Sweetening vox without tuning?

Check out this song by Foxes in Fiction. The vocals are rough (to be kind). But instead of tuning them the producer seems to have used other instruments and vocal dubs to reinforce the vocal and give it a more pleasant sound. Or am I imagining that? Maybe there is some subtle tuning going on?

Wondering if you guys have creative tricks for sweetening difficult vocals like this. Usually I go straight to tuning but that introduces its own problems.

YouTube

Sounds to me like whomever mixed it did what he could to make it listenable. I personally would have gone for some vocal pitch correction. But who is to say that wasn't already done? Maybe the performance was so bad that the tuned result was so bad that it wasn't worth putting up front. Or maybe just this is the sound the artist wanted? No way to really know.

I have recorded a song where the vocalist could not sing at all-and she knew it. But it was for her recently passed grandmothers funeral. So did what I had to do with multiple takes to get close. Then Melodyned the crap out of it....
 
You can try something like this: ProVocative | Boz Digital Labs
It was on sale for $19 a few weeks ago, so I grabbed it.
There are other similar apps that do the pitch shift/doubling.

I tried it on a vocal track in a current mix...and initially I thought it was cool, and I played around with the amount to make it real subtle...but then the next day when I was listening to the vocals, the FX was more annoying than beneficial. I removed it from the vocal track.
It might come in handy at some point...but not something I will use too often.

TBH...that stuff is OK...sometimes...but it's not going to always cover up dissonant vocals.
Also, the more you apply it, the more "fake" your vocal sounds, IMO.
 
You can try something like this: ProVocative | Boz Digital Labs
It was on sale for $19 a few weeks ago, so I grabbed it.
There are other similar apps that do the pitch shift/doubling.

I tried it on a vocal track in a current mix...and initially I thought it was cool, and I played around with the amount to make it real subtle...but then the next day when I was listening to the vocals, the FX was more annoying than beneficial. I removed it from the vocal track.
It might come in handy at some point...but not something I will use too often.

TBH...that stuff is OK...sometimes...but it's not going to always cover up dissonant vocals.
Also, the more you apply it, the more "fake" your vocal sounds, IMO.
I agree. That is why if I use this kind of trickery its as a "throw" to an aux that just evens out short bits unnoticeably. That said, going crazy for an effect can be fun if its part of the arrangement. Sometimes obvious is good, sometimes taking it "too far" is just right:thumbs up:
 
I agree. That is why if I use this kind of trickery its as a "throw" to an aux that just evens out short bits unnoticeably. That said, going crazy for an effect can be fun if its part of the arrangement. Sometimes obvious is good, sometimes taking it "too far" is just right:thumbs up:

Yeah...it comes down to how much "FX" are you going for VS more natural vocals (or anything).
It's all about mix context...AFA what works and what doesn't.
 
You can try something like this: ProVocative | Boz Digital Labs
It was on sale for $19 a few weeks ago, so I grabbed it.
There are other similar apps that do the pitch shift/doubling.

I tried it on a vocal track in a current mix...and initially I thought it was cool, and I played around with the amount to make it real subtle...but then the next day when I was listening to the vocals, the FX was more annoying than beneficial. I removed it from the vocal track.
It might come in handy at some point...but not something I will use too often.

TBH...that stuff is OK...sometimes...but it's not going to always cover up dissonant vocals.
Also, the more you apply it, the more "fake" your vocal sounds, IMO.

I have used a couple Boz plugins. 'Imperial Delay' is one of them. Like you Miro I thought the overboard effect was cool. But since using it one of my projects won't even load correctly. Corrupt file. I have to load a different project first and then open the one with this on it to get Cubase to open the project.

Even though the effect was cool on one song, the VST seems to have something wrong with it's programming.

I cant say for sure it was this plug and I do not wish to in anyway talk shit about the Boz products, but I do not use them anymore. Could have been a Cubase or Windows thing. I don't know for sure. But those plugs are now deleted. No issues since.
 
Not to mention, all the digital processing ITB adds up. The artifacts, the nastiness. The more you do the worse it sounds. So much better to work on getting it right at the source.
 
But since using it one of my projects won't even load correctly. Corrupt file. I have to load a different project first and then open the one with this on it to get Cubase to open the project.

You use reaper, right? There's a way to load a project with all FX disabled, which 90% of the time will fix such issues.

Or you can edit the project file in a text editor if you wanna get real hardcore!
 
I have used a couple Boz plugins. 'Imperial Delay' is one of them. Like you Miro I thought the overboard effect was cool. But since using it one of my projects won't even load correctly. Corrupt file. I have to load a different project first and then open the one with this on it to get Cubase to open the project.

Even though the effect was cool on one song, the VST seems to have something wrong with it's programming.

I cant say for sure it was this plug and I do not wish to in anyway talk shit about the Boz products, but I do not use them anymore. Could have been a Cubase or Windows thing. I don't know for sure. But those plugs are now deleted. No issues since.

I have a handful of Boz plugs...and I've not had any functionality issues, with them that I was aware of, though TBH, I don't reach for them with any regularity to notice any functionality issues. The Provocative plug I mentioned above was simply not giving me a sound I was liking on the vocal track...I just didn't like what it did to it even when I throttled it back a lot...but I think that happens with other stuff too...you add some reverb or what have you, and it sounds pretty good, then you come back the next day and it's like WTF was I thinking. :p
 
You use reaper, right? There's a way to load a project with all FX disabled, which 90% of the time will fix such issues.

Or you can edit the project file in a text editor if you wanna get real hardcore!

Naw, I use Cubese. No such option.

But thanks! :)
 
I have a handful of Boz plugs...and I've not had any functionality issues, with them that I was aware of, though TBH, I don't reach for them with any regularity to notice any functionality issues. The Provocative plug I mentioned above was simply not giving me a sound I was liking on the vocal track...I just didn't like what it did to it even when I throttled it back a lot...but I think that happens with other stuff too...you add some reverb or what have you, and it sounds pretty good, then you come back the next day and it's like WTF was I thinking. :p

Yeah, that happens a bunch for me as well. Get all exited about something then the next day with fresh ears....wonder why did I do that? lol
 
I have a handful of Boz plugs...and I've not had any functionality issues, with them that I was aware of, though TBH, I don't reach for them with any regularity to notice any functionality issues. The Provocative plug I mentioned above was simply not giving me a sound I was liking on the vocal track...I just didn't like what it did to it even when I throttled it back a lot...but I think that happens with other stuff too...you add some reverb or what have you, and it sounds pretty good, then you come back the next day and it's like WTF was I thinking. :p

I think I have the sound toys version of this effect. I like to use it to give a little width to a mono source. It does get weird at 100% mix though.
 
Back
Top