What Is a Vocal Chain? The Plugin Order, What Each Stage Does and Settings

A vocal chain is the series of plugins a vocal passes through in a mix, in a set order: usually cleanup, pitch correction, EQ, compression, de-essing, saturation, and then delay and reverb. Each stage fixes or shapes one thing, and the order matters because every plugin reacts to what the one before it did.

The term also gets used for the hardware you record through: microphone, preamp, maybe a compressor, and the audio interface. This article is about the mixing chain, the plugins in your DAW, since that's what most people mean when they search for vocal chain plugins.

A standard vocal chain, in order

What each stage of a vocal chain does

Cleanup and low cut

Before anything else, get rid of what you'll never want: low rumble, plosive thumps, mouth clicks and long breaths. A low cut does most of it. Set it as high as you can before the voice starts to sound thin, which is usually higher for a bright female voice than a deep male one.

Pitch correction

Pitch correction goes early because it needs a clean, dry signal to track the pitch accurately. Reverb or doubling in front of it gives it several pitches at once to follow. Our Tune plugin covers both transparent correction and the hard-tune sound. Velvet doesn't include pitch correction, so if you use both, Tune goes first.

Corrective EQ

Cut the problems before compression, so the compressor isn't reacting to boom or boxiness. Most vocals have something to remove in the low mids, and some have a nasal or honky spot around 1 kHz. Our vocal EQ guide covers exactly where to look.

Compression

Vocals vary a lot in level between words and phrases. A compressor evens that out so quiet words stay audible and loud ones don't jump out. Many engineers use two compressors in a row, each doing a little, which tends to sound more natural than one doing a lot.

De-esser

Compression and bright EQ both bring up sibilance. A de-esser turns down only the harsh high band, and only when an S or T hits. Its position is the most argued-about part of the chain; there's more on that in the FAQ below.

Tonal EQ and saturation

With the level steady and the problems gone, add character. A broad presence boost helps the voice cut through, a high shelf adds air, and gentle saturation adds harmonics that make a vocal feel thicker and more forward without making it louder.

Delay and reverb

Space goes last and usually on sends, so you can EQ the effects separately and share them with other tracks. If you're using both, see delay or reverb first for the routing.

What are the best vocal chain plugins?

There isn't one set. The stock EQ, compressor, de-esser and reverb in Logic Pro, Ableton Live, FL Studio or Pro Tools are enough to build a complete chain. Paid plugins tend to earn their place in three ways: they're faster to dial in, they add a character you like, or they combine several stages so you're not managing six windows.

• Separate plugins give you the most control and let you swap any stage. They also take the most time to set up and balance.
• Channel strips combine EQ, compression and sometimes a gate or de-esser in one window, in a fixed order.
• All-in-one vocal chain plugins go further, with the whole chain from low cut to reverb behind a few controls.

Velvet is that third kind. It runs low cut, de-esser, compressor, presence and air EQ, saturation, doubler and a short reverb in that order, with one knob for each stage: Low Cut, De-ess, Compress, Presence, Air, Warmth, Double and Space, plus Output and Mix. Its de-esser only turns down the band from about 5 kHz up, and only when an S actually hits.

Here's the Pop Sheen preset: a 100 Hz low cut, De-ess at 40%, Compress at 55%, 3.5 dB of Presence, 9 dB of Air, a little Warmth, Double at 25% and Space at 28%. Try it on the voice loop or your own microphone and listen to how each stage builds on the last.

What is a vocal recording chain?

Before any plugin, the voice passes through hardware: a microphone, a preamp that raises the mic's tiny signal, sometimes an outboard compressor or EQ, and an audio interface that converts it to digital. That's the recording chain. Its job is to capture a clean, strong signal without clipping, with the singer at a consistent distance from the mic and a pop filter in front of it. A good recording makes every stage of the mixing chain easier; no plugin can fully remove a room's echo or a distorted take.

Vocal chain mistakes to avoid

• Copying a chain without listening. A preset built for one singer and mic is a starting point for yours, not a finished setting.
• Too much compression too early. Squashing a vocal before cleanup brings up every breath and noise.
• Boosting highs before de-essing. The air boost will exaggerate sibilance; check the S sounds after every top-end move.
• Reverb on the insert at high mix. It pushes the vocal back and makes it hard to adjust. Use a send.
• Judging in solo. A vocal chain is finished when the vocal sits in the mix, not when it sounds impressive alone.