Should the de-esser go before or after the compressor?

Before, in most cases. A compressor reacts to whatever is loudest, and an untreated ess is often the loudest short event in a vocal. Removing it first gives the compressor a cleaner signal to work with. If the de-esser is only catching what the compressor exaggerates, try it after instead.

Do I need both saturation and a compressor?

They solve different problems. A compressor reduces the distance between loud and quiet; saturation adds harmonics and can make a part feel louder without raising its peak level. A vocal can need one, both or neither.

How many plug-ins should a vocal chain have?

As many as the vocal needs and no more. The five steps above are a checklist, not a quota. A well-recorded vocal in a good arrangement may only need a de-esser and a compressor.

Signal path

A vocal chain that starts with the problem

A vocal chain is not a list of plug-ins; it is an order of decisions. Fix the thing that makes the vocal hard to listen to first, then shape, then compress, then colour, then place. If a step is not solving a problem you can name, bypass it and move on. The chain below is one sensible order, not a rule.

Shusssh
Berry Console
Band Practice
Lunch Box
Inflated Ego
Juice
Knee Verb
Space Cake

The order

Step by step

Change the order if the material asks for it. The reasons are in each step.

1. Control sibilance before compression
Compare Shusssh before and after the stage that brings consonants forward. Sensitivity sets how readily it responds, Amount sets the strength and Focus biases automatic tracking. Keep the position and setting that control the distraction while preserving the delivery of the words.
- Shusssh
2. Shape the tone
Berry Console gives a four-band equaliser and a low-branch transformer in the same strip as the compressor. Use the EQ to remove what the voice does not need and to place the presence range; keep the moves broad until you have heard the vocal in the whole mix.
- Berry Console
- Band Practice
3. Control dynamics
Compress for consistency, then decide whether the vocal still has life. Berry Console includes a compressor with parallel Mix, so the compressed signal can sit under the uncompressed one instead of replacing it.
- Berry Console
- Lunch Box
4. Add colour, not just level
Saturation adds harmonics that help a voice stay present at a lower level. Inflated Ego separates the main nonlinear stage from a second harmonic-output stage, and Valence lets the pentode and triode behaviour be set independently. Try one, not both, and compare at matched loudness.
- Inflated Ego
- Juice
5. Place the voice in a space
A short room and a longer plate do different jobs. Knee Verb has Plate, Spring and Church engines; Space Cake is a dual-engine delay with Tape, BBD and Digital characters. Use the reverb to place the voice and the delay to give it somewhere to go.

Listening check

Bypass the whole chain and match the level. If the vocal is clearer but no longer sounds like the same person, a colour or EQ move has gone too far. If it is only louder, the chain has not made a decision yet.

In this guide

The plug-ins named above

Open a product page for the full controls, formats and installers.

Shusssh
Price: $29.99$59.99 from 9 Nov
Control sharp vocal sibilance while keeping the words clear.
De-Esser
Windows VST3 · Mac VST3 / AU
Berry Console
Price: $29.99$59.99 from 9 Nov
Gate, EQ and compress a channel in one plug-in.
Channel Strip
Windows VST3 · Mac VST3 / AU
Band Practice
Price: Free
A 24-band EQ with ten filter shapes and three phase modes.
Equalization
Windows VST3 · Mac VST3 / AU
Lunch Box
Price: $39.99$79.99 from 9 Nov
Choose the compression character that fits your track or bus.
Compressor
Windows VST3 · Mac VST3 / AU
Inflated Ego
Price: $19.99$39.99 from 9 Nov
Two-stage saturation, a waveshaper and a harmonic stage, for presence before level.
Saturation
Windows VST3 · Mac VST3 / AU
Juice
Price: $19.99$39.99 from 9 Nov
Saturation with two drives, three Burn contours and a Sizzle stage.
Saturation
Windows VST3 · Mac VST3 / AU
Knee Verb
Price: $19.99$39.99 from 9 Nov
Three reverbs in one: Plate, Spring and Church.
Reverb
Windows VST3 · Mac VST3 / AU
Space Cake
Price: $24.99$49.99 from 9 Nov
Two delay engines, each Tape, BBD or Digital, for echoes with a groove.
Delay
Windows VST3 · Mac VST3 / AU
Endless Mistakes
Price: $24.99$49.99 from 9 Nov
A delay with Loop, Multi-Head and Studio engines and coloured feedback.
Delay
Windows VST3 · Mac VST3 / AU

FAQ

Questions about this chain

Should the de-esser go before or after the compressor?: Before, in most cases. A compressor reacts to whatever is loudest, and an untreated ess is often the loudest short event in a vocal. Removing it first gives the compressor a cleaner signal to work with. If the de-esser is only catching what the compressor exaggerates, try it after instead.
Do I need both saturation and a compressor?: They solve different problems. A compressor reduces the distance between loud and quiet; saturation adds harmonics and can make a part feel louder without raising its peak level. A vocal can need one, both or neither.
How many plug-ins should a vocal chain have?: As many as the vocal needs and no more. The five steps above are a checklist, not a quota. A well-recorded vocal in a good arrangement may only need a de-esser and a compressor.

Keep going

Other signal paths

All guides

A vocal chain that starts with the problem

1. Control sibilance before compression

2. Shape the tone

3. Control dynamics

4. Add colour, not just level

5. Place the voice in a space

Listening check