VOCAL PRODUCTION; IN THE STUDIO
In the previous 2 segments about Vocal Production, we talked about all of the cool ways to create your signature sound to set you apart by using production and mixing techniques. In this segment, this is where the rubber meets the road! Going through some pre-production work, properly preparing for the recording session and getting the right number of takes (sung in the right way) will help you accomplish the sounds you are looking for.
PRE-PRODUCTION
Map it out
Print out a lyric sheet and make some notes for you and your producer. Map out a general idea of where you want stacks, doubles, harmonies, throws, etc. If you aren’t sure then does your producer have the ear for this part of the production? Write key emotion words next to phrases. Write specific texture notes like “really intimate here” or “nasty distortion here”.
Getting the “signal chain” right for your voice
Choosing the right microphone and outboard gear such as compressors, pre-amps etc (called “the signal chain”) is the first step in creating your “sound”. Think of it like this: the sound of your voice is going through one of those assembly line car wash thingies (so technical). Everything that your voice touches or “runs through” will have an effect on the end result, either good or bad. That’s why you can have a super nice microphone but really crappy audio interface and the vocal recording will still sound kind of crappy. You don’t have to know anything about running this gear or what the gear does but when you work with engineers and producers and they are trying out different microphones and settings on the outboard gear, ask them why they chose the setting they did, or the mic they did. Take notes! See if you can hear the differences that they are hearing. You might not at first but as you start paying attention to the subtle differences, your ears will become better at picking them out! One microphone might make your voice sound a little dull or even the opposite; too bright. One might add a lot of character to your voice and another might be more “clean”. You could find the same effect with preamps and outboard gear. Try out different signal chains, record them with notes as to what is included in that chain and see if you like a particular combination.
Mic Placement
The distance between your mouth and the microphone is a big factor in creating your “sound”. When you are figuring out the best “signal chain” for your voice with your producer/engineer, this should be part of the equation. Upclose, intimate vocals should be captured with your mouth pretty darn close to the mic. Be careful of those “S’s” and your plosives like “P’s”. If you have a big dynamic chorus, you’ll want to step further away from the mic (just not too far or you risk capturing the sound of the room which can be gross if it’s not a well treated room). Your engineer will make adjustments to the input gain depending on the flavor you are going for so be sure to communicate exactly what you want each section to sound like.
Do a “Dress-Rehearsal”
If you have a basic recording set up at home, set up a “mock recording session” or dress rehearsal. Do it as if this is the real session. This will help you know if there will be any issues with the key or tempo or if you need an extra measure at that one spot so you can hold that one note longer, etc. Or if you’ll need to sing the choruses first and then the verses, or vice versa. You can also sketch out harmony ideas in this process so you don’t get “stage fright” when trying to come up with ideas on the spot. After your dress rehearsal, you should have your “map” from above pretty finalized. This doesn’t mean you can’t change your mind! But obviously it will be easier to dial in your signature sound if you have made these decisions beforehand.
TRACKING/RECORDING
Be Prepared
You really should have the song memorized but if not or if you need lyrics as a security blanket, that is fine. But be sure you have an offline version on your phone (in case wifi is down or unavailable at the studio or the phone creates interference with the microphone which happens). Bring water or whatever beverage makes your voice happy. Don’t eat right before you come, for heaven's sake! (We’ve all done it, don’t lie.) Burps, phlegm, dryness, etc. all make an ugly appearance shortly after eating.
Don’t overdo it
Do not overdo it with takes for your lead vocal! Three to four really good lead vocal takes is all you need. There comes a point where each take improves and then there also comes a point where the takes begin to diminish rather than improve. From my own experience, after 4 takes, there aren’t improvements being made. Unless it is a specific section that you and the producer/engineer decide to rework it, rethink or have made a change to and you need a few practice passes before you start getting good takes. But don’t just record 7, 8, 9 or 20 takes just for the sake of getting more takes. Use your ears and your best judgement. The reason for this is that you will tire emotionally, physically (whole body) and vocally sooner than you think. When you are at home practicing you may be able to sing the same song over and over for 2 hours and feel great. Studio recording requires concentration and focus which can drain you quickly, not to mention you are expected to sing the song better than you’ve ever sung it in your life. No pressure.
Section it out
Take it a section at a time unless it doesn’t make sense. Some songs have such a different texture and range in the different sections that it makes perfect sense to record those sections before moving on to the next section. If the verses are very low and you want that intimate, up close sound but the choruses are super belty and you need more “headroom” (meaning, the engineer will probably want you a little further from the mic and will want to reduce the input level on the microphone pre-amp) then it makes a lot of sense to record all of the verses with one setting and then record the belty choruses with another. Maybe you belt better when your voice is “fresh”, so do the belty choruses first and then the low, soft verses next. The point being that you do not (and probably should not) record the song from start to finish in one take (unless you are going for a more “live and raw” sound). I will usually have the artist sing through the entire song as a “warm up” which also helps me know how to approach the session if we haven’t already figured this out with a pre-production session. That warm up run of the whole song is a great ice breaker but once in a while, I’ll get my best take of a particular word or phrase from that first take.
Listen to your gut
One reason I really hate recording or producing “by the hour” (meaning, someone is paying me for every minute I am working on their music) is that being a creative and an artist does not always mean we are always at our best. If your voice is just not where it needs to be and the session is not going well, see if you can reschedule. If you are tired but have only made it through about half the song, or still have all of the backing vocals to do, call it a day and schedule session #2. It’s ok! Or at least it should be. If the engineer or producer you are working with acts put out by this then...hate to say it but find someone else to work with. This recording session is about capturing YOUR BEST ART and if you are not capturing YOUR BEST ART then take a step back and figure out why or what needs to change in order for that to happen.
Backing Vocals and Stacks
In section 2; Backing Vocal Deep Dive we talked about different types of backing vocals and how to go about getting those.
For parallel harmonies, be sure to get at least 2 good takes of that harmony. You may want to use only one but as your producer or mix engineer is working through the mix, they may decide they want that harmony to be fuller. The easiest way to accomplish this is by using two different takes of the same harmony, one panned to the left, the other panned to the right.
For group vocals that are meant to sound tight and united, definitely have at least two good takes of each harmony part. But the fuller you want the sound, the more takes you’ll want.
For gang or choir vocals, the goal is to get the effect of a “group” of people singing or chanting or both. So get a loooooooooot of takes (like 10, 20, 30 or more, depending on the size of the group you want). Not only that but sing (or chant) each take with a slightly different tonality, different vibrato style, different pitch center, etc. You can even position yourself differently to the microphone. Add your friend or the engineer or producer for that extra special “gang vocal” sound. Have fun with it!
