Updated October 2026 · Vocal recording fixes
A rap vocal chain works best in this order: clean up noise, high-pass filter, de-ess, EQ, compression, pitch correction if needed, saturation for colour, then reverb and delay on sends. Order matters because each step reacts to what came before: compressing before de-essing makes the sibilance louder.
Put the compressor before the de-esser and it lifts the S sounds along with everything else, so the de-esser has to work harder and sounds worse. Put reverb before compression and the tail gets squashed. Keep the chain in order and each step has a clean input.
This is a starting point, not a rule. Some voices need less processing, and some styles use more. Change one step at a time, and bypass each to hear what it does.
Spot clipping, noise, rumble and level problems. Runs in your browser, nothing is uploaded.
No. Many rap vocals need only cleanup, de-essing, compression and a little reverb.
After compression and before the colour and space, so it works on a clean, even signal.
Usually on a send, so you can control how much space sits behind the voice.
