How to produce a vocal session (when you’re also the singer)
Singing and producing at the same time creates a unique set of challenges. It can also offer freedom and a work-flow that’s all yours. Read the post.
vocals
Counterintuitive singing tip: Stop listening (and start feeling)
Focusing on how your singing feels rather than how it sounds can help you create a more nuanced and personal vocal performance. Read the post.
How to preserve and protect your voice before a performance (or rehearsal)
There are lots of common-sense things you should do as a vocalist to keep your instrument in top shape to perform, and as performance opportunities will be returning soon, it’s worth reminding ourselves of some of the basics. Read the post.
Getting a great vocal take in the studio
Capturing the ultimate vocal performance can require push and pull between the producer and talent. The tact and technique of the producer plays a pivotal role in recording a great vocal take. Read the post.
Tracking vocals: Making a phrase-by-phrase approach work
If you are planning a phrase-by-phrase approach to tracking vocals in a studio, here are some tips to help make your experience a success. Read the post
Tracking vocals one phrase at a time
It’s great when a vocal performance can be recorded in one cohesive take, but not every session will succeed with this approach. Sometimes, a modular strategy is required when tracking vocals. Read the post.
Vocal recording advice for the experimental at heart
Want to launch a counterattack against homogenous music? This vocal recording advice can be the place to start, as the lead vocal is usually the lynchpin of the song. Read More.
Meet the Vocoder: Make your synth speak and sing
In a musical context, the vocoder often starts with an analog sound and crossbreeds it, in real time, with synthesized textures to create some powerful and versatile musical elements. Read More.
Recording vocals in a home studio
These simple tips will help you get the best results when you’re recording vocals in your home studio. Read More.
Six examples of the Talk Box done right
If you’re looking for inspiration on how to integrate this inventive effects pedal into your own work, check out the following performances of the Talk Box done right. Read More.
Meet the Talk Box: Shape sounds and open new creative doors
The Talk Box lets you use your mouth to shape sounds, in real time, in crazy and creative ways. Here are tips on how to use the effect to amplify your own creative efforts. Read More.
Choosing a signature vocal mic for your studio
We take a look at the University of the Pacific’s efforts to find a signature vocal mic for the campus recording studio. What they learned might help you choose your next great studio mic. Read More.
Mixing vocals in your home studio
Mixing vocals in your home studio can be one of the more exciting stages in the recording process, and it can also be a complex challenge. Work to construct the instruments around the vocal so that everything gets to shine. Read More.
Producing Background Vocals
For any given song, the specific approach to producing background vocals is dependent on the production style and genre, but when listening to any modern song on the charts, you can quickly pick up that there is a lot going on. Serious thought has been put in to the arrangement and presentation of these parts, which usually means quite a bit of editing work. Luckily for us, this type of work and associated workflow is what Pro Tools does best. Read more.
Basic Tracks: Where the Magic Is Made
Basic tracks are the initial recordings of the rhythm section that are done prior to any overdubbing. Basics are the foundation for the music being recorded and for any other parts that come afterward. If there’s something faulty in the foundation, it will either be impossible or very costly in time and money to fix things later. That’s why it’s essential to make each basic track the best it can be.
Regardless of whether you spend a little or a lot of time in preproduction, recording basic tracks is where you either make the project or break it. Even if you had a great preproduction, you never really know how things will record or what unforeseen circumstances will pop up until you get there. Read more…