How to Craft a Pop Smoke Vocal Chain

A vocal chain is a set of plugins or other tools that are used to shape, enhance or transform the sound of a particular voice. Vocal chains are the building blocks of most songs and are essential for creating a cohesive, appealing, and memorable music experience.

Using these tools can make it easier to create vocal harmonies and other effects that will help make your songs stand out. But there are a few things you should keep in mind when crafting a vocal chain to ensure that the result is accurate and effective:

1. Clean the Vocals

There is no point in adding any plugins or other tools into a pop vocal chain if you are going to neglect cleaning your recordings first. It is important to remove the various unwanted elements that can be found in vocal tracks, such as saliva, unvoiced syllables, breaths, and other noises. These nuisances can be eliminated or reduced with Waves’ Clarity Vx, a very effective tool that will not only clean your vocals but will also create a beautiful soundscape around them.

2. Add Pitch and Formant Shifting

A good way to add some character to your vocals is by applying some pitch or formant shifting to them. This can be done with either a plugin or by manually inserting the effect. The exact settings will vary depending on the type of vocal you are working with, but this is one effect that should always be carefully applied to your vocals, especially if they are already mixed.

3. Use a Room Reverb to Enhance the Vocals

A great way to add some character to your vocals without overwhelming them is by adding a room reverb to them. This will allow the vocals to breathe a bit and will also help them feel warmer in your mix. This is not a common technique in vocal production, but it can be extremely effective when done correctly.

4. Change the Saturation and Distortion of the Vocals

There are several different ways to add a little saturation or distortion to your vocals, but the best way is by manually adjusting them in your mixer. This will allow you to find the perfect balance for your vocals and will also ensure that your song will not sound overly harsh or distorted, which is a common issue when using these types of effects.

5. Add a little Bitcrush to the Vocals

Another popular vocal tool is to add a bit of bitcrush to the voice. This can be done by either manually adjusting the level or by automating the settings of your mixer. The resulting sounds can be very different from one another, but they will certainly give your vocals some added character.

6. Sync the Vocals

The last step of any vocal chain is to synchronize your vocals with the rest of the song. This is a very important task because it will make your vocals seem more authentic, and will also make your songs stand out from the rest of the competition.