How to Compress Vocals in FL Studio (Fruity Limiter, Step by Step)

Your verse sounds great in one line and disappears in the next. One word jumps out, the next one hides behind the 808. That's not an EQ problem, that's dynamics, and the tool for it is a compressor. The good news: FL Studio already comes with everything you need. No paid plugins, just Fruity Limiter and a clear method.

In this guide you'll learn how to compress vocals in FL Studio step by step: which plugin to use, where to start with threshold, ratio, attack and release, how to tell if it's working, and the mistakes that make a vocal sound squashed.

Quick answer

Put Fruity Limiter on your vocal mixer track, switch to the COMP tab, and lower the threshold until the compressor only grabs the louder words. Start with a moderate ratio around 3:1 to 4:1, a fairly fast attack and a medium release, then use the gain knob to bring the level back up. Check it with the beat playing and with the plugin switched on and off at the same volume.

What compression actually does to your vocal

A compressor turns down the parts of your vocal that go over a certain level. The loud words get pulled back, so the difference between your loudest and quietest moments gets smaller. Then you turn the whole vocal back up. The result: every word sits at a steadier level and the vocal stays in front of the beat instead of jumping around.

Audient's vocal chain tutorial sums it up well: compression controls the dynamic range of the vocal and makes the performance more consistent. It doesn't make a bad take good, and it doesn't replace EQ. It just makes the level more even.

Which compressor should you use in FL Studio?

Fruity Limiter (start here)

The name is confusing, but Fruity Limiter is more than a limiter. Image-Line's manual describes it as a single-band compressor with sidechain, plus a limiter and a noise gate. The compressor lives on the COMP tab. According to the manual, the compressor reacts to RMS (average) levels and the limiter to peaks, which is exactly why the COMP side works well for evening out a vocal.

Fruity Compressor (the simple classic)

Image-Line calls Fruity Compressor a legacy plugin and points to Fruity Limiter as its replacement. Still, the same manual says it's well suited to vocals and great for learning how compression works, because it only has six controls. One handy extra: the Vintage knee type imitates the curve of analog compressors like the LA-2A, and the /R types turn on a release that adapts automatically to reduce pumping.

Can't decide? Use Fruity Limiter for the steps below. Everything also works with Fruity Compressor, the knobs just look different.

Before you compress

• Your vocal is on its own mixer track. Route it to a free insert so the compressor only touches your voice.
• EQ the mud out first. If boomy low end goes into the compressor, it reacts to the boom instead of your voice. Read how to EQ vocals in FL Studio.
• Fix huge jumps by hand. One line that's way louder or quieter than the rest? Turn that clip up or down first. A compressor works best on small differences, not on one line that's way off.

How to compress vocals in FL Studio: step by step

Do this with the beat playing whenever you can. A vocal that sounds even on its own can still get lost when the drums and 808 come in.

Step 1: Load Fruity Limiter and open the COMP tab

Open the Mixer (F9), select your vocal track and load Fruity Limiter in an empty slot after your EQ. Click the COMP tab. The manual notes that with the threshold at its maximum of 0 dB the compressor stage does nothing, so that's your neutral starting point.

Step 2: Lower the threshold

Play the loudest part of your verse or hook and slowly turn the THRESH knob down. The threshold is the level where compression starts. Audient's advice: set it so the compressor engages on the louder parts of the vocal. If it's working on every single syllable, including your breaths, you've gone too low.

Step 3: Set the ratio

The RATIO decides how hard the compressor pushes back once your vocal crosses the threshold. At 4:1, a level that rises 4 dB above the threshold only comes out 1 dB higher. That's the example Image-Line uses in the Fruity Compressor manual.

• Natural, some movement left: iZotope suggests 2:1 to 3:1.
• Solid starting point: Audient recommends a moderate 3:1 to 4:1 to smooth out a vocal.
• Heavily controlled, very little dynamics: iZotope mentions 7:1 or 8:1. Think of loud, in your face rap vocals.

Image-Line's own sidechain instructions for Fruity Limiter say you need to lower the threshold below the peaks and raise the ratio and knee before the compressor really engages. So if you hear nothing happening, check those two knobs first.

Step 4: Attack and release

ATT (attack) sets how fast the compressor reacts when a word gets loud. REL (release) sets how fast it lets go again. Audient's starting point for vocals: a fast attack to catch the peaks and a medium release so the vocal still sounds natural.

Listen for these things:

• Attack too slow: the start of each word, the consonants, still jump out.
• Attack too fast: the vocal loses its punch and can sound flat.
• Release too short: you hear the level pump up and down. The Fruity Limiter manual also warns that a very low release can distort the sound.
• Release too long: the compressor never lets go, and the next quiet word stays turned down.

Fruity Limiter also has a KNEE knob (how gradually compression starts: soft or hard) and a SUSTAIN knob, the RMS window that keeps the compressor from letting go too early. For a first pass you can leave sustain alone and use a softer knee for a smoother vocal.

Step 5: Bring the level back with GAIN

Compression turns your loud parts down, so your vocal now sounds quieter. Use the purple GAIN knob on the COMP tab, the makeup gain after the compressor, to bring it back. iZotope's rule of thumb: add back about the same amount the compressor took off. Audient's example vocal peaked at around 5 dB of gain reduction on the loudest sections, which shows you don't need extreme amounts.

In Fruity Limiter's display, the white line is the gain envelope, the compression that's being applied. If it dips constantly and deeply, you're compressing a lot.

Step 6: Check it the honest way

• Match the volume, then bypass. Louder almost always sounds "better". Set the gain so the vocal is about as loud with and without compression, then switch the plugin on and off.
• Use the A/B compare. Fruity Limiter can store your settings in a spare state and flip between two versions, so you can compare a 3:1 and a 5:1 setting in one click.
• Listen in the beat and on small speakers. On earbuds or a phone, every word should come through without you reaching for the volume.

Two compressors instead of one

Need a lot of control but don't want to hear squashing? Use two compressors after each other, each doing a little. Audient mentions engineers running two compressors in series, both with slightly less gain reduction, as a more transparent way to compress vocals. In FL Studio you can do that with two instances of Fruity Limiter, or Fruity Limiter followed by Fruity Compressor on the Vintage setting.

Where does compression go in your FL Studio vocal chain?

A common order is: clean up, pitch correction with Pitcher, EQ, compression, de-essing, then reverb and delay on send tracks. The de-esser comes after the compressor because compression also brings your S sounds forward. Read harsh S sounds in FL Studio: how to de-ess your vocals for that step, and FL Studio vocal chain: the right plugin order for rap vocals for the full picture.

Want the whole chain on one page next to your screen? Grab the free vocal chain cheat sheet for FL Studio and Logic Pro. It shows the order and what to listen for at every step.

Common vocal compression mistakes

• Copying settings from a video. Every voice, mic and performance is different. Use the numbers above as a starting point, then trust your ears.
• Compressing until it sounds "loud". That's usually just makeup gain fooling you. Match the volume before you judge.
• Breaths and room noise get louder. Compression brings up quiet sounds too. Raise the threshold a little or clean up breaths before the compressor.
• Using compression to fix a quiet recording. If the whole vocal is too quiet, start with the recording level. Read vocals too quiet in FL Studio? Here's the fix.
• Same setting on lead and ad-libs. Your lead usually needs the most control. Ad-libs and backing vocals can be compressed differently, or harder, to sit behind it.

Want a chain that's already dialed in?

A vocal preset gives you EQ, compression and effects already set up, so you start from a working chain instead of empty plugins. The Frenna-inspired vocal preset for FL Studio is made for FL Studio Signature and only uses stock plugins. It's inspired by the vocal mix style of Dutch artist Frenna: melodic, tuned and placed up front in the mix. Never heard of him? Think of the same lane as the melodic, R&B-leaning side of Drake's records. It's a style reference and a starting point, not a copy of anyone's vocal chain, and it isn't made with or endorsed by either artist. Even with a preset, use the steps above to tune the compression to your own voice and recording.

FAQ

What's the best stock compressor for vocals in FL Studio?

Fruity Limiter on the COMP tab is the most flexible one, and Image-Line presents it as the replacement for Fruity Compressor. Fruity Compressor still works well on vocals and is easier to learn.

What ratio should I use for rap vocals?

Start around 3:1 to 4:1. Go lower for a more natural sound, higher if you want a very controlled, in your face vocal.

Should the compressor go before or after EQ?

Usually after an EQ that cleans up the low end and mud, so the compressor reacts to your voice and not to rumble. Brightening EQ can come later in the chain.

How much gain reduction is too much?

There's no fixed number. If the vocal sounds flat, breaths jump out or you hear pumping, back off the threshold or ratio. Audient's example stayed around 5 dB on the loudest parts.

Why is nothing happening when I turn the compressor on?

The threshold is probably still too high, or the ratio too low. Lower the threshold until it reaches the louder words and raise the ratio.

Sources: Image-Line, Fruity Limiter and Fruity Compressor manuals; Audient, "Crafting a Basic Vocal Chain"; iZotope, "Using Compression to Help Vocals Sit in a Mix".