Hey everyone,

I need help with an audio/routing/FL Studio setup. I’m trying to record rap/pop-rap vocals in FL Studio. My setup is:

• Audio interface/mixer: RØDECaster Duo
• Microphone: Shure SM7B
• Driver: RØDECaster ASIO Driver
• Goal: record rap vocals while hearing my vocal chain live

My goal is a stable workflow:

Beat in FL Studio → record vocals → hear the vocal chain live while recording → record/export cleanly → WAV export should sound normal.

Original problem

Before resetting everything, I had an FL Studio project with a YouTube type beat and a vocal chain on a vocal insert.

When I exported the track as a WAV, the result was completely messed up:

• When I rapped/sang, the beat suddenly got louder.
• When I stopped singing, the beat got much quieter.
• Parts of the exported file sounded choppy/cut off.
• It felt like the beat volume was reacting to my voice.
• I first thought my mic/routing was wrong, maybe FL Studio was recording not only my microphone but also PC audio, beat audio, some loopback, or a RØDECaster mix.

Then I tested exporting only the beat from that old project. Even then, the export had problems/glitches.

After that, I opened a completely new FL Studio project, dragged in only the beat, and exported it. In the new project, the beat sounded normal. So I concluded:

• FL Studio itself can export properly.
• The beat file itself was probably not broken.
• The old project or the routing/audio setup was probably wrong.

I also had latency issues before, which is why I installed the RØDECaster ASIO Driver. Before that, I think I was using FL Studio ASIO which had noticeable delay. With RØDECaster ASIO, the latency got better, but the setup became more confusing and unstable.

Why I reset everything

Before this, my RØDECaster Duo still had old streaming/broadcast settings because I used to stream on Twitch. There were probably presets, processing, monitoring, and routing settings meant for streaming.

Because the audio behavior was so weird, I did a full reset today:

• Factory reset the RØDECaster Duo
• Created a new show
• Went through the RØDECaster App settings
• Changed Windows sound settings
• Changed FL Studio audio settings
• Started from a new FL Studio project

The goal was to remove old streaming settings and build a clean music-recording setup.

Current RØDECaster Duo / RØDECaster App settings

After the reset:

• New show created
• Microphone: Shure SM7B on Input 1
• Mic gain later set to about 55 dB
• RØDECaster internal mic effects/processing were turned off/kept clean
• Master Compellor: Off
• Output Delay: Off
• Multitrack Recording: Pre-Fader
• USB 1 Output: Pre-Fader
• USB 1 Input: Standard
• Headphones 1 Routing: Custom
• In Headphones 1 custom routing:
  • Mic 1 is muted/removed from the headphone mix
  • USB 1 is still active, so I should hear FL Studio returning audio
• Windows output/input are currently both set to:
  • Output: RØDECaster Duo Chat
  • Input: RØDECaster Duo Chat

Current FL Studio settings

In FL Studio:

• Audio device: RØDECaster ASIO Driver
• Sample rate: 48000 Hz
• Buffer was tested around 240 samples
• New FL project
• Beat on Mixer Insert 1 / Playlist Track 1
• Vocal on Mixer Insert 2 / “Preset”
• Mixer Insert 2 input: Channel 1 L
• The vocal insert receives my SM7B signal
• If I mute/disable the vocal insert, my voice disappears, so the mic is definitely going through FL Studio somehow

The plugin chain includes things like:

• MetaTune
• Fruity Limiter
• Fruity Parametric EQ 2
• Fruity Compressor
• Soundgoodizer
• Fresh Air
• RDeEsser Stereo
• Fruity Chorus

The current problem

The main problem now is live monitoring and effects.

I want to hear my voice with the vocal chain while recording, so I can adjust the sound, autotune, compression, effects, etc.

But what happens is confusing:

1. If recording mode is “External input only”

The recorded waveform is very quiet and sounds dry/no-effect.

2. If recording mode is changed to “Post effects”

The recorded waveform becomes much bigger, and on playback I can finally hear that effects are being applied but still not like it was before reset.

3. But live monitoring still feels wrong

Even when I’m monitoring through FL Studio, the live sound either sounds dry, weak, or not like the actual chain. Turning Soundgoodizer/Chorus/MetaTune knobs did not clearly change what I was hearing live.

After setting “Post effects,” playback sounds different, but I still need to hear the processed sound live while recording, not only after recording.

Another issue: voice cutting out

Even after the reset, during a short test recording there was a moment where my voice seemed to cut out in the middle of rapping. I don’t know if that is:

• a gate/expander somewhere
• Fruity Limiter
• Fruity Compressor
• a RØDECaster setting
• buffer/ASIO issue
• FL Studio recording/monitoring issue
• or something else

The RØDECaster mic effects were supposed to be off, so I’m not sure where the cut-off is coming from.

What I need help with

I’m trying to figure out what is still wrong in the setup.

Questions:

1. For recording rap vocals with a vocal chain in FL Studio, should I use Post effects, Post track, or something else?
2. How do I hear the vocal chain live while recording, not just after playback?
3. Is it correct that Windows uses RØDECaster Duo Chat, while FL Studio uses RØDECaster ASIO Driver?
4. Should Windows input/output maybe be set to RØDECaster Duo Main Multitrack instead, or is Chat correct?
5. In the RØDECaster App, are these settings correct for FL Studio recording?
   • Multitrack Recording: Pre-Fader
   • USB 1 Output: Pre-Fader
   • USB 1 Input: Standard
   • Headphones 1 Custom routing with Mic 1 muted and USB 1 active
6. Why would the vocal insert receive my mic, but live monitoring still not clearly show the effects?
7. What is the cleanest way to set up FL Studio so I can:
   • hear myself live with effects,
   • record vocals properly,
   • avoid loopback/beat bleeding into the vocal,
   • and export a WAV without the beat pumping or getting louder/quieter depending on my voice?

Desired final setup

I want this:

Shure SM7B → RØDECaster Duo → RØDECaster ASIO Driver → FL Studio vocal insert → GUNNR vocal chain → headphones live monitoring → clean recording/export

I do not want:

• the RØDECaster direct monitoring my dry mic
• PC/beat audio being recorded into my vocal track
• the beat reacting to my voice
• dry vocals when I need processed monitoring
• random cutting/gating while rapping
• exported WAVs sounding different from FL playback

I know its long and a lot of information, but if someone could help me that would made my day.

Hey everyone,

After wanting to get into music for a long time, I finally got FL Studio Producer Edition. Since I’m a student, I also got the Slate Digital Complete Access subscription through the education discount, so I have access to plugins like MetaTune and the other Slate / SSL / Harrison plugins through the Complete Access Hub.

My current setup is:

• FL Studio Producer Edition
• RØDECaster Duo as my audio interface
• Shure SM7B microphone
• The mic/interface setup is something I already had from streaming

I’m a complete beginner when it comes to recording and mixing vocals. Over the last few days I’ve been watching a lot of YouTube videos, reading posts, asking AI tools, and trying to understand vocal chains, EQ, compression, tuning, adlibs, doubles, etc. The problem is that everyone says something different. A lot of videos also seem to mainly exist to sell presets, and as a beginner it’s hard to know what is actually useful and what is just marketing.

The kind of music/vocal style I’m inspired by right now is stuff like GUNNR, for example the song “Love Me Like That.” I know artists like that often have their own presets or preset packs, and I’ve been wondering if buying something like that is actually worth it, or if I’d be better off learning how to build a basic chain myself first.

My current workflow is very simple: I drag a free beat into FL Studio and want to record vocals over it. My goal is to eventually have a saved vocal recording/mixing template, so every time I open FL Studio I can start from the same basic setup and focus more on writing lyrics, choosing beats, and recording, instead of starting from zero every time.

What I’m struggling with most is:

• How to build a basic beginner vocal chain
• What order the plugins should be in
• How to use EQ without completely guessing
• How to set up compression, tuning, de-essing, reverb/delay, etc.
• Whether I should record with effects on or record dry and mix after
• How to set up adlibs, doubles, and background vocals later
• How to save everything as a reusable FL Studio template
• Whether paid vocal presets are actually worth it for someone at my level

I’m not looking for a magic preset that instantly makes me sound professional. I know I’ll still need to learn and adjust things over time. I just need a solid “go-to” starting point that makes sense with my setup and plugins, so I can stop overthinking every single step and actually start recording consistently.

If anyone could suggest a simple beginner-friendly vocal chain for FL Studio using either stock plugins or Slate Digital plugins, I’d really appreciate it. Even a basic template idea like “start with this, then adjust these settings depending on your voice” would help a lot.

Thanks a lot — I’ve been stuck on this for days and would really appreciate some guidance from people who actually know what they’re doing.