{
 "slug": "voice-chain",
 "name": "Six-stage voice chain",
 "category": "sound",
 "group": "Voice",
 "media": [
  "video"
 ],
 "checked": "2026-11-13",
 "effect": "A phone or clip-on recording sounds like a broadcast voice.",
 "use_when": "Every voice recorded outside a studio: creator video, a talking head, a podcast clip.",
 "phrase": "run the voice through a high-pass at 100 Hz, a downward expander, a de-esser, a 3 dB lift around 3.5 kHz, a compressor and a limiter, in that order",
 "pitfalls": [
  {
   "text": "The expander goes before the compressor. Otherwise the compressor lifts the room noise between the words again.",
   "evidence": "practitioner",
   "source": "Director Chair notes on Product UI as the explainer (Patchd)"
  },
  {
   "text": "Measured on the dry half of the source clip's own hook: the chain lowered the noise floor from -23.6 to -33.8 dB and kept the peaks under -1 dBFS. The values are starting points, not tuned to a room.",
   "evidence": "measured",
   "source": "Director Chair notes on Product UI as the explainer (Patchd)"
  },
  {
   "text": "Set the expander's threshold above the room's own noise, measured on a second of silence. Loudness is a separate last step.",
   "evidence": "practitioner",
   "source": "Director Chair field notes on editing"
  }
 ],
 "per_model": [],
 "external_refs": [],
 "licensed": [],
 "site_names": [],
 "related": [
  "loudness-target",
  "room-tone-under-generated-voice",
  "demonstration-hook"
 ],
 "rights": "own-work",
 "evidence": "measured",
 "source": {
  "url": null,
  "note": "Own words from Director Chair notes on Product UI as the explainer (Patchd) and Director Chair field notes on editing"
 },
 "body": "## The six stages, in order\n\n| # | Stage | What it does |\n|---|---|---|\n| 1 | High-pass at about 100 Hz | removes rumble, where there is almost no voice |\n| 2 | Downward expander | turns the quiet moments down further, so fans, keys and breaths drop between words |\n| 3 | De-esser | turns down only the sharp hiss of S sounds |\n| 4 | Lift of 3 dB around 3,500 Hz | the range where words get their clarity |\n| 5 | Compressor | narrows the gap between quiet and loud words |\n| 6 | Limiter | a ceiling, so a laugh or a shout does not distort |",
 "shown_with": null,
 "url": "https://directorchair.ai/sound/voice-chain",
 "markdown": "https://directorchair.ai/sound/voice-chain.md",
 "prompts": {
  "chat": "Give me a sound brief: what to record or pick, where it sits on the timeline, the levels, and what to check before export, for a short video about [your product], for [your audience]. The technique is six-stage voice chain: a phone or clip-on recording sounds like a broadcast voice. How it works: run the voice through a high-pass at 100 Hz, a downward expander, a de-esser, a 3 dB lift around 3.5 kHz, a compressor and a limiter, in that order. It is right for: every voice recorded outside a studio: creator video, a talking head, a podcast clip. The expander goes before the compressor. Measured on the dry half of the source clip's own hook: the chain lowered the noise floor from -23.6 to -33.8 dB and kept the peaks under -1 dBFS. Be concrete: numbers, seconds and settings, no theory. Ask me one question first if something you need is missing."
 },
 "licence": {
  "code": "MIT",
  "text": "CC BY 4.0",
  "third_party": "Clips and card texts inside a \"licensed\" block belong to their makers and are shown with permission and credit."
 }
}