What's the best DP/AU plug-in for vocal compression

[Resonant Alien]

blockbottom - just a couple of Qs. Are you 100% set on using the stock DP or Apple plugs for this project? What are your expectations of the mix - i.e. are you using it mainly as a demo to shop around, or do you intend to make a full blown CD project.

I'm just asking because depending on your expectations and the sound you are going for, you may not be able to achieve what you want with just DP or Apple plugs. I don't want to start up an old debate on the quality of DP's plugs or the necessity for 3rd party stuff, but I'm speaking from my own personal experience. When I first got DP, I spent 4 months trying to mix a song without any 3rd party stuff - just using DP plugs. I got semi-acceptable results, but I was never really happy. I finally broke down and bought a UAD card, and within 2 hours, I had 90% of my final mix nailed down.

Engineering skill and technique are obviously the most important tools, and you can certainly make a pretty decent mix with DP's stuff, but having a few top-notch plugs is essential. You may be selling yourself short and/or causing yourself some undue frustration if you limit yourself to the stock plugs.

Just my $0.02

[screwge]

Response for Resonant Alien. i'm using DP 4.61 / Mirror Door G4 Dual Gig. i'm looking 4ward 2 picking up UAD-Card for better 3rd party plugs but until then i have to use what i got 2 get what i want unfortunately. The reason i'm only concerned with mixing the Vocals because the producers provides the music already mixedown to stereo. We would like to mix the vocals over the track the best we can & then send it out for Mastering. i know technique & skill plays a major part also thanks for the support & input also everyone else who commented. i geuss for the stock DP plugs MW Comp is the overall favorite so i'll start messinaround with that one 1st. Thanks again everybody.

[tommymandel]

You might consider the Dynamics plug-in after you use the MW comp - to duck the pre-mixed instrumental track imperceptibly using the (MW compressed) vocal track as the source for the ducking. Might make everything sound louder.
(I might be out to lunch on this suggestion, but it is in-the-box.)

[screwge]

Thanks 4 your Response Tommy

You might consider the Dynamics plug-in after you use the MW comp
(re-)are you saying try MW Comp & Dynamics on the same channel)

- to duck the pre-mixed instrumental track imperceptibly using the (MW compressed) vocal track as the source for the ducking.
(re-) what do you mean by ducking the track, thanks inadvance)

[tommymandel]

no, i was thinking you would apply the Dynamics plug-in to that stereo mix track of the instruments that they supplied you with. Ducking is a way to make one track softer, by listening to another track (the 'control track'), and when this control track gets to a certain level, the ducker (Dynamics Plug-in, in this case) dips the first track (the instrumental track):makes it softer, ducks it, a predetermined amount, for as long as the control track (the vocal in your case,) is sounding at above that threshhold level. This would keep your mix unaltered when there was no singing, and allow the singing to peek out above the instruments a little more when there was singing signal...and it might not be noticeable in small doses, as the voice will fill the space that the instrumental track is being lowered.
who knows- might give you a little extra audibility. more of a post-production technique than a mix one, I think. but that's what your job sounds like to me.

[Resonant Alien]

Response for Resonant Alien. i'm using DP 4.61 / Mirror Door G4 Dual Gig. i'm looking 4ward 2 picking up UAD-Card for better 3rd party plugs but until then i have to use what i got 2 get what i want unfortunately. The reason i'm only concerned with mixing the Vocals because the producers provides the music already mixedown to stereo. We would like to mix the vocals over the track the best we can & then send it out for Mastering. i know technique & skill plays a major part also thanks for the support & input also everyone else who commented. i geuss for the stock DP plugs MW Comp is the overall favorite so i'll start messinaround with that one 1st. Thanks again everybody.

Totally understand...

[James Steele]

WaveArts Track Plug is pretty good bang for the buck. I don't do final mixes at my place... just roughs, but I've found that I can dial in an EQ setting and compression setting that work well for my voice and just save it as a preset and I can get a pretty good vocal sound quickly.

[newrigel]

New DP user getting ready for my 1st mixdown session i don't have any 3rd party plug-ins just stock DP & Apple's AU plug-ins. Need some advice on the best compressors to use for vocals (Dynamics, MW Compressor, PreAmp-1, AUDynamics Processor, AUMultiband Compressor, etc,) also any good presets. Thanks inadvance for any support.

Man... just go get the SSL LMC-1 from the SSL site: http://www.solid-state-logic.com/store/ ... hp?cPath=2
Put it on an auxillary buss and buss your vox tracks to it... for free it has a decent punchy quality you cant beat!

[chrispick]

WaveArts Track Plug is pretty good bang for the buck. I don't do final mixes at my place... just roughs, but I've found that I can dial in an EQ setting and compression setting that work well for my voice and just save it as a preset and I can get a pretty good vocal sound quickly.

TrackPlug actually has a really useable gate. I rarely gate tracks, but when I do I find TrackPlug gets it done without a big CPU hit.

[blockbottom]

this pass weekend i bit the bullet on my budget & picked up the UAD-1 Project Pack Card which only allows me to use afew compressors but it's better than the stock plugs i was stuck wit so thanks again for all your comments & support Godbless!