Vocal Effects and Auto-Tune / Make Your Voice Stand Out Over the Track
You’ve got your home recording studio set up, and now you’re recording your new song. Upon your first listen, if you are recording your vocal, you realize that the recording has a lot of raw potential, but the track lacks that flair that will create a perfect atmosphere for your song.
What if I told you that you could change the quality of your vocal recording post-production with innovative and user-friendly technology?
What if I told you that you could correct certain notes, and add harmonies with the click of a few buttons? What if I told you that you can have all of that, for free?
What you are looking for are vocal effects and auto-tune capabilities that you can add to a vocal track to give it a unique sonic personality. You hear it all the time on the radio, and a lot of modern-day rappers and pop artists use it to help audiences recognize their sound even if they are unfamiliar with the track.
Thanks to the Free Software Movement and engineering artists that want to contribute to the music industry, there are many free VST plugins that you can use for free to find your voice.
Auburn Sounds Graillon 2
From Justin Timberlake to Juice Wrld, each artist uses auto-tune correction in a different way to define their style.
With the Auburn Sounds Graillon 2, you can correct your pitches with ease, and you can set the note range to a certain scale. This means that you can produce realistic sounds that are automatically accurate in the key that you are creating in.
There are several dials and knobs that can affect the auto-tune capabilities, and this will extend the possibility of vocal layers in all directions. The smooth knob can give you a warmer, flat sound, and the pitch shift is an easy way to give yourself consonant or eerie harmonies.
TAL-Reverb-4
Another great tool to have in your kit is the Tal-Reverb-4 for reverb sound effects that will affect the acoustics and depth of your sound.
The design is user-friendly, so fear not beginners! There are three central knobs: size, diffusion, and amount of delay.
Adjust the dry/wet ratio proportion easily to dictate how much reverb affects your sound and sit back while the effect transports you back in time with it’s warm and vintage feel.
Having a good reverb kit is essential for vocal musicians in any kind of genre or setting.
Vladg Sound and Tokyo Dawn Proximity
If you have ever recorded an audio track that had you jamming only to realize that your mic was not properly adjusted, you may find the Vladg Sound and Tokyo Dawn Proximity an important tool to add to your DAW (Digital Audio Workstation).
With this tool, you can adjust the proximity of the mic and the quality of the recording after you have recorded it.
This is also a great tool to use if you are starting out with new equipment, or if you must record in a slightly noisy space.
Proximity’s innovative psychoacoustic technology can adjust the proximity of the sound to the operating system, which can make your sound crisp and focused.
Acon Digital Multiply Chorus
When you want to add richness, texture, and depth to your unique vocal track, you may want to consider adding a chorus effect. The Acon Digital Multiply Chorus effect can help your voice stand out against the track and fill a bigger space with your voice.
You can also double your voices with a knob, adding weight and texture. You can even add up to six voices from one recorded track. You can even adjust the volume of each specific voice.
There are also low-cut, medium-cut, high-cut features that help bring vocal customization to the next level, and an integrated pre-delay section adds echo effect and modulation tools to help you define your voice.
There is even an online display that gives you equalizer capabilities so that you can monitor the frequencies of certain pitch ranges. This is a great tool to use to make a certain section of your vocal track stand out from the rest of the sections.
iZotope Vocal Doubler
Any recording producer will find a doubling tool useful, and the trend has been extremely popular for hip-hop and rap artists ever since it’s conception.
It’s easy to pack a punch on a certain lyric or create a disjointed effect for a certain vocal passage with the iZotope Vocal Doubler. With this tool, you will be able to control specific panning and add vocal layers from one track. It is an easy way to make one recording go a long way.
The design is incredibly accessible and user-friendly, and a great free tool to use to make your recordings have a professional edge to them.
MAutoPitch by MeldaProduction
If you are still looking for unique auto-tune capabilities, there is one more free program that is useful to mention, and that is the MAutoPitch by MeldaProduction.
The key functionality is comparable to the beforementioned Auburn Sounds Graillon 2, but it also has a unique set of features of its own that will be able to create unique sonic designs.
The pitch correction algorithm can be manipulated easily, it has options that include adjustable speed, range, scale, and depth, and it features automatic gain control and a limiter.
Even if you install the Auburn Sounds Graillon 2, it may be a good idea to check out the MAutoPitch as well and play around with the key functions. You may be able to get different and unique sounds from both services available.
Master a Vocal Track Like a Pro
This year has us all tight for money, and creativity exists outside of the laws of supply and demand, so treat yourself with a gift of productivity and download a VST plugin that will make your voice stand out against the track.
AS you can see, there are a ton of free tools out there that can have you sounding like a pro in no-time. So, get out your computer, dust off your screen, download a program, and get the sonic masterpiece that you have been creating out to the public with a unique vocal flair.
