Order of Effects

[rfssongs]

On a vocal track I am using EQ, Reverb & Compression.

What is the best order to place them in ?

[Lord Tim]

For the EQ and compression, it's kind of what you want to achieve with it mostly.

Let's say your vocal has a lot of muddy frequencies in there, or you have a very bassy voice. If you run compression first and then EQ to fix that stuff, the compressor will be working extra hard on stuff you'll just be throwing away later. In that case, I would put the EQ first to correct any problems and then the compressor.

On the other hand, if you like how the vocal sounds when it's compressed, but you think "maybe it could use a bit of air" then I'd do EQ  the high end boost after the compressor so I'm not messing up the dynamics or having the compressor make the boost affect the vocal's sibilance.

Reverb, definitely after the compressor, and I'd usually put it after the EQ too, although be careful of the reverb itself - it can also muddy up a good vocal sound. Have a look in the reverb plugin itself for EQ settings and try rolling off the highs and lows. You'd be surprised how much you can take out without it being noticeable, but it'll make the vocal sit in the mix a LOT better.

[sjoens]

On most compact mixers the signal path is Comp, EQ, reverb.

[Light Grenade]

I like to go EQ > Comp > EQ again if needed. All time-based effects at the end. 

Also, great point by @Lord Tim, you can normally get away with cutting up to 200/300hz on your reverb/fx send.

[Lord Tim]

Go nuts and use a multiband compressor, you can crush, shape and de-ess all at once! ?

... You know, I've never actually done this but now I think about it, it's not the worst idea I've ever heard ?

[rfssongs]

8 hours ago, pwalpwal said:

eq comp eq comp reverb comp eq comp

4 comp's & 3 Eq's ???

Am I reading that right or are you describing separate scenarios ?

Edited November 11, 2022 by rfssongs
Typo

[Quick Math]

EQ > Reverb > Comp > Comp > EQ > Reverb (Send)

and for that aux track 

Reverb(Send)> EQ > Comp  > Comp (Sidechain Ducking)

I guess 

Edited November 12, 2022 by Quick Math

[imstre]

good sounds first,we clean the paths and then compress the jumping paths, after that, if necessary, we clean the resins once more

but without eq and without comp, if the balance is good, you don't need anything - the less you use vst, the better the product will be

in search of poetry, you need it, but that's another story
At first, the eq and comp are limited

[bitflipper]

On 11/10/2022 at 5:02 PM, sjoens said:

On most compact mixers the signal path is Comp, EQ, reverb.

This is true. However, it's a compromise. Built-in compressors in consoles are primitive compared to what we have in a DAW. For example, they usually do not have sidechain filtering and can therefore react poorly when processing a vocal mic with a strong proximity effect.

As a general rule, EQ comes first. There may be a separate EQ just for the reverb effect, but that's usually a filter within the reverb plugin itself. EQ can have a profound effect on compression, so you definitely want to do any highpass filtering pre-compression.

Compression usually precedes reverb. Usually. There are exceptions, such as when you're processing drum overheads or drum room mics. Compressing the room sound or added reverb can create a pleasant wash (listen to the heavily compressed rides on early Beatles). But more often, compression does nothing for the reverb except make it overly prevalent on transients.

Lord Tim nailed it above, saying it's about what you want to achieve. Then again, Tim's been doing this a long time and is very good at it. If you're at a point where you're not yet sure what it is you want to achieve, EQ -> Comp -> Reverb is a safe starting place.  Then we can talk about chorus and distortion!

[sjoens]

It was only my 0.02¢. I never use onboard compression... or onboard FX. Would rather they not be there to make room for more useful stuff... like another channel strip??!?! 

[bitflipper]

OTOH, I love having the built-in compressors in my Yamaha vocal mixer for live performance. It makes my job as real-time onstage mix guy much easier.

[Max Arwood]

On 11/11/2022 at 5:43 AM, pwalpwal said:

eq comp eq comp reverb comp eq comp

At first, I thought you were talking about the Greg Wells Vocal chain.

                                      Comp1 

                                      Comp2

Vocals ->EQ->                                ->EQ

                                      Comp3

                                     Comp4

                                     Comp5

Lead vocal 5 compressors parallel mix trick. They all can have EQ before and after each Compressor. All the compressors are different ones.