EQ Magazine - March 2008 - (Page 44)

VOCAL CORDS 8 WAYS TO HELP A SINGER NAIL IT! by Michael Molenda One of the most tenuous and frightening “strategic opps” in the studio is coaxing a show-stopping, ear-bending performance from a vocalist. So much is at stake, and so much can go wrong. You can’t depend on the other elements of the production to save your ass, either, because a brilliant guitar solo—or a fabulous snare sound, or a mammoth kick drum—won’t lift a track into the charts (or blast it on the radio, or seduce downloads) if the vocal sucks. As Bill Murray bellowed in Stripes, “That’s a fact, Jack!” Of course, DAWs let you cut, paste, re-pitch, and otherwise wrangle a vocal recording, so you’re never truly down for the count. But we’re not exploring technological leapfrogging, here. We’re talking about capturing all the spine-tingling emotion, phrasing, articulation, power, and timbre right from the source. And, trust me, you’re definitely summersaulting on a pin without a net when you face the intricacies of extracting glory from the human voice. Here are a few survival tips. FOLLOW THE LEADER A common challenge is when a singer swoops in-between pitches. It can get more confusing if you ask the artist, “Did you mean to sing this note, or that note?” Creative whimsy may cause them to rethink the melody and juggle options—which means you may be chasing that line for a while. Consider establishing the final melody line in pre-production, and then laying down a guide track by playing the notes on a piano. When there’s a clear reference, there’s no room for uncertainty or debate (unless the artist hits a surprise note that’s absolutely transcendent—in which case, don’t be a slave to the guide), and the singer should be more relaxed and The Prototype puts his pipes to the test at The OC Recording Company in Santa Ana, California. WWW.OCRECORDING.COM confident. Some producers record guide tracks with another singer, but I prefer using a simple piano track, because I don’t want the real vocalist to be influenced by the guide singer’s approach. READING IS GOOD FOR YOU Many singers are so seduced by the sound of their voice that they don’t consider the meaning or inherent musicality of the lyrics. I somewhat unfairly call this the “American Idol Syndrome,” because the hit reality show sometimes prompts lessexperienced singers to regard a killer vocal as all ornamentation and bombast. Even singers who should know better can fall victim to the “lyric ignorant” approach. Direct your vocalist to read the lyrics several times, because the words offer excellent clues to phrasing, appropriate intensity levels, dynamics, and the critically important art of acting out and conveying a story line (or an emotional landscape) to the listener. DRY OUT Reverb is very sexy, but if there’s too much of it in the headphone mix, it can mess with a singer’s intonation and phrasing. I never put reverb or delay in the cans. AND YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH THAT, IF . . . . . . the headphone mix is thrilling and exciting. The closer it sounds to a final mix, the more inspired the singer will be. They might not even notice you’ve terminated the vocal reverb. HELP! Extremely distorted or heavily effected guitars (or keyboards) can make it difficult to find a comfy pitch reference. Turn them down, and/or add a precisely tuned, unaffected guitar to the mix that exists solely for the vocal sessions. CAN THE CANS If a singer hates wearing headphones, and is delivering a lackluster vocal—toss ’em. Let them sing in front of the monitors. Very slick engineers put the monitors out of phase so the tracks don’t sneak into the vocal mic, but I just position the singer where the signal leakage is minimal. A great performance is way more important than a bit of bleed. BE A COMPLETIST Rather than track separate parts, have the singer uncork complete “live” takes so he or she can really lean into the performance with intensity. A great vocal tells a story, and it’s tough to nail the narrative if you’re focusing only on singing choruses or specific verses. You can comp parts and fix boo-boos later on. It works for Bono. HAVE MERCY Don’t beat the life out of the vocal and the vocalist. Many singers get no better after three or four takes. If it’s not happening—stop. Discuss the rough spots, have the singer go off and refine his or her approach, and schedule another vocal session. Take full advantage of the fact there’s no “clock” in the home studio. Perceived deadlines will kill you if you’re just concerned with getting something done. The only goal that matters is capturing a transcendent performance. 44 EQ MARCH 2008 www.eqmag.com http://www.eqmag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of EQ Magazine - March 2008

EQ Magazine - March 2008 Contents Talk Box Sounding Board Punch In Tool Box Dream Theater Nick Drake LO-FI Recording Tricks Guitar Trax Bass Managment Key Issues Drum Heads Vocal Cords Mix Bus Cheat Sheet Tascam Gigastudio 4 Cakewalk Sonar 7 Crane Song Avocet Cad Signature Series Mic Packs Waves GTR3 Kjaerhus MPL-1 Pro SE Ableton Live 7 Centrance Micport Pro, Tapco LINK.midi 4x4, Multi-Gigabyte USB 2.0 Memory Sticks Digital Redux Electrotech, Nine Volt Audio Action Drums, Big Fish Audio Hadeeth 2 Room with a VU

EQ Magazine - March 2008

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