I have really fallen off my blogging game. I'm gonna try to get back to it regularly. I have been on a serious work grind which has kept me very focused on making this current record. It has also given virtual tunnel vision with everything else around me, including blogging. I'm not really paying attention to a whole lot of anything that doesnt have to do with making this record (Small Town Sleeper's label debut album for Upper 11 Records). So, if you've emailed me or called and i havent responded, my apologies. I'm trying to stay on top of those things, but here and there, they still slip the cracks.
Anyway, onto the project at hand. London was great. Really great. Troy has never sounded better. He really brought his A+ game over there and delivered. I've been working on putting together all the vocals we cut over there, and fine tuning all of these arrangements. Just sorting thru the multitude of vocal takes is a pretty daunting job. People really dont realize how much time often gets spent only on vocals. When I'm producing, i spend ALOT of time on vocals. Especially when i have the time to take, and i do on this project. Some songs I've easily spent two or three full days in the studio on one song. Just on lead vocals. So, for some of you not familiar with the record making process, you might ask "well Ken, didn't you say Troy brought his A+ game? Ken, didn't you say Troy really delivered?" Yes, thats exactly what i said. and he did. Hopefully soon i'll do a full on blog on vocal production, right now i'm just blogging about voal recording basics. I've blogged about this before a long time ago, but its worth saying again for those who dont wanna read thru 100 old blogs to find it.
Recording vocals is an art. alot of people suck at it. (no offense to those who suck at it, i was one of you once. I'm better now, and I'm giving you some tips to get your vocal game together)
I'll skip all of the production explanations about working out parts in pre-production. fast forward to the vocal booth. Here are a few recording tips for you young engineers, and do it yourself home recordists.
1. NEVER put the singer in the booth until you are SURE that your entire mic chain is working flawlessly, good signal, no hum, buzz, or crackle.
2. NEVER put a vocalist in the booth until you have a great rough mix for them to sing to. The more the headphones sound like a record, the closer to a record quality vocal performance you can hope for from the vocalist.
3. NEVER put a vocalist in the booth until you have at least a really good guess at compression levels, input levels, EQ, mic placement, etc... You should NEVER have to spend more than 1 take getting your signal chain together, and i try very hard to have everything set really right before i ever put the singer in the booth, so i can capture the first take if its a great one. My only exception to that rule is when i use a ribbon mic on vocals. Ribbons NEED a ton of EQ to sound great, but usually once they have it, they can be magical on certain singers. So, if i am going to use a ribbon mic on a singer i will specifically explain to them why i need to spend the first take EQ'ing them, and to please bear with me. Then i will be lightening fast getting the sound together when they sing. 1 take. thats the max.
4. I ALWAYS have my assistant scream and yell into the mic while the music is playing when i'm setting my levels (before putting the artist in the booth :-). this will tell me where i need to set my maximum compression levels, and also, i can balance the vocal mic where i want it in the singers mix, typically so they are a bit louder than where they would be in a final mix, but not so loud that they lose the tonal center of the music. Also, I have my assistant set the volume of the headphones themselves so that they are loud, but not blowing the singers eardrums out.
5. I almost always use (in addition to outboard compression and EQ), almost always i will use a plugin compressor on the monitor channel that the singer is playing back thru. This plugin isnt in the record chain, just the playback chain, but the extra compression ensures that the vocalist stays on top of the music at all times, so even if they are singing a quiet line over loud music, it will still come thru clearly. This will help the vocalist stay in tune, and it will also help the vocalist with feel, as they wont lose themselves every time they sing softly. the vocalist can really work the mic alot better when they can always hear themselves whether they sing loud or soft.
6. I usually dont do this but i should..... Keep a music stand in the booth for the vocalist to keep their lyrics on if needed. keep a pencil in there too in case they wanna change a lyric or better yet, write a new song. Be concious of the reflections that the music stand can create when recording.
7. Make sure the vocalist is actually singing into the mic. Alot of vocalists sing off mic, especially when they are trying to read their lyrics. Alot of vocalists also stand 4 feet from the mic and dont tell you. If they sound far away from the mic, they probably are. make them sing directly towards the mic. Place the mic so they can sing straight into it comfortably. Have a good pop filter/ wind screen and keep it about 4 to 8 inches off the mic. I use a Steadman metal mesh pop filter that works and sounds really good. it cost about $50. spend the cash, its worth it.
8. I prefer a really dead room to cut vocals in. No ambience. no reflections. no reverb. dry. It gives the vocal more presence and clarity. Hang blankets, put foam on the walls. Do whatever it takes, but also keep it comfortable for the vocalist.
9. I've been doing alot of Mic Shootouts lately. I specifically set aside days with specific people for this. These were not days that were supposed to be getting music recorded. DO NOT THINK the singer is gonna let you try 5 different mics on them if they are ready to sing NOW. they wont. If you are there to record, go with your gut instinct on what mic will sound best on that vocalist, and go with it. If i had to choose, i'd prefer a great performance with a good mic, over a good performance with a great mic. But then of course i try to get both whenever possible. Sometimes you just dont have the luxury. Do you really think Mary J Blige is gonna let me try 4 different mics on her while she wears her voice out? No.
10, 11, 12...... I could go on for a long time. Vocal recording is an art. Strive to do it well.
I will say this, if you are working with an artist on an entire album, you might convince them to spend an afternoon singing into a few different mics to see what sounds best on them. If its one song, the singer probably doesnt want to be bothered, and usually they will think you dont know what your doing because you keep switching mics. Honestly, most of the time your better intentions will be looked at as incompetence. be careful and balance your desire for sonic perfection with maintaining the creative flow of the session. Vibe is everything. vibe is everything. vibe is everything. If you lose it, its gone and pristine recording quality wont matter.
good luck
- Ken Lewis
