Multiband on Vocals

My question is this: Is it important to use a mulitband compressor on vocals?

In most of my mixes, it seems as though the vocals need to be "smoothed" out........it's not that the equalization is bad on the vocals, its just that it doesn't seem to sit right in the mix. When i listen to commercial recordings of vocals they all seem to sound much "smoother". There isn't an excessive amount of high frequencies or mids etc.

I have a few multiband compressors at my disposal : Waves C4, Wav Arts Multidynamics, Sonitus Mulitband.

How should i use the multiband? I know how to work a compressor, but the multiband is obvoiusly more complicated. What should i make the knees, the attack, release etc?

Any feedback on this topic is appreciated. Links too.

Thanks guys,

Jeff

There's nothing special about vocals that requires a multiband compressor - except maybe for de-essing. De-essing is a common use of a multiband on a vocal track. However, if you do have an excessive amount of high frequencies (or any other frequencies) a multiband compressor is worth trying. A multiband compressor is basically a regular compressor with the same controls repeated for each band. Play with the Sonitus multiband and you will see this. a Multiband compressor may be better than using EQ because EQ will simply raise or lower the band in question, whereas the compressor will only raise or lower it if it reaches the threshold, like a regular compressor. Therefore it will not, for instance, lower the band in question except at the locations in the song where that particular band is "excessive" as you put it. Basically, if it is only the high frequencies you are worried about, you really only need one band - set that band to the problem frequcney range, and turn all the other bands off.

By the way, the Sonitus multiband has a "smooth" preset. I can't tell you how well it works but it's worth a shot.