Best Way To Level Volume on Vocal Track

[MIDI Life Crisis]

There's also the MOTU dynamics plug.

[cuttime]

...and the MW leveler. YMMV.

[kassonica]

Hi All,
quick question, if anyone can help.....I need to increase the volume on a single track,,,i tried the "SET BITE AND gAIN" It was ok, but i read somewhere that Automation is better for finer adjustment???
ie: Cajon on my track is very low,,need it to be raised higher..if anyone can help..I greatly appreciate it!!1

Thanks in advance!
Roger

raise gain with gain plugin, or insert limiter and raise level that way

[MIDI Life Crisis]

raise gain with gin plugin...

The vodka plug is a good one and nothing sweetens a mix like the rum plug.

[mikehalloran]

raise gain with gin plugin...

The vodka plug is a good one and nothing sweetens a mix like the rum plug.

A good way to add 'punch' to the vocals.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

I usually get loud after the beer plug.

[kassonica]

raise gain with gin plugin...

The vodka plug is a good one and nothing sweetens a mix like the rum plug.

it should of been lower gain with a gin plugin

take the pain away from a crap band

[Tonio]

Kass is back

we only need 1 beer plug to get loud?

[mikehalloran]

take the pain away from a crap band

Hmmm... isn't the crap band the same as the presence boost in a Shure SM-58?

[Killahurts]

take the pain away from a crap band

Hmmm... isn't the crap band the same as the presence boost in a Shure SM-58?

Depends.. does the 58 smell like beer, or gin? But remember, we're trying to level a vocal, not the playing field.

To level vocals, I've used most of the techniques already mentioned. Whatever works. My favorite technique is a vocalist who knows how to use the mic and has a well crafted plan for executing his or her performance.

[Don T]

Hello,
Thought I would add a couple of things to the nice list in this thread.
Sometimes I put the compressor plugin post-fader by moving that line up from the bottom of the insert list. It gives nice metering to the automation adjustments and puts a final smoothing out of the vocal.
I pretty much always compress vocals in the analog domain before A/D. The consonants are never as loud as the vowels and the vox will loose intelligibility unless you turn them up too loud. A light ratio of 1.3 usually does the trick. The vox is balanced but not to squashed which I can do later if it's competing with loud distorted guitars or other instruments with low dynamic range. EQ before compression sounds completely different than EQ after unless you are side-chaining the compressor from somewhere else.
The MW comp works fine especially if you have to de-ess the vox. You can set the middle band to the ess fz, up the ratio and adjust the threshold to taste. Just make sure you leave all 3 bands active, you won't like the phase shift otherwise. Rather than bypass a band just set the ratio to 1:1 and the threshold at zero. Be aware though it is a modeling plug-in so it adds distortion even though it's not doing anything. It doesn't have a "clean" setting like the WaveArts Multidynamic plug (one of my go to plugs).

[monkey man]

I usually get loud after the beer plug.

Bloody Magilla, still stuck in the toilet.

Hang on... oh, you said beer plug. Gotcha.

Carry on.