Vocal delay throws: echo on the last word only

Delay on the whole vocal turns it into a wash. Instead, use a delay throw: put the echo only on the last word of a line. The words stay clear and the echo fills the gap before the next line.

How to do it

1. Put a delay on a send (aux) track, synced to the tempo (1/4 or dotted 1/8).
2. Automate the send from the vocal: off for most of the line, up on the last word.
3. Or copy the last words to their own track and send only that track to the delay.
4. Give the delay 2 or 3 repeats and EQ them darker so they sit behind the vocal.
5. Use it at the ends of phrases, not on every line.

Why it works

Echoes during the words blur them. Echoes in the gaps keep the vocal clear and add movement where it's quiet.

Free tool: BPM, Delay & Reverb Calculator → Tap the tempo, then get delay times, LFO rates and reverb pre-delay and decay that fit it.