1. The Best Vst Plugins For Mixing Vocals
2. Best Vst Plugins For Mixer
3. The Best Vst Plugins For Mixing Software
4. Best Free Vst Plugins For Mixing

Disclosure: When you buy through our links, we may get a commission at zero cost to you.

• We have used our own experience to compile a list of the best free and paid plugins for mixing. Now you have a reference that will save time and let you get back to work. A sick mix is the difference between a recording that really slaps and one that leaves listeners feeling flat.
• . The 25 best VST/AU plugin synths in the world right now. The best drum machine VST plugins 2020: beatmaking software for your DAW We’ve been careful to encompass all price points, and as diverse a spectrum of form and function as possible. So there should be at least one model in our collection to suit your needs and budget.

The 6 Best Ring Modulator VST Plugins in 2020 KiloHearts, Melda; 29 Best Sound Design Plugins; 17 Best Free EQ Plugins; The 15 Best Delay Plugins For Mixing (VST, AU, AAX) 10 Best Noise Gate Plugins (VST,AU, AAX) 37 Best Free Compressor Plugins For Mixing & Mastering Check the links below and download compressor ins for FREE: 1.

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…

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!

Possible Harmony Options:

Harmony	Info
2nd	Dissonant harmonies
3rd	The Typical Major/minor Chord Harmony
4th	The same as the +5 semitones setting except a few notes are flat.
5th	The Same as The +7 Semitones Setting Except the Last Note of The Major Scale Is Flat Making It “diminished”.
6th	A nice-sounding alternative to typical harmony intervals.
7th	Dissonant 7th Chord Sounds.

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.

The Best Vst Plugins For Mixing Vocals

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!

Article Content

Getting the vocals right in a mix is kind of everything. Even if everything else isn’t perfect, if you nail the vocals, you’re still doing ok and the artist will be reasonably happy. On the other hand, even if everything else is perfect, but the vocals are a touch off, it’s going to stick out like a sore thumb and you might lose the gig. Of course, we strive to get everything right — I’m just stressing the point that vocals are the one element you have to absolutely nail.

My approach to vocals changes based on genre, based on what sound I want — and I experiment with plugins and gear all the time. But there are some plugins I keep coming back to that one would see in a lot of my mixes.

1. FabFilter Pro-DS

FabFilter Pro-DS is easily my go-to de-esser.

For a long time, I was actually automating sibilance by hand because I didn’t like the graininess that I got from all the de-essers I tried. FabFilter Pro-DS in wideband mode is as good as automating by hand.

The split band also sounds great and works well on taming harsh tones that can show up around 3 kHz, not just sibilant tones higher up.

2. SoundToys EchoBoy

I spend an inordinate amount of time designing my ambiences, particularly on vocals. It’s not uncommon for me to have three to five delay throws that I automate between throughout a record. EchoBoy gives me the versatility to create a number of delays — from subtle ambience around the vocals to overt effects.

I can do very tight delays for rap vocals, smeared “pa system” delays for rock vocals or highly diffused and spread delays for pop. Basically, I feel like I don’t have many limitations outside of my own creativity.

3. Klanghelm MJUC

I’ve tried a lot of different compressors for vocals, and while there’s a number of hardware pieces I love, I haven’t found too many in the software world. Oddly enough, the one that I keep coming back to again and again is the Klanghelm MJUC, which is one of the least expensive options available.

It’s super versatile with a great tone. It’s transparent enough to not distinctly change the tone, but just colored enough to give the voice a little extra magic. I can’t imagine a genre where this compressor wouldn’t work. And even if I were using some of my very expensive outboard, I would still likely be using this compressor as a parallel return.

4. Waves MV2

There’s usually a point in my mix where I love my vocal sound, but I just want it to be a touch fuller and a hair more forward. This is where Waves MV2 is my finisher. The Waves MV2 has a “low level” limiter which does something really interesting.

Instead of taking level above a threshold and attenuating, it takes level below the threshold and turns it up, keeping the louder signal exactly where it is. This effectively brings the vocal forward without actually turning it up louder. Even setting the low level up to just 2 or 3 adds a distinct amount of body to a vocal.

5. Avid Lo-Fi

Surprisingly enough, the stock Avid Lo-Fi plugin makes this list. Sometimes a vocal comes in too clean to really stand out in the right way. I use very subtle amounts of Lo-Fi to add grit to a vocal or shift the tone ever so slightly darker.

A very common use is for vocals that have a boxy low-mid. I want to get rid of the boxiness so I EQ out the cruddy low-mid, but then I’m missing body in the vocal. I use Lo-Fi to bring some of that body back. Sometimes a touch of distortion also helps the ear find a sound in the mix, so it’s also a good tool for getting a bit of presence in the vocal without having to make EQ changes.

6. Lexicon Vintage Plate

Best Vst Plugins For Mixer

This one is close. I use a lot of different reverbs for a lot of different vocals for a lot of different reasons. And most commonly, I use my hardware Bricasti, but if I had to pick only one reverb to have for vocals in the box, I’d go with the Lexicon PCM Vintage Plate. With this reverb, I don’t believe I’d ever run into a vocal that I couldn’t make sound incredible.

7. Boz Digital Hoser XT

There’s a number of EQs I use on vocals. I use the FabFilter Pro-Q 2 for surgical stuff pretty often. I use Waves Q10 for background vocals very frequently. But if I had to pick one that I use more than anything else, it’s probably the Boz Digital Hoser XT. It’s punchy like SSL-style EQs, but a broader band like API-style EQs, which kind of makes it the perfect vocal EQ in my book.

If the vocal is recorded fairly flat, I love pulling in a bit of “larger than life” smile curve with the broad low and high shelf and then tightening things up by getting rid of any boxy or harsh tone using the two bell bands. It’s a process I do very often.

The Best Vst Plugins For Mixing Software

8. Wavesfactory Spectre

I have a lot of techniques for making a vocal sound rich in a certain frequency range. I will use parallel processing — either band-limited compression or saturation — that targets that range. It’s a bit of a process to set up and it’s a little tricky to dial things in just right. Getting a vocal to sound rich is even trickier when the vocal was not tracked in the best way possible. However, Wavesfactory Spectre has made this process much easier. Spectre works like an EQ but instead of boosting frequency content it boosts harmonic energy at a target frequency. This is exceptionally useful when it comes to getting vocals to sound full in the lower mids.

Turn the playback level very low with the entire mix going. Listen to the vocals. If they sound thin or diminished in any particular frequency range, grab Spectre. Set the “Mix” to 100%, and dial in just enough of that frequency range to make the vocals stand over the record. Then turn the “Mix” down to a lower percentage until the vocal seems to glue itself back into the track again. I find a little bit goes a long way. A dB or two boost at 30 to 50% is usually plenty. Experiment with the distortion algorithms — I find myself going to “Warm Tube” very often. And set the Quality to “Best.” Instant rich vocal.

Best Free Vst Plugins For Mixing

Bonus: PSP B-Scanner

A lot of Pop and R&B vocals benefit from a bit of chorusing/modulation. It gives them some tonal movement, texture and a sense of spread. My favorite choice for this process is the PSP B-Scanner, and I don’t believe this is at all what PSP intended for the plugin. But damn if it doesn’t sound sexy tucked under a vocal 12dB down.

Now, I didn’t list this in the primary seven because I don’t believe this plugin would work well for Rap or Heavy Rock. I can’t exactly call this one a “favorite” for everything, but I had to at least mention it.

If I had nothing other than these plugins listed, I don’t believe I’d have any restriction in mixing any vocal, from Top 40 Pop to grimy Punk-Rock. I’d be happy as a pumpkin in a pumpkin patch, and I’m pretty sure that’s not even a real expression.

Mixing Vocals Tutorials

How to Creatively Deal with Comb Filtering on Vocals

Getting the vocals right in a mix is kind of everything. Even if everything else isn't perfect, if you nail the vocals, you're still doing ok and the artist will be reasonably happy. On the other hand, even if everything else is perfect, but the vocals are a touch off, it's going to stick out like a

FREE Masterclass: Low-End Mixing Secrets

Downloaded Over 19,455 times!

Discover how to make your kick and bass hit hard by cutting (NOT boosting) the right frequencies! Plus, more counterintuitive ways to get fuller yet controlled low-end in your mix. Download this 40-minute workshop by Matthew Weiss, now for FREE!