Best Vocal Pitch Plugin

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Vocal doubling is a vital technique for any producer dealing with vocals. Luckily for us, iZotope, one of the most prolific plugin creators, has released its Vocal Doubler for free. The technique stems from doing double (or sometimes more) takes of the same vocal in a recording session. Have created a rating for you Best 43 Vocal Processing VST plugins 2021. The Best new vst plugins are released every month and we are constantly updating our list. Come in and write your opinion about the rating! Vocal Multi-effects Plug-in with Pitch Correction, Formant Shifting, Doubling, Vocoding, Tube-style Saturation, Ring Modulation, Filtering, Melodic Pattern Generation, XY Pad Parameter Control, Auto-Key Compatibility, and Professional Presets - Mac/PC AAX Native, VST2. Auto-Tune forms one of the most integral parts of vocal processing and Antares Auto-Tune has been one of the world's leading vocal processing vst plugins in professional pitch correction for years. The latest release of the plug-in with a great interface is even more versatile and easy to use.

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 😉

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…

Open video download converter. 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!

Free Pitch Plugin

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!

Waves Audio has a bunch of plugins designed specifically to save time in the studio when mixing vocals.

For this reason (among other reasons), they've become an industry standard, and many people know it.

So in this guide, we'll go over the best Waves plugins for vocals….

… we've done the research so you don't have to.

Quick answer: when it comes to the plugins Waves offers for mixing vocals, there are so many, and each offer different specified features you can use.

That said, CLA Vocals from Waves Audio is sometimes referred to as the one plugin you can use for vocals if you could only choose one.

Make sure you take a look at the others below for other choices specific for what you might need.

Let's take a closer look 🙂

Table of Contents

• Waves Vocal Plugins Buying Guide

Find more great gear here:

Waves Vocal Plugins Buying Guide

Common Types of Vocal Effects

You might be surprised to know how much effects are applied to vocal tracks in your typical pop or rock production…

Although much ado is usually made about 'clean' and 'natural' vocals, most songs would sound pretty boring if the vocals weren't unprocessed in some way.

Compression

Compression is one of the most commonly applied vocal effects. This serves to balance out the levels in the audio, preventing the peaks from clipping the circuitry and letting softer sections be heard over the music.

Read more about how to compress vocals.

Equalization

EQ is also frequently applied in order to enhance the tonal character of the vocal. In some cases, dynamic EQ is used to reduce brightness or bottom end in some sections, while boosting the same in others.

Effects

Other effects that may be applied to vocal tracks are reverb, delay, chorusing or doubling, or even distortion or modulation effects. Unless you are going for a harsh industrial vocal delivery however, effects are best applied judiciously, and always in the service of the song.

Read more about mixing vocals.

Why You Need the Right Plug-ins for Mixing Vocals

One of the reasons why you'd need any kind of plug-in is to make certain aspects of your recording stand out above the rest. And since vocals arguably are the most important aspect of a song, it makes it easier for vocals to be heard over the instrumental background if you apply the right effects or dynamics plugin.

Effects may also be applied for creative reasons, as would be the case when going for a special effect, or treating vocals in a genre-specific manner.

Then of course, dynamics processors such as limiters and compressors are used to address specific technical concerns (ie. in order to prevent clipping or to allow of an increase in RMS levels), or for artistic or creative purposes.

Best Vocal Plugins Fl Studio

Who is Waves Audio?

Not that any introduction is needed… but Waves Audio is an audio software company that makes the industry standard plugins for music production. They've worked with a number of prominent people and companies in the audio industry over the years to develop audio tools and modeled emulations of hardware processors. They were even honored with a Technical Grammy Award in 2011 for its 'contributions of outstanding technical significance' to the recording field.

However, the objective of this guide is not to 'push' Waves plugins. If you check many music production and audio engineering forums, the question as to what Waves plugins are best for vocals always arise…

To settle this once and for all, and to make it easier for those that want to know, we've put together a buying guide to instruct you on the best choice to make among Waves Audio's massive collection.

With that said, let us begin 🙂

The Best Waves Plugins for Vocals

CLA Vocals

CLA Vocals is an all-in-one vocal processing plug-in developed in collaboration Chris Lord-Alge, who is an award-winning engineer. It was designed to aid in vocal mixing using Lord-Alge's very own effects parameter settings to so that users can produce quality vocal tracks in less time that it would normally take.

Six effects are include in the chain, helping you get your vocal tracks radio-ready with less effort as compared to standard vocal processing. This of it as your 'instant Chris Lord-Alge' in a box.

Specs and useful features

• All-in-one vocal processor plug-in
• Developed in collaboration with Chris Lord-Alge
• Combines delay, reverb, and pitch modulation effects
• Tone controls for easy shaping of vocal tracks
• Multiple compression types for more control over dynamics
• Helps you achieve radio-ready sound quickly

User impressions

Like all the CLA plug-ins, CLA Vocals gets high marks from users for its sound and consistently results. For users that need polished, radio-friendly vocals quickly, this has become something of a go-to plug-in.

Although the CLA Vocals can do a great job of prettying up vocals in the majority of cases, some users found that it provides a little less control over certain parameters than they would have liked. While there is no doubt that it can provide all the sweetening that a vocal track needs most of the time, there are instances when a custom effects chain provided superior results.

Bottom-line

The CLA Vocals is pretty hard not to like, especially for its price. For perhaps 90% of all vocal-related processing applications, this could be the only plug-in you will need. For the other 10% of the time however, you might be better off rolling your own vocal processing chain using your DAW's native plugins. Even so, we can heartily recommend the CLA Vocals as a useful addition to your sonic toolbox.

Demonstration

Aphex Vintage Aural Exciter

The Aphex Vintage Aural Exciter is modeled after the original Aphex hardware processing unit. Developed in association with Aphex, the plug-in does a good job at capturing the character of the original hardware device, adding presence and brilliance to even the dullest audio. The Aphex Vintage Aural Exciter is equally suited to vocal and instrumental tracks, making them stand out in a mix without the need for excessive EQing.

Specs and useful features

• Modeled after original tube-powered hardware processor
• Developed in association with Aphex
• Adds brightness, vibrancy and depth to audio
• Increases presence without increasing levels
• Suitable for vocals as well as instrumental tracks
• Mix and AX modes for insert or send configurations

User impressions

Users that have experience with both the original Aphex hardware unit and the Aphex Vintage Aural Exciter mostly have nice things to say about the plug-in. Although it can handle most any type of audio pumped through it, the plug-in has an especially attractive quality on vocals. In fact, most users that have used the Aural Exciter for vocal processing simply refuse to mix or master a track without it, citing the wonderfully ‘present' sheen it provides.

Bottom-line

The Aphex Vintage Aural Exciter is one of those plug-ins that can be easy to overuse f you're not careful, simply because it just sounds so good. With its ability to add life and vibrancy to even the dullest tracks, it is just way too tempting to slather it all over everything, resulting in a harsh and brittle sound. If you can manage to use the plug-in in moderation, it could be quite a potent ingredient in your recipe for vocal perfection.

Demonstration

Vocal Rider

The Vocal Rider is a vocal and dialog leveling plug-in that adjusts the level of vocal tracks automatically. It has the ability to limit the dynamic range of audio without introducing artifacts, so it saves considerable time and effort in mixing down vocals and making them stand out in a mix.

The Vocal Rider also allows for the drawing of the slider adjustments into an automation track in the DAW, enabling finer control over the level.

A Live component with Spill control is also included, which detects and processes just the vocal part alone without affecting the music or background audio.

Specs and useful features

• Automatic vocal and dialog leveling
• Automation of vocal parts speeds up mixing
• Writable to automation track for fine tuning
• Real-time processing
• Zero latency and no need for pre-scanning
• Vocal Rider Live component

User impressions

If there is one thing about the Vocal Rider that makes users almost fanatical about it, simplicity would have to be it. Many users are absolutely smitten with how easy it is to automatically control vocal levels with the plug-in, citing its great value as a timesaver in the studio.

The Vocal Rider is especially popular among those that want the dynamic limiting effect of compression without the artifacts that compressors can sometimes leech into the sound. For these users, the Vocal Rider is a more transparent and natural-sounding solution that often negates the need for a separate compressor.

Bottom-line

The Vocal Rider is such an amazingly simple plug-in in concept that you have to wonder why no one else has ever thought of it before. For the price, you simply can't do better than this plug-in if you are after natural and musical volume leveling.

Demonstration

Renaissance Vox

One of the most powerful and versatile compressors in the Waves product line, the Renaissance Vox has been optimized specifically for processing vocals.

The controls you get for compression, gating and expansion, limiting, and level maximization are simple yet effect.

With this plug-in, producing polished-sounding vocals can be done with minimal effort.

Specs and useful features

• Combination compressors, gate, limiter, and level maximizer plug-in
• Soft-knee compression
• Auto make-up gain
• Gentle downward expander for gating noise
• Optimized for vocals
• Peak hold indicators for instant visual feedback on signal peaks
• Clip-Guard Output Limiter prevents clipping

User impressions

The Renaissance Vox has quite a surprising number of devotees, with lots of audio engineer forum users referring this as their go-to choice, which is all the more remarkable considering how long it has been around. The plug-in clearly appeals to those that live by the tenet: 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it!'

In any case, most of the complimentary reviews of the Renaissance Vox make mention of its utter simplicity and straightforwardness, which is especially impressive given the amount of control available. For many users, the plug-in suffices for most vocal processing applications, with the added benefit of usability for a variety of instrumental tracks.

Bottom-line

The Renaissance Vox is another time saving plug-in that makes quick work of producing polished and radio-ready vocal tracks. If there is anything negative that can be said about it, it is that it sometimes imparts a sort of metallic quality to the top end. But even this can be seen as a unique, distinctive, and not-wholly-undesirable characteristic. In any case, the Renaissance Vox is well worth adding to your plug-in tool chest, even if you already have a bunch of other compressor plug-ins.

Demonstration

Renaissance Compressor

This a multi-purpose compressor that is equally effective on individual tracks as it is on entire mixes, the Renaissance Compressor also works remarkably well on vocals.

'Warm' and 'present' are among its most defining sonic characteristics, yet it can be as transparent as you need it to be for natural vocal treatment.

Specs and useful features

• Two compression modes: Vintage Opto and modern Electro
• Internal brickwall limiting prevents clipping
• Auto Release Control (ARC) allows increase of RMS levels
• Double precision bit resolution processing
• Up to 24-bit/192kHz resolution
• Mono and stereo components

User impressions

The Renaissance Compressor seems to attract an equal number of users that praise it for its transparency and those that rave over its distinctive sonic character. Perhaps it is a testament to how versatile it is that people of seemingly different tastes and priorities keep finding uses for this venerable plug-in. As it is, this particular Waves classic is a favorite for vocal processing, but it can quickly switch roles and deliver punchy drum, bass, guitar, and piano tracks at the drop of a hat.

Bottom-line

There is a good reason why the Waves Renaissance Compressor still makes it to compressor plug-in rundowns years after it was released. Even with so many excellent plug-ins littering the market, the Renaissance Compressor still manages to command attention with its ability to be as transparent or as squashed as needed.

Now, you don't necessarily want this to be the only compressor you have in your collection, and you definitely don't want to pump all your audio tracks through it as a matter of course. But we would be lying if we said that the Renaissance Compressor didn't have a place in every studio engineer's arsenal.

Demonstration

Renaissance DeEsser

As we mentioned in the de-esser plugin guide, the Renaissance DeEsser is one of the best at reducing and eliminating the sibilant 'ess' and 'shh' sounds that can ruin a great vocal take.

Its ability to reduce unwanted high frequencies while preserving the audio quality is quite good, as it's an accurate de-essing technology can handle sibilance in male and female vocals.

Specs and useful features

• Simple and effective removal of harsh sibilance from vocal tracks
• Ideally suited for recording, mixing, live sound, and broadcast
• Frequency-dependent dynamics control preserves original sound
• Simple adaptive threshold
• Adjustable gain reduction
• Phase compensated crossover reduces artifacts
• Audio and side-chain monitoring

User impressions

Most users of the Renaissance DeEsser have nothing but good things to say about this supremely useful plug-in. Cleanliness and transparency are among its most frequently-praised characteristics, although many users also attest to its ability to nuke sibilance aggressively without thrashing the source audio.

Some users did complain about the absence of an attenuation meter. Others felt that the graph doesn't do an adequate job of displaying how much of the audio is being treated. Nevertheless, reviews are generally favorable for the Renaissance DeEsser. Many users even rely on it exclusively, even with many other de-esser plug-ins available on the market.

Bottom-line

In terms of quality, ease of use, and consistency, Renaissance DeEsser is classic Waves through and through. You simply can't beat a classic, and this one definitely fits into that category. A very effective vocal de-esser that can also work wonders on cymbals, guitars, and other high frequency tracks, the Renaissance DeEsser is an essential add on to your set of studio goodies.

Demonstration

Waves Doubler

The simply-named, Doubler adds a doubling effect to source audio, making it sound bigger, wider, and more present in a mix. This particular plug-in more too, offering delay and pitch modulation effects as well. The Doubler is both a unique effects processor and a time-saver in the studio, negating the need for traditional double-tracking in most cases.

Specs and useful features

• Double-tracking and chorus capabilities
• Adds shimmer and presence
• Produces 1980s-style harmonizing and pitch detune effects
• Automatic vocal doubling
• Two-voice and four-voice capabilities

User impressions

Ease of use and efficiency are pretty much the most mentioned characteristics of the Waves Doubler, and it's easy to see why. Making short work of turning even the most pedestrian solo vocals into angelic choirs, the Doubler is frequently praised for the ability to thicken and widen vocal tracks without introducing phasing.

Many users especially appreciate how much time they save in the studio by not having to record multiple vocal tracks. That being said, some users did feel that actually recording as many vocal takes as needed provides better results.

Bottom-line

The Doubler is a great way to add depth, width, and ambience to your vocal tracks. Although this won't substitute for a meticulously-recorded array of vocalists–or even one or two vocalists recording multiple takes–it does have some charm and flavor of its own. Besides, for the price, you not only get a very capable vocal doubler, but a distinctive sounding plug-in that widens up most any sound source nicely.

Demonstration

Final thoughts – Which to Get?

Most of these plug-ins are so different from each other that it would be pointless to say which one is the 'best.'

Suffice it to say, each one brings its own unique set of qualities to the table, and each could potentially find use in a studio setting.

That said, the CLA Vocals has to be mentioned as top choice for its convenient and extremely useful blend of multiple signal processors in one unit. There is also no denying how quickly and easily it can enable you to crank out radio-ready vocal tracks. For that reason alone, we would have to give the CLA Vocals top marks.

Both the Aphex Vintage Aural Exciter and the Vocal Rider stand in a class of their own, but for different reasons. The Aural Exciter is at the very least a modern-day classic, with its tone enhancing qualities having become essential for vocal polishing.

The Vocal Rider for its part does what most other compressors are unable to do so simply and so elegantly: control dynamic levels without adding nasty artifacts. Going solely by that, the Vocal Rider deserves special mention.

As for the Renaissance Compressor and the Renaissance Vox, both of these are quite capable plug-ins that will stand proudly with the rest of your audio processing tools. Even though they have been around for a number of years, there is life in these old dogs yet!

Finally, the Renaissance DeEsser–and certainly the Doubler–might not be quite as essential as all the other plug-ins mentioned. Nevertheless, they do have their uses, and at the price they are going for these days, it would be silly not to at least consider them if you are eager to have a full suite of vocal processing tools at your disposal.