INT-Even
Evens out the level of a vocal. Quiet parts come up, shouted parts come down, and you can't tell anything is there.
Hear it
Before and after
The same take, with and without the plugin. Switch between them while it plays: nothing cuts and you do not lose your place.
It is a generated test voice, not a recording: that way you hear exactly what the plugin does and nothing else.
What it looks like
What it looks like
How to use it, in a minute
What it does
A vocal is never the same level from start to finish. INT-Even shrinks the gap between the quiet parts and the shouted ones, without changing the overall level of the track.
Where to put it
It goes in a mixer slot, on the vocal track - not in the instrument rack. Put it before your compressor and EQ: they'll have far less work to do.
One control is enough
Amount is how much it evens out. Leave it at 100 % and listen. If the vocal feels too flat, bring it down until it breathes again. At 0 the sound is untouched.
The meter tells you what it's doing
The bar goes right when it lifts a quiet part and left when it pulls down a loud one. If it barely moves, your vocal was already even.
If you want to go deeper
More options hides the fine controls: how fast it reacts, how far it may correct, and the level below which it leaves everything alone. You don't need them.
What it does, in one sentence
A vocal never keeps the same level from start to finish: some lines eat the microphone and others almost disappear. INT-Even shrinks that difference without changing the overall level of your track.
Why it isn't a compressor
A compressor squashes peaks as soon as they cross a threshold, and that changes the character of the voice. INT-Even listens to the vocal for a few seconds, works out how loud it sounds on average, and corrects towards that average. It's like having someone ride the fader all the time, very patiently.
That's why you can use both: INT-Even first to even things out, then your compressor for character: with far less work left to do.
Where to put it
It's an effect: it goes in a mixer slot, on the vocal track. Not in the instrument rack.
In FL Studio: select the mixer track, click an empty slot on the right, and look for it under Fx-Dynamics.
Put it before your compressor and EQ. The earlier in the chain, the less work everything else has to do.
The only control you need
Amount: how much it evens out.
| Value | What happens |
|---|---|
| 0 % | The audio comes out exactly as it went in. Off means off. |
| 50 % | Corrects half of it. Leaves the performance breathing. |
| 100 % | Evens out as much as it can. This is where it starts. |
If you don't know where to begin: leave it at 100 % and listen. If the vocal feels too flat, bring it down until it breathes again.
The meter
The bar in the middle shows you, live, how much it is correcting:
- It moves right when it is lifting a quiet part.
- It moves left when it is pulling down a loud part.
- If it barely moves, your vocal was already even and the plugin has little to do.
On the left it shows how loud the vocal is, measured the same way Spotify and YouTube measure it.
More options
They're hidden on purpose: you don't need them for this to work.
Speed: how fast it reacts. Low (25-60 ms) keeps the vocal very even but can sound tight. High (300-500 ms) sounds more natural and respects the performance. The default, 120 ms, works well for almost everything.
Range: how far it is allowed to correct, up and down. Push it too high and it can lift room noise in the gaps. 12 dB is a comfortable value.
Gate: below this level it doesn't correct at all. This is what stops breaths and room tone from being pushed up between lines. If you hear the background "breathing" in the silences, raise this.
Tips
- Doubled vocals: put INT-Even on both takes with the same setting. They'll sit together far better.
- Spoken word / podcast: Speed at 200 ms and Amount at 100 %. Very even without sounding processed.
- If it feels flat: don't lower Range, lower Amount. Range is a safety limit, not a taste control.
Download
Get it with the pack
The six plugins come in a single installer, and you can untick the ones you do not want.
Download the packVersion 0.9.1 · 9.4 MB · Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit
FAQ
If something isn't working
It doesn't show up in my DAW.
Rescan your plugins. Look for "INT-Even" in the effects list, not in the instruments list.
I don't hear any difference.
Check that Amount isn't at 0, and that audio is actually playing: the plugin needs a few seconds of sound before it starts correcting.
I hear background noise between lines.
Raise Gate until it stops.
It sounds pumpy.
Lower Amount, or raise Speed so it reacts more slowly.