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I guess you would have to agree with me that the best way to polish your vocal recording or a vocal sample is to sprinkle some effects, just like the way you would sprinkle a reasonable amount of ingredients on your food. If done right, it sounds delicious right, yum yum 😉

ReaEQ By Reaper. ReaEQ equalizer VST plugin is one of the best free plugins for music producers.

Vocal effects are no exception to the ingredient perspective, you need to add a reasonable amount of effects to make them sound lively, and enjoyable to the listeners.

Don’t get me wrong, I ain’t saying you should stack effects upon effects on your vocal samples, too much of everything is bad. That said, let us look at the best free awesome VST effects plugin in the music production scene.

Let’s ride on…

Page Contents

• 5.) g200kg – KeroVee
• 10.) MGF – TimeWarp

1.) AegeanMusic – PitchProof

If you haven’t heard of PitchProof, then, you are definitely missing out, this is like the secret tool I use on Vocals but it wasn’t even developed for Vocal, it was actually designed to work on monophonic signals such as guitar solos, but I’ll give you a tip on how I have been using it:

You don’t want to apply it in realtime, what you should do instead is to first select the key of the harmony, then you turn the Blend knob all the way to the right; wet e.g:

Export the vocal result, add whatever effects plugins you gat on your toolbox (vocal, flangers, etc) to spice up the pitched vocal, and then stack it on top of the original vocal. Boom, you have something unique!

Note: You don’t have to always push it all through the wet side as this might cause artifacts, just experiment and stick with what works for you.

You can even export more vocal, and maybe this time, you can try by reducing the detune knob, anyways, experiment until you get your preferred test.

That said, let’s look at some of the features of PitchProof:

The Blend control knob would let you adjust the level of pitch shift, while the Pitch drop-down menu lets you select pitches like +7 or -7, or harmonies which are intelligent pitch-shift effects.

Moreover, there are also some options at the bottom of the PitchProof plugin which give you the option to switch between stereo and mono; mono could save your CPU, while the stereo option could cause a resource hog if used on multiple inserts.

Transient Fix can be switch on or off to spice things up a little!

2.) Auburn Sounds – Graillon

This is an autotune VST plugins designed and developed by Auburnsounds. This plugin is superb in the way it handles pitch correction.

It not only supports pitch correction but supports the generation of throat sounds, making octave sounds, enriching, and enhancing vocal expressiveness.

Also, there is a pitch shift parameter that transposes vocals up and down in octaves and semitones.

Features:

• Pitch Shifter cleanly transposes a voice up and down and has been optimized for voice.
• Pitch Correction module brings an immediate robotic sound, while the Bitcrusher addition softly adds sparkles to the mix.
• Freemium

System Requirements

• Available as VST, VST2, AAX, and Audio Unit plugin for macOS and Windows platform.

Download Graillion Auto-Tune Plugin

3.) JHudStudio – Vocal King

Vocal King helps glue the vocal in a mix, and it comes preloaded cool parameters, that could help in customizing the audio signal of a vocal track.

The Pres Compressor knob helps in bringing out the clarity of a vocal, so, by turning up the gain of the Pres Comp brings out the presence in the vocal along with giving it a smooth compression. On the other hand, the Low cut, Tighten, and the Bass knob compliment the Pres Comp in taking out muddy frequencies without the vocal sounding too thin.

I also love playing with the Crispy knob as it sprinkles some sparkles to the audio signal.

Features:

• Help vocals to stand out in a mix by giving them amazing presence, clarity, and compression. Can easily work on any other content.
• Acts like are preamp giving the signal a strong boost.
• Easy to use interface for fast results.
• Easy to read meters
• Very CPU efficient compared to other types of plugins.
• It can be used on many other audio sources as well.

System Requirements

• Vocal King supports MAC/Windows/32bit/64bit/VST2/VST3/AU. Supports MAC OS X 10.7 / Windows 7 and higher. Older systems may not work.

4.) Sonic Anomaly – Vola

Vola is a Voice Optimized Leveling Amplifier made for broadcast voice dynamics processing, it also works with different kinds of audio material, like drums, percussive instrument, and synth pads.

This fantastic tool is solely for cleaning up sound files but can be used for extreme compression effects as well.

Features

• Real-time Visual Metering for changes in dynamics
• Upwards & downwards compression, each separately adjustable.
• Stats Display and more compression settings

Download Vola Vst (Windows)

Download Vola Jsfx (Windows and Mac)

5.) g200kg – KeroVee

This is a pitch correction VST plugin tool and has strengthened to support natural pitch correction.

This tool is handy and can perform different and various types of voice effects, for example, a conversion of the male voice to a female voice and vice versa.

KeroVee comes bundled with useful parameters for the effectiveness of the auto-tuning process, Parameter includes:

• Scale Button: This is for specifying the scale you want to tune. Setting a wrong scale would result in an awful result, in a simple sentence, Know your scale before you go into this one
• TuneSpeed: This will allow you to set the speed of correcting the pitch.
• Nuance: This is one of the best and lovely parameters, you can use this to set a fine vibrato of the original sound, use this to create all sorts of weird effects.
• Amount: Set to zero (0) if you want no correction, setting to 100 will result in full correction of the pitch
• and many more parameters like Transpose option, master volume, etc.

System Requirements

• A compatible host program that supports the VST formats

6.) Martin Eastwood – Duet

Have you heard those natural double effects in some tracks! Do you wonder how those are created? I guess yes 😉

Let me introduce to you – Duet, a double-tracking effect designed to enhance your audio sample be it vocal or even instruments, Duet is well capable of sparkling them up. The way Duet work is by pitch-shifting both the left and right inputs individually using a novel synchronous overlap and add technique, allowing pitch to be manipulated in real-time while still maintaining the time duration of the audio.

One thing I love about Duet is the way it can accurately create the illusion of multi-voices and adds varied texture to the mix. Experiment with Duet to see how it works.

Note: This is only available for Window

7.) MaxSynths – DSP-2

DSP-2 is designed with an intelligent Dynamic Processor, a 4-band equalizer fixed on vocal key frequencies, a saturator, and a room emulator based on the Schroeder reverberator. DSP is super simple to use and can serve basically all your vocal processing needs, again, experiment and keep experimenting to get the best settings that would soothe your need.

Features:

• Intelligent Dynamic Processor (IDP).
• 4 different automatic operative modes.
• Selectable compression ratio.
• Saturator with three different operation modes.
• EQ fixed on vocal key frequencies.
• Room emulator based on the Schroeder reverb model.
• Transparent increment of the perceived volume level.
• High precision input/output VU-meter.
• Low CPU usage.

8.) Distorque – Azurite

Azurite is a vocal effect by Distorque which is built for multi-voice chorus with a focus on rich sounds and versatile controls.

According To Distorque:

My goal in designing it was to make as flexible a chorus as possible without losing great tones and ease of use. The result is an effect that will be handy for producers, guitarists, and glitch lovers alike.

One of the great features of this plugin is the way you can create multiple simultaneous voices. Each of these voices can be further customized with their own delay line that is modulated by a separate LFO. Adding multiple voices leads to a thicker, smoother, and less wobbly tone. It also makes vivid stereo spreading possible with a mono signal.

The voice control helps you to choose how many voices you want for the chorus, e.g one, two, four, or eight.

Features:

• Stereo or mono operation.
• Colour control emulates vintage analog choruses.
• 2 band EQ.
• LFO tempo sync.
• Feedback control allows for flanger sounds.
• 27 built-in presets.
• Delay time from 0.2ms to 200ms.
• 7 LFO shapes: Sine, Triangle, Sawtooth, Ramp, Exponential, Inverse Exponential, and Random.
• Spread control for a stereo widening of a mono signal.
• Control randomizer.
• Other controls: Depth, Speed, Wet Mix, Output, Separation, Dry Delay.

Note: This is only available for Window

Download Azurite Win 32 VST / Win 64 VST

9.) TerryWest – EasyVox

EasyVox contains a bunch of tool for vocal processing, such as:

• Dynamic mono vocal compressor/limiter/enhancer
• Three bands equalizer
• Autogain and Pre-Limiter
• Auto Noisegate
• Auto Band-off
• Three EQ models
• Fine EQ option
• EQ activity/bypass LEDs
• Low-Mid-Hicut
• Vocal Doubler effect
• Pre in/Post out gain
• In/out/reduction meters

Donate To The Developer, It helps him to build more exciting plugins

Note: This is only available for Window

10.) MGF – TimeWarp

Last on our list is Timewarp by MGF, which is a vibrato effect with 2 LFOs which can pan the pitch modulation amount for a stereo effect.

Features:

• Sine, Triangle, Saw and random waves with control over the shape and smoothing.
• Optional 4x upsampling and a smooth modulation algorithm ensure clean sound with minimal aliasing. Normal quality
• saves CPU and sounds brighter but less silky.
• 2 different interpolation algorithms are available (ALG).
• Fast modulation settings possible and encouraged

That is it, Good luck and have fun with music!

Article Content

So far in this series, I’ve covered some of my favorite and most used compressor, limiter and equalizer plugins — three types of processing vital to any mastering engineer.

It’s important not to forget about other processors that can add harmonic content to your material. You might hear them referred to as exciters, enhancers, saturators, maximizers etc. — regardless of the name, these plugins can be great for adding tone, vibe, impact, and character to your masters.

1. UAD Ampex ATR-102 and Studer A800

These are emulations of the classic tape machines, and while they are two separate and very different plugins, I find them both to be essential — and wanted to make room for the many other great processors — so they occupy the top spot.

They’re great for both mixing and mastering, and can be used on individual tracks or entire mixes. For a majority of the time we’ve been listening to recorded music, tape has been involved, and these two plugins help achieve that famous sound.

The ATR-102 features 4 different tape types, 4 tape speeds, and dozens of other features that make this an incredibly deep tool for adding color and tone to your material. I find that it helps add a sense of clarity and separation between instruments in a way that no other plugin does. It’s definitely a hi-fi sound, but the brightness can be dialed back by changing the tape speed or using the shelf EQ.

The Studer A800 is a bit more warm and vibrant. I find myself using this one on individual tracks or sub-auxes more than the ATR-102, but when material needs to sound more rolled off, saturated, and vintage, the Studer is unmatched.

Unique features: The sheer depth of these two plugins makes for a virtually endless amount of sonic capabilities. The Studer is simpler, and I find myself tweaking the bias setting to achieve a very open, airy sound. The ATR-102 has really unique tape effects like wow, flutter and crosstalk. While you may understandably hesitate to use these on a master, in the rare case when you absolutely need your material to have a subtly warped, analog feel, look no further.

Free Trap Vst Plugins

2. SPL Vitalizer MK2-T

The Vitalizer MK2-T is a tried and true hardware unit that is common in mastering, and the plugin does a similarly great job of adding air and presence to your material. There are also useful compression and drive controls. If your source lacks excitement and definition, the Vitalizer is a quick fix thanks to it’s intuitive interface.

Unique feature: The stereo expander on the Vitalizer is as good as on any plugin I’ve found. If I want to widen the stereo field in mastering, this is the tool I reach for.

3. Sonnox Oxford Inflator

When you need to add impact and modern size to your material, look no further than the Inflator. It adds a tasteful curve, even when it’s pushed pretty hard. Although it can make virtually any source sound and feel more exciting, it really excels with electronic music.

Unique feature: Aside from Input and Output controls, it has “effect” and “curve” faders. That’s it. What I find to be most unique about the Inflator is its ability to enhance program material, even with such limited controls. There are very few plugins that are essentially “sound better” faders/knobs, and this is definitely one of them.

4. iZotope Ozone 7 Exciter and Vintage Tape

The Exciter alone has warm, retro, tape, tube, triode, and dual triode modes. More impressively, it’s a multiband exciter, in case you want to add any of these characteristics to specific frequency ranges. The vintage tape plugin is yet another iZotope plugin with flexible digital-style controls, but a warm analog sound.

Unique feature: Not only does the exciter work in mid-side mode, the exciting can also be added in parallel, per frequency range. The gain match feature on both plugins can help you determine if the changes you’re making are actually enhancing the material, or just increasing volume.

5. PSP Vintage Warmer 2

The Vintage Warmer is also a compressor/limiter in addition to being a great tool for adding tasteful saturation to material.

While there are many controls, everything is laid out in such a way that’s easy to understand. Both the sound and metering are excellent. This one can go from adding tasteful saturation to expressive gnarly tones, which can also make it a valuable mix tool.

Unique feature: Being able to choose the frequency at which you want to add drive (at both high and low frequencies) can really help when only a certain frequency range needs saturation and excitement.

6. UAD Brainworx bx_masterdesk

The bx_masterdesk is a simple, all-in-one solution for those in need of an in-the-box mastering processor. The GUI resembles an analog mastering console, and allows one to work quickly and efficiently. Sonically, the plugin is equally impressive; between the four compressor options (which can be blended in parallel), the incredibly smooth 4-band EQ section, the helpful resonance filters, and the unique “foundation” control, one can quickly add energy and sculpt the tone of their program material. The bx_masterdesk doesn’t stop there, though, and is loaded with a variety of additional features including a high-quality de-esser, the acclaimed brainworx M/S features including Mono-Maker and Stereo Enhance, and a THD control for adding tasteful saturation to your masters. The harder you drive the volume control, the harder the processing stages are hit, so the bx_masterdesk truly does behave like an analog console.

The metering, functionality and sound quality are all of the excellent quality one would expect from Brainworx and UAD. For anyone looking for an uncomplicated, versatile, juicy-sounding in-the-box mastering processor, I strongly recommend giving the bx_masterdesk a test drive.

Mastering Tip:

While bx_masterdesk was designed for the purpose of mastering entire mixes, don’t shy away from using them on groups like drum or vocal buss. I had great success recently using it on a backup vocal subgroup. What’s great about it is that there are so many high-quality processors located in a singular easy-to-use plugin. I used the equalizer section to carve out the low end, the de-esser to handle sibilance, the THD to add some pleasing grit and color, and the stereo enhance function to add some subtle width. It’s not abnormal for me to process backup vocals this way using a variety of tools, and I love the convenience of being able to handle everything within one plugin.

Introducing the UAD bx_masterdesk plug-in by Brainworx

So far in this series, I’ve covered some of my favorite and most used compressor, limiter and equalizer plugins — three types of processing vital to any mastering engineer. It’s important not to forget about other processors that can add harmonic content to your material. You might hear them referre

7. iZotope Ozone 9 Exciter

iZotope’s latest update to their all-in-one mastering plugin suite includes several new modules that make in-the-box mastering even more intuitive and effective including Master Re-balance and Low-End Focus. Updated in this top-notch multiband exciter module include tweaks to the analog-modeled Retro, Tape, Warm and Tube modes. I really enjoy the flexibility of multiband processing and the fact that you can choose different saturation modes for each band, so if you want to add some analog tape vibe in the low end, and tube warmth in the upper mids, you are quickly able to do so, and with great precision and control over the frequency crossover points.

You can use the exciter in mid/side mode, which I often do when mastering. Additionally, you can ‘solo’ the individual bands, so you can hear exactly what the processor is imparting onto the signal, and I find this feature quite helpful when dialing in exactly how much I processing I should be doing. Ozone 9 is, of course, marketed as a tool for mastering, but I’ll regularly fire it up when at the mix stage, and even use it on individual elements such as snare drum, bass guitar, and vocals, in part because of the tonal shaping qualities of the exciter.

Mastering Tip:

Learn how the ‘amount’ and ‘mix’ controls interact and affect the signal: ‘Amount’ functions similar to a gain control — the higher the amount, the more drastic saturation will be achieved. ‘Mix’ functions as a wet/dry blend. I tend to use the exciter very subtly when mastering, and in the event I’m using higher ‘amount’ values, I’ll definitely dial back the overall effect using the ‘mix’ slider. Additionally, make sure to pay attention to the order in which you use the models in Ozone 9. I ensure that the maximizer (which functions as a limiter) is the last module in the chain, as I don’t want any gain to be added with the exciter (or any other module) after the limiter ceiling has been set.

What’s New in Ozone 9 | iZotope Ozone Mastering Software

So far in this series, I’ve covered some of my favorite and most used compressor, limiter and equalizer plugins — three types of processing vital to any mastering engineer. It’s important not to forget about other processors that can add harmonic content to your material. You might hear them referre

8. UAD Vertigo VSM-3

The VSM-3, developed by Brainworx and Universal Audio is an emulation of an esoteric (and pricey) rack-mountable saturation unit from German company, Vertigo Sound. It’s a two-stage harmonic generator with mid-side capabilities. You’ve got extensive control over 2nd and 3rd order harmonics sections, each of which have their own unique sonic qualities, and each can go from tastefully subtle, to blistering and brash. The THD Mixer section allows one the ability to blend between the two stages, and you can choose between using them in series or parallel. Within each of the sections, you can target specific frequency ranges, so if you want to add a bit of warm saturation to the bass, and some crunch higher up in the frequency spectrum, let’s say on electric guitars, it’s fairly easy to dial in. In that case, I’d use the 2nd Harmonic FET crusher to add drive to the lows (bass), and the 3rd Harmonic Zener Blender and target the high mids. 2nd order harmonics are more tame and subtle in nature, whereas 3rd order have more ‘bite’, so this would be a useful application of the VSM-3.

There are so many unique tones available within this plugin–it’s a sort of saturator, equalizer, compressor all-in-one. It works great on individual tracks, sub-busses, or at the mastering stage, allowing you to bring attitude and vibe to dull, and lifeless mixes. If you have limited experience using saturation at the mastering stage, I do recommend avoid getting too heavy-handed with the VSM-3, as I mentioned, it can go from an exquisite polish to absolutely destroying transients unless you’re careful.

Mastering Tip:

Use it for Mid/Side Saturation: When mastering, I use saturation to enhance vibrancy and improve relationships between components of the mix. On a recent rock master, the sides featured crunchy, hard-panned electric guitars, and the vocal (which sat up the middle) was a bit lacking in character. I enlisted the VSM-3, adding a bit of brightness and via the 3rd Harmonic Generator, only focusing on the mid, disregarding the sides. Mid/Side processing can be extremely useful when mastering, and this unique saturator is no exception.

Honorable Mention

Although somewhat limited due to only being compatible with Pro Tools, the original Phoenix and its successor helped engineers add analog tape saturation and vibe to material long before most competitors. Simply put, it’s to this day, a great sounding plugin.

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So far in this series, I’ve covered some of my favorite and most used compressor, limiter and equalizer plugins — three types of processing vital to any mastering engineer. It’s important not to forget about other processors that can add harmonic content to your material. You might hear them referre

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