Waves Silk Vocal

Description

Take Your Vocals from Raw to Pro – In No Time.

Take your vocals from raw to pro, in no time. With 2000 analysis bands, Silk Vocal targets problematic resonances and balances your vocal tracks. Tell the plugin where to focus, the smart engine will do the work

Mixing vocals is challenging, and every vocal is different. Resonant frequencies, boominess, harshness & sibilance prevent vocals from sitting in the mix, and removing them sensitively requires time, precision and accurate monitoring.

Accelerate your vocal mixing. Start working with Silk.

Employing innovative technology, Silk automatically detects resonances across 2000 analysis bands. Its smart vocal engine decides where and when processing should occur— you decide how much. Try it, see how fast you mix vocals.

A New Approach to Mixing Vocals

Imagine having up to 2000 analysis bands listening to your vocal in real time, and only processing when necessary. The guesswork of mixing is prevented, and your vocal can be trusted to translate across listening devices.

Silk is like power-steering your way to the finish line of the mix. Intelligently speed past the technicalities and you’ll be less fatigued when you make creative mix decisions.

Low

This knob tightens the boomy, muddy and inflated low end that vocals often have due to proximity effect & room issues when recording.

Using Silk’s smart processing for this purpose – rather than a regular or dynamic EQ – will ensure the natural warmth of the vocal stays intact.

Mid

The midrange is the most critical area in the vocal to get right in mixing. Simply turn the knob for smart processing to take place.

You’ll hear a reduction in harshness and bite without losing the voice’s character.You can adjust the mid-range processing with the assistance of two automatable handles that let you focus the frequency range for much more accurate processing.

High

Some vocal recordings contain Sibilance, which are those distracting ‘s’, ‘sh’ or ‘t’ sounds jumping out aggressively. Other times, you’re dealing with a smeared and overly resonant treble sound in the super-high frequencies.

Toggle between Sibilance and High processing to see which gives you the smoothest & most balanced top end. Tip: Use solo and delta to hear what’s being reduced.

Dynamics

The dynamics section features the most musical single-dial compression possible.

Once you’ve tonally balanced your vocals with the smart EQ, a few dB of compression helps to keep them tight, upfront and consistent.The link handle applies output gain compensation to the compression, which prevents the addition of unwanted level.

Auto Makeup Gain

The default setting of the plugin is with auto makeup gain on, which means the smart EQ reduction is continuously and adaptively compensated with a level increase. You have the option of turning this off and setting your own levels.

Advanced Settings

HPF is a high-pass filter at 60 Hz, which filters out sub frequencies from the vocal.

Speed adjusts the envelope of the smart EQ processing. It is a fixed attack-release ratio, and depending on the vocal you may choose faster or slower processing.Precision adjusts the sharpness of the Q in each of the processing bands. Choose lower values for more surgical processing, and higher values for smoother results.Gate can be used in a traditional manner to eliminate unwanted noises between vocal passages.Mix knob allows you to blend the entire Silk processing between 0% and 100%.

Silk Vocal Live

When you purchase Silk Vocal you also get Silk Vocal Live – a real time version of the same plugin. It operates like the original but utilizes minimum phase curves rather than linear phase and thus, it has a much lower latency.

This means you can record with Silk Vocal Live, monitoring exactly how the plugin sounds on your voice in real time. Of course, this version will also benefit live engineers, and is SoundGrid compatible.

Top Features

1. 2000-band smart EQ engine analyzes and processes vocals in real time

2. Auto-detects and reduces boominess, harshness, and sibilance with precision

3. Single-dial dynamics control delivers musical transparent compression

4. Separate low, mid, and high processing sections with smart targeting

5. Midrange focus handles allow for adjustable automatable tuning

6. Toggleable sibilance/high-frequency mode for surgical top-end control

7. Delta, band solo, and bypass functions for real-time A/B clarity

8. Advanced controls: HPF, gate, mix knob, speed, precision (Q), and more

9. Auto makeup gain compensates output level dynamically

10. Includes Silk Vocal Live for ultra-low latency recording and live use

Additional Features

Smart EQ & dynamics processor for vocals

Remove boominess, harshness and sibilance from vocals

Includes license for Silk Vocal Live a real-time version

Male voice & female voice modes

Includes High Pass Filter, Gate, Mix, band solo, band bypass, Delta, Speed & Precision controls

Raw vocals to balanced & mixed vocals in no time

Accelerate your vocal mixing & remove guesswork

Seamless & musical dynamics control

Linear phase processing curves

Adjustable midrange tuning for more focused processing

Why You Need Waves Silk Vocal

Waves Silk Vocal was created to streamline and elevate the vocal mixing process, addressing the common challenges faced by producers, engineers, and vocalists in both studio and live environments. Traditional EQ and dynamic processing often require deep technical knowledge and time-consuming manual adjustments to tame boominess, harshness, and sibilance while preserving the character of a performance. Silk Vocal was developed as a smart, intuitive solution that automates much of this process with real-time, 2000-band analysis. Its goal is to provide fast, transparent, and professional-sounding vocal results without the steep learning curve, making high-quality vocal production accessible to a wider range of users—from seasoned mix engineers to home studio artists.

Who This is For

Waves Silk Vocal is designed for a diverse yet specific audience that values speed, precision, and quality in vocal production. Its primary market includes mix engineers working in vocal-heavy genres like pop, R&B, and hip-hop, where polished vocals are critical. It also caters to home studio producers who want professional results without in-depth technical knowledge, live sound engineers needing reliable and transparent vocal processing, and vocalists or singer-songwriters aiming to achieve polished tracks without hiring a professional mixer. Additionally, voiceover artists and podcasters benefit from its quick cleanup capabilities, ensuring clear, intelligible vocal presence with minimal effort.

What This Package Competes With

Silk Vocal competes with several prominent vocal processing tools, including iZotope Nectar 4, FabFilter Pro-Q 4, and Waves Clarity Vx Pro. While Nectar 4 offers a full suite of vocal effects including pitch correction and harmony, it is more complex and resource-intensive, making it less ideal for fast workflows. FabFilter Pro-Q 4 excels in surgical EQ but lacks vocal-specific features or automation. Clarity Vx Pro specializes in noise reduction but doesn’t handle tonal shaping or dynamic control. In contrast, Silk Vocal focuses specifically on vocal tone and dynamics, combining precision with simplicity. It stands out by offering smart detection that only processes problem areas, a feature none of the competitors match. With its real-time analysis, low-latency live mode, and simple interface, Silk Vocal delivers professional polish faster and more efficiently than broader, more cumbersome alternatives.

Waves Silk Vocal System Requirements

Mac

Cpu: Intel or Silicon Architecture
Ram: 8
Disk: 0
Version: macOS Catalina 10.15, Big Sur 11, Monterey 12, Ventura 13, Sonoma 14
Internet_required: No
Support: 64_bit
Plugins: VST-3, AU, AAX

Windows

Cpu: X64 compatible Intel or AMD CPU
Ram: 8
Disk: 0
Version: Windows 10 64 bit Windows 11
Internet_required: No
Support: 64_bit
Plugins: VST-3, AAX

Waves Silk Vocal Demo Video