Ronnie Flex-Style Vocals in Logic Pro: Bright, Playful and Catchy

Ronnie Flex raps, sings and often lands somewhere in between. One moment it's a verse with a grin in it, the next it's a hook you can't shake for the rest of the day. That back and forth is his signature, and it's exactly what makes this kind of vocal tricky to mix. What works for the rap can make the singing thin. What makes the hook shine can make your verse harsh.

This piece covers what you hear in a Ronnie Flex-style vocal, how to record when your voice keeps switching roles, and the mistakes that take the playfulness out of it.

Bright, playful and always a little tuned

Ronnie Flex uses autotune on almost all of his songs and treats it as an instrument. He also likes to switch tempo, pitch and rap style, sometimes within a few lines. Put on "Energie" or "Blijf bij mij" and pay attention to the vocal itself, not the beat:

• Fresh up top. There's shine and air on the voice. It sounds open, not dull or far away.
• Presence up front. The words sit clearly in front of the beat, even when the arrangement is busy.
• Tight control. Soft and loud parts stay close together, so the vocal never drops out.
• Space that makes the hook bigger. Reverb and delay give the melody a tail without swallowing the verses.

The same dry rap vocal: first without a preset, then with the Ronnie Flex Type preset. Turn your sound on.

Both parts of the video are level-matched. So the difference you hear is tone, not just extra volume.

Recording when your voice plays three roles

A lot of the playfulness in this sound comes from the performance. A preset can make your vocal bright and tight, but if you deliver every line with the same face, it stays flat.

• Put rap and singing on separate tracks. Don't record your verse and hook in one take. That way you can adjust them on their own instead of settling for a compromise.
• Smile on the hook. Sounds silly, but you can hear it. A smiling mouth gives your voice a lighter, happier color.
• Play with your voice. A line slightly higher, one word stretched out on purpose, a bit of whispering. Choices like that make a verse playful. The mix can't add them for you.
• Sing the hook more than once. One or two extra takes under your lead make it wider. That's what the Backing Vocal preset is for.
• Save your adlibs for last. Record them once everything else is in place, so you know where the gaps are.

The chain, minus the numbers

Roughly, the steps are: clean up, shape the tone with fresh presence and air up top, tight compression, pitch correction, then reverb and delay on sends. In Logic Pro you can do that with stock plugins, using Pitch Correction for the autotune effect. Set it to the key of your beat. Don't know the key? Check it in the free Beat Lab. If you want to understand what Pitch Correction actually does to your voice, read our guide to autotune in Logic Pro.

The hard part is the balance. Bright without your S sounds cutting. Tight without the singing choking. Enough reverb for a hook that sticks, but not so much that your rap starts swimming. We spent a long time tweaking that balance, and that's what you get in the preset.

The preset comes as five channel strips: Main Vocal, Main Vocal Wide and Main Vocal Airy for your lead, plus Backing Vocal and Adlibs. Feel free to try a different lead for your verse and your hook. What works best depends on your voice and the beat.

Mistakes that kill the fun

Harsh S sounds

A bright sound boosts everything up top, including hissy S's and hard T's. Turn your mic slightly away from your mouth, or say those sounds a little softer. It helps more than you'd think.

Delay on every line

A delay that sounds great on your hook turns a fast verse into a mess. The repeats land on top of your next words. Use the space mainly where the melody needs it.

Singing with your mouth on the mic

When you belt, you get louder on your own. Get too close to the mic at that point and the compression clamps down, so your high part sounds strained. Take a small step back on the loud bits.

Autotune in the wrong key

Suddenly you sound off even though you sang in tune. Almost every time, the key or scale is set wrong. Check that before you start doubting your own voice.

Want more on melodic vocals with autotune in general? Read how to mix melodic autotune vocals.

More sounds in the same lane

• Bizzey-style vocals in FL Studio: light and airy
• Kraantje Pappie-style vocals in FL Studio: energetic and bright
• Snelle-style vocals in FL Studio: warm and natural

Want to hear them side by side? All Type vocal presets with before and after videos are on one page.

Ronnie Flex Type presets are inspired by the vocal mixing style of Ronnie Flex. This is not an official product and Ronnie Flex is not involved. Results depend on your voice, mic and recording.