JPF Home Page Forums Musician Gear and Techniques Microphone and Vocalist Forum vocal recording--any advice?

I'm getting ready to record some stuff with my band to make a CD. This is my first experience with a recording studio.

Does anybody have an advice on getting a good sound?

I'm thinking about two things (or should I say unnecessarily worrying and obsessing about stuff that may not be an issue...??)

1-It seems I'll probably record the "real" vocal after the rest of the band is recorded.
I'm not used to that. I always sing and play piano with the band, and there's a lot of give-and-take between instruments, including my voice. I'm guessing the good thing is that I'll be able to really concentrate on singing without playing another instrument at the same time. But I think it's going to be weird to sing along with a recording of the rest of the band. And the scratch vocal--Is it weird to do a scratch vocal with a click track? Should I try to do the scratch vocal with the band, so we can play, and I can sing, the way we we're used to?

2-There won't be any audience to give me that performance edge. Is this a problem? If so, is there a way to make up for that?

These concerns might be silly. I'm really clueless about this whole thing. I just want to be ready when the time comes.

Any advice on getting a good recording? Anything special you personally do to end up with a good quality result?

We're going to be doing some loud, funky, choppy kind of things (not angry screaming, but energetic), some soulful, emotional stuff, and some quiet, etherial things.

Anybody who has recorded vocals before, I would appreciate your "voice of experience!" Thanks!!! --Jean

I think it's been mentioned before (but I could just be having a Bald Moment): Go ahead and record live. The studio techs should be able to "baffle" you so there's minimal "bleed" of instruments/vocals onto each other's tracks. You probably still have to have a really tight sound to pull it off, but if y'all are used to performing together, it's not a big problem. I have done it both ways--separately recorded tracks and live, and I much prefer live. There's an immediacy that comes across somehow on the recording of a live session that just doesn't happen the other way.

I have heard talk in these "pages" of making the voice a "scratch" recording, that'll be replaced by the *real* voice recording later. Never done that. The voice has always been live if everything else has been live. If I can't sing it by the time I walk into the studio, I probably shouldn't be walking into the studio.

As far as the audience goes, when I'm performing I usually de-focus my eyes so I don't see 'em (even if I'm looking straight at 'em), because crowds scare me. So if I don't see the audience in the studio, don't bother me none. I just wail like I woulod in front of a crowd, and let the sound engineer figure out how to make it come out right.

Joe

Thanks, Joe! Very helpful!! --Jean

Hi Jean,

Have a great time making your recording!!!! It's a ton of work, but try to take it as laid back as you can (stress is a bad thing in the studio) and have a good time. That's key to a good product.

I've done my fair share of recording...and here's my advice:

Scratch vocals and click tracks are the way to go. Record them when you track the band. Go back and overdub the real ones later. It gives you much more freedom to edit the vocals doing it this way. (and trust me... you will want to, no matter how good you are) That way the whole band isn't stopping because of a vocal thing you'd like to re-do.
You'll get used to singing with a recording. If you're doing your vocal overdubs on a different day than your basics (recommended), ask for a rough mix of the band tracks dumped to a CD so you can take it home and practice with it. It might cost a bit more, but it'll be well worth it for the practice factor.

Getting performance level energy in the studio is what differentiates a good studio singer from a bad. It's a difficult thing to muster up the energy that seems so easy live. One insight that I came to a while ago is that most people are too 'careful' in the studio....scared of making room noise with a sensitive mic, scared of taking chances and trying different things even though it's the perfect medium for free abandon, because everything can be done-over if you don't like what you did. ... there's a delete button or tape can be recorded over. The studio is all about capturing special performance 'moments' which don't happen if you're performing while worrying about the 'notes' if you know what I mean. Sing with your whole body.....

Don't skimp on time both to track and to mix. Take more frequent breaks than you think is wise monetarily...lol...(it will make your product sound fresher)

Trust you engineer!!! and stay out of their way if you don't know what you're doing in their realm. They are experts in what they do...and often need time without client input to set levels and set up and such. It's cool to ask questions, but let them make the big technical decisions if you don't have a producer.

Vocally, the studio is a much subtler realm than performing live. Lay back just a bit and find the place in your voice with the mic and pre-amps where you sound 'present' and then gear your sound to that focal point.... don't try to hard or force it... it will sound forced. My engineer friend always says that in his studio there's "no singing allowed!'....what he means is that when people try to 'sing' it always sounds too presentational... look to capture the vibe, capture the mood, capture the groove, and catch the attitude of the voice you're 'speaking'... that's what comes through.... forget the notes...rock especially is all about the attitude

Most of all though....enjoy yourself..... you'll be able to hear on the recording if you're not...

Peace!
Christine
The Drop Band
www.dropband.com

JL,
Christine couldn't have said it better.Her advise is right on the money.
Get plenty of rest beforehand, cause even though it may not be tough on you physically, it will be vocally and mentally strenuous. Relax going in there and let the music take you over as it would when you are doing it live. Enjoy the moment and let yourself go!

Musical Regards,
Melissa

Thank you, Christine! And Melissa! I really appreciate the advice! --Jean

make sure that you have a selection of Microphones to choose from. Find the mic that compliments your voice best. A mic can make all the difference in the world.

Jody

Jl,
Whitesides made another good point..try out several mics if you can to determine which one you sound best using. It will make all the difference! I found this out recently when I used a mic that was supposed to be rated the best for vocals..it sucked! Needless to say I tried a few more mics before I layed the final track.

Thank you, Jody! And Melissa, thanks again! I really do appreciate the inside scoop, guys! -Jean

[This message has been edited by JL (edited 03-22-2004).]