Trippie Redd Vocal Chain: Igor Mamet's Full Pro Tools Chain (U87, 1073, CL 1B + 11 Plugins)

Vocal chain · Igor Mamet interview · 9 min read

Trippie Redd's vocal chain, as his engineer Igor Mamet explained it to me at Alacran Studios: a Neumann U87 into a Neve 1073 into a Tube-Tech CL 1B on the way in, then eleven inserts on the lead vocal in Pro Tools, one bus for every vocal, and a small rotation of reverbs and delays. Igor's own summary of the whole thing: "Nothing too much."

Contains affiliate links (Plugin Boutique, Sweetwater). If you buy through them I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Only two settings below are Igor's own numbers; everything else is the plugin and the job it does.

Who told me this, and where

Trippie Redd is one of the voices that defined melodic trap. The person who mixes that voice is Igor Mamet: multi-platinum producer, engineer and A&R with credits on Trippie Redd, MGK, Juice WRLD, XXXTentacion, Tory Lanez and Travis Barker.

I sat down with Igor at Alacran Studios and asked one question: what is the vocal chain of Trippie Redd? He walked me through it from the mic to the last plugin. This article is that answer, in order, with his words where he gave them. Where he did not give a number, I say so. I am not going to invent a threshold to make it look complete.

Recording chain: U87 → Neve 1073 → Tube-Tech CL 1B

"So we usually record with the U87, going into a Neve 1073, into the Tube-Tech CL 1B. Pretty standard."

That is the whole front end. A large-diaphragm condenser, a classic preamp, an opto compressor catching a little on the way in. Igor calls it "pretty standard" because, in rooms that cut records, it is. The decisions that make Trippie sound like Trippie happen later, in the box.

Neumann U87

The default vocal mic in most major studios, and the one Igor reaches for with Trippie. If you are shopping: Neumann U87 Ai at Sweetwater. If you are not shopping at that level yet, the chain below still works; the mic is one part of it.

Neve 1073

The preamp. Igor did not mention using its EQ on the way in, so I am not going to claim he does. Neve 1073 at Sweetwater.

Tube-Tech CL 1B

An opto compressor on the way in. Amount not specified. The hardware is a studio purchase; the plugin version is where most of us will meet it: Tube-Tech CL 1B Mk II plugin.

The lead vocal chain in Pro Tools, in order

Eleven inserts. Igor gave exact numbers for exactly one of them (the first). For the rest he named the plugin and the job. I have kept that honesty: the screenshots below show the plugins at default settings, not Igor's settings.

1. Softube Tape

"I'm starting off with usually, like, a Softube Tape at the C setting. Not too much color, maybe like six to seven, depending on the song."

Tape first, before any EQ. The C machine, drive around 6–7. This is the one confirmed setting in the whole chain, and the point is restraint: a little density and softening before the cleanup starts. Softube Tape.

2. Waves SSL E-Channel

"Already kind of doing a little bit of low-end cutting, maybe a little bit of mud, maybe a little shine if we need it, depending on the song. Sometimes a little bit of a gate, just to kind of clear out some of that stuff that we don't want."

The first cleanup pass: low end out, mud out, a touch of top if the song wants it, and sometimes a gate. The gate plugin was not named. Frequencies and amounts not specified. Waves SSL E-Channel.

3. FabFilter Pro-Q 4

"Go into a Pro-Q 4, get more of the stuff we don't want."

A second subtractive pass with a surgical EQ. The screenshot shows an empty curve on purpose: Igor did not give the moves, so there is nothing honest to draw. FabFilter Pro-Q 4.

4. 1176

"Go into a 1176, you know, just to get those peaks."

Fast FET compression doing one job: the peaks. Igor did not say which 1176 version; the screenshot is the UAD one from my own session. UAD 1176 Classic Limiter Collection.

5. LA-2A, gray or silver

"Go into an LA-2A, also usually UAD-wise. Either the gray to get a little fatness out of it, or a silver if I want to get more high end out of it."

The second compressor, slow and smooth, chosen per song: gray for body, silver for top end. Two compressors in series, each doing one thing, is the most repeated move I have heard from engineers on hit vocals. UAD Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection.

6. FabFilter Pro-DS

"From there, I'll start de-essing, probably the FabFilter Pro-DS. I like that one a lot."

De-essing comes after both compressors and before any top-end boost. That order matters: compress first and the esses come up; de-ess before the shine so the shine does not hand them back. Settings not specified. FabFilter Pro-DS.

7. Pultec EQ

"Maybe just to boost a little bit of the highs, just to give it a little bit more of that shine if I haven't yet."

Now the additive EQ, and only if the E-Channel did not already do it. Version not specified; screenshot is UAD. UAD Pultec Passive EQ Collection.

8. McDSP MC2000 (MC404)

"Just kind of the same thing, just multiband. I don't have to do too much EQ; I'd rather do multibanding."

This is the philosophy of the whole chain in one sentence. Instead of stacking static EQ cuts, let a four-band compressor react to the vocal and only turn a range down when it gets loud. McDSP MC2000 at Plugin Boutique.

9. Soundtoys Decapitator (optional)

"Maybe a Decapitator if I need to push it through the mix a little bit more."

Saturation as a tool for presence, not for dirt, and only when the vocal is losing to the beat. Soundtoys Decapitator.

10. oeksound soothe

"Just put a Soothe on it, just to get a little bit more of that high-end control."

Dynamic resonance control near the end, after the saturation has had a chance to add harshness. oeksound soothe2 at Sweetwater.

11. Waves R-Vox

"End it off with an R-Vox."

The last insert on the lead. A simple compressor to finish the level before everything leaves the track. Settings not specified. Waves Renaissance Vox at Plugin Boutique.

The all-vocals bus

The lead, the ad-libs and the background vocals all go to one bus. Three things happen there, and two of them are optional.

"Do a little bit of compression there, just a little bit, just to keep everything glued in together."

Compressor not named, amount described as "just a little bit."

"Maybe a little bit of Fresh Air if it needs it in the mids. Usually it doesn't need it in the highs, but the mids I might boost, like, five to ten on Fresh Air."

The second confirmed setting in the interview: Fresh Air, mid air 5–10, high air usually untouched. The screenshot shows the plugin at zero; the number is Igor's. Fresh Air is free from Slate Digital.

"If possibly needed, a limiter or a StandardCLIP at the end of it, just to give it a little more of that loudness."

Loudness last, and only if the song needs it. StandardCLIP by SIR Audio Tools.

Effects: reverbs, delays, and the ad-lib trick

Igor runs a rotation of reverbs rather than one fixed chain, so treat this as the shelf he picks from. He did not say whether these sit on sends or inserts, so I will not either.

Reverbs

"We're usually running a Valhalla, usually the Seventh Heaven, you know, C Plate. We love that a lot. The R-Verb is great. The Reverb One by Avid is great; we use that one a lot too."

Four reverbs, four flavors: Valhalla VintageVerb (sold direct), LiquidSonics Seventh Heaven, Waves R-Verb and Avid Reverb One (Pro Tools). "C Plate" is Igor's phrase; I am quoting it as he said it.

Delays

"We'll use either the H-Delay or the EchoBoy. Like I mentioned, we love that one as well."

Either one. Waves H-Delay · Soundtoys EchoBoy.

Ad-libs and throws

"I'll probably put, like, a MetaFlanger on the actual ad-lib track to give it a little bit of distance and a little separation from the lead vocal. Sometimes I'll throw, like, extra throws for certain words that need a little bit of that extra delay, but that's really it. Nothing too much."

This is the one trick in the interview most people have never tried: a flanger on the ad-libs, not for an effect you hear, but to push them back and away from the lead. Waves MetaFlanger.

The chain at a glance

What you can steal from this chain today

• The front end is "pretty standard." A good mic, a clean preamp, gentle compression on the way in. The magic is in the decisions, not exotic gear.
• Clean before you color. E-Channel and Pro-Q 4 remove the low end, mud and junk before any de-essing, Pultec shine or saturation touches the vocal.
• Two compressors in series. 1176 for the peaks, then LA-2A for the body. Pick the LA-2A flavor per song: gray for fat, silver for more top.
• Multiband instead of heavy EQ. Let an MC404 react to the vocal rather than stacking static cuts. Check your own plugin order with the Vocal Chain Order Checker.
• One vocal bus for everything. Light glue compression, Fresh Air on the mids only if needed, clip or limit only if needed.
• Push the ad-libs back with a flanger. The lead stays in front without turning anything up. "Nothing too much."

How to rebuild it with cheaper or free plugins

These are my suggestions, not Igor's. Same job per stage, lower price. If you want this done for every chain in the book, that is what the eBible's free-plugin versions are.

Not sure which free picks fit your DAW and genre? The Vocal Chain Budget Builder maps a 10-stage chain to stock and free plugins for Logic, Ableton, FL Studio and Pro Tools. Ready-to-load templates live in Templates & Presets.

FAQ

What mic does Trippie Redd record with?

According to his engineer Igor Mamet, a Neumann U87, into a Neve 1073 preamp and a Tube-Tech CL 1B compressor. "Pretty standard," in his words.

What compressor is on Trippie Redd's vocals?

Three in the lead chain, in series: a 1176 for the peaks, an LA-2A (usually UAD, gray or silver depending on the song) for body or top end, and Waves R-Vox as the last insert. A light glue compressor sits on the all-vocals bus; Igor did not name it.

Does Trippie Redd use Auto-Tune?

Pitch correction was not mentioned in this interview, so I am not going to speculate. The chain above is what Igor described, and it does not include a tuning stage.

What reverb does Igor Mamet use?

A rotation, not one plugin: Valhalla VintageVerb, LiquidSonics Seventh Heaven, Waves R-Verb and Avid Reverb One. Delays are Waves H-Delay or Soundtoys EchoBoy.

What are the only confirmed settings in Trippie Redd's vocal chain?

Two. Softube Tape on the C machine at 6–7, and Slate Fresh Air with the mids boosted 5–10 on the vocal bus. Every other stage was named with its job but not its numbers.

Can I get this chain as a preset?

The chain, with its paid and free-plugin versions, is one of the 88 in the Vocal Chain eBible. DAW templates are in Templates & Presets. Igor's exact settings are not in any preset, because he did not give them; the structure is what you are copying.