How to Get Vocals like Post Malone Using Only AutoTune Plugins
July 23, 2026
Read time: 6 mins
The short answer. The Post Malone vocal sound is built from five AutoTune plugins used in sequence. AutoTune Pro handles pitch correction and the signature vibrato, Vocal EQ shapes the tone, the Vocal De-Esser controls sibilance, the Vocal Compressor stabilizes the dynamics, and Vocal Reverb adds the atmospheric space. AutoKey sets the song key before you start, and the entire chain runs inside AutoTune Unlimited.
That polished, atmospheric vocal tone Post Malone is famous for sounds like it took a multi-million dollar room to capture, but the reality is that the entire chain lives inside AutoTune and you can build it on any laptop. The trick is treating pitch correction as an instrument rather than a repair job, then stacking the right tone, dynamics, and space around it.
Below is the exact Post Malone vocal chain from our latest video, broken down step by step so you can dial in the same radio-ready sound at home.
1. Start With Pitch Correction
Every great Post Malone record starts with pitch, and the reason his tuning sits so naturally in the mix is that it is used as a creative instrument rather than a corrective afterthought. The workflow is quick, and getting the key right first is what makes everything downstream sit correctly, so run AutoKey on the instrumental before you send anything to AutoTune Pro on the vocal.
Pitch Correction Workflow at a Glance
- AutoKey: load it on the instrumental track
- Detect: hit listen and let the track play so it finds the key and scale
- AutoTune Pro: send the detected key to the plugin on the vocal track
2. Dial In the Signature Vibrato
The vibrato section in AutoTune Pro 11 is where a lot of that iconic Post Malone character actually comes from, and it is a feature many producers never open. Choose your shape first, then work through the parameters below, keeping in mind that the onset rate controls how smoothly the effect enters and the variation controls how exaggerated the movement feels. These are the settings that add motion on top of a singer’s own natural vibrato.
Vibrato Settings at a Glance
- Rate: 7
- Delay: 105
- Onset Rate: low for a smooth, natural entrance
- Variation: raise to taste for a more exaggerated feel
- Pitch: 18
- Amplitude: 27
- Formant: 100
3. Clean the Tone With Vocal EQ
With the pitch and vibrato locked in, the next job is shaping tone, and this is where Vocal EQ earns its place in the chain. Work from the bottom of the spectrum up, clearing out the low-end rumble the vocal does not need, pulling out the muddiness and boxiness that build up in the low mids, then opening up the air band to add that expensive, radio-ready shine on top.
Vocal EQ Settings at a Glance
- High-Pass Filter: 152 Hz
- Cut: 6.7 dB at 230 Hz to remove muddiness and boxiness
- Air Boost: 6.2 dB at 10 kHz for shine
4. Tame Sibilance With the De-Esser
The moment you boost those high frequencies, sibilance becomes the trade-off, since every hard S and T in a take turns sharp and piercing the way a word like "sauce" suddenly jumps out. That is exactly what the Vocal De-Esser is built to fix, and its assist button does most of the work for you by listening to the audio and finding what needs correcting on its own.
De-Esser Workflow at a Glance
- Assist: click to auto-detect the harsh S and T sounds
- Review: check the correction it recommends
- Apply: commit the change in a couple of clicks without dulling the brightness
5. Control Dynamics With the Vocal Compressor
A record like this needs the vocal sitting upfront and stable, which is a job for the Vocal Compressor and its dual-compressor design that lets you stack two completely different compressors in a single plugin slot. Rather than building that from scratch, start from a preset and make small level adjustments to taste, which keeps the performance glued together take after take.
Vocal Compressor Settings at a Glance
- Preset: Grit Wall
- Design: dual compressor, two compressors stacked in one slot
- Input: nudge up slightly to taste
- Output: nudge up slightly to taste
6. Add Space With Vocal Reverb
The final piece is the dreamlike atmosphere around the vocal, and the Vocal Reverb gets you there without any tweaking beyond a single knob. Leave the plugin on its default setting, skip the presets entirely, and let the mix knob do all the work so the reverb sits just under the dry signal and places the vocal in a room without ever sounding washed out.
Vocal Reverb Settings at a Glance
- Preset: none, leave the default reverb in place
- Mix: 13 percent
Everything you just walked through, the whole chain plus AutoKey, lives in a single place inside AutoTune Unlimited, and younger me would never have believed that. I learned all of this the slow way, on borrowed gear in rooms where half the cables didn't work and chasing down one good vocal could take a whole night. So the fact that you can open one subscription and have a Post Malone record sounding radio-ready in no time feels absolutely amazing and inspiring to me. Have fun!
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you get the Post Malone vocal sound?
Start with AutoKey on the instrumental to detect the key, then run AutoTune Pro on the vocal with the vibrato section dialed in (rate 7, delay 105, pitch 18, amplitude 27, formant 100). Follow with Vocal EQ to shape tone, the Vocal De-Esser to tame sibilance after the high-frequency boost, the Vocal Compressor on the Grit Wall preset, and Vocal Reverb at 13 percent mix for the atmospheric space. The entire chain runs inside AutoTune Unlimited.
What AutoTune plugins do you need for a Post Malone vocal chain?
The chain is built from five plugins working in order, starting with AutoTune Pro for pitch and vibrato, followed by Vocal EQ, the Vocal De-Esser, the Vocal Compressor, and finally Vocal Reverb. AutoKey handles key detection up front, and all of them are available together in an AutoTune Unlimited subscription.
How do you get the Post Malone vibrato effect?
Open the vibrato section in AutoTune Pro, set the rate to 7 and the delay to 105 so the movement enters after the note, keep the onset rate low for a smooth start, and set pitch to 18, amplitude to 27, and formant to 100. That combination layers controlled motion on top of the singer’s natural vibrato for that recognizable signature sound.
Can you get the Post Malone sound without a professional studio?
Yes, because the entire sound lives inside the plugin chain rather than the room or the gear, so a laptop and a DAW are enough to reproduce it. Every setting in this guide comes down to how you configure the AutoTune plugins and how you perform into them, not the price of your studio.
Written by
Brian has 15+ years of experience in the music industry, transitioning from his early 2000s roots touring with bands to becoming an audio engineering professional after earning his degree in 2011. Before joining AutoTune, Brian built his expertise working with legendary music technology brands including M-Audio, HeadRushFX, and Akai Pro. When he's not developing marketing strategies for AutoTune, Brian rocks out with his Math Rock band Between 3&4.