advice needed for vocal tracking and mixing with hardware audio leveler AND plugins

banjo71

New member
I recently purchased a GAP COMP-3A Audio Leveler to track vocals here in my home studio. I like the way it can be used to slightly compress vocals especially on the way into the DAW. I have a father/daughter duo coming in to record, and this will be the first time I use it, other than the testing I've done myself. If I was recording dry and bypassing this unit, my dynamic plugins would be a CLA-76 with quick attack and release, in series with a CLA-2A plugin. But if I use the hardware COMP-3A, I'm going to try using it sparingly, maybe max of 3dB gain reduction on vocals on the way in.. I'll still use the CLA-76 to cut the peaks quickly, and follow that by the CLA-2A. My thoughts are that the first plugin, the CLA-76, won't have to work as hard, which will make the second plugin also not have to work as hard.

Of course, I'll listen to the vocals without any vocal compressor plugins added. I may be ok with that. Or I may be ok with the first plugin and not use the second one. I don't know yet, we'll see.

What kind of dynamic plugins do you guys use for vocals IF you're already using some compression on the way into the DAW?
 
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