If you’ve ever manually aligned stacks of vocal doubles or harmonies in your DAW, you already know how painfully tedious that process can be. That’s where Synchro Arts VocAlign Pro 6 comes in.
VocAlign Pro 6 is a plugin designed to automate timing and pitch alignment across multiple vocal takes with accuracy and save you a lot of time.
Version 6 brings some major upgrades, most notably ARA2 support for Pro Tools, a redesigned UI, and a stack of new features borrowed from the flagship Revoice Pro. For vocal producers working with large session stacks, these improvements could be game-changing, if not just time-saving.
After spending time testing VocAlign Pro 6 on a complex vocal arrangement, I can confidently say that this update isn’t just incremental. It’s a significant step forward and can be super valuable for pros and bedroom producers alike.
What Is VocAlign?
Put simply, VocAlign is an automatic alignment tool. The core workflow is simple. You load in a “Guide” track (usually your lead vocal), and one or more “Dub” tracks (doubles, harmonies, etc.), and the plugin adjusts the timing of the Dub(s) to match the Guide.
That’s the basic idea, but in VocAlign Pro 6, the whole setup can go well beyond timing if you need it to.
With the Pro version, you also get pitch matching, formant shifting, transpose tools, and several powerful workflow enhancements that are especially useful when working with dense vocal stacks.
What’s New in Version 6?
ARA2 for Pro Tools
The biggest headline feature is ARA2 integration for Pro Tools, something users have been asking about for years.
Previously, Pro Tools users had to rely on AudioSuite to use VocAlign, which meant destructive editing and no real-time feedback. Now, you can use VocAlign just like any other ARA-compatible DAW (Logic, Studio One, Cubase, etc.).
The plugin docks directly in the Edit window, and you can capture, process, and render without bouncing back and forth.
The new setup fundamentally changes how integrated VocAlign feels in a Pro Tools session. The tighter connection between the DAW transport, mute/solo controls, and clip-based editing makes the whole process more fluid.
Process Groups
Another huge time-saver is the addition of Process Groups. This allows you to process multiple Dubs at once using the same Guide and settings.
For example, you can align nine tracks of “oohs” and “ahhs” in a single operation rather than repeating the process nine times. I love this because I like including small details in vocal stacks and layering them for fullness, so this really helps speed things up when cleaning up and editing.
You can even apply different pitch modes to each group while sharing the same timing settings. It’s super elegant in practice and makes managing large vocal stacks way more efficient.
SmartPitch
SmartPitch is another cool new feature, and it’s only available in the Pro version. It gives you three pitch-matching modes:
- Match All to Guide
- Match Unison Only
- Match Unison & Tune Non-Unison
This gives you complete control over how the plugin handles harmonies vs. unison doubles.
If your Dubs are harmonies that should keep their own pitch, SmartPitch ensures they won’t get pulled to match the lead vocal. But if you’re stacking multiple takes of the same line, you can use full pitch matching to get them super tight.
In my test project, SmartPitch worked surprisingly well, even with octave-down parts and intentionally looser harmonies. You can still get some unexpected results when you forget to switch pitch modes between different vocal types, but the Undo/Redo system makes experimentation painless.
Other Notable Additions
Improved Sync Points
Sync Points have been in VocAlign for a while, but in version 6, they’ve been improved a lot.
You can now use them to more effectively guide the alignment process, which is super useful if the auto-detection struggles with tricky phrasing or breath noises.
While I didn’t need to use Sync Points often, it’s good to know that the option is there.
Protected Areas
Protected Areas let you prevent certain parts of a Dub from being altered during alignment. This is great for cases where a phrase is missing or where only part of the performance should be matched.
Again, you might not use this on every track, but when you need it, it’s super convenient.
Arm Capture All
Arm Capture All lets you capture all eligible tracks with a single click. It’s a small thing, but it streamlines the setup process by quite a lot, especially if you’re dealing with 10+ tracks.
Undo/Redo
Another feature that finally made it into version 6 is proper Undo/Redo functionality. If you’ve ever committed an edit in an AudioSuite-only version of VocAlign and then regretted it, you’ll appreciate this immediately.
VocAlign Standard vs. Pro
Both versions offer the core Match Timing feature, which is arguably what most users are after. They also share SmartAlign, Tightness Control, the improved UI, Pro Tools ARA, Arm Capture All, and Undo/Redo.
However, only the Pro version includes:
- Match Pitch
- SmartPitch
- Formant Shift
- Transpose
- Process Groups
- Improved Sync Points
- Protected Areas
- SynchroLink for RePitch integration
In simple terms, if you only need to match timing, Standard is fine. But if you want full pitch alignment, harmony handling, and serious workflow enhancements, Pro is the way to go.
Real-World Performance
I tested VocAlign Pro 6 on a Pro Tools session with a lead vocal, harmonies, and multiple layers of doubles and layered ad-libs.
Even on relatively sloppy takes, I’m happy to say that the plugin handles timing and pitch corrections with a natural feel. I also tested it on a very bad vocal doubling take from an old hip-hop project from 2016, and even in this worst-case scenario, the output was tight and musical.
I did have to adjust SmartPitch settings depending on the type of vocal I was working on (lead, harmony, octave down, etc.), but that’s to be expected. The UI makes those changes quick and easy.
One thing I noticed is that pushing the pitch alignment too hard (e.g., 100% matching to Guide) can result in some phasey sounds, especially on very tight doubles. Dialing back the pitch matching strength and using a slight time offset (e.g., 10ms) helps preserve a more natural sound.
If you’ve ever worried about automatic alignment sounding “off” or unnatural, VocAlign Pro 6 does a fantastic job of preserving the character of the performance while cleaning up the mess.
Final Verdict
VocAlign Pro 6 is the most powerful and intuitive version of VocAlign yet. With features like SmartPitch, Process Groups, and ARA2 support for Pro Tools, it delivers faster workflows and better results, especially for complex sessions with heavy vocal layering.
If you’re just looking to align timing between two tracks and you’re working in a DAW that doesn’t support ARA, VocAlign Standard might do the trick.
But for serious vocal production work, the Pro version is absolutely worth the extra cost. It’s a huge time-saver and has the kind of pitch-handling power that once required a much more expensive tool like Revoice Pro.
If you’re mixing vocals regularly, this plugin will save you hours. And once you hear how tight your doubles and harmonies can sound with almost zero manual editing, you won’t want to go back.
More info: VocAlign Pro 6
Last Updated on September 26, 2025 by Tomislav Zlatic.
Synchro Arts VocAlign Pro 6 Review
VocAlign Pro 6 is a powerful vocal alignment plugin with advanced features like SmartPitch, Process Groups, and improved Sync Points. It dramatically speeds up vocal editing without sacrificing quality, which makes it ideal for handling complex vocal stacks. It earns 4.5 stars for its excellent performance, smart workflow features, and seamless integration in modern DAWs.
The Good
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Excellent timing and pitch alignment with minimal manual tweaking -
SmartPitch and Process Groups are great for handling harmonies and stacked vocals -
Undo/Redo and Protected Areas are excellent to have for complex stacks -
ARA2 support in Pro Tools
The Bad
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Results can sound unnatural if pitch matching is overused without adjustments
