How to Sound Like Post Malone: The Vocal Sound, Explained
Published · by Loopin
Most people working out how to sound like Post Malone crank Auto-Tune. His producer says the main tuning is Melodyne, with Auto-Tune used lightly and dropped onto chosen lines as an effect. Tune transparently, then pick where the robot shows.
Start from what Louis Bell has actually said
Louis Bell has produced and recorded Post Malone since Stoney (2016), and he’s been specific. In Sound On Sound (August 2019) he said he does the vocal tuning in Melodyne, then adds Antares Auto-Tune “very lightly” to keep things locked. On specific lines he adds Auto-Tune as an effect, “like a flanger or slap delay”, not because Post can’t sing it in tune. He also said the shake people hear in Post’s voice on “Rockstar” (2017) isn’t Auto-Tune: it’s how he sings.
On tracking, Universal Audio’s “Nailing the Tone for Post Malone” says Bell records Post on a Sony C800 straight into an Apollo Twin’s built-in preamp, keeping it simple so he can change the colour afterwards. He also names the Cambridge EQ, which he uses on everything, the 1176, the API 550A and 550B, and the Sonnox Oxford Inflator among his tools. No settings were given.
Hear the difference on four songs
“White Iverson” (2015): a slurred, relaxed delivery with audible tuning on the melodic slides. “Congratulations” (2016): a bigger, stacked hook with the lead sitting on top. “Rockstar” (2017): a dark, sparse beat where the wobble in the voice is his own vibrato, per Bell, not a plug-in. “Circles” (2019): a mostly natural-sounding pop-rock vocal, doubled, over live-feeling instruments.
What ties them together: a gravelly, slightly nasal tone with natural shake; tuning that mostly disappears until a line is meant to sound processed; doubled hooks; and plenty of reverb and delay on the big moments, with verses drier than choruses.
How to sound like Post Malone: tune in two passes
1. Record clean. Follow Bell’s logic: one good mic, a clean preamp, and no committed effects on the way in, so you can change the tone later. 2. Graphical tuning first. In Melodyne, or any graphical pitch editor, correct only the notes that are actually off. Leave pitch drift and vibrato mostly alone. Flattening the shake is what makes imitations sound robotic. 3. A light real-time tuner after it. Use a slow retune (around 40–60 ms) in the right key. It should be inaudible and just keep stragglers tight.
4. Choose the effect lines. Pick two or three words or phrases per song, often the ends of hook lines, and automate a much faster retune (0–10 ms) on just those. That contrast is the “Post” sound people hear as Auto-Tune everywhere. 5. Double the hook. Sing it twice more, tune the doubles the same way, pan them 60–100% and tuck them 6–9 dB under the lead. See tuning without sounding robotic for the first pass.
A Post Malone vocal chain to start from
Built around the tools Bell names, with generic types and our numbers, since he gave none. Graphical tuning, then a light real-time tuner. Then a clean corrective EQ with a high-pass at 80–100 Hz and a 2–3 dB dip wherever the voice gets boxy (usually 250–500 Hz). Next, a fast FET-style compressor (the 1176 is the classic) taking 4–6 dB, a colour EQ with a gentle presence lift around 3–5 kHz, a de-esser, and an Inflator-style saturator for density at a low mix.
Sends: a 1.5–2.5 s plate with 30–50 ms of pre-delay, plus a slap or eighth-note delay low-passed around 5 kHz. Push both up on choruses, and ride them down on verses.
Why a Post Malone vocal preset won’t get you there
A preset puts one tuning setting across the whole vocal, which is the opposite of what Bell describes: transparent correction everywhere, with an obvious effect only on chosen lines. It also can’t produce the natural shake in the voice, which Bell says is Post’s own singing. Try to fake that with a vibrato plug-in and it sounds seasick.
The rest is writing and arrangement: melodies that sit in a comfortable, slightly strained part of the range, and hooks built to be doubled. Presets start after all that is done. That last step, from good tuned takes to a finished mix, is what Project Jade is being built for.
Run the two-pass tuning test tonight
Take a hook you’ve already recorded. Tune it graphically, add a slow tuner, then automate a fast retune on the last word of each line only. A&B it against a version with fast tuning everywhere; you’ll hear why Bell works this way. For the emo-rap side of this lane, see how to sound like Juice WRLD. Loopin isn’t affiliated with or endorsed by Post Malone; the name is used only to describe a style.
Project Jade is our agentic mixing product, currently unreleased and waitlist-only: drop in your rough mix, get back a studio one. Want your track mixed toward this kind of sound? Join the Project Jade early-access list.
Frequently asked questions
Does Post Malone use Auto-Tune?
Yes, but less than people think. Louis Bell told Sound On Sound (2019) that tuning is done in Melodyne first, with Auto-Tune added very lightly and used on specific lines as an effect.
What mic does Post Malone use?
Per Universal Audio's interview with Louis Bell, a Sony C800 into an Apollo Twin's built-in preamp. The simple chain lets Bell change the colour after recording.
What is Post Malone's vocal chain?
Bell has named tools rather than a fixed chain: Cambridge EQ on everything, the 1176, API 550A and 550B, and Sonnox Oxford Inflator, with Melodyne and light Auto-Tune for pitch. No settings were published.
Is there an official Post Malone vocal preset?
No. Presets usually apply fast Auto-Tune across the whole vocal, which is what Bell says they avoid. Use slow, transparent tuning and add fast retune only on 2-3 chosen lines.
Is the shake in Post Malone's voice an effect?
No. Bell said the shake on Rockstar (2017) is how Post sings, not Auto-Tune. Keep your natural vibrato when tuning rather than flattening it.