A Vocal Chain Built To Flex

This is a page out of my “Vocals That Don’t Suck” eGuide! So if you find this helpful you’ll want to grab a copy for a comprehensive breakdown of every step when it comes to getting vocals that don’t SUCK! 

1. Tuning (This falls under the “editing” category, and doesn't need much explaining. Pick your key and retune speed and you’re ready to roll) My go to plugin is Waves Tune Real Time

2. Transparent Compressor | Medium/Fast attack, medium release, light ratio. Looking for about -6dB of reduction. (To level out the performance so I can better hear what needs carving) My go to is the FabFilter Pro-C 2

3. Subtractive EQ | High pass filter up to about 100Hz, a broad dip around 500Hz (CAUTION: this is the move that can suck the weight out of your vocal if you’re too aggressive with it!) And P.S. that thing they tell you to do where you make a narrow band, boost it, and sweep around looking for frequencies that sound bad… It’s complete garbage. Every frequency will sound bad when you boost it by 10dB with a narrow Q. My go to here is the FabFilter Pro-Q 4

4. Tonal Goo Compressor | This is where I deploy some gooey ooey compression that makes any vocal feel musical. Looking for around -6dB of reduction. The LA-2A or CL-1B is great at this stage. My go to is the UA LA-2A

5. Final Aggressive Compressor | This is almost always an 1176 for its quickness and ability to pop the vocal right into its final dynamic position. More often than not, my settings are a 4:1 ratio, medium/slow attack, and fast release. Looking for anywhere between -7 and -20dB of reduction. Yes you read that right. Sometimes it just works and sometimes it just doesn’t. My go to is the Waves CLA-76

6. De-Esser 1 | This doesn’t need much explanation, I generally pop the Waves DeEsser on in default mode and just bring the threshold down until the sibilance is better. NOT GONE. But better :) 

7. Additive EQ | This stage is straight forward and almost always the same for me. My go to plug-in is the UA EQP-1A for a solid 10kHz boost. And depending on how the vocal feels, sometimes I’ll throw in a 100Hz boost for some extra beef. Another EQ that I love for the sizzle is the Brainworx Maag EQ4 using the air band at 20kHz.

8. De-Esser 2 | Careful here! The last thing you want is to snuff out that crispy high end you just introduced. Luckily Waves Sibilance is a master at grabbing just the sibilance and nothing else. I’m not looking for much here, just an extra layer of protection.

9. Send 1 Reverb 1 | Ambience/Room reverb for some immediate glue. This doesn’t need much extra processing because of its natural feel which is what we want. My go to is FabFilter Pro-R 2

10. Send 2 Reverb 2 | Plate/Hall Reverb for the main space and tail. My go to is FabFilter Pro-R 2

11. Send 3 Delay 1 | Slap delay for some quick vocal bloom. My go to is FabFilter Timeless 3

12. Send 4 Delay 2 | Longer delay to throw and fill gaps with. My go to is FabFilter Timeless 3

Last reviewed: February 5th, 2026

© 2026 Space Map Studios. All rights reserved.