Ben Baptie employs parallel processing to give The Strokes' vocals more character and aggression, making them cut through the mix. He duplicates Julian's clean vocal track in Pro Tools, applying Isotope Trash for distortion and thinning out the sound to emphasize the mid-range.
Baptie uses a Waves C6 and a FabFilter Pro-Q to control the low end, followed by an 1176 compressor to manage dynamics. This processing occurs in the box, before the hardware main vocal chain, ensuring the vocal retains its dynamic quality while adding a distinct edge.
Baptie creates a parallel 'mult' with plugins like the SansAmp and L1 limiter to further drive and limit the vocal. This approach crafts a middle ground that enhances the vocal's presence and clarity, resulting in a signature sound that is both aggressive and clear.
To ensure accurate phase alignment, Baptie instantiates the same plugins on the original track but bypasses them. This serves as a safety measure against possible inaccuracies in the DAW's automatic delay compensation, maintaining the integrity of the combined vocal sound.