The Best Plugins for Vocals, Sorted by the Job They Do

The best plugins for vocals are a small set that each do one job well: pitch correction, EQ, a de-esser, a compressor, a doubler and a reverb, used in roughly that order. Below is a well-established pick for each job, the stock alternative already in your DAW, and all-in-one options if you'd rather run the whole chain from one window.

Vocal plugins at a glance

Pitch correction

Pitch correction goes first in the chain, so everything after it processes an in-tune performance. There are two ways to work: real-time correction you set and forget, and graphical editing where you fix notes one by one.

Antares Auto-Tune is the name everyone knows, for good reason. It handles both natural correction and the hard, stepped effect that defines a lot of rap and pop. Celemony Melodyne is the standard for detailed, transparent editing: it shows each note as a blob you can move, stretch and reshape. Plenty of engineers own both.

Stock alternative: Logic Pro has a Pitch Correction plugin and Flex Pitch for graphical editing. FL Studio offers Pitcher for real-time correction and NewTone for note editing, depending on your edition.

EQ

EQ removes rumble and mud and shapes the tone. FabFilter Pro-Q is the parametric EQ many mixers reach for by default: clean, fast to use, with a large spectrum display and dynamic bands that only cut when a frequency gets too loud, which is handy for a resonance that comes and goes. For broad, flattering tone, Pultec-style EQ emulations from several developers are a popular second EQ.

Stock alternative: Ableton's EQ Eight, FL Studio's Fruity Parametric EQ 2, Logic's Channel EQ and Pro Tools' EQ3 7-Band all do the corrective work perfectly well. Our guide to EQing vocals has a frequency chart showing where to cut and boost.

De-esser

A de-esser turns down harsh S and T sounds only when they happen, so you can keep the vocal bright. FabFilter Pro-DS is precise and easy to set, with a mode for single vocals and one for full mixes. Waves Renaissance DeEsser is an older, simpler tool that's been in countless sessions.

Stock alternative: Logic's DeEsser 2 and Pro Tools' Dyn3 De-Esser cover most vocals.

Compressor

Compression keeps the vocal at a steady level so every word is heard. Two classic hardware designs dominate here, and both have been emulated by many developers. 1176-style compressors are fast and grabby, great for catching peaks and adding attitude. LA-2A-style optical compressors are slow and smooth, great for gentle leveling. Running a 1176 into an LA-2A, each doing a few dB, is a well-worn vocal technique. Waves' CLA-76 and CLA-2A are widely used versions of each.

For a clean, do-anything compressor, FabFilter Pro-C is a common choice. If the singer's level jumps around a lot, Waves Vocal Rider rides the volume automatically before the compressor, so the compressor has less to do.

Stock alternative: every DAW's stock compressor works. Logic's Compressor even includes several circuit types that imitate the classic designs.

Doubler

A doubler makes one vocal sound like two or more takes, which thickens hooks and spreads ad-libs across the stereo field. Waves Doubler adds delayed, slightly pitch-shifted copies of the voice that you can pan and blend. Soundtoys MicroShift uses tiny pitch shifts and delays to widen a voice; it's subtler and very popular on lead vocals.

Stock alternative: a chorus or a short delay of a few milliseconds on one side gets you part of the way. Nothing beats singing a real double take, though, if you can.

Reverb

Reverb puts the vocal in a space. Valhalla VintageVerb covers classic plates, halls and rooms with a small set of controls. FabFilter Pro-R is a clean, natural reverb that's easy to fit into a mix.

Ours: Lumen is our reverb, with a Vocal Plate preset built for lead vocals and a shimmer stage for big, glowing moments. It costs €29 and every preset plays in the browser.

Stock alternative: Logic's ChromaVerb, Ableton's Reverb, FL Studio's Fruity Reeverb 2 and Pro Tools' D-Verb. For free third-party options for every job on this page, see our list of the best free vocal plugins.

All-in-one vocal chain plugins

If you'd rather not build a six-plugin chain on every vocal, an all-in-one plugin gives you the whole chain in one window.

Our pick (and yes, it's ours): [Velvet](/plugins/velvet). Velvet puts the processors engineers reach for every time in the order they belong: Low Cut, De-ess, Compress, Presence, Air, Warmth (saturation), Double and Space, each on one knob. The de-esser only works on the 5 kHz-and-up band and only when an S hits. The presets cover Trap Lead, Pop Sheen, R&B Silk, Rap Ad-libs, Podcast Clean and more. It costs €49, runs as VST3, AU and AAX, and doesn't include pitch correction, so keep your tuner in front of it.

Here's the Trap Lead preset: a 110 Hz low cut, heavy compression, +5 dB presence and +7 dB air, with only a touch of doubling and space. Listen for a tight, bright vocal that sits on top of the beat.

Other all-in-one options: iZotope Nectar is a full vocal suite with modules covering most jobs on this list, plus an assistant that suggests a starting chain. Waves CLA Vocals is a signature plugin based on Chris Lord-Alge's approach, with a few faders for tone, compression and effects.

How to choose vocal mixing plugins

The best vocal plugins for you depend on what your vocals actually need and which DAW you use. Most VST plugins for vocals also come in AU and AAX versions, but check the format list before you buy, especially for Logic (AU only) and Pro Tools (AAX only).

• Start with what you have. Learn your DAW's stock EQ and compressor properly before buying anything. Most problems are technique, not tools.
• Buy for a job, not a list. If your vocals are consistently harsh, a good de-esser will help more than another compressor.
• Try before you buy. Most developers offer trials. Test on your own vocals, not just demo material.
• Consider an all-in-one for speed. If you mix a lot of vocals quickly, a chain plugin saves real time; if you love tweaking, separate plugins give you more control.