Vocal chain

How to build a rap vocal chain

A rap vocal chain is a short list of plugins in a fixed order: tune the voice, shape its tone, hold its level, give it a space, then add atmosphere. You can start it for free with STARR TUNE.

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1. Tune first

Put STARR TUNE first so it hears the dry vocal. Set Root and Scale to the key of the beat. For the hard autotune sound, set Amount to 100% and Speed between 1 and 5 ms. For a more natural lead, try Speed between 40 and 80 ms and Amount between 40% and 80%. Not sure of the key? Choose Chromatic. The full walkthrough is in the STARR TUNE guide.

2. Shape the tone

EQ next. STARR EQ works in four places a voice lives: body for weight, mid, presence to bring the words forward, and air for breath and shine.

3. Hold the level

Compression keeps every word up front. STARR COMPRESSOR does it with one knob, a character control and a mix control, with no lookahead so you can track through it.

4. Give it a space

STARRBABY VOX puts tuning, dynamics, tone and space in one window: room, plate, hall and ambient space with tempo aware echo. Use it as the core of the chain or on its own.

5. Add atmosphere

STARR EFFECT adds echo and texture from one main knob, with six starting sounds: Vocal Glow, Dark Echo, Wide Dream, Ad-lib Cloud, Pearl Room and After Hours. Ducking pulls the effect down while the vocal plays.

Leads and adlibs

Leads and adlibs usually need different chains. The Vocal Collection has five of each, built on all five STARR plugins. They load as one chain in FL Studio and as individual plugin settings elsewhere.

The whole chain

STARR TUNE, free. Tuning first, on the dry vocal.
STARR EQ, $29.99. Body, mid, presence and air.
STARR COMPRESSOR, $19.99. One knob holds the vocal up front.
STARRBABY VOX, $49.99. Tuning, dynamics, tone and space in one window.
STARR EFFECT, in the bundle. Echo and atmosphere from one main knob.

Want all of it? The bundle has VOX, COMPRESSOR, EQ, EFFECT and all ten presets for $119.99. STARR TUNE stays free for everyone.

Questions

What order should a rap vocal chain go in?

A common order is tuning, EQ, compression, space, then effects. Tuning goes first so it hears the dry voice.

What are good autotune settings for rap?

In STARR TUNE, set the key, Amount at 100% and Speed between 1 and 5 ms for the hard tune sound. Leave Formants on to keep the tone of the voice.

Auto-Tune is a registered trademark of Antares Audio Technologies. STARR plugins are independent and not affiliated with Antares. FL Studio, Pro Tools and Logic Pro are trademarks of their owners.