Practice Exercise

Goal: Build your own vocal chain in your DAW and critically listen.

Tasks

1. Import a clean, dry vocal recording.

2. Add each plugin in order from 1–9.

3. After each step, toggle the plugin on/off to hear the difference.

4. Take notes on how each plugin changes the tone or feel.

5. Save your chain as a preset named:
   (style)_VocalChain_[Date]

Pro Tips (Studio Standards)

• 🎚️ Gain Stage: Keep vocal input levels around -18 to -14 dBFS for clean processing.

• ⚖️ Less is More: Subtle adjustments stack up — avoid extreme EQ or compression unless stylistic.

• 🔊 Parallel Compression: Blend a “smashed” duplicate track for extra body.

• 🌌 Automate Reverb/Delay: Pull back during verses, push during hooks.

• 🧠 Reference: Compare your mix to a pro vocal stem in your genre.