 40xx series or some German made Mics like Oktava. The Pulsar II stereo Mics are a godsend for acoustic guitar and drum overheads. (for such cheap mics) Also you might consider getting a decent channel strip or pre-amp. (The Presonus Eureka isn't the greatest channel strip in the world but i get really good results from it) A lot of this stuff is completely opinion but I think it would solve some of your quality issues with recording vocals. Again, I would take that Antares out of your signal chain but thats just me.

[Shatzer]

Oh, and lots and lots of practice. Experiment, research, experiment. Someone told me some good advice on learning how to record. There are 3 learning paths into recording: 1. Theory (Book reading)
2. Apprenticeship (Being mentored)
3. Hands-On-Experience (Doing the recording yourself)
I believe you need all 3 of these in order to become successful in recording. (Dont have to be in that order) But with all 3 it definately makes the ride alot smoother.

[Stratdw]

Shatzer-

Yes the rack mount is used for live...One of my first lessons learned last year! The more I learn and experiment with plug ins, I am hooked. I would like to try direct plugging my mic in to the the m audio interface and let the plugs do the work...What do you think about that? I am looking for a good mic now and will look up the mics you suggested. Thank you. I am trying to get that "floyd" sounding acoustic...I do enjoy the learning but my pocket book hates me.

[Stratdw]

Shatzer-

I have tried to get a mentor with pro tools. The people who I have found using the program in my area did not return emails and seemed to busy. Thats ok. I really enjoy learning on my own..mistakes and all. I have only become better but now I am so addicted to what once was just a hobby. Now I just want clean big sounds. Any publication you want to advise on would be great!

[Shatzer]

Originally Posted by Stratdw

Shatzer-

Yes the rack mount is used for live...One of my first lessons learned last year! The more I learn and experiment with plug ins, I am hooked. I would like to try direct plugging my mic in to the the m audio interface and let the plugs do the work...What do you think about that? I am looking for a good mic now and will look up the mics you suggested. Thank you. I am trying to get that "floyd" sounding acoustic...I do enjoy the learning but my pocket book hates me.

Yes, the pocket book is evil. You might also try moving the Mic around the room and finding a "sweet spot". Also, what are some of the problems you are getting with your vocal? I personally do not like de-essers as they just crap out the sound. Most eq fixes and sibilances can be fixed by mic placement. If you are getting bad sibilance then you should try placing the mic above your lips and aiming it down towards your lips so you're not singing directly to it. This is a great technique and works nearly every time without the need of a de-esser. I would recommend bypassing the Antares unit and hooking your Mic directly to your M-audio interface. If it's the Profire interface then that unit has some really decent pre-amps. If you have a outboard compressor/eq or a channel strip then i would just add slight compression and little to no EQ when tracking on the way in. Otherwise, plug ins will do just fine. I do a combination of both with just little to track with. You can always add more with a plug in.

[Shatzer]

Originally Posted by Stratdw

Shatzer-

I have tried to get a mentor with pro tools. The people who I have found using the program in my area did not return emails and seemed to busy. Thats ok. I really enjoy learning on my own..mistakes and all. I have only become better but now I am so addicted to what once was just a hobby. Now I just want clean big sounds. Any publication you want to advise on would be great!

Yes, this is how i had to learn too it just takes longer. lol
Luckily I have been able to talk to real professionals in some major studios and became quite close (over the internet anyway) in helping out over the years. I always like to return the favor and share the knowledge i have (which doesnt mean i know everything!) but i have pushed myself to learn everything i can. There are two types of people in recording. Proactive and Reactive. Proactive people will learn fast because they are up doing stuff and learning and trying to do something with themselves and Reactive people are the ones who sit around waiting for something to happen. Personally I like to be on the Proactive side of things.

[Stratdw]

I would be glad to be the recipient of passed on knowledge! I am already thinking about mastering..I'm not that far off just want to focus on learning all I can about pro-tools and how to utilize what I have.