My only point here is that these type of "it depends" answers help NO ONE! They are not insightful in the least so, why bother with them? They only make a point that no one (except for those who already agree) is listening to anyway. Why waste everyone's time? Boredom and a petty need to irritate others are the only acceptable (albeit valid) answers.
Another resurected thread OK I'll get in to the fray
It depends answers are designed to make you realise that it depends and you actually need to think about this sh!t and that above anyhting else will help you to get better mixes.
I don't wish to be condsending or uninsightful but really
Is it helpful or insightful to tell someone to cut at 250hz and boost at 3.5khz every time on every vocal. Set the compressor to Threshold - 10, attack 2ms release 100ms every time and always use a waves channel strip
will that sound the same on a bass voice, a tenor a soprano?
those compression settings will sound different on different compressor emulations some are more agressive some are more transparent some are more colored and will efect every voice differently.
Those EQ settings will sound different on different plugs, heck they will even sound different on different emulations of the same gear. SSL 4k emulation sounds different in the waves version than the UAD version then
the SSL Duende version of the emulation. And all of it will ound very different if you recorded on a darker Dynamic mic vs A more airy hyped condenser
Is it really so hard to sweep the frequencies with an EQ to see what it actually does to your sound. Are the vast majority of people to incapable of adding a compressor plug and messing with the settings from everything turned all the way up and then backing it back down to see what compression actually does to the sound and if it is what you want? Virtually all VSTs are available for a free trial even the expensive ones, why is it so hard to download a trial and see if it makes any difference for your particualr needs rather than asking people you don't know, who have never heard your music what the best thing to do is.
Maybe just too lazy?
Even on the same voice in a different song you can't bank on using the same settings even if you are using the same recording chain and plugs because to get it to fit to the song you may need to emphasize/de-emphasize different things so a knowledge of what your plugs actually do to change the recorded tracks is critical and although harder than calling up the same preset each time, ultimately far more rewarding
I would guess about 80% or more of the vocals you hear on the radio have an 1176 or LA2A, a nice plate reverb, a Lexicon Random Hall of some sort (usually a medium hall), and Eventide Harmonizing. It is "THE SOUND
Oh and also I have been in 4 different recording studios in the last couple of years and none of them used the same gear and none of them did things because that's what they always do. Each session was treated uniquely and the gear selected from their available range was in the attempt to get the best result for the individual band they were recording. One guy thought an 1176 on the way in was the way to go another used ab LA2A and 2 felt it wasn't necesseray for that session and could be done In The Box later if needed. I saw a couple of guys using SSL desks, Another an Allen Heath and I think the fourth was a NEVE and the difference in mic choices was off the chart so to hear that 80% of records were recorded the same way on identical gear was a surprise to me and I'm sure would be a surprise to the producers artists and engineers too
So Iguess my advise FWIW is
If you want to get toward a pro sound you need to do what the pros do. Start each session with a clear idea of what you want and use what ever you need to get it and don't use what you don't need (Does every vocal need to be compressed, does every vocal need a low cut etc)
If you don't care how your music ends up sounding stick a pin in a list of channel strip plugins stick it on every vocal track and select the vox preset that it shipped with
I apologize for being vapid and uninsightful in advance