Which Vocal Preset Fits Your Voice? How to Pick the Right Type Preset

A vocal preset is a ready-made chain of plugins: EQ, compression, autotune, reverb and delay, all set up already. You load it on your vocal track and right away you've got a mix that sounds like something. But which one do you pick? A preset that sounds perfect on one voice can come out thin, muddy or harsh on yours. In this article we break down how to choose, and which Type presets go with which sound.

What is a Type preset, really?

A Type preset is made in the mix style of a well-known artist. Not to make you sound like that artist (that's not possible, your voice is yours), but to borrow the choices that make that sound: how much low end stays in, how hard the compression works, how bright the top end is and how much space there is around the voice.

Every preset in this overview uses stock plugins only. So you don't need anything extra: FL Studio Signature or Logic Pro is enough. These are independent Type presets, not official products of the artists named.

Step 1: Decide which way you want to go

Almost every rap and R&B vocal mix lands in one of four corners. Put on a song you use as a reference and ask yourself which of these fits best:

  • Dark, hard and dry. Lots of mids, heavy compression, barely any reverb. The voice is right in your face. Typical for drill and street rap.
  • Bright and punchy. A clear boost in the upper mids and fast compression, so every word sits on top. Works well on busy trap beats.
  • Warm and natural. More body, relaxed compression and a top end that's open but not harsh. Good for storytelling and for songs where you rap and sing.
  • Airy and melodic. A high low cut, lots of air up top, autotune and bigger reverb and delay. For hooks and melodic flows that float over the beat.

Step 2: Look at your own voice

The preset doesn't just have to fit the beat. It also has to fit your voice and your mic:

  • Low, heavy voice? Don't go for the darkest preset. Your voice already has plenty of low end. A bright or airy preset makes you easier to understand.
  • High or thin voice? A warm or dark preset gives you more body. A really airy preset can actually make you sound shrill.
  • Harsh S sounds? Watch out with presets that have a lot of air up top. If you need to, put a de-esser after the preset. Our article on harsh S sounds in FL Studio shows you how.
  • Recorded in an echoey room? Pick a drier preset. Lots of reverb only makes an echoey room worse.

Step 3: Pick your preset by sound

Dark, hard and dry

You can read more about this sound in our guide to mixing drill vocals.

Bright and punchy

Warm and natural

Airy and melodic

Want to build this kind of vocal yourself? It's all in mixing melodic autotune vocals.

Step 4: Listen to the before and after

Every product page has a before and after player. You hear the same dry vocal raw first, then through the preset, for rap and for singing. Both clips are set to the same loudness. That way you hear what the preset does to the sound, not just that it's louder. Listen on headphones and on your phone speaker: a good pick sounds clear on both.

Want to hear all the sounds side by side? Type Vocal Presets: Hear the Before and After of Every Sound puts the before and after videos of every preset in one place, with a guide for each sound.

Step 5: Tune the preset to your recording

A preset is a starting point. After you load it, you always do three things:

  1. Set the autotune to the right key. Use the free BPM and key finder if you don't know the key of your beat.
  2. Check your input level. Is the compression working hard the whole time, or barely at all? Adjust the gain before the preset, not the compressor itself.
  3. Set the space. More or less reverb and delay comes down to taste and to how busy the beat is.

For how to load the presets, check our steps for FL Studio and for Logic Pro.

Rather build it yourself?

You can do that too, of course. Download the free vocal chain cheat sheet with the plugin order for Logic Pro and FL Studio on one page, or read step by step how to compress vocals in Logic Pro and how to EQ vocals in FL Studio.

FAQ

Am I going to sound like the artist from the preset?

No. A preset takes over the mix style: tone, compression and space. Your voice, your flow and your recording decide the rest.

Do the FL Studio presets work in Producer Edition?

The presets are made for FL Studio Signature, because that edition comes with every plugin they use, like Pitcher for the autotune. In a lighter edition a plugin might be missing or run in demo mode.

Can I use a Logic preset in FL Studio, or the other way around?

No. A Logic channel strip and an FL Studio mixer track state only work in their own DAW. Pick the version for the DAW you mix in.

My vocal sounds too loud or distorted after loading. What now?

Your recording is probably coming in too hot. Turn down the volume of your recording or the gain before the preset until the compression calms down. Also read how to prevent clipping while recording.

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