Quote:

To carry on the gospel analogy, I remain a TC Helicon agnostic. To me, it always sounds kind of tinny and artificial.






using the same analogy, this is one of those topics that people tend to pursue with religious fervor (or not)

All gear has its limitations in terms of what it can do to improve a performance. If the performance sucks, most gear won't fix it. But, used correctly, it can often make dramatic improvements. Vocal processors are perhaps the most difficult of musical gear to "dial in". Vocals naturally have a lot of variation. Too much variation makes the listener uncomfortable. Too much symmetry sounds canned.

The goal is to find the sweet spot where music does not sound artificially perfect, but it also doesn't sound notably flawed. Just as it is difficult to learn how to compress, EQ and mix music, it is foolish not to endure that learning curve, because the end results are so much better.

Likewise, it is a hassle to learn how to use vocal processing to achieve a natural and pleasing result, but the end result, once you know how to do it, is highly desirable.

I have noticed that a growing trend in pop music is the unabashed use of vocal processing, where the vocals are treated as an instrument, and purposefully contrived to sound mechanical and synthesized. To do this is a highly artistic and personal choice, and not everyone likes the way it sounds. But, suffice to say, it appears to be a growing trend, especially in the cutting edge genres.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ey71h8ep047758h/AAC12jNM0Hz9Q8zsh5iDeqNHa?dl=0