Chris Liepe has released Vocal Menace – an all-in-one vocal effects processing plugin.
Chris Liepe is a vocalist and educator whose videos have amassed tens of millions of views on YouTube. As well as his YouTube channel, online courses, and private tuition, you can hear Chris Liepe’s voice on many commercial projects, from theme songs to advertising jingles.
Chris has released a free plugin for macOS and Windows (mobile versions coming soon) to help vocalists of all levels get the best out of their practice and recording sessions.
Vocal Menace is an all-in-one plugin that simplifies vocal processing to generate professional results quickly without needing advanced technical know-how.
Some things take more than a single plugin, and with that in mind, there’s just over a week left on the $1 SampleTank 4 deal at Humble Bundles (the offer ends on October 9th, 2024).
Chris has an extremely versatile voice, and despite the gleefully happy tone of typical radio jingles, he has a passion for aggressive and screaming vocals.
If you’re also a fan of that sound, you can give your voice a not-so-subtle nudge with the first few controls. The Heat control sets the threshold of the compressor/limiter and can bring real intensity to your vocal.
The Drive knob adds saturation to the compressed signal, which, when pushed, creates that gritty texture you want for a sustained scream vocal.
Of course, it’s not just about screaming vocals; the Heat and Drive effects can be subtle, and it’s common for producers to add some dirt to pristine pop vocals, too.
Vocal Menace shines in the middle ground, and I can see it being very useful for vocalists who regularly transition from slightly gritty melodic pop-rock tones to aggressive rhythmic screams, like Bullet For My Valentine, perhaps.
The first of the lower controls is Sheen; Sheen adds presence and air after compression and goes a long way toward maintaining clarity with more aggressive vocals.
Girth adds warmth and depth; it’s fairly subtle for the most part but helps avoid unwanted harshness at times.
The Cup function, excited lo-fi band limiting post compression, isn’t so subtle; it creates a distinct sound.
The last three controls focus on reverb and delay. Wash adjusts the reverb length and volume, Call adjusts the delay feedback, and Pain adds sidechain compression to the reverb/delay signal.
The delay is very interesting; it’s automatically tempo-synced to your DAW and adds so much width.
Vocal Menace is a versatile freebie you can download instantly after creating a free account at MyMusicalVoice. There are also two paid options:
$20 – help support future releases.
$40 – support future releases and participate in Vocal Menace recording workshops.
The plugin functions fully, whether paid or free.
Download: Vocal Menace (FREE – MyMusicalVoice account needed)
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