fixing vocals

Antares Autotune is the best thing on the market right now. They just released an RTAS version for OSX/PTLE 6. Kind of spendy, but very helpful. But frankly, there's no substitute for recording it again and again. I'm working with 4 different singers right now, and only one of them is willing to do multiple takes (yesterday 40+) on one verse to get it exactly right - feeling, pitch and tone. She's going somewhere. Aspian

If I knew more specifically what to address that you're wanting to "fix", that would help. But,I have had Auto Tune save the day many of times. Of course the perfect take is the best scenario, but many times a young artist starts to get frustrated and feeling a bit inferior because of so many takes. That's when I work to get the best possible take and thank God for Auto Tune to do the rest. The right compression on vocals for the pop/r&b style of music I produce is a must. I compress going to tape(disc), and I usually add a little more with a plug-in at mixdown. I like "in your face" vocals a lot of times and like to control the dynamics enough to make them sit on top of the mix. Try adding some 5k E.Q. boost if your vocal is lacking presence or brightness. Sometimes a slight cut at around 1k at a narrow bandwidth can get rid of some ugliness. Cut muddiness in the low mids, but be don't sacrifice the richness and warmth. I usually have everything rolled off at about 75 to 80 Hz on the lows with vocals. Experiment and Tweak it! Hope this helps....

Thank you for all the good tips! Some what it got philosophical... I will try some of EQ tips, too. Any tips on applying reverve on vocals?

"Antares Autotune is the best thing on the market right now." Its also the worst thing for music-as-enjoyable listening fodder right now. I tend toward pessimism. What can I say?