REAPER Audio Workflows

The REAPER vocal chain with stock plugins (build order for beginners)

By StudioRescue Editorial

Published July 17, 2026 · Updated July 26, 2026

Most “vocal chain” content either sells you a preset or assumes you own third-party plugins. But REAPER’s stock plugins can take a home vocal from raw to release-ready, and building the chain yourself teaches you what each stage is actually for, so you can fix it when a different voice or mic needs different settings.

This is the build order, why each stage sits where it does, and honest starting ranges. Settings always depend on the voice, the mic, and the room, so treat every number here as a starting point, not a rule.

Why the order matters

Each stage of a vocal chain reacts to whatever comes before it. A compressor placed before your EQ cuts will respond to rumble and mud you were about to remove, so it clamps down on the wrong things. A de-esser placed before compression has to chase sibilance that the compressor is about to make louder anyway. The standard order exists to stop the stages from fighting each other:

1. Clean up first (high-pass and corrective EQ cuts).
2. Control dynamics second (compression).
3. Tame sibilance third (de-esser).
4. Sweeten last (small tone boosts, then effects on sends).

The chain, stage by stage

1. High-pass filter (ReaEQ)

Add ReaEQ and set its first band to high pass. Start around 75–100 Hz for most sung vocals and nudge upward until the low-end thickness clears without the voice thinning out. This removes rumble, mic-stand thumps, and plosive energy that lives below the voice.

2. Corrective cuts (still ReaEQ)

Fix problems before you add anything. The three most common home-vocal complaints each live in their own range, and each has a full guide on this site:

• Muddy or boomy: low-mid buildup around 200–400 Hz. See the muddy vocals guide.
• Nasal or honky: a resonance around 1–2 kHz. See the nasal vocals guide.
• Harsh or edgy: upper-mid energy around 2–5 kHz. See the harsh vocals guide.

In every case the method is the same: find the exact spot with a narrow boost that you sweep, then turn it into a cut of a few dB. If the vocal has none of these problems, skip this stage entirely. Cutting nothing is better than cutting by habit.

3. Compression (ReaComp)

Add ReaComp. Its job is to even out the difference between quiet and loud words so the vocal stays present without riding the fader. Starting ranges for a natural sung vocal:

• Ratio: 2:1 to 4:1.
• Threshold: lower it until the loud phrases show about 3–6 dB of gain reduction, and the quiet ones barely move the meter.
• Attack: moderate, roughly 5–20 ms, so the consonants still punch through.
• Release: try ReaComp’s auto release to start; it is program-dependent and hard to get badly wrong.

4. De-essing (ReaComp or ReaXcomp)

Compression makes everything more even, which also makes “s” and “t” sounds relatively louder. That is why de-essing sits after the compressor. REAPER does not bundle a plugin literally named “de-esser,” but you can de-ess with stock tools: a second ReaComp set to listen only to the 5–9 kHz region using its detector filter, or ReaXcomp compressing just the top band. Add only enough reduction that the sharp “s” sounds soften. If the singer starts sounding like they have a lisp, back it off. Full walkthrough: how to de-ess vocals in REAPER with stock plugins.

5. Optional polish (ReaEQ again, gently)

Only after the problems are gone, consider a small sweetening move: a wide, gentle boost of 1–2 dB in the 3–5 kHz presence region if the voice feels buried, or a small high shelf above 8–10 kHz if it feels dull. Skip this on a bright mic. If you find yourself boosting more than a couple of dB, the real problem is probably earlier in the chain, or in the mix around the vocal.

6. Reverb and delay on sends, not on the track

Create a new track, add ReaVerbate (REAPER’s stock reverb) or ReaDelay, set the effect to 100% wet, and send the vocal to it. Blend the send level until the vocal sits in a space without drowning in it. Keeping effects on a send means the dry vocal stays clear up front, and one reverb can serve several tracks with a consistent sound.

What this chain will not fix

• It will not repair a take that clipped on the way in. Distortion recorded into the file stays in the file; re-record with more headroom.
• It will not remove heavy room echo. EQ and compression can de-emphasize it, but strong reflections baked into the recording need a better recording position more than a better chain.
• It will not tune pitch. A vocal chain shapes tone and dynamics; pitch is a separate job.

If it still sounds off

1. Bypass the whole chain and listen again. If the raw take already sounds wrong in one specific way, fix that one problem first with the matching guide above instead of stacking more processing.
2. Check the order. The most common self-inflicted problem is compression before the corrective cuts, which makes the compressor pump on mud and rumble.
3. Turn things off. Every stage here is optional except the ones solving a problem you can actually hear. A two-plugin chain that sounds good beats a six-plugin chain that sounds processed.
4. Compare at matched volume. Louder almost always sounds “better.” When you A/B the chain on and off, match the levels or you will fool yourself.