Reaper vocal chain with stock plugins
The Reaper vocal chain, step by step
- Pitch correction: ReaTune. First in the FX chain, set to the key of the beat. ReaTune works best gently; use a dedicated tuner for the hard trap sound.
- Clean-up EQ: ReaEQ. Add a high-pass band around 80–100 Hz and cut 2–4 dB around 200–400 Hz.
- Compression: ReaComp. 3:1 to 4:1, attack 10–30 ms, release 50–100 ms, 3–6 dB of reduction.
- De-essing: ReaXcomp. Compress only a band around 5–8 kHz so it reacts to S sounds, or use a de-esser JSFX.
- Presence: ReaEQ. +1 to +3 dB around 3–5 kHz and a gentle high shelf.
- Reverb and delay on sends: ReaVerbate and ReaDelay. Put them on send tracks at 100% wet. Sync ReaDelay's length to the beat.
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. |
Why the order matters
Tune before you compress so the compressor reacts to the final notes. Clean up the lows and mud before compression so the compressor isn't pumping on rumble. De-ess after compression, because compression makes S sounds louder. Keep reverb and delay on sends so the dry vocal stays clear and you can turn the space up or down in one place.
Save it as an FX chain
In the FX window, use FX > Save chain to keep the whole vocal chain, then load it on every vocal track.
Rap vs singing
Rap: more compression, faster pitch correction, short delay throws instead of a big reverb, the vocal a touch louder than the beat. Singing: gentler compression, slower pitch correction, a longer plate reverb and a quarter-note delay. Ad-libs: lower, panned a little left and right, with more reverb.
Or let KhiFlow set this chain for you.
KhiFlow is a vocal mixing plugin that does every step above for your voice. Pick your mic, press Analyze while the song plays, and it sets the EQ, de-essing, compression, delay and reverb for your vocal and your beat in seconds. Then turn the Mix knob.
VST3 for Windows: FL Studio, Ableton Live, Cubase, Studio One, Reaper and any VST3 DAW. KhiFlow Master comes free with every plan, with a 3-day money-back guarantee.
Questions
What's a good Reaper vocal chain with stock plugins?
ReaTune → ReaEQ → ReaComp → ReaXcomp as a de-esser → ReaEQ for presence, with ReaVerbate and ReaDelay on send tracks.
Does KhiFlow work in Reaper?
Yes, on Windows. KhiFlow is a VST3 plugin and loads in the vocal track's FX chain.
How do I make vocals sound better in Reaper?
Record clean, then use the chain in order with modest settings. Most problems come from a loud, roomy recording and too much reverb.