Anyone use Wave's "Vocal Rider"?

[VanderBoegh]

Been thinking about getting the Vocal Rider plugin by Waves. It's on sale right now for $99 or something like that.

Seems like it might save a lot of time on vocal volume automation (such a tedious process since I have to do it all by mouse... I don't have a fader I can ride). But I'm skeptical as to how accurate it would be. If it still requires a lot of cleanup work after it runs its analysis, then it might not save much time after all.

Anyone use it? Or heard any reviews about it?

~~Matt

[andygabrys]

Yes I use it. It works well.

It's a deep process though, because you can use it pre or post compression, and if you are compressing a vocal anyways then you might not consider it THAT useful.

But if it's on for $29 it's a nice deal

[orest]

I use it first in my chain, after that I add Izotope Nectar. Works great!

[WeWillWriteUaSong]

I also use it from time to time. Sometimes I forget I have it and how useful it can be. Writing auto with it is a breeze and usually only a couple tweaks. Great price. Definitely worth it.

[andygabrys]

vocal volume automation (such a tedious process since I have to do it all by mouse... I don't have a fader I can ride). But I'm skeptical as to how accurate it would be. If it still requires a lot of cleanup work after it runs its analysis, then it might not save much time after all.

you can run it in automatic mode, or actually have it write the automation and then touch it up. They both work fine. accuracy depends on whether you key the side chain to the mix and how you set the sensitivity and whether you use fast or slow modes. A compressor is going be to faster acting than vocal rider - if you write the automation you can see the curve lag behind the syllables.

And your vocalist - cleaning up esses and such is still an issue.

I think at this point good subtractive eq and multiple stages of light compression are as effective (let's say 95% of the way there). Same thing with Bass rider. But they are fun to play with.

In the grand scheme - Faderport is http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ ... aQod63EPkw $130.

[andygabrys]

I also use it from time to time. Sometimes I forget I have it and how useful it can be. Writing auto with it is a breeze and usually only a couple tweaks. Great price. Definitely worth it.

can also be used on other lead instruments to nice effect.

[VanderBoegh]

Cool, I'm sold. A hundred bucks, on sale from $250 for the next 11 hours or so. I usually rely on compressors to get me most of the way to a nice level vocal, but still manually draw in automations (only adding up to 2.5 db's or so) in quiet parts, and sometimes only 1 db just to make sure everything is level. So even with compression, it's still taking me extra time to click, click, click, click, click....

Funny thing, Andy, that manual single fader was actually what I'd planned on getting. But then I saw this sale and figured I'd ask around. After watching the tutorial on the Waves website, it looks even easier and seems to be much more fine-tuned than my itchy trigger finger, haha.

Thanks for the input, gents.

~~Matt

[lesmac]

I've been playing round with it first and last in the chain and prefer it last in the chain on the vocal bus after compressors.

Still doing level automation on the vocal audio track for problem esses and level rides vocal rider can't handle.

Read mode after write is good for freeing up resources too when you're happy with it all.

I like it.

Here's a vid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP_-wRE3A4c

[Len911]

https://www.meldaproduction.com/MAutoVolume

~$56

Regular price, half off if included in the eternal madness discount
"Every week we hand pick four plugins you can get for half the usual price!"

[lesmac]

Those meld plugins look pretty good and good value too. Wish I new about them when I was cashed up and carefree.