Vocal Mixing Chain Order: Plugin Sequence Guide

The order of processors in a vocal chain significantly affects the final sound. Each plugin responds to input from the previous stage, making sequence decisions as important as individual settings. Understanding common chain configurations helps engineers build effective vocal processing setups.

Corrective Processing First

Corrective tools that fix problems typically appear early in the chain. Pitch correction, noise reduction, and surgical EQ cuts address source issues before subsequent processing amplifies or exaggerates them. Clean input yields cleaner output.

Pitch correction plugins like Melodyne or Auto-Tune work best on unprocessed audio. Compression and EQ can alter harmonic content in ways that confuse pitch detection algorithms. Placing pitch correction first or using it in a separate pre-processing stage ensures accurate detection.

Noise reduction also benefits from early placement. Gates, expanders, and dedicated noise reduction tools need to distinguish signal from noise, a task made more difficult after compression reduces the dynamic difference between them.

EQ and Compression Interaction

The classic debate over EQ before or after compression has no single correct answer—both approaches serve different purposes. Understanding what each configuration accomplishes helps engineers choose appropriately.

EQ before compression means the compressor responds to the EQ’d signal. Cutting low frequencies reduces how much bass content triggers compression. Boosting presence increases how much the compressor reacts to those frequencies. This configuration shapes the compressor’s behavior.

Compression before EQ applies gain reduction to the raw signal, then EQ shapes the compressed result. Boosts applied after compression increase those frequencies without affecting how compression responds. This approach provides more predictable EQ behavior.

Many professional chains use both: subtractive EQ before compression to remove problems, then additive EQ after compression to enhance character. This hybrid approach captures benefits of both configurations.

De-Esser Placement Strategies

De-essers can appear at multiple points in the chain depending on the severity of sibilance and subsequent processing. Placing the de-esser before compression prevents sibilance from triggering the compressor and creating pumping artifacts.

De-essing after compression catches any sibilance that compression brought up. EQ boosts in the presence range can also increase sibilance, suggesting de-esser placement after EQ. Critical listening determines whether sibilance requires attention before, after, or both.

Multiple gentle de-essers distributed through the chain often outperform a single aggressive instance. This distributed approach reduces artifacts while providing thorough control throughout processing.

Saturation and Harmonic Enhancement

Saturation plugins add harmonic content and subtle compression-like behavior. Their position affects character significantly. Saturating before heavy compression adds harmonics that the compressor then controls. Saturating after compression adds harmonics to an already controlled signal.

Tape emulation and tube saturation typically sit early in chains, often immediately after corrective processing. These tools add warmth and density that subsequent processing enhances. Console emulation plugins may bookend the chain, adding character at input and output stages.

Parallel saturation—blending saturated and clean signals—provides control over harmonic density. Running saturation on a parallel bus allows adjusting the wet/dry blend independently from the main chain. This technique adds density without committing to heavy saturation.

Time-Based Effects Position

Reverb and delay almost always appear on auxiliary sends rather than as inserts. This configuration provides independent control over effect levels and allows multiple sources to share common reverbs. Placing effects on sends also conserves CPU resources.

When using effects as inserts—less common but sometimes necessary—they typically appear at the end of the chain. Processing reverb through compression or EQ usually degrades the effect, though creative applications sometimes break this rule intentionally.

Pre-fader versus post-fader sends affect how effects respond to channel level changes. Pre-fader sends maintain constant effect level regardless of the dry channel fader. Post-fader sends track the dry signal level, making effects proportional to the source.

Limiting and Final Stages

A limiter at the end of the vocal chain catches any peaks that escaped earlier processing. This safety net prevents digital clipping and provides consistent output level. Limiters typically apply only occasional reduction—1-3 dB maximum—functioning as peak protection rather than primary dynamics control.

Metering plugins at the chain’s end help maintain consistent output levels. Monitoring loudness and peak levels ensures the vocal outputs at appropriate levels for the mix. LUFS metering provides more relevant loudness information than peak meters alone.

The complete chain should maintain gain staging throughout. Each plugin’s output level should approximate its input level, preventing cumulative gain buildup that causes clipping. Gain staging discipline produces cleaner, more predictable results.

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