To unmask the vocal, I'm going to use inter-plugin communication to create a pocket, a space for the vocal, so that it can be more intelligible. Now that my vocal is in a really good spot, I want to unmask it and help it pop even further in the context of this mix. So when I hit the 'S' button, I only hear the reverb here and not the effect of the compressor, de-esser, or other EQ.

Pro tip: Hit the solo button in Nectar 3 to bypass all other modules to hone in and get a very specific sound in that module. The last thing that Vocal Assistant did was set up a reverb in a really nice post EQ, which protects some of the input signal from reverb so that things don't get drowned out. You can use this trace meter to monitor the response times, attack and release phases, and gain reduction applied over time. The yellow trace line indicates the gain reduction applied by the compressor. This is the signal before compression, but when the signal is being compressed, we see gain reduction applied to the output signal displayed in light gray. The uncompressed input signal waveform is displayed in dark gray. The other thing that Vocal Assistant did was set a compressor with this beautiful gain trace, pushing down and controlling the dynamic range of this vocal and really keeping up with Kyle as he spits bars. To make sure that we're actually de-essing what we want to be de-essing, we can isolate just what the module is hearing by pressing the ear icon, which is a great way to check the work of Vocal Assistant. The next bit of housekeeping happens in a De-esser. From here, we can go even further and actually set these nodes to EQ follow by clicking on the node to open the HUD and pressing 'Freq.' The EQ then attaches itself to one of the harmonics and follows it wherever it goes, which gives you transparent reduction of harshness or sourness wherever Vocal Assistant found it in the spectrum. It heard these areas as being important or interesting, and placed a node on the EQ. Vocal Assistant also set the tonal balance by noting areas of sonic importance with EQ nodes. This means no hand-drawn automation, and no fader riding.

The first thing Vocal Assistant did was listen to the input and set the Auto Level Mode, which rides your gain for you to make sure that you have a consistent level throughout the entire performance.

Let's go through what Vocal Assistant did to our example vocal to take care of the housekeeping and add coloration to get us started.

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