Sure nice gear helps immensely, but also remember to high-pass filter your vocals, and test for harsh frequencies using subtractive EQ. A slight dip in the 300

Sure nice gear helps immensely, but also remember to high-pass filter your vocals, and test for harsh frequencies using subtractive EQ. A slight dip in the 300-600Hz range helps eliminate hollow, boxy sounds, and a top end shelf will help consonants sound more clear. Some people will also low-pass filter the extreme top ends, but it's not always needed. Using a good compressor in your vocal chain will help immensely also to keep spikes and transients more level and not hurt your audience's ears.