RECORDING May 2024 - 72

FadeOut
[
E
Talking
to the Talent
Guest Editorial by Dave Martin
ngineers are not generally known for their gregarious
natures; people skills may not be high on the list of
things that engineers think they need to know.
The ability to make the talent comfortable in the studio
likely ranks below over-under cable wrapping, emergency
soldering, which preamp to choose and knowing where to
put the mic for a great snare sound.
I've come to believe that learning how to talk to the talent
and getting the best possible performance from them
while keeping the project moving ahead is the most important
part of the engineer's role. Though this discussion
applies to all the musicians on a session, seeing as this is
our vocal recording issue, we're going to talk about communicating
with the singer.
The Coach, Cheerleader and Adviser
When a singer is in the vocal booth, the engineer is more
than just the person pushing buttons-they are also the cheerleader,
the coach and the adviser. They are the person who
has to tell them when they're not good enough and the person
who tells them when they are good enough.
Of course, this needs to be done while taking care of all of
the technical tasks as well, like keeping the recording levels
correct, making the headphones work and maintaining order
in the control room.
Keep It Moving
The engineer must also keep things moving. Nothing saps
the energy from a vocal session faster than stopping after every
take to listen to what was just recorded. The engineer has to
learn to make decisions fast. Before hitting 'stop' at the end of
a line, the engineer must know whether the take that was just
recorded was good or not. If not, the engineer needs to know
what was wrong with it and, more importantly, how it should
72 RECORDING May 2024
be fixed. Even more essential, the engineer needs to learn how
to tell (or a better word-communicate to) the singer how to fix
the issue.
Every singer is different. Some vocalists are best with simple,
direct explanations, such as, " You were a bit sharp on the last
line. " Others need praise, occasionally to the point that issues
need to be couched in a compliment: " Hey, you did a great
job on that second chorus! Let's do the second verse again to
bring that up to the same level. " Some singers perform better
with kidding, jokes and even friendly insults: " Since that's the
best you can do, we'll move on. "
The trick is to figure out which approach works best with a
particular singer-ideally, before the insults start.
No Dead Air
Equally important, I don't want the singer (or any musicians)
to be standing out in the room with only silence in their
headphones while those of us in the control room are talking
amongst ourselves. It can get really lonely out in the room, and
those with insecurities about their voice or performance may
find those insecurities magnified by the silence. Even if it's just
a few sentences about their headphone mix, the state of their
coffee or the cool shoes they're wearing, engage and banter
with them before and after every take.
Be Chill
While I like to keep things moving, I also don't want the singer
to feel rushed; they need to have time to sip water, stretch or
just take a few deep breaths between takes. Sometimes, we'll
talk about the take they just did, which may mean that we continue
discussing their cool shoes for a few more seconds-you
keep things moving, they relax.
It's a Fine Line
The engineer has to be aware of the need for those micro-breaks
but also not take so much time for chit-chat and jokes
that it impedes the recording process. This is a fine line, one
that only experience will teach.
The goal of all of the above should be to help the vocalist do
their best while having fun in the studio.
Till next time...and, hey, nice shoes!
[

RECORDING May 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of RECORDING May 2024

Fade In
Fast Forward
LEWITT RAY
Vanguard Audio Labs V24
Crafting Modern Vocals
SPL Channel One Mk3 and Track One Mk3
RECORDING’s Field Notes: Recording Vocals
Ohma World Ribbon Microphone
API TCS-II Channel Strip
Studio 101: Delay-Based Effects, Part 1
TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik Alchemy Series TF17 FET
Soundware Showcase: Toontrack Session Organ EKX
Flock Audio PATCH VT + PATCH APP DX V1.1.0 + DX BRIDGE
Plugin Outlet: oeksound Bloom
Earthworks DM6
Soundware Showcase: Baby Audio Atoms
RØDE NT1 Signature Series Condenser Mic
Korg Keystage
Inside the Studio with Mark Hornsby
Readers’ Tracks
Monheim Crème Tube Condenser Microphone
Fade Out
RECORDING May 2024 - Intro
RECORDING May 2024 - Cover1
RECORDING May 2024 - Cover2
RECORDING May 2024 - 1
RECORDING May 2024 - 2
RECORDING May 2024 - 3
RECORDING May 2024 - Fade In
RECORDING May 2024 - 5
RECORDING May 2024 - 6
RECORDING May 2024 - 7
RECORDING May 2024 - Fast Forward
RECORDING May 2024 - 9
RECORDING May 2024 - LEWITT RAY
RECORDING May 2024 - 11
RECORDING May 2024 - 12
RECORDING May 2024 - 13
RECORDING May 2024 - Vanguard Audio Labs V24
RECORDING May 2024 - 15
RECORDING May 2024 - 16
RECORDING May 2024 - 17
RECORDING May 2024 - Crafting Modern Vocals
RECORDING May 2024 - 19
RECORDING May 2024 - 20
RECORDING May 2024 - 21
RECORDING May 2024 - SPL Channel One Mk3 and Track One Mk3
RECORDING May 2024 - 23
RECORDING May 2024 - 24
RECORDING May 2024 - 25
RECORDING May 2024 - RECORDING’s Field Notes: Recording Vocals
RECORDING May 2024 - 27
RECORDING May 2024 - 28
RECORDING May 2024 - 29
RECORDING May 2024 - Ohma World Ribbon Microphone
RECORDING May 2024 - 31
RECORDING May 2024 - 32
RECORDING May 2024 - 33
RECORDING May 2024 - API TCS-II Channel Strip
RECORDING May 2024 - 35
RECORDING May 2024 - Studio 101: Delay-Based Effects, Part 1
RECORDING May 2024 - 37
RECORDING May 2024 - 38
RECORDING May 2024 - 39
RECORDING May 2024 - TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik Alchemy Series TF17 FET
RECORDING May 2024 - 41
RECORDING May 2024 - Soundware Showcase: Toontrack Session Organ EKX
RECORDING May 2024 - 43
RECORDING May 2024 - Flock Audio PATCH VT + PATCH APP DX V1.1.0 + DX BRIDGE
RECORDING May 2024 - 45
RECORDING May 2024 - Plugin Outlet: oeksound Bloom
RECORDING May 2024 - 47
RECORDING May 2024 - Earthworks DM6
RECORDING May 2024 - 49
RECORDING May 2024 - Soundware Showcase: Baby Audio Atoms
RECORDING May 2024 - 51
RECORDING May 2024 - RØDE NT1 Signature Series Condenser Mic
RECORDING May 2024 - 53
RECORDING May 2024 - Korg Keystage
RECORDING May 2024 - 55
RECORDING May 2024 - Inside the Studio with Mark Hornsby
RECORDING May 2024 - 57
RECORDING May 2024 - 58
RECORDING May 2024 - 59
RECORDING May 2024 - 60
RECORDING May 2024 - 61
RECORDING May 2024 - 62
RECORDING May 2024 - 63
RECORDING May 2024 - 64
RECORDING May 2024 - 65
RECORDING May 2024 - Readers’ Tracks
RECORDING May 2024 - 67
RECORDING May 2024 - Monheim Crème Tube Condenser Microphone
RECORDING May 2024 - 69
RECORDING May 2024 - 70
RECORDING May 2024 - 71
RECORDING May 2024 - Fade Out
RECORDING May 2024 - Cover3
RECORDING May 2024 - Cover4
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