· 7 min read

How to get distorted underground rap vocals

Distorted vocals sound effortless when they're done right and like a blown speaker when they're not. Here's a chain that gets the grit without losing the words.

The distorted underground vocal is everywhere: blown-out hooks, crunchy verses, adlibs that sound like they came through a broken radio. The trick is that the best versions are controlled. You can still understand every word.

1. Record clean, distort later

Don't record with distortion printed in. Record a clean take at a sensible level, peaking well below 0 dB. You can always add grit later, but you can't take it out. If you like hearing the effect while you record, put it on the track's monitoring path, but keep the recorded audio clean.

2. Clean up before you distort

Distortion multiplies every problem, so fix them first:

  • High-pass filter around 80–100 Hz to remove rumble and handling noise. Use Fruity Parametric EQ 2, which comes with every FL Studio edition.
  • Cut mud: a small dip somewhere in the low mids if the voice sounds boxy.
  • Control peaks: a little compression (Fruity Limiter in compressor mode works) so loud words don't distort way harder than quiet ones.

3. De-ess before the distortion

This is the step most people skip. Distortion turns S's, T's and breaths into harsh static. Put a de-esser before the distortion. Our UNDERGROUND DE-ESSER has Smart Learn: hit LEARN, rap a few bars and it sets itself to your voice.

UNDERGROUND DE-ESSERThe de-esser that learns your voice. Hit LEARN, rap a few bars and it finds your harsh S's and tames them, without killing the air in your vocal.
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4. Distort in parallel

Duplicate the vocal (or use a send) and put the distortion on the copy:

  1. Route the copy to its own mixer track.
  2. Add your distortion: Fruity Fast Dist for quick grit, Fruity WaveShaper for something nastier, or a free plugin like Klanghelm IVGI.
  3. Push it harder than you think, then bring the copy's fader up under the clean vocal until the energy is there.

Parallel distortion keeps the clean vocal carrying the words while the dirty copy adds size and attitude. If you want the fully blown-out sound, solo the distorted copy for a bar or two as a moment.

5. Filter the distortion

Distortion adds a lot of top end. A low-pass or gentle high-shelf cut after the distortion makes it sound more like a speaker and less like fizz. Band-passing the distorted copy, cutting both lows and highs, gives you the "through a phone" sound. Fruity Love Philter can do this and automate it.

6. Add doubles and space last

  • Doubles: PHANTOM VOCALS adds dark ghost doubles and octave stacks with one knob, which pairs well with a distorted lead.
  • Space: put reverb and delay at the end of the chain so they sit on the distorted sound. APOLLO puts reverb, delay and width on one knob.
PHANTOM VOCALS plugin interface PHANTOM VOCALS$9.99 Vocal plugin Your voice, haunted. Stack it, choir it and drown it in the void. One knob takes you from subtle to straight possessed. APOLLO plugin interface APOLLO$9.99 Space FX Reverb, delay and width on one knob. Turn up SPACE and your vocal lifts off, from a tight room to a full stadium to infinite.

7. Automate the intensity

Distortion at the same level for three minutes gets tiring. Automate the distorted copy's fader, or the distortion's mix, so it pushes in the hook and backs off in the verse. For a dramatic switch, sink the intro with SUBMERGE, our free underwater effect, and drop it to 0 when the distorted verse hits.

Quick checklist

  • Clean recording, no printed distortion.
  • EQ and compression before distortion.
  • De-esser before distortion.
  • Distortion in parallel, filtered afterwards.
  • Doubles and space last.
  • Automate it so it moves with the song.

Want to go even harder? Read how to make aggressive rage rap vocals.

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