I make my apologies for being late as my wife was very ill for a while, and then I became ill with flu like symptoms. I will try to do better in the future. Last month we discussed choosing songs, studios, musicians, and producers. We also talked about how best to prepare for the recording of your tracks. This month we will talk about preparing for your vocal sessions. We will discuss both the preparation for your vocal sessions and the sessions themselves
Getting prepared
You should have received a CD of the rough tracks from the original tracking session, and a copy of the chord charts for reference. These chord charts for each song are vitally important in finalizing your vocal arrangements and making sure you sing the correct notes over the chords the band played on the day of the session. Don’t fall into the trap of assuming the band played exactly the chords from the demos you provided. Many times the producer, or the session leader will select chords in places that are better suited musically than those provided on your demo, and this may very well change your vocal arrangements. It would be very wise to enlist the help of someone who can read Nashville number charts to work with you for a rehearsal or two, if you do not have someone within your group who is capable of doing so. The producer should actually be willing to do this, assuming he has that ability, and most good producers do. If you are fortunate enough to have individuals in your group who read music, all the better.
Please bear this in mind when you are preparing for the vocal session, you don’t need to sing 100% throttle on every song. In fact your tone and blend will be far better if you learn to back off and sing with dynamics. Loud and proud can be very effective in certain passages, but if you sing hard all the time, you have nowhere to go when the loud and proud is actually needed. Furthermore, singing easy will enhance the quality of your blend probably far more than most appreciate.
Many groups who do not record often are intimidated by the process and they tend to not do as well as they would otherwise. Being prepared before you get to the studio will go a long ways in helping the members of your group get around this mental roadblock. It happens to all of us at one time or another, and here in Nashville I have heard that referred to as “record-light-itis”. Be sure to work extensively on phrasing together. Practice in a circle, watching one another will help in this process. If you learn to watch the mouth of whoever maybe singing the melody, it will help you in phrasing with them. Cutting off words together is vitally important. One old trick that groups have been using for years is having only one person in the group close the “s” and “t” sounds at the ends of words and phrases. It sounds tighter, and more cohesive.
One of my pet peeves is when groups sing out of the pocket, or out of time. Many groups tend to rush the lyrics and this makes for a feel that tends to sound a bit on the amateurish side. Take care to learn how to phrase with the meter of the song. This will go a very long way in making your presentation far more professional, both on recorded media and live performance as well. Singing to late, or laid back, can also have a detrimental effect. I am not advocating that you sing like a robot, or little soldiers marching down the field, but rather, in time, in tune with emotion. Which brings up a good point. If all you do is merely sing the lyrics in tune and in time, you may very well not “hook” the song. Getting “into” the song and feeling and emitting the emotion and the message in the song is trait very much worth mastering.
Day of the Vocal Session
Arriving a bit early at the studio, well rested, and in good voice is of course vitally important. Having the right attitude and work ethic is also of prime importance. Recording vocals can be a tremendous amount of fun, or it can be like pulling teeth for those of us who are trying in earnest to get the very best vocal performance we can for your group. A lot of how the day turns out depends on a great deal on you, your level of expertise, and preparedness. I cannot stress enough having the homework done, the vocal arrangements finished and well learned by all, and the ability to sing a great performance on song after song, not to an inspiring live audience, but instead to the far more sterile environment of a recording studio. You must put aside the intimidation of the process, and you must “perform” as if you were in front of the most reassuring audience you have ever sang in front of. If you can mentally get to that point, you will have the best project you have ever had, without a doubt.
How you record your vocals may have a great bearing on not only how good the final product is, but also how much you invest in studio time. I never want an artist or group to cut corners, but I do want them to work as efficiently as possible. For instance, I see no need in everyone standing around a microphone while one person sings their solo. Do the solo sections first, and then concentrate on the 3 or 4 part sections. I like to record a couple vocals stacks with the group ganged around one microphone, singing together. In fact, doing the vocal stacks before you actually record the individual vocal tracks can sometimes be the ideal course of action. I hate tuning vocals, almost as much as I hate moving vocals around to make them more in the pocket. However, these processes are sometimes necessary. But no one should rely on such tactics as the only course of action to get great vocals. The vocalist should be made to sing until the post processing is for the rare out of bounds note, not the bulk of what has been sung.
I will rarely ever record a bass singer along with the trio section of a quartet. For I much prefer for the bass singer to do his portions last. I can make changes in the bass part at that time that compliment the song, and I can guarantee my focus will not be split across 4 separate singers. Now, many Nashville gospel studios are very big on using dynamic microphones such as the old Shure SM5B foam wrapped monster for group vocals. I hate the results. Vocals recorded in this manner tend to sound lifeless. In fact I may setup several different high quality condenser vocal microphones and have each singer try each microphone. By doing this I can find the best combination of mic to fit each individual voice.
Conclusion
Preparation for your vocal recording session is key to a great finished product. There is no short cut for good old-fashioned hard work. This is the time for you as the artist to step up and do your very best. It means doing your homework well in advance of the vocals sessions. This is the one place where the producer has less control than any other single line item in the recording process. We cannot make a bad singer into a great singer, and nor can we make a so-so bass singer sound like George Younce. We can however, lead and direct you to the best of our abilities to allow you to sing the finest performance possible within the circumstance. The circumstances, which control the quality of your vocals are more in your own hands than anywhere else. If you as the artist are willing to do the heavy lifting in preparing for your vocal recording, then the producer can add a bit of shine to that so that together we finish with the best vocals your group can possibly accomplish.
Until next time,
Ben Harris
http://www.southernsoundquartet.com
Written: 06/10/2009 |
Author: SGN |
Category:
Recording Tips and Tools
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Comments: 0
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