The Topline: Crafting UK Drum & Bass Vocals with Purpose
In UK Drum & Bass, the vocal isn’t just an accessory — it’s a driving force. Whether it’s a gritty, confident delivery that slices through a dense mix or an atmospheric topline that lifts a drop, the voice carries both energy and identity. In this edition of The Topline, we step inside the vocal process behind UK Drum & Bass sample creation, exploring the recording setup, go-to chains, creative workflows, and deeper philosophies that shape performances built to cut through fast tempos and powerful production.
What's your typical setup for recording high-quality vocals (microphone, pre-amps, room treatment, etc.)?
My engineer Dan has crafted an awesome space for vocals. We use a fully treated room with a pro home-made vocal booth. We’re currently using Aston-series microphones & Audient hardware to produce rich sounding vocals into our DAW.
What’s your approach to vocal production? Do you focus on getting a perfect take or prefer to experiment with different takes and comp them later?
Honestly, for some projects the sonic vision and approach land straight away. But we also regularly bounce off of each other and find the vibe as we go. We’ll run through experimental vocal takes, cover all the options and comp from there so we hit the finest sound for each track.
What are some processing techniques you commonly employ when producing vocals for a sample pack? Do you have any favorite plugins or a go-to chain that serves as a starting point?
The mission to find my perfect vocal chain remains ongoing… But some well-trusted plugin favourites among our journey are Xfer Records’ OTT, Oeksound’s Soothe, a few goodies from the Fabfilter series, and the Valhalla verbs & delays. Each session we start vocal recording with around 6-7 plugins enabled from our preset chain. This helps elevate my vocal performance as it naturally sounds better in the headphones right from the start. After recording initial takes, Dan runs some careful EQing and dials in a few compressors to get vocals sounding matched to powerfully fit the track. Here’s a cool Valhalla Delay trick I’ve seen him use to maximise vocal neatness & clarity - Hit the DuckTape mode with the ducking at around 50 - 70% so the wet signal moves out of the way to provide vocal clarity, and then comes to life afterward as a delay tail.
How does the topline, adlib, or one-shot creation process for a sample pack differ from a more traditional songwriting session?
For me, sample pack sessions are a scaled up version of traditional songwriting. It’s similar in the sum of its parts but larger in quantity & process. I’ll use cooking as an example to illustrate - all the well-loved, well-prepared meals we’ve cooked for one or two, we’ll gather the ingredients to prepare for a large batch-cook. Confidence grows after all the small tweaks to the flavours & preparation process to get the taste right on point. So we follow this by increasing output giving others access to the results.
In reality, this looks the same as having all the individual foundations for a good song, but turning those foundations into ‘libraries’. For example, I have a library of lyrical concepts, a library of reference playlists with songs in different genres, a collection of vocal techniques that vary pitch, dynamic and emotion. Dan has a library of vocal chains for different tones & FX, a bank of recording techniques to get the best out of me, and we also have a roster of other artists so we can provide a variety of vocals to clients. Across the board we try to keep these libraries inspired & updated to continue providing awesome new content.
What are some of your favorite vocal recordings? What vocalists, songwriters, and / or engineers inspire you?
I’m seriously inspired by UK artists like Skepta & P Money. The vocal performance & lyrical delivery of artists from the Grime era has impacted my style profoundly. There's something brilliant about that confident and gritty vocal sound that seems to cut through mixes so well, and I always take creative inspiration from that. I usually look out for how producers like Skrillex & Fred again.. process vocals. That really helps me gauge upcoming styles & develop new ideas for packs. And I’m always open to suggestions, so if you’re reading this please send me your fave tracks! In the sample pack space I’ve been super impressed with the work of the Dropgun Samples team and how they’ve consistently innovated my vocal sound on our joint projects. I love hearing what they come up with!
Are there any other tips, best practices, philosophies, etc. around vocal production that you'd like to share?
As my faith in Jesus is a massive part of my life, I aim to arrive at my recording sessions having spent time in prayer, reading & singing, as this really connects me with my purpose and the reason I create. It helps me set the energy in the studio each day, and also has a profound impact on my joy & level of patience when working hard. My encouragement to others is to connect with their purpose too; when we draw creatively from something deeper, it tends to bring out the best in ourselves musically.
While plugins, vocal chains, and studio technique all play a role, the heart of this approach goes beyond gear. From drawing inspiration from the grit of UK grime to staying connected to personal purpose before stepping into the booth, the goal is always the same: deliver vocals that feel authentic, energetic, and ready to live inside massive Drum & Bass records. In a genre defined by momentum, it’s that combination of technical precision and emotional clarity that makes a topline truly hit.