Vocals
The Right Vocal Chain Order (And Why Order Matters)
Ten producers, ten vocal chains — but the order follows logic, because every processor reacts to what came before. Here's the sequence and the reasoning, so you can adapt it instead of copying it.
Clean first
1) Gate/expander kills room noise between phrases while the signal is raw. 2) Subtractive EQ: high-pass by ear, dip obvious mud/boxiness. Fixing junk before compression matters — otherwise the compressor amplifies exactly what you hate.
Control
3) Compressor #1, fast-ish, catching peaks 2–4 dB. 4) De-esser here (post-comp, since compression boosts esses). 5) Tuning (Autotune/pitch) on the now-stable level — tuners track dry, controlled signals far better.
Character
6) Compressor #2, slower, smoothing 2–3 dB for density. 7) Tone EQ: the flattering boosts (presence, air) now that dynamics won't shove them around. 8) Saturation for harmonics and expensive-ness.
Space last, on sends
Reverb and delay live on send tracks, not the insert chain — so the effects receive the finished voice and you can duck or EQ them separately. Slap delay + plate reverb via sends is 90% of modern rap space.
What breaks when you shuffle
Tuner after reverb = warbling wash. De-esser before compressor = esses return. Tone boosts before compression = the comp eats your boost. When a chain 'fights you', order is usually the culprit.
Skip the setup — load a chain →Members vocal presets: record-ready chains for FL and stock plugins.Frequently asked questions
Should Autotune go before or after compression?
After the first compressor: a controlled, dry level tracks better and produces fewer artifacts.
How many plugins should a vocal chain have?
The jobs above matter, not the count — 6–9 light processors, each doing a little, beats 3 slammed ones.
Why do pros use two compressors on vocals?
Serial compression: each unit works gently (fast peaks + slow density), avoiding the choked artifacts of one compressor doing 8 dB.