How To Mix Rap Vocals (Full Chain)
When you're about to mix rap vocals, the first thing that you should think about is how you actually want them to sound in the mix - have a vision. Consider that they should be crispy, bright and upfront, and we're about to show one of our mixing chains for rap vocals.
Here's the chain we used:
1. Slate Digital FG-73 (Preamp emulation - analog vibe)
2. FabFilter Pro Q3 (Subtractive EQ)
3. Techivation T De-esser (De-esser)
4. Oek Sound Soothe2 - (Resonance Suppression)
5. FabFilter Pro C2 (Peak compression)
6. IK Multimedia Comprexxor (Parallel compression)
7. FabFilter Pro R (Reverb)
8. Valhalla SpaceModulator (Doubler)
9. OTT/FabFilter Pro MB (Upward processing - parallel)
Please consider that this chain is not strict and used every single time! Every vocal is different and requires different processing!
Optional 1: Tuning
Using Auto-Tune really depends on the vocal and if you really like it or not.
Why is tuning optional? Well, as far as we're working with vocals, we usually use tuning for the purpose of soft note correction in our recordings. However, there are cases where engineers actually do this within the recording part or they simply avoid tuning at all using Auto-Tune. That's why this is an optional stage of mixing vocals. Some will agree with this, some won't... but this is just our opinion and how we think.
Insert 1: Preamp emulation - analog vibe
Slate Digital FG-73
Ever tried adding a preamp at the start of your chain, before you put any other processing? If not, I dare you to try that next time! They give an amazing vibe and colouration to your vocals. However, you should be very careful if you already used an outboard/external preamp in your recording chain. The vocal I'm mixing here is completely raw and it hasn't gone through an external preamp (only audio interface's preamps), so I'm applying this Neve 1073 emulation by Slate Digital on it. Besides the drive knob, I also used the trim function to get the vocals to the level where I liked how they sound before applying any further processing I'm about to show.
Insert 2: Subtractive EQ
FabFilter Pro Q3 - one of our favorite EQs for subtractive work.
I usually start my chain by correcting my rap vocals using an EQ (Pro Q3 in this example). The first thing I did here is high-passing unneeded low frequencies and attenuated around 250Hz while boosting around 3-4kHz to make a perception of clarity. This vocal needed some additional work since this take is completely raw and untreated by any processors in the recording chain, so I also searched manually for some frequencies I didn't like (which are mainly located in the mid range - where the singers voice is mainly dominant).
When doing many cuts, you can also consider switching your EQ's processing mode, but different modes didn't sound good in my case, so that's why I stayed with Zero Latency mode on this one.
Insert 3: De-essing
Techivation T De-esser
Rap vocals usually contain a lot of sibilances, so consider using a de-esser (if it's really needed) to remove those sibilant frequencies.
Don't de-ess too hard or you'll end up with unnatural sounding vocals. Be gentle and A/B to come up with the desired amount.
I used a Techivation T De-esser for this since it's very easy to setup and very flexible for different vocal types. I'm doing only 3dB of gain reduction which worked very well for me. Again, remember to be very gentle.
Insert 4: Resonance Suppression
Oek Sound Soothe2 - The plugin that changed the industry forever!
Using very famous Soothe2, I'll focus my band on mid frequencies to look for resonant frequencies that make my vocals sound messy. Soothe2 does a great job for this purpose in my case. I believe there are also some free alternatives to this plugin.
I also see many people using Soothe2 wrong. When moving your frequency band up, you're not actually boosting anything... you're adjusting the sensitivity. Be careful not to make this mistake.
Insert 5: Peak Compression
FabFilter Pro C2 - All in one compressor
To push my rap vocals upfront, I'll use a combination of two compressors. The first one is my peak compressor. I set my attack to a bit faster setting to catch the incoming peaks, and a faster release while keeping the ratio around 3:1 (I'm avoiding too hard compression here - just aiming to catch the peaks and control the vocal). Notice how I also readjusted the knee to a harder setting. That's how it sounded good to me, so make sure to carefully listen and experiment with your tools.
2nd compressor: Parallel Compression
IK Multimedia T-RackS Comprexxor (Distressor Emulation)
The second compressor I used will be in parallel, and I used this Distressor emulation named "Comprexxor" by IK Multimedia to push the vocals even more upfront. The goal here is to overcompress the parallel channel and then blend it using faders with our main channel.
In terms of settings I used the fastest attack possible, longer release, 10:1 ratio and around 10dB of gain reduction (because I wanted to overcompress the vocal).
Finally, after blending my parallel channel with my main channel, the vocals sound much fuller and upfront.
Send: Reverb
FabFilter Pro R - All in one reverb
I used a send channel for my reverb in order to prevent it from drowning my vocals and making them sound like they're underwater. Also, I'll optionally sidechain it so I can fully control the amount of reverb on my vocals.
In terms of settings, I had a starting point from one preset included within this plugin since I needed a shorter reverb, and then I tweaked some settings from there. Again, make sure to experiment and try different settings.
Insert 6: Doubler (Fuller vocal)
Valhalla Space Modulator - Underrated plugin!
I used this modulation plugin as my doubler to actually emulate/add another layer to my vocal so it sound much fuller. You don't have to actually dial all the settings on your own since this plugin includes specified presets for this purpose which you can later tweak to your personal taste.
Make sure to adjust the mix knob since you surely don't want 100% of it (it's too much).
Parallel 2: Upward processing
FabFilter Pro MB - Multiband compressor with much more functions than a regular multiband compressor
Now, I'm going to use another parallel send to insert a multiband compressor to bring more upward processing which then I'm going to blend in with my main channel using faders. It's a great trick to know for sure.
Another alternative to this is OTT which can give a very interesting result, so I'll insert a picture below so you can see how I used it.
Another alternative is using Inflator for this since it also introduces upward processing + additional saturation which can sound interesting on your vocal.
Conclusion:
There are various types of rap vocals and endless ways to process them, so take this chain for learning purposes and maybe your starting point. The goal here was to show how one rap vocals mixing chain looks like and how I personally think when processing this type of vocals.If you want to add a recommendation for the future blog post and get featured on, feel free to reach to our DM on Instagram or use our e-mail address: marko@md3sign.com
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