LEAPWING UltraVox Vocal Plugin User Manual

June 12, 2024
LEAPWING

LEAPWING UltraVox Vocal Plugin

LEAPWING-UltraVox-Vocal-Plugin-PRODUCT

Product Information
The Leapwing UltraVox is an innovative vocal processor designed for recording, production, and mixing. It incorporates several algorithms such as compression, gate, harmonics, and air to provide a user-friendly experience. Each part of the vocal processing chain is carefully tuned to achieve a great vocal sound quickly. The goal of the UltraVox is to be a set-and-forget tool that enhances creativity without getting in the way. Compression is used to balance out the vocal performance by reducing peaks and achieving a consistent level without coloration. The gate has a dual purpose of reducing room noise and minimizing breathing and mouth sounds that may arise with compression. Harmonics add beautiful coloration to vocals, while air allows you to add crispiness without sounding harsh. The Ultravox plugin requires authentication upon opening for the first time. You will need to enter your email address and serial number, which should be the same email address used to create your online Leapwing user account. The serial number will be sent to you via email after purchase and can also be found on your Leapwing account page.

The Ultravox plugin is ideal for vocals and has low latency, making it suitable for recording. It can be used during production and tracking to achieve a quick and good vocal sound for the vocalist. Additionally, it can be used in traditional mixing situations. The main user interface of the Ultravox plugin features various controls and displays, including a single band gate with adjustable attack and release times. The factory presets include selected source instruments, input and output gain, and all applicable settings. The default preset folder location can be changed by copying all presets to the desired new location and selecting the new folder in the preset menu. Ultravox supports both mono and stereo inputs, and the number of outputs will match the number of inputs. The plugin also includes automation inputs for all controls, allowing for easy integration with your DAW’s automated mode. Automation lanes can be set up to control specific parameters, and turning off the automated mode allows for manual adjustments without affecting the automation tracks.

Product Usage Instructions

  1. Upon opening the Ultravox plugin for the first time, you will be prompted to authenticate by entering your email address and serial number. Use the same email address used to create your Leapwing user account and find the serial number in your email or on your Leapwing account page.
  2. To achieve a quick vocal sound during production and tracking, apply the Ultravox plugin to the vocal track. Adjust the compression settings to balance out the vocal performance and reduce peaks. Use the gate to minimize room noise and unwanted breaths and mouth sounds. Experiment with the harmonics and air controls to add coloration and crispiness to the vocals.
  3. If desired, move the Ultravox plugin to a traditional mixing situation and continue adjusting the settings to achieve the desired vocal sound.
  4. To change the default preset folder location, first copy all presets to the desired new location. Then, click on Options > Set the Preset Folder in the preset menu and select the new folder. Clicking on Restore Factory Presets will reset all factory presets in the current preset folder.
  5. If using mono inputs, connect the vocal source to the mono input of the Ultravox plugin. If using stereo inputs, connect the vocal source to the stereo input of the plugin. The number of outputs will match the number of inputs.
  6. For more precise control, set up automation lanes in your DAW to control specific parameters of the Ultravox plugin. Move the Ultravox controls to create new control lanes. Remember to turn off the automated mode if you wish to make manual adjustments without affecting automation tracks.

Welcome to Leapwing UltraVox
Thank you for choosing Leapwing. We are a small team of highly passionate people, devoted to developing easy-to-use digital audio tools that achieve rapid results with the highest possible quality. We’ve built an active community of loyal and engaging users and appreciate all the feedback we receive from our customers. We encourage every user to stay in touch, so please don’t hesitate to contact us if you need any further assistance or want to show your support. To get the most out of your Leapwing UltraVox plugin, we highly recommend you read this manual.

Product Overview

Leapwing UltraVox is an innovative vocal processor for recording, production, and mixing that incorporates several algorithms in a user-friendly UI. These include compression, gate, harmonics, and air. Each part of the chain is carefully tuned with vocals in mind. Our aim was to create a set-and-forget tool that is useful for wanting to achieve a great vocal sound quickly. We strongly feel that technology should never be in the way of creativity. Compression is meant to take out the peaks in a vocal performance and balance out the vocal, achieving a consistent level without much coloration. The gate has a dual purpose: one is to reduce room noise and the other is to reduce breathes and mouth sounds that come up with compression. Harmonics gives a beautiful coloration to almost any vocal, and air allows you to add crispiness to your vocal without sounding harsh.

Features

  • 4 highly tuned algorithms that interact with each other, aimed at getting a quick vocal sound, these include:
  • Compression: single band compression with variable (short) attack and (long) release times
  • Gate: aimed to remove room noise, also with variable program-dependent (medium-long) attack and (short) release times
  • Harmonics: Mainly 2nd and 3rd-order harmonics to give a polished character to the vocal
  • Air: Equalization focused around 12kHz to give the vocal that shines.
  • All algorithms are meticulously tuned with the highest quality achievable and  pristine sound
  • Beautiful re-sizable Retina interface with a unique design focused on the optimal workflow
  • Sample rates supported up to 384kHz (DXD).
  • Available as 64-bit plugins in VST, VST3, AAX, and AU formats for macOS (10.13 and higher) and Windows 8 and 10.

Authentication
When opening the plugin for the first time, you will be asked to enter your email address and serial number to authenticate the plugin. The email address should be the same one as you used to create your online Leapwing user account. The serial number has been sent to you via email after your purchase, and can also be found on your Leapwing account page. https://www.leapwingaudio.com/my-account/

On the Leapwing account page, you can manage the Hardware ID (computer) connected to your license key. If you want to move the license to another computer you own, you can do this by deleting the current Hardware ID and activating the license on the other computer. Note that only online authentication is currently available and requires your computer to be online at least once every 30 days. Leapwing UltraVox will try to reauthorize in the background (whenever you’re using the plugin), and if 30 days have elapsed since the last authentication you’ll get a popup message asking you to connect to the Leapwing site. If you are using an offline computer and purchased a license, we have an experimental feature to provide offline authentication. Please contact our support team for help with this.

Applications
Leapwing UltraVox is a plugin designed for vocals. It has low latency and is therefore ideal for recording. A typical application would be to use it during production and/or tracking, to get a quick good vocal sound for the vocalist. It can then later be tuned with harmonics and some gating where necessary. Of course, it can also used in a traditional mixing situation

LEAPWING-UltraVox-Vocal-Plugin-FIG-1

Main Interface
The illustration of the main user interface shows the basic controls and displays (identified by number):IN: Input gain control The IN slider controls the level of the signal that enters the processor chains. The integrated level meter shows the K-weighted loudness in LUFS and has a 4-second hold peak bar. The default setting is 0 dB (unity gain).

Compression
Single band compression with variable program-dependent variable short (< 2ms) attack and long (>500ms) release times. Setting controls the threshold (from -60 dB to 0 dB). In this case, dB refers to dBFS. The default setting is 0dB (compression threshold at 0 dB).

Gate
Single band gate with variable program-dependent medium-long (350 – 800ms) attack and short (<2ms) release times. Setting controls the threshold (from -inf to 0 dB). In this case, dB refers to dBFS. The default setting is -inf (compression threshold at infinity).

Harmonics
Primarily 2nd and 3rd order harmonics that are blended with the original. The setting is a dry/wet level. 0 means no harmonics, and 100 means maximum harmonics. The default setting is 0.

Air
Equalization focused around 12kHz with a custom curve, to add crispiness without harshness.

Bypass
This is a full bypass switch that maintains the plugin latency.

Undo/Redo
The Undo/Redo arrows provide undo and redo functions for all parameters in the plugin, apart from changing presets. When a preset is changed, the undo/redo history will be cleared.

Comparison
A/B comparison can be used to quickly store 2 different sets of parameters, and toggle between them to evaluate them in detail. At initialization, both A and B are set to the same “Default Setting” state. When you start making changes to parameters, the latest settings will be stored under A, while B keeps the original values. A is highlighted to show it is active. You can toggle between states A and B by clicking the A/B button. When A is active, any changes are stored under A; however, if B is made active, changes are stored under B. Clicking the Copy button will set both A and B states to the current active set of parameters.

Presets
Leapwing UltraVox comes with 12 factory presets using a dropdown menu accessed by clicking on the preset name. You can also cycle through them by clicking the left and right arrows (< and >). The factory presets include the selected source instrument, input and output gain, and all applicable settings. It is possible to save your own presets; use the “Save as..” option for this. User presets will be automatically added to the list in the dropdown menu. You can make your own subfolders in the preset folder – they will be displayed in the dropdown menu as subcategories. Note that only preset files stored in the default preset folder are shown in the Preset menu. To change the default preset folder location, first copy all presets to the desired new location, and then click Options > Set Preset Folder in the preset menu and select the new folder. Clicking Restore Factory Presets will reset all factory presets in the current preset folder.

Location of default preset files

  • MacOS: /Users//Library/Audio/Presets/Leapwing Audio/Ultravox
  • Windows: C:\Users\Documents\Leapwing Audio\UltraVox

OUT: Output gain control
The OUT slider controls the output level of the plugin to allow gain staging in a DAW. The integrated level meter shows the K-weighted loudness in LUFS and has a 4-second-hold peak bar.
The default setting is 0 dB (unity gain).

Info menu
The info button opens a convenient list of the following information:

  • The version number of the plugin
  • License Info: See the Authentication section above
  • Check for updates… connects to Leapwing if a system is online
  • Website: link to www.leapwingaudio.com if the system is online
  • Manual: links to the handy local pdf of this user manual

Animation
The center section shows a circular view of the incoming signal, the gain reduction from compression, and the gain reduction from the gate. You’ll see the signal going around the center point, and each ring represents 10dB of dynamic range. The most inner points start at -100dBFS and go to 0dBFS (10 rings). The outer ring is always the input signal. If you don’t see another ring, it means there is no gain reduction. When the compressor is active, a second ring will appear. The difference between the outer ring and the second one is the compressor gain reduction (how much is the signal being compressed). The inner ring will show any gain reduction caused by the gate. Harmonics and air don’t have an effect on the animation.

Inputs/Outputs/Automation
Leapwing UltraVox can work with either mono or stereo inputs. The number of outputs will always reflect the number of inputs. Leapwing UltraVox includes access to automation inputs for all the controls found in the plugin. To most effectively select a parameter to be controlled, use the “automated” mode of your DAW to set up automation lanes so that you can simply move a Leapwing UltraVox control to create a new control lane. And be sure to turn off the automated mode if you wish to change any settings without setting up more automation tracks. Installation Locations After running the Leapwing UltraVox installer with default folder paths, you will find the different plugin formats in the following locations:

MacOS

  • AAX – /Library/Application Support/Avid/Audio/Plug-Ins
  • VST – /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST
  • VST3 – /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3
  • AU – /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components

Windows

  • AAX – C:\Program Files\Common Files\Avid\Audio\Plug-Ins
  • VST – C:\Program Files\Steinberg\VstPlugins
  • VST3 – C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3

You may choose alternate locations if you do not use these default locations, although be sure you know what you are doing since placing files in the wrong location will create problems. VST PlugIn Technology by Steinberg Media Technologies

Contact Us

If you have questions, need any further assistance, or want to share your thoughts about our plugins, please don’t hesitate to contact us by email at support@leapwingaudio.com or join the Leapwing Users group on Facebook. Thanks again for choosing Leapwing and we look forward to hearing from you.

References

Read User Manual Online (PDF format)

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Download This Manual (PDF format)

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