If you missed the first part of this new series then to reiterate.
In this new series I'm going to share the plug-ins I JUST LOVE. Some of them are going to be popular, some not so. Some plug-ins do amazingly complex things whilst other very simple things. These are the plug-ins that you will almost always found sat on my mix somewhere because when I'm mixing I think 'I know what is going to help that' or in some cases rescue it!
I'm going to choose a different type of plug-in for each post and I hope you will also suggest a similar plug-in that you use for the same job. What I hope we achieve with this series is sharing of our favourite plug-ins.
I'm not expecting you to agree with my choices, or to go out and buy every plug-in I talk about. You may want to try them, but like me you may already have a plug-in that's a faithful friend to you, if that's the case then keep on using it.
As I say what I hope the articles and the comments do is point all of us to some real gems that we may never have tried. Enjoy!
Renaissance Vox
Waves Renaissance Vox offer a simple one-stop solution for cleaning up and levelling a vocal.
- Compression, gating, limiting, and level maximization in one plugin
- Soft-knee compressor with auto make-up gain
- Gentle downward expander for noise gating
All the above work incredibly well.
Why The Waves Renaissance Vox?
The jokes goes that "the trouble with making things idiots proof is that bigger idiots keep appearing." Setting the joke aside the Waves Renaissance Vox is perhaps the simplest most effective compressor for getting vocals levelled in a mix that I've come across.
It makes no claims about character, it's a simple 'meat and potatoes' compressor and expander gate for cleaning up and levelling vocals, there's not a lot more to say than that.
Like many plug-ins I reach for this is a really set and forget and in some ways reminds me in terms of use as the old DBX over-easy slider compressors which were just "more or less."
I'm sure there's someone out there who could fill several pages of a forum with reasons not to use this plug-in - I'll let them continue with their writing aspirations and continue to use this baby.
As I am saying with each one of these posts I'd love to know what you use for these kind of jobs and why.
Russ continues his series on plug-ins he loves. Granted there are more powerful synths and sample libraries you can buy, but when it comes to bread and butter sounds then this one takes some beating.