(This has been reposted from my LUN02 Medium Writing Account. If you would like to see everything with images, you can check it out for free here!)

I rarely come across music production tools that are as life-changing as the descriptions claim, but this plugin from Nuro Audio was one of the first tools I found that truly changed the very foundation of my life as I know it.

This is an in-depth look at Xvox Pro, a vocal mixing suite that can take your vocals from home recording to studio-ready in seconds.

(Disclaimer: I have not been paid to write this article, nor was I given a copy of this tool for free. I just personally, sincerely love this tool and want to share it with anyone who might benefit from it!)

The Struggle of Mixing Vocals

If you’re anything like me, the art of mixing vocals remains elusive. I’ve practiced and refined my skills in vocal production, but I still find it challenging to get my vocals to sit exactly how I want them.

Matching the type of compression, tone, and effects I hear in my favorite songs is an ongoing battle. Xvox Pro aims to fix that nearly instantaneously. (You can hear that in action here. If you want to hear some personal uses of this tool, respond to this article or send a message to natelu@lun02.com!)

This is accomplished through four main sections in the mixing suite:

Dynamics
Tone
Space
Sound Effects (SFX)

Dynamics: Controlling Your Vocal

This is one of the most valuable aspects of the entire tool. You'll find different compressor types at the top of the Dynamics section, such as Opto + Fet, VCA + Fet, and Tube + Fet. Below this, there’s a slider to adjust the gate, allowing you to control how much of the vocal is affected/allowed in. Underneath this section are two dials:

Dial 1 (Compression): Controls the amount of compression applied to the vocal.

As someone who’s constantly trying to master the mystical art of vocal compression, this simplifies my life tenfold. If you’re a beginner, you can adjust the slider left or right and trust your ears until you reach that golden sound.

Dial 2 (De-esser): Helps tame harsh sibilance (like “S” sounds), making your vocals smoother and more pleasant to listen to.

With one simple dial, you can easily adjust how many of those “s” sounds reach your ears. It does a great job of reducing harshness, and there’s even a bar underneath it to pinpoint the frequencies you need to focus on.

These two streamlined dials make it efficient to achieve a compressed sound while reducing harsh frequencies.

Tone: Shaping Your Vocal

The Tone section provides various tonal settings to choose from. The example shown in the interface highlights the Modern Tone, but you can select from four other tones depending on the sound you’re going for.

For producers who may not fully understand EQ techniques or just want a minimalistic approach, there are four main sliders:

Low — Controls warmth and bass in the vocal.
Mid — Adjusts the overall body and presence.
High — Affects clarity and crispiness.
Air — Adds space and openness, often heard in pop and EDM vocals.

Additionally, an extra slider at the bottom allows you to cut out lows or highs entirely. Instead of manually tweaking EQ points, these sliders let you dial in a polished tone with just a few quick adjustments.

Space: Expanding Your Vocal

While many different effects can be applied to vocals, two essential elements are found in almost every professional mix: Reverb and Delay. I haven’t struggled much with applying these effects manually, but I love this plugin's selection of reverb spaces.

Reverb options: Dark hall, plate, vibrant, digital, room, chamber, short plate, crystal, bright hall, and infiniverb.

Delay settings: Simple yet effective for a variety of mix styles. Includes all of the standard rates of delay like 1/4, 1/8/ 1/4t, etc.

One of my favorite features in this section is the Reverb Duck and Delay Duck settings. When increased, they automatically reduce the effect every time the main vocal plays, ensuring the lead vocal stays clear and present. Once the vocal stops, the spacious reverb and delay effects become more prominent (this is also known as side chaining).

This section also includes a tone adjustment slider at the bottom, allowing you to fine-tune the color and feel of the effects. While you could achieve similar results with third-party plugins, Xvox Pro makes it ridiculously efficient to get a professional-sounding vocal space in one go.

SFX: Styling Your Vocal

Finally, we have the SFX (Sound Effects) section — the simplest part of the suite (and one of the most fun ones to play with!). This section primarily includes vocal-widening effects and saturation tools to add grit and texture to your vocals.

Pitch-widener: Expands the stereo width of the vocal.
Tape Saturation: Adds warmth and harmonics.
Telephone effect: Creates a lo-fi, filtered sound.
Amp effect: Introduces distortion for a gritty, aggressive feel.

There are also some chorusing effects, unison effects, and phasing effects. Each one is controlled by a single dial at the bottom, making it quick and easy to add depth and character to your vocal mix.

Presets: Instantaneous Miracles

The presets in Xvox Pro are fantastic for anyone who wants to get started quickly. By clicking on the section labeled Modern Clean Lead, you’ll find presets tailored for male leads, female leads, backing vocals, and vocal effects across various genres.

Even if you’re a producer who loves fine-tuning every detail, these presets provide an excellent foundation before you layer on additional effects. Plus, because Xvox Pro is built with low latency, it’s incredibly efficient to use in real time without bogging down your session.

Final Thoughts: Is Xvox Pro Worth It?

If you’re a beginner, hobbyist, or growing producer looking for a way to understand vocal mixing more intuitively, Xvox Pro is not just a game-changer, it’s a LIFE-changer. It simplifies the process of achieving high-quality, radio-ready vocals without the endless tweaking that many vocal chains lead to.

If you have the means to check out this tool, I highly recommend trying the demo version.

If you want a head start in your music production journey, check it out!

Studio-Quality Vocals in Seconds for ANY Producer: Xvox Pro (Deep Dive)