The vocal is the most important element of any song. It is the bridge between the music and the listener. While there are no "universal" settings, most professional engineers follow a very specific logic when building a vocal chain.

In this guide, we reveal the "Secrets" behind that polished, radio-ready sound—from the initial cleanup to the final creative spatial effects.

1. The Cleanup (Correction)

Before you make a vocal sound "good," you have to make it "right."

• Tuning: Whether it's the natural correction of Melodyne or the stylized "pumping" of Auto-Tune, tuning should almost always be the first plugin in your chain.
• Subtractive EQ: Use a High-Pass Filter up to 100Hz to remove microphone rumble and "p-pops."
• De-Esser: Remove harsh "S" and "T" sounds that will only get worse once we add brightness later.

2. Serial Compression (The Pro Secret)

Instead of using one compressor to do 10dB of work, use two compressors to do 5dB each. This is Serial Compression.

1. The "Catcher": A fast compressor (like an 1176 style) that only grabs the loudest peaks. This levels out the performance.
2. The "Leveler": A slow, optical compressor (like an LA-2A style) that adds warmth and keeps the vocal "glued" to the music.

3. Additive EQ (Presence and Air)

Now that the vocal is stable, we want it to shine. Use a "broad" shelf EQ to boost the high frequencies (8kHz and above). This adds that expensive, "airy" quality found in modern Pop and Rap vocals.

The "Presence" Peak: A small boost at 3kHz can help a vocal cut through a dense wall of guitars or synthesizers without increasing the overall volume.

4. Parallel Saturation

To make a vocal feel "intimate" and "thick," send the signal to a parallel bus and add heavy saturation. Blend this distorted signal just underneath the clean vocal. It adds harmonic richness that makes the voice feel "larger than life."

5. Creating Space (Sends)

Never put reverb directly on the vocal track. Use Aux Sends for:

• Short Room: To add a bit of natural depth and "glue."
• Slap Delay: A classic rock and indie trick to add width without washing out the words.
• Quarter Note Delay: For those "epic" moments in the chorus.

Summary: Context is Everything

The best vocal mix is the one that fits the song. A folk song needs a dry, intimate vocal with minimal compression. A trap record needs heavy tuning and aggressive parallel processing. Master the Correct > Level > Shine > Space workflow, and you will be able to handle any voice that comes your way.