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Have you been on the hunt for a killer harmonizer plugin to add lush vocal layers and harmonies to your tracks? The good news is, 2023 is shaping up to be an amazing year for vocal processing tools. There are some incredibly innovative harmonizer plugins hitting the market from companies like Eventide, Soundtoys, and newcomer Quadravox that will blow your mind.

In this roundup, we’re going to take a look at the top 5 vocal harmonizer plugins that dropped this year, from budget-friendly options to high-end professional gear. Whether you’re looking to recreate classic vocal sounds from the 50s or push the boundaries of vocal manipulation in new directions, one of these plugins is sure to be exactly what your tracks have been missing. Read on to find out which new harmonizer is the perfect match for your style and budget. The future of vocal production is here!

Eventide Quadravox: The Next Generation of Pitch-Shifting Harmonizers

The latest generation of pitch-shifting harmonizers has arrived, and Quadravox is leading the pack. This innovative plugin gives you four voices of pitch shifting, harmonizing, and layering in a single easy-to-use interface.

Quadravox makes it simple to get lush vocal harmonies, thick guitar chords, and massive synth pads. With adjustable pitch, timing, panning, and level for each voice, you have total control over the harmonies. Quadravox’s intelligent pitch shifting algorithm ensures that harmonies are musically correct.

One of Quadravox’s best features is its chord mode. Select a key and chord, and Quadravox will generate up to four harmonizing voices. Strum a guitar or play a chord on keys, and Quadravox creates beautiful, shimmering harmonies. Chord mode is a fast, hands-free way to get full, rich chords.

For lead vocals or guitar, use Quadravox’s scale mode. Choose from major, minor, or a long list of other scales. Quadravox will generate harmonies that follow the scale degrees you select. Want a 3rd above and 5th below? No problem. Scale mode makes intelligent, musical harmonies a snap.

With an uncluttered interface, presets to get you started, and unlimited tweakability, Quadravox is an inspiring tool for creating luscious harmonies. Chord mode and scale mode open up new creative possibilities. At an affordable price, Quadravox delivers professional vocal and instrument harmonies that will make your tracks shine.

During the month of June, all new and existing Loopcloud subscribers can get a free copy of Quadravox when registering, or by accessing their 'my account page.

Antares Harmony Engine: Powerful Vocal Harmonizing

The Antares Harmony Engine is one of the most popular vocal harmonizer plugins. It's a comprehensive tool for creating vocal harmonies and offers advanced features for manipulating and arranging vocals.

Harmony Engine gives you options to generate harmonies based on the input of MIDI chord data or by detecting the pitch of an audio signal. You can then manipulate the generated harmonies by adjusting parameters like harmony interval, scale, key, and chord inversion. The plugin includes a variety of scale and chord presets to get you started.

Some of the highlights of Harmony Engine include:

• Up to 8 harmony voices with independent control of each voice
• Select from multiple harmony-generating modes including MIDI chord analysis, pitch detection, and manual setting of harmony notes
• A variety of scale, chord, and inversion presets with options to create your own
• Formant and pitch correction for natural-sounding harmonies
• Pan, delay, reverb and level control for each harmony voice
• Global controls for mixing and humanizing harmonies
• Compatible with a wide range of DAWs and formats

Whether you want to create simple backing harmonies or complex vocal arrangements, Harmony Engine gives you the flexibility and power to craft stunning harmonized vocals. For vocalists and producers looking for an all-in-one vocal harmonizer solution, Antares Harmony Engine should be at the top of your list.

Melodyne: The Ultimate Pitch Manipulation Tool

Melodyne is the industry standard for pitch correction and manipulation. It’s used by producers, mix engineers and musicians alike to tweak vocals and instrument recordings. If you’re looking for a harmonizer plugin to create unnatural vocal effects, Melodyne should be at the top of your list.

Melodyne works by analyzing recordings and displaying each note as blobs on a virtual keyboard. You can then manipulate the notes in several ways:

• Change the pitch of notes up or down by dragging the blobs. This allows you to perfectly tune any performance.
• Shift the formants (vocal characteristics) independently from the pitch. This means you can make a vocal sound younger or older while keeping the right notes.
• Create harmonies by copying notes and arranging them to your liking. Double up vocals, create call and response effects or build massive choirs.
• Change the timing of notes by dragging them left or right. You can tighten up sloppy performances or create rhythmic effects.
• Extract the melody, bassline or drums from polyphonic material like mixes or instrumentals. This allows you to isolate, rearrange and reuse parts of existing recordings.

While the Essential version gets you up and running for typical pitch correction, the Editor and Assistant versions provide more advanced features for manipulating pitch, rhythm, formants and dynamics. At around $99 to $579, Melodyne won’t break the bank and the learning curve isn’t too steep for beginners.

Whether you want to subtly tune a vocal, create a robotic voice effect or build massive vocal stacks, Melodyne delivers. For pitch manipulation and harmonization, nothing else comes close. Add this powerhouse plugin to your toolkit and open up a world of new creative possibilities.

Waves Doubler: Simple but Effective Harmonizer Plugin

The Waves Doubler is a straightforward harmonizer plugin that does one thing and does it well. It creates a doubled vocal effect by generating a pitch-shifted copy of the input signal. The copy is delayed and pitch-shifted up or down by a fixed musical interval you set. This can create a natural-sounding choir or vocal thickening effect.

The Doubler has just a few easy-to-use controls:

• Interval: Set the musical interval between the original and doubled signal. Choose minor 2nd up to a perfect 5th.
• Delay: Increase or decrease the time between the original and doubled signal. A shorter delay around 10-30ms works well for a subtle thickening effect. Longer delays of 50ms or more create a slapping echo effect.
• Mix: Dial in the amount of the delayed, pitch-shifted signal. Set to 50% for an even split between original and doubled or increase up to 100% doubled signal.
• Width: Make the doubled signal wider or narrower than the original. At 0%, the signals are centered. At 100% the doubled signal is panned hard left and right.
• Bypass: Enable or disable the doubling effect.

The Doubler is easy to use but effective. It adds fullness and depth to vocals and other audio sources. While it may lack some of the advanced features of other harmonizer plugins, for basic pitch-shifting and vocal thickening, the Waves Doubler gets the job done. At under $30, it’s also budget-friendly. For simple doubled vocals, the Waves Doubler could be the only harmonizer plugin you need.

If you're looking for a straightforward, affordable harmonizer to subtly enhance your vocals, the Waves Doubler should be on your list of contenders. Though basic, its pitch-shifting capabilities are natural-sounding and ideal for doubling effects. Used on lead or backing vocals, it can create a pleasing sense of fullness that complements the original signal.

Conclusion

So there you have it, a rundown of the hottest harmonizer plugins set to drop in 2023. Whether you're looking to add subtle pitch shifts and thickening to vocals or completely mangle and manipulate sounds into otherworldly textures, one of these powerhouses is sure to scratch that sonic itch. The future is bright for vocal processing, so keep your ears to the ground - who knows what crazy new plugins the next year may bring? For now, you've got an embarrassment of riches to choose from. Happy experimenting!