These vocal recording tips are intended both for the singer and the audio engineer… and maybe producer if they’re not currently on the phone self-promoting. ;)
This article does not give a Simple list of magic gear techniques, or mystic compression settings – anyone who knows even the smallest bit about recording will tell you there’s no magic equation. This recording article is about how to capture “The One” that makes all the difference on the record. The vocal take that makes people shudder because it’s so good – doing that has nothing to do with mic selection, or compression settings, or proximity to the microphone. We want more than just good compression and EQ – we want to capture something special. That is what recording a great vocal is all about.
The first thing every vocalist needs to know about recording in the studio is you are not as good as you think you are, so Dream On, and move on, dude. Humility is the first step in achieving greatness. For engineers and producers it’s always very Stormy Weather when crossing the sea to lead vocal humility in the studio. The first thing every audio engineer needs to know, on the other hand, about recording vocals is to tell the vocalist that they are much better than they really are. The engineer fibbing and singer being truthful is the start of earning trust in the studio.
Recording good vocals is just as much about environment and passion as it is about gear and pitch. It’s a Man’s World on stage when it’s easier to get into the vibe of the performance, but in the studio it’s ain’t easy. Even though you’re not on stage, both the singer and engineer ought never forget: you are in the studio to capture a performance. The many of the best vocal tracks in history have been single takes (maybe a couple punches), that caught a moment in time where the singer was the song and the Gravity of the situation pulled everyone in the room together to do something great. Music. If you work for anything less than that, then get out of the studio, you don’t belong there.
Egos thusly dealt with, it’s vital to the functioning of the universe for singers to understand that how you think you sound is not how you really sound. It’s equally as vital to trust the person behind the recording console; 99% of the time they’re doing the the best they can to make you sound as good as possible and create a Good Feeling so don’t be a pain in the arse if you’re not hitting the notes right. We all understand that you’re nervous and you’re used to being the cool one in the room, but you gotta get over it and have No Trust in anything than the song, the band, the the people in the control room. You don’t have to beg them to get married and “Stay With Me” for the rest of your life, but you do need to be totally unafraid.
The person actually setting up the mic(s), pop filter, and recording it to tape (disk… whatever), tends to care far too much about the technical aspects: Where do I place the mic? What sort of headphones do I use? How to I angle the pop filter? What’s a good compression setting? etc. etc. etc. All those things are important… but they don’t mean a damn thing if the performance of the vocalist sucks. Very, very few singers who step in front of a mic in the studio actually know what to do with it; even if they have a fair amount of studio hours under their belts. When you get true studio master, you can go nuts with neat mic techniques because it won’t throw them off. But most of the time just keep it simple: one good large diaphragm mic, a pop filter (if it doesn’t give the singer claustrophobia or make them too self-conscious; the latter happens a lot), and keep a pencil and rubber band handy in case they get out of hand. The more daunting looking recording gear you put in front of a singer who isn’t a long-time pro… the more insecure they’re going to feel and the more self-conscious they’ll become… which means the performance will suffer as a result.
So start with one focus: the performance of the singer. It’s the most important thing, more so than sound quality. That means that if you have to get rid of the pop filter, then do it. If you have to get rid of the headphones and construct some strange monitoring set up that still lets you record, then do it! Take the photos with them in the booth with all “the studio stuff” so that they can brag to their friends, then do what you gotta do to get a good recording. Often times “the studio stuff” is part of the problem: most singers *think* they have to have that stuff to make them look more cool in the studio… “At Last I’m a professional and more like a celebrity” (they think) – all that makes them start getting more self-conscious no matter how cool they think they are. When that happens, you’ll never get a great performance out of them, because they’re thinking about themselves instead of the song.
Wait? Did I write “get rid of the headphones”? Yup. I’ve had to do that more than once because headphones felt to isolating for the singer (happens a lot with people who play clubs a lot, but don’t have much recording time). But it’s OK: 90% of the time, most of the technical issues with a recorded vocal will be masked in the mix. As long as you’re not distorting or over-compressing the vocal track, then you’ll generally be OK – no, you’ll be better with a dirty track that captured a killer performance, than a clean track with a mediocre performance…
… Imagine if James Brown were bogged down by pop filters, and bulky enclosed headphones, and being overly aware of how far away he was from the microphone. Performance. Is. Everything. Seek technical perfection later. As the engineer your job (and producer’s) is to do whatever the hell you have to to create an environment where the artist can tap into some musical magic. Call me a sap, but that’s why we all love music; we don’t love it because the pop filter was placed correctly.
To singers: ego can make and break you, but being self-conscious will always be the downfall of a good vocal take. This doesn’t mean you have to be burning incense and putting scarves all over the mic stand, but it does mean being more the song, and less you when you’re singing. Singing is art. However meta is sounds, you must “be” the song. If you can’t then the song isn’t right for you, or it’s destined to only ever be a passing performance so you might as well get it on tape and move on to the next one. You can’t sing and think at the same time. You can’t sing with emotion while the other half of your brain is wondering if you’re close enough to the microphone. Singing is art. Don’t cheat it. If you do, then you don’t deserve it.
All that in mind, what do you do as a singer in the studio? Once you’ve gotten over the ego issues (and taken all the photos you need to post to your friends with the pop filter, headphones, and cool lighting) – drop all the crap away and get comfortable. You need confidence and humility, like looking in the mirror and saying to yourself, “It Sure Looks Good To Me” not because you love your own face, but because the person you love does. If that means changing the mic set up, so be it. Tell the engineer that you know it might not sound as good, but you will perform better – if the recording engineer is worth any more than minimum wage, then they will understand you, and probably be grateful for your honestly – you’ll start trusting one another a little more.
Before you ever step foot into the booth, you need to become aware of your body just as much as professional athletes do. Anything from tension to too much water can change how your body moves and therefore how your body (voice) sounds. You need to practice like there’s no tomorrow to be in tune with the muscles in your neck, chest, shoulders, ears, sinuses, throat, and gut – because tensing just one of those areas changes the tone of your voice. Eventually, emotion takes over (like how we can hear when someone is smiling or about to cry… because certain muscles we all know are tensing and/or relaxing).
From that point, you need… however cheesy it sounds… you need to be the song… because you are the art in that moment. If you’re not… go sell life insurance or get a business degree, because only artists belong in the booth.
