To help avoid this issue, some mix engineers will apply automation to a vocal track before any plugin processing.

Rather than having one compressor work really hard, we can use two compressors with a light touch to create a vocal that sounds very up-front in the mix.Ī note on compression: Purist engineers will insist that too much compression will destroy the life of your vocal. A nice trick here is to use two compressors (as mentioned earlier in the article). With the deductive EQ applied, we can add compression to the chain. This allows us to remove any unwanted excessive resonances or low-end that might drive other plugins unnecessarily hard (particularly compressors). Next, it pays to apply any deductive EQ before the signal reaches further plugins. These plugins emulate the effects of a tube preamp as though it were in the front-end of our signal chain during recording. While the rules are always made to be broken, there are some rules that are best left untouched when it comes to your vocal processing signal chain and where to place each plugin.Īs a general rule, any gain-stage plugins, such as saturation plugins, for example, are best placed right at the front.

Related Question: In What Order Should I Place Vocal Plugins? Most of the plugins we've included have a free trial period, so you can give them a spin on your next production risk-free and hear the result. Ultimately, it depends on what you're trying to achieve and the style of production, so instead of choosing your vocal plugins based purely on recommendation, make sure you try them out yourself and listen critically. They regularly make it into the signal chain for our productions here at Headliner, and I can personally vouch for the quality of each plugin. The plugins we've selected are frequently touted as the best in the business.

Conclusion: What are the best plugins for vocals?Īsk ten different producers, and their list of the best plugins for vocals will undoubtedly all be different.

Fl studio vocals mixing