Studio Vocals – 5 things to think about…Part Two

As I said earlier, a lot of artists find themselves disappointed with their vocals, despite being happy with their accompaniment tracks. We outlined some major differences between the professional and amateur studio vocalist in an effort to provide some tools for juicing up your own vocal sessions. To recap, the first three were vocal technique, mic choice and production awareness. I’ll hit two more below.

4 – Intensity, or “read’. Forgetting that our medium is aural, we often rely on our memory of the emotional quality of the vocal tracking session as we listen to playback the following day. The consumer will not have the benefit of any participation in the tracking session, and will be listening with “new” ears. Therefore, it is crucial that the performance be sufficient to “read” over the radio, home stereo or iPod – that is, emotionally strong enough to convey the desired effect despite it being a recorded performance.

Often artists will sing something incredible, totally selling their performance and leaving me breathless. And then, they’ll say something like, “No, that was way too over-the-top, let me do it again”… In order to create a great vocal, the great vocalists live in an over-the-top space. Pick your favorite great vocalist, out of the hundreds that exist. Not only have they mastered the subtle nuance side, but they’ve also mastered the soaring crescendo, the growl, the sneer, the “attitude” that so many inexperienced artists shy away from in the studio. In order to make your vocal performance pop, you must characterize to tape – a mix engineer can tame a performance, but can’t make it any more real than it is on tape.

5 – Knowing the lyric. Seems simple, but the real key is to know and understand the subtext, implication and inner narrative of the vocal. You must be able to produce the vocal yourself, and that means understanding how the lyrics fit together to create a story.
Really knowing the lyric helps you to shade each phrase, rather than simply sing words on a page.

This is important because listeners connect with the vocal, on an emotional level. The lyrics convey images, which aid in a visual connection. There are so many opportunities for a vocal performance to engage the listener, that it is vital for the artist to know where the plot turns, the story builds, the narrative twists and the climax occurs (and there should be layers in each section of the song, not just “Well, the final chorus is the big one!”).

By approaching the vocal as the most important component of your record, you gear yourself towards the intensity that is required to produce an exceptional vocal performance. However, too many singers stop after a few passes at the lead. In their mind, running from the beginning to the end of the song two or three times constitutes a good swipe at a lead vocal, and their lazy producer, who doesn’t understand the power of a good lyric, lets them get away with it.

And in rare circumstances, that might be okay. But generally there is some phrase or section worth improving, even if it means pausing to analyze the meaning of the lyric and reconsidering how the vocal tone can capture this meaning. Often, I’ll have a singer try the first chorus several times, shaping it and carving it until it most effectively conveys the lyric phrase by phrase. We’ll then move to the next chorus, singing it again (never flying it!) and moving towards a new plateau – first choruses and second choruses rarely have the same emotional content or dynamic level, so they need to be treated differently.

This constant shading of the choruses needs to flow through the verses, the bridge, the pre-chorus etc. By inspecting the details of the lyrics, a great vocal can be crafted. But it needs to be a planned and intentional process. It’s extremely rare that a great vocal just “happens”, without some thought about its connection to the lyric and emotional content of the song.

So great vocals on your record are attainable if you prioritize them above the other things on your record. Give them sufficient tracking time, select the right producer / engineer and be aware of some simple production techniques, and you’ll find yourself with the vocal sounds you’ve always wanted!
http://www.advantagemusicproduction.com/

Sandy Tipping is Co-Owner of Advantage Music Production and has frittered away the rest of his life as a studio musician, arranger and producer in Nashville.