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It took me some time to correctly set up the Focusrite Clarett+ 8Pre. I’d decided on this model after using some cheap USB‑C interface preamps that clearly weren’t designed to adequately power a high‑end mic like the Neumann TLM 103 I’d purchased, so I was looking forward to firing up Logic and starting to record vocal takes.
Starting from zero, I built the vocal effects chain from scratch, using stock plug‑ins only (although I’ve recently had an eye on the UA plug‑in suite). After every evening of recording takes and editing and arranging in Logic, it came time to play them repeatedly, gradually building and tweaking each vocal effects rack. This process took a couple of months until I’d built a rack of over 10 effects.
I was recording vocal covers of popular songs in order to make a vocal effect chain that was on the same level as some of the legends. I was covering artists like George Michael, RHCP, the Weeknd and Coldplay. The gods of the studio world, they had all the best engineers, expertise and gear at their disposal. I put the original songs on a track below my covers to compare and try to copy the sound and volume of the original vocal.
I didn’t watch too many YouTube tutorial videos (sometimes it’s best to do things from experience), and also I just really wanted to play with and learn the gear by myself. It takes more time, but you end up getting super familiar with all of the functions and features.
The best engineers aren’t going to upload all of their secrets; sometimes it’s best just to keep playing with the effects until you get the sound you want. A good pair of headphones is a prerequisite — I’d opted for the AKG K52s as I was on a budget, but these yielded pretty good results based on all the systems I played the finished covers through.
The slow graft needed to build a legendary effects chain took time, and the nightly sessions (which I called ‘3am sushi sessions’, as I was motoring through plates of it) were so worth it as after six weeks I’d built a rock‑solid effects rack that’s reliable and as good as anything in the industry.
Having the most expensive hardware and gear is great and all that, but to raise your game, good old‑fashioned long nights of staring at dials and meters, surrounded by empty sushi plates and drained smoothies, is the way to go.
When I look back at the difficulties, configuring the compressors was always epic. I ended up with a compressor toward the front and another at the back of the signal chain, as is fairly standard practice, along with a multiband compressor just after the first. These all really have to be tuned for the mic and the singer.
Plug‑ins and effects are good enough now that you don’t need a professional studio for pop or R&B vocal takes...
Plug‑ins and effects are good enough now that you don’t need a professional studio for pop or R&B vocal takes; even the very best artists often just use a decent mic, basic acoustic foam and good plug‑in knowledge to achieve results.
Now I’ve completed the whole vocal effects chain, and this process is over — but only temporarily. I’ve got plans to add a new hardware rack and a 73‑style microphone preamp to get a hotter, more overdriven vocal tone. And obviously, I can’t wait to get back to the 3am sushi and cheap taurine drinks again.
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