The Spirit

Name: The Spirit
Price: 119 USD
Author: Cradle

by Cradle · Vocal Tool · Vocal chain with reverb and doubler

Not rated yet

The Spirit is a vocal chain plugin based on the signature sound of producer and songwriter Louis Bell.

It combines EQ and compression, an auto-rider, a doubler and two reverbs with zero latency, for $119 with a 14-day trial.

Best for: Vocals. Genres: Pop, Hip-Hop & Trap, R&B & Soul.

Keywords: vocals, low latency, zero-latency, CPU-light, polish, crisp, tracking, aggressive, heavy, lead vocals, metering, built-in mix knob, thick, wide.

What it does

The Spirit is a vocal channel strip made with producer Louis Bell, putting his EQ and compression chain, a level rider, reverb and a doubler in one window. Cradle pitches it as a way to "dial in a polished vocal in seconds."

Input gain: sets the level so the input meter hits its target before the chain.
Volume Rider: Speed, Amount and Floor controls; Floor sets a threshold below which the rider stays inactive, so it doesn't lift background noise.
Character: a Compression dial that pushes the vocal forward, and a Focus dial that applies an EQ curve cutting low mud and lifting roughly 1 to 5 kHz.
EQ: fixed low and high shelves for overall tone.
Doubler: Stereo and Mix controls for width and thickness.
Reverb: Room or Plate algorithms with a low-pass filter and Mix control, followed by output gain.
Zero latency: low CPU and no latency, so it can stay on while tracking.

It has a 14-day free trial.

Source: Cradle product page

When to use it

The Spirit is the pick when you want a finished-sounding vocal quickly, including while the singer is tracking, since it runs at zero latency. Compared with Nectar 4, it is far simpler: there is no pitch correction, de-esser or delay, and the EQ and compression are fixed curves behind a few dials. Its rider covers the basic job of Waves Vocal Rider inside the chain, with a Floor control to avoid lifting noise, but with fewer settings. Because it has no de-esser, it often needs Pro-DS or a similar de-esser after it.

Best for: lead vocals that take strong compression well, and monitoring through a polished chain while recording.
Genres: pop, hip-hop and R&B.
Look elsewhere if: you need pitch correction, de-essing or delays (Nectar 4), or fine control over each stage.
Tip: MusicTech also used it on an aux as a reverb insert and on mid-range instruments that need to come forward.

What producers say

Reviewers like how quickly it gets a crisp vocal, but find it narrow and its compressor heavy.

MusicTech scored it 8 out of 10 for "instant crisp sounding results", ease of use, low CPU and zero latency; it called it "not very versatile", found the compressor too aggressive on transients and plosives, the doubler "a touch phasey" at full, and the Plate tail long for fast songs.
Criticisms: no de-esser or delay, only seven presets, and a single KVR user review (2 out of 5) says the plugin itself is good but reports Cradle Hub freezes, random deactivation and slowdowns in sessions with 20 or more Cradle plugins.

Where to buy

Cradle: $119

Tutorials and reviews

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