Hello,
 
I am using Music Creator 6 for some time. The voice/s I record with an external microphone sound fine when listened isolated, but in a song they lack energy, and seem to come “from the other side of a tunnel”. Do you have any advice? I have used some compressors but in the end I find it doesn’t do much more than just adding volume. Amplitube sometimes does a bit, but it is more conceived for guitar and adds noise in most of the effects.
 
Hopefully you have some tips within the programme itself. But I would be glad if you could recommended other VST focused on voice, possibly free but not restricted to, that I could use.
 
Thanks

Good question, but kinda vague. 
 
So... what type of mic and gear signal path are you currently using?
 
What FX and plugins are you using in the box?
 
How far away from the mic are you singing?
 
Can you upload a sample of the music to a streaming site like Soundcloud and give us the link?  for now, though with under 25 posts you won't be able to post active links so post it like this....   www dot soundcloud dot com / yoursiteneame  and we can put it together to listen.
 
It took me a little bit of time to figure the whole thing out and get what I consider to be halfway decent vocals in the songs.... fill us in on what you're doing and perhaps we can help you get there a bit faster.
 
 
BTW: my current signal path is...  Rode NT2A condenser directly into my interface.... pop filter at 1 inch and singer's mouth is very close to the room side of the pop filter at 45 degrees to the capsule.  No FX in the vocal channel with limited reverb and EQ/comp in the vocal bus. Just a light dusting..... Think: "LESS IS MORE"...  that's my mantra. Get it right and you don't need FX to fix it.

 
I’m using a Samson Go Mic Clip On USB Microphone. The microphone is normally at around 30-40 cm.
 
I normally add some moderate reverb as FX, but that’s mainly it. As I said I sometimes use Amplitude trying to boost a bit the voice.
 
I was maybe a bit exaggerated saying it’s from the “other side of the tunnel”, but it does sound distant and lacking energy.
 
I’m not familiar with the term “gear signal path”. The microphone is directly plugged into the computer, and there are no other external devices. I don’t know if this answers the question…
 
I will try to post a sample later on today as I’m now traveling. Thanks.

Problem #1 is using a USB mic. That's not the best option. The USB mic acts like a second sound card and the computer has problems with that.
 
If the sound is "distant" try getting closer to the mic. I literally am inches at most away from the mic.
 
Yep gear signal path mean exactly that..... mic to the computer's sound card or in your case..... the USB port.
 
Most folks here start out with what they can but once they determine they are serious about making music, they buy a dedicated interface and get a "real mic" to use with it..... usually a condenser mic.  Doing that allows you to have ONE sound card for the DAW software. Currently, you're using 2. The USB mic is an input sound card and to hear things, you use the factory card with MME drivers. There's no way they sync their clocks and that will show up as tracks being out of sync. Latency is the proper word. One track plays behind the others. Sometimes they drift further out of sync as the song progresses.
 
There's a sticky for setting up a USB mic to be usable with Cake's software. I'll find the link and post it here for you to read. Perhaps you can get it to work OK.....
 
Here's the link>>>  http://forum.cakewalk.com/Guide-SONAR-usb-mic-Samson-C01u-or-C03u-mic-m1618556.aspx
 
 
Understand that the USB mic can work pretty well with straight up audio in smaller projects. So getting it to sound good is a matter of working with it.  Try singing closer to it for a start and see how that does.

Post the sample and let us know.

Thank you. To be honest I have experienced on and off some latency problems as well as dropouts, which I suspected connected to the insufficiency of my equipment. It’s relevant information but I didn’t want to divert from the focus of the post. I’m planning to invest on an interface plus a better microphone, although I haven’t had the time yet to explore the different options.
That said I’m not sure these changes will have the expected impact, therefore I admit a certain procrastination.
I have already tried singing closer to the microphone but it doesn’t really change dramatically things. In addition sounds get easily distorted and I get pops, although I have a pop filter.
I will explore the link you mentioned about USB mics.

Reverb tends to pull sound further back, a combination of delay and minimal reverb may work better.
I don't know if you are used to listening to your voice. Some people just have a hard time believing their voice is what it is. 
 
I believe you should try double tracking and its variations with parallel compression: singing the same verses twice on different tracks or copying one take and moving it 10-20 ms to create a difference, (maybe pan them a little apart from each other). Then compress the other one and add the delay/reverb on that one, too. Then try different volume-combinations of those tracks. 

The quality of the mic will also play a major part in what it sounds like.  Distance is one variable factor as are the plugs used..... but the mic itself is the most important part.
 
As I mentioned, the fact that you have 2 sound cards working in the single DAW computer is also playing into this issue. clicks, pops, latency, clock sync issues.....
 
Using a single external  USB based interface, running ASIO (native....not wrappers and codecs) and using a decent condenser mic with phantom power will very likely solve all of the issues. (99.9999% chance) And a quality condenser mic will give you exactly what you are putting in to it.
 
Just about everyone here has made that move to an external interface.   M-Audio, Presonus, Focusrite are good ones.... but not the only ones.... be sure they use NATIVE ASIO and have the other features you need..... and please avoid the ones that are 2 or three things in one..... guitar simulators, mixers, etc combined with an interface..... some are OK...some are not. 
 
There's a difference between the breath pops that a pop filter tends to solve verses the pops and clicks introduced into the audio stream by mismatched soundcards and substandard drivers like MME. Neither are wanted in the music.

prm
 I’m planning to invest on an interface plus a better microphone, although I haven’t had the time yet to explore the different options.
That said I’m not sure these changes will have the expected impact, therefore I admit a certain procrastination.
 

Find the time. It will be on of the best favors you can do for yourself.
As Guitarhacker noted above, decent hardware can make a huge difference.
You don't need to break the bank, but you will be looking at few hundred dollars for basic start-up equipment.
Also consider your recording environment. A very lively room can contribute to that distant effect.
Ie, tile or hardwood floors, no soft surfaces such as furniture, curtains, carpet, can create a lot of echos that you brain filters out, but the mic is more than happy to pick up.

A good interface is under $200. You might even find one second hand on Ebay for half it's original cost. 
 
Check out  http://www.gauge-usa.com for really sweet mics at low prices. I've heard these in side by side A/B comparisons and the Gauges rock.  Since the last time I looked at this site they have raised their prices. $150 gets you in the game here.  
 
A visit to a music store when they are running a sale is also a viable option. The big ones are always running things on sale so drop in and talk about the interfaces and the mics.... remember...NATIVE ASIO...

Thank you. I shall have a look into the external interfaces options.
 
In the meantime I will try the advice of using several tracks with different effects as suggested, although in the past I haven’t noticed any improvement with the compression. I might have not applied the adequate settings.