BandLab vocal presets that actually work
Why free BandLab presets sound different on your voice
Every preset was dialed in on one person's recording: their voice, their mic, their room, how loud they recorded. A preset built for a deep voice on a studio condenser will sound thin and harsh on a higher voice recorded on EarPods. That's why the same "Drake preset" sounds great in the video and wrong on your song.
The parts that change most between voices are the EQ (where your voice is muddy or harsh) and the compression (how loud you recorded). The order of the chain barely changes, so learn the order and adjust those two.
Starting settings
| Stage | Start here | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| High-pass filter | 70–100 Hz (deeper voices) or 100–120 Hz (higher voices) | Removes rumble and mic-stand thumps you can't hear but your mix can. |
| Mud cut | −2 to −4 dB around 200–400 Hz | Clears the boxy, cardboard sound most home recordings have. |
| Compression | 3:1 to 4:1, attack 10–30 ms, release 50–100 ms, 3–6 dB of reduction | Keeps every word at the same level so the vocal stays in front of the beat. |
| De-esser | 5–8 kHz, 3–6 dB of reduction on the S sounds | Tames the sharp S and T sounds that compression and brightening make worse. |
| Presence and air | +1 to +3 dB around 3–5 kHz, a gentle shelf above 10 kHz | Makes the words clear and the vocal sound expensive. Go easy, this is where harshness lives. |
| Reverb (on a send) | Plate or room, 1–1.8 s decay, 20–40 ms pre-delay, mixed low | Puts the vocal in a space without washing it out. Put it on a send, not on the vocal itself. |
| Delay (on a send) | 1/4 or 1/8 note synced to the beat, 15–25% feedback | Adds width and movement. High-pass the delay so it doesn't muddy the beat. |
The vocal chain a good BandLab preset uses
- Auto-Pitch first. Set it to the key of the beat. Faster correction gives the modern rap and trap sound, slower sounds more natural for singing.
- EQ to clean up. Cut everything under about 80–100 Hz and pull a few dB out of the mud around 200–400 Hz.
- Compressor. Even out the loud and quiet words so the vocal stays in front of the beat.
- De-ess. Pull down the sharp S sounds around 5–8 kHz. If your effects don't have a de-esser, a narrow EQ cut where the S lives works.
- EQ for presence. A small boost around 3–5 kHz makes the words clear.
- Reverb and delay, low. Just enough that the vocal isn't dry. Too much is the number one reason BandLab vocals sound amateur.
Rap vs singing presets
Rap: tighter and drier. More compression, faster Auto-Pitch, short delay throws at the ends of lines instead of a big reverb, and the vocal sitting a little louder than the beat.
Singing: smoother. Gentler compression, slower Auto-Pitch so it doesn't sound robotic, a longer plate reverb and a quarter-note delay for space.
Ad-libs: lower than the lead, panned a little left and right, with more reverb and delay so they sit behind it.
Mistakes that make BandLab vocals sound amateur
- Recording too loud. If the meter hits red, the clipping is baked in and no preset fixes it. Aim for peaks well below the top.
- Stacking two presets. Two compressors and two reverbs fight each other.
- Reverb on the vocal track itself, cranked. Keep it subtle.
- Vocal too quiet under the beat. Turn the beat down instead of pushing the vocal into distortion.
- Never checking on a phone speaker. That's where most people will hear your song.
Or let KhiFlow do it for your voice.
Presets are made for somebody else's voice and mic. KhiFlow listens to your vocal and your beat, then sets the EQ, compression, de-essing, delay and reverb for you. Upload your BandLab vocal and beat and hear it mixed in about a minute.
3 free mixes a day, no card. Works with BandLab, on a Mac, Windows or your phone. Keep the songs you love from $6 each.
Questions
Are BandLab vocal presets free?
BandLab's built-in effects and presets are free inside BandLab. Presets other people share online are usually free too, but they were made for their voice, so expect to adjust them.
What's the best BandLab preset for rap?
One with Auto-Pitch in the key of the beat, a clean-up EQ, firm compression, a de-esser, and short delays instead of a big reverb. Then adjust the EQ and compression to your voice.
Can I use a vocal preset on BandLab mobile?
Yes, BandLab's effects work on the phone app too. To get your vocal mixed for your voice instead, export the vocal and beat from BandLab and upload them to KhiFlow's BandLab Plugin in your browser.