I believe that there is no substitute for a good performance. No matter how much Vocalign and Melodyne I use, it’s never as good as getting a perfect take. I think the industry as a whole has went to music that is so perfect it sounds “plastic”. I can get you that sound if you want, but I myself prefer music to be more organic and human.
Ultimately though it’s my job to get the artist the sound they want, and that’s what I pride myself on. I try not to have a “sound”, but rather to adapt to the project at hand and get IT’s sound.
I have certain things I love:
analog tape
natural plate reverb
things that sound ugly combined with things that sound “pretty”
solid state pres (with transformers) with tube mics
backwards stuff (but not satanic)
weird music, the weirder the better
binaural recording