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Recording Vocals (pt I)

Ask people what the most important element in a recording is, and most will agree that it's the vocals. And no
matter how good your music is, a sub-standard vocal can kill it quicker than Prince Naseem can duck n' dive.
Whilst they certainly help, top-quality microphones and state-of-the-art recording equipment are not a prerequisite
for a great vocal recording. Excellent results can be obtained using more modest equipment. Nor do you need the
voice and talent of Frank Sinatra or Aretha Franklin - with a little patience and the use of a few simple techniques,
any singer can end up with their best possible recorded vocal.
Over the next few issues of The Mix this series will cover the basics of recording vocals, with techniques, hints
and tips to help get the best possible performance recorded with the best possible sound. So let's start from the
beginning - what equipment to use, and how to set it up.
Microphones
Both condenser and dynamic microphones can be used to record vocals. Generally in professional studios, largediaphragm
condensers are used, as they have a refined sound with a wide dynamic range and extended
frequency response. Many excellent vocals, however, have been recorded on commonly available dynamics like
the Shure SM58.
Choice of mic is down to what you have available, but in a situation where you have several different models,
make your choice based on which mic suits the singer's voice for a particular song. Many engineers and
producers will put up several mics initially to check which one sounds best.
Having chosen a microphone, it's preferable to mount it on a stand. Most mics come supplied with a mount, and
the more expensive ones will have a suspended cradle mounting to isolate the microphone from shock and
vibration.
It is possible to record vocals using a hand-held mic like an SM58 but, in terms of the sound being recorded, there
are several reasons why this is not ideal. Firstly, there is handling noise to consider - the sound of the singer
moving their grip on the microphone and moving it around will be picked up. Secondly, unless the singer is very
experienced with mic technique, the mic will be held at different distances from the mouth at various times,
resulting in small changes in timbre and level. And, thirdly a hand-held mic rules out the possibility of using a pop
shield.
Now, having pointed out the drawbacks, it must be said that there will always be some singers who feel most
comfortable using a hand-held mic. In this case, recording with a hand-held is the way to go, because a relaxed
and confident singer is going to turn in a better performance than one who is uptight about having to stand still
and sing into a stand-mounted mic. A slightly less-than-perfect sound is a small price to pay for a great vocal
performance.
Arctic rolls
The next thing to consider about a microphone is its polar pattern. Many mics, especially less expensive ones,
have a fixed polar pattern, usually cardioid. Others have a switchable polar pattern, but unless you are after a
certain effect, switching it to cardioid is preferable.
Cardioid mics are the norm for recording vocals as they accept sound from directly in front and reject much of
what comes from the back and sides. This is important in the context of the room where the vocal recording is to
take place, as reflections from the walls may be picked up by the microphone, adding some of the ambient sound
of that room to the vocal sound. This would obviously be more pronounced if an omni pattern was selected on the
mic.
Now, there may be occasions where you will want to record in a particular room to pick up the sound of the room
or the reflections from, say, a window or wall in the room, if that will suit the track you are working on. But in most
cases it is probably best to record a vocal in a dead-sounding area and add any ambience at the mixing stage
using a reverb unit, because once ambience is recorded with a vocal, you are stuck with it
Some studios have acoustically-treated vocal booths, but if you have to record your vocals in a normal-sized
room, a dead area can be created by siting acoustic screens around the microphone. The DIY approach to this for
home recording is to hang curtains, duvets, blankets or something similar around the singing area.
A couple of self-assembly bedroom tidy rails from the Argos catalogue make an inexpensive and practical
framework to hang material on and construct a functional vocal booth. These can be disassembled and stored
away when they're not needed.
6" is ideal
A singer's distance from the mic can make a lot of difference to the sound recorded. A distance of 6" or so is
perhaps a good starting point, although experienced singers will work the mic by leaning into it for some passages
and moving back for louder sections.
Sing too far away from the mic and more of the room ambience will be picked up; sing closer to the mic and more
of the proximity effect comes into play. Proximity effect is a pronounced boost in low frequencies which results in
the voice sounding bassier when singing very close to the mic, and it can be successfully exploited by an
experienced vocalist.
It is best to try to keep a vocalist at a consistent distance from the mic, particularly when doing multiple takes and
where he/she has to leave the booth to listen to playbacks and then go back and sing the odd line. If the same
distance from the mic is maintained, variations in volume and timbre between takes is minimised, and dropped-in
lines will sound more natural.
Once a singer is at the optimum distance from the microphone, mark the position of their feet on the floor with
gaffa tape so that they can go back to the same position each time, and don't forget to mark the position of the mic
stand at the same time in case it is accidently moved.
The height of the microphone on its stand in relation to the singer is also a factor to take into consideration. Some
like to sing up to a mic suspended a little higher than them, but this can strain the voice if the head, neck and
shoulders are stretched up. A mic that is suspended too low is also not ideal if it causes the singer to hunch over,
although this at least puts less strain on the neck and shoulders.
An advisable starting position is to have the capsule level with the singer's mouth and then move it if necessary to
suit the singer's most comfortable stance. Having the capsule level with the singer's mouth creates its own
problems, as it is more susceptible to blasts of air, but there are methods to counter this, the most important of
which is the use of a pop shield.
A pop shield is generally put up a couple of inches in front of the mic and its basic function is to stop plosives,
which are the popping sounds from blasts of air usually produced by singing the vowels 'B' and 'P'. The pop shield
also serves to protect microphones from spit and moisture produced by the singer.
Commercially available pop shields, which usually have a gooseneck and a clamp allowing direct fixing to the mic
stand, are fairly expensive. However a home-made substitute can easily be constructed from a pair of tights
stretched over a bent wire coathanger - just remember to wash them first if they've been previously worn!
If you cannot attach the pop shield directly to the mic stand, try using a second mic stand purely as support for the
pop shield. One useful trick is to fix a pencil vertically down the centre of the pop shield, as this tends to dissipate
the energy of blasts of air before they reach the mic. If popping problems still persist, try getting the singer to sing
slightly to the side, above or below the mic. If a singer has difficulty doing this and needs to focus directly on the
mic, put up another mic that is not plugged in and site it right next to the real vocal mic. Then let the singer sing
into this dummy mic.
Whisper to a scream
Microphones have to be connected to a pre-amplifier, and there are two options available. Connection can either
be into the mic amp in a mixing desk's input channel, or into a standalone mic pre-amp. These provide a higher
quality signal path to the recording medium than that provided by the average mixing desk.
A budget mixing desk will have identical mic amps on all of its input channels and these are built to a price, so a
standalone pre-amp, relatively more expensive than one desk input channel, ought to have better quality
components and a cleaner signal path. Also, a shorter signal path to the recorder is usually provided by a
standalone pre-amp which can connect directly to it, whereas the signal through a mixing desk may have to pass
through input channel, group busses and patchbay.
Compression is near-essential to even out the performance when recording vocals. The human voice has a huge
dynamic range (from a whisper to a scream, to use the old cliché), and a compressor will 'squash' that range a
little. Don't go over the top, though; reducing the peaks by a few dB ought to be sufficient. Once compression is
recorded you can't take it off, so it's best to err on the side of caution. More compression can, of course, be added
as needed at the mixing stage.
Several of the standalone pre-amps on the market have their own compressor built in. When recording through a
desk's input channel, a compressor should be connected via the channel's insert points.
EQ can also be applied when recording vocals, perhaps to remove a bit of nasal honk from a voice, to brighten up
the sound a little, or, most usefully, to filter out some of the bottom end of the spectrum. Real low frequency
sounds, such as outside traffic rumble or the sound of the singer's feet moving on the floor can be transmitted up
the stand to the microphone, and an increase in bass due to the previously mentioned proximity effect can also be
a problem.
To get around this, switch in a high-pass or bass roll-off filter. Most mic pre-amps and desk channels, and some
mics, will have a switchable filter operating at somewhere between 75Hz and 100Hz, cutting out most of the low
end below that figure.
EQ should, however be applied with caution. Adding too much top-end boost, for example, can often exaggerate
the sibilance of the voice. It's best to record a vocal flat, but if you feel the need for EQ, use it sparingly. And while
you may be tempted to use a noise gate or downward expander to cut out noise between phrases, our advice is
not to. It's too easy to chop the end off notes and make the vocal sound unnatural.
Processing of this sort should be left to the mix stage, when time can be taken to set it up accurately.
Condenser or dynamic?
Although there are other designs, the microphones most commonly used in studios today fall into one of two
categories - condenser or dynamic. A microphone is simply a device which converts acoustic energy (sound
waves) into electrical energy, and the dynamic and the condenser each do that in their own way. This has
consequences for the sound produced, and hence the use to which each is put.
A condenser mic, also known as a capacitor mic, has a thin diaphragm that is supported around its rim at a small
distance from a thicker backplate. The theory is that the two form the two electrodes of a simple capacitor, and are
oppositely charged by the application of a polarising voltage. When the diaphragm moves in response to sound
waves, the spacing of the diaphragm and backplate (and hence the capacitance) will vary, and this is used to
generate the output voltage.
Because a voltage has to be supplied to the backplate and diaphragm, a mic of this nature needs a power supply.
This usually comes in the form of 48V phantom power supplied from the mixing desk or mic pre-amp. Condenser
mics are more difficult to manufacture than dynamics and are therefore more expensive; they are also not as
rugged and are more susceptible to changes in atmospheric conditions, so should be stored, and handled, with
care.
In use, a condenser is generally more sensitive than a dynamic and has a better transient response. It also has a
wider frequency response, so can pick up more top end than a dynamic, making it very useful for instruments like
cymbals, acoustic guitars, and vocals.
Condensers can be built with two diaphragms, and by changing the voltage of the second diaphragm in relation to
the first, the mic is capable of several different polar patterns - from omni-directional through cardioid to figure-ofeight.
Some condensers are designed with a valve in the circuitry; these do not need phantom power as they
usually come with their own power supply. Valve mics provide a different tonality than the standard condenser,
with an added warmth in the sound.
Another variation from the standard condenser design is the electret mic, which uses a permanently charged
electret material to charge the capsule. These mics are usually cheaper than condensers and can often be run
from a battery if you do not have a phantom power source.
Dynamic mics work because of the electromagnetic interaction between the field of a magnet and a moving coil
conductor. A coil of wire, surrounded by magnets, is fixed to the back of the diaphragm, the motion of which
results in the coil cutting through the magnetic field, inducing an electric current in the coil.
Unlike condensers, dynamic mics do not require any power supply. They are more robust, and can cope with high
sound pressure levels.
Because dynamics are pressure- operated, their polar response can only be either omnidirectional or cardioid,
and most handheld dynamic vocal mics are cardioids. Dynamics are also limited in their high frequency response,
some having an upper limit of 16k (a good capacitor will go up to 20k).
Mics designed for stage use will often have a bass end roll-off built in to counteract the proximity effect, and many
have a presence peak built into their frequency response somewhere up around 5k. This is designed to help
vocals cut through a mix. Some very well-known rock singers rcord their vocals with dynamic mics for that
particular punchy sound.
Microphone Polar Patterns
There are four basic options when considering a mic's polar pattern:
A cardioid (or unidirectional) mic is so named because of its heart-shaped response. It will pick up sound mostly
from the front. Dynamic cardioid microphones are popular for vocals because of their off-axis exclusion, and
robustness, but condenser cardioids are much better for the studio vocalist.
A figure-of-eight microphone picks up sound from both front and rear of the diaphragm, but because the opposite
sides are out of phase, side-on sources get cancelled out. Figure-of-eight microphones have the potential for very
accurate recordings.
A circle is the polar response of an 'ideal'
omni-directional microphone. In practice, the response favours the 'open' side of the capsule at higher
frequencies, so off-axis sources can be dull. Omni mics are particularly resistant to wind and
handling noise.
A hypercardioid microphone mixes the cardioid and figure-of-eight patterns to produce a 'thin' cardioid with an
out-of-phase area at the rear. Because of this, the hypercardioid is good for reducing the effect of reflected or offaxis
sounds, such as room reflections.
Vocal Mics
£2,000 +
Some 1950's valve vocal microphones are still in use today. The Neumann U47 and the AKG C12 are universally
regarded as classics and sell for well in excess of £3,000 on the used market. AKG now produce a reissue of the
C12, in the form of the C12 VR, M149, and the soon-to-be-released M147.
Below £2,000
The Neumann U87 and AKG C414 are the two most common vocal condensers used in studios today.
Below £1,000
Anyone wanting to buy a decent condenser under £1,000 for vocal use is spoilt for choice. AKG's SolidTube
incorporates a valve in the design. Beyer's 834 and Audio Technica's 4033 and 4050 are all respected, and many
of the eastern European imports give great results for a reasonable price. Australian-made Rode Microphones
represent excellent value for money, and AKG weigh in with several of inexpensive contenders: the C4000B,
C3000, C2000 and C1000S.
Below £100
There are loads of inexpensive dynamic mics available, but think of a dynamic vocal mic and you invariably come
up with the Shure SM58. This rugged workhorse is the industry standard hand-held stage mic, but its partner, the
SM57, will also give good recorded results.
(In part II, we look at setting up a headphone mix, and getting the best out of a singer.)

[Storm]

Recording Vocals (pt II)

Last month we looked at the mics and other front-end gear that you need to have in place before you can even
start recording the ultimate vocal take. Now it's time to bring the singer into the studio, and as an
engineer/producer, there's much you can do to get them to give the best possible performance.
Here's a question: at what point in creating a finished recording should the vocals be recorded? Now if you're
dealing with the sort of band that likes to record everything live in one take for that warts-and-all sound, you don't
have to decide. Obviously the vocal would be recorded at the same time as the rest of the band, either in the
same room (separated perhaps by screens), or in a separate booth.
More commonly, though, a band will record a backing track with the singer putting down a guide vocal to be
replaced later by an overdubbed vocal. Or a song will be built up track by track, with one overdubbed or
sequenced part after another, and the vocals will be recorded at some point in the process.
There are a couple of different approaches to this. Some singers will prefer to do their vocals after all the
instrumental parts have been recorded. In one way this is illogical, as it may put undue strain on the singer -
he/she may only have one free track to record on, and will and have to wait until the end of the session to sing.
The other approach, which is the one I favour, is to record the definitive vocal as early as possible in a song's
recording. This approach allows vocals to be recorded when there are plenty of tracks left free for alternate takes,
and allows the singer to record vocals as and when the mood takes them, putting them under less stress.
The resultant vocal performance should also inspire a more sympathetic performance from other musicians in
putting the finishing touches to a recording, and will give a better sense of what other parts need to be added for a
finished production.
Certain things have to be in place, of course, before a vocal can be recorded. The backing track should be
together enough for the singer to be able to relate to it and get the vibe of a performance, and there should be
enough melodic instruments on it for the singer to pitch his or her voice against. It's not impossible, but it really is
quite difficult, to pitch a vocal and keep it in tune against just bass and drums in the headphones, which brings us
to the subject of...
Headphone mixes
Headphones can be categorised as either open or enclosed and, while it is possible to use either design when
recording vocals, the closed design is generally the preferred option as less sound escapes into the microphone.
Any bleed from headphones will be picked up by a sensitive vocal mic, and in the worst cases can cause howlround
type feedback (watch out for this when a vocalist with a loud headphone mix takes their phones off near the
microphone).
A little bit of backing track bleed is no great problem, as it is usually only noticeable when the vocalist is not
actually singing and can be gated out of those quiet sections at mixdown if necessary.
The overall level of the headphone mix will vary from singer to singer and depends to an extent on what elements
are in it, but a good rule is to start out with the level fairly low and bring up the volume until the singer is
comfortable with it. Then do the same with the talkback level. An identical set of headphones on the same feed as
the vocalist's is useful for the engineer in the control room to check the general mix and levels.
The headphone mix should be sent out from the desk on an auxiliary send that is set to pre-fade, so that it will
remain constant regardless of any monitor fader adjustments made in the control room. Each instrument should
be fed into the mix from its monitor channel.
The singer will need to hear some of the elements of the song that have been already recorded, and these should
be put into the headphone mix. It's not necessary to put absolutely everything in the headphones, just select
whatever the singer needs to turn in the best possible performance.
Sometimes it may be necessary to add a few things that are not going to be used in the finished song, perhaps a
series of clicks as cues for when various sections start (Q. How do you know when a singer's at your door?
A. He never knows when to come in) or a sustained keyboard note to help pitching at the start of a phrase. If
you're running a sequencer alongside your recording medium, these things can be quickly input and muted if not
needed.
It might be useful to add a little reverb to some of the instruments make the sound more polished, and to add a
little reverb or delay to the singer's voice to help them out. Through a set of headphones, a singer isn't hearing
their voice as they hear it in the real environment - when we sing or speak, we hear our voice as a combination of
the external sound in the air and internal bone convection, which is why hearing your own voice back from tape is
very different from how you perceive it normally. Wearing headphones obviously changes the relationships in the
way we hear things, so reverb may help put the 'air' back around the voice.
Because of this, some singers like to tilt their headphones, using only one earpiece while leaving the other ear
free to hear the natural sound. If this is the case, be careful of bleed from the unused earpiece - you can eliminate
sound from it altogether by panning the sound or turning off the feed to that side.
The actual level of the voice in the headphones in relation to other things can be crucial to a performance,
especially when it comes to pitching. A degree of experimentation with the level will probably be necessary before
you arrive at the optimum mix for the vocalist. It's not the case for everybody but too much vocal in the
headphones can tend to make the singer go flat, while too little might cause them to push things a bit and go
sharp.
Some vocalists may not like using headphones at all, and might just want to sing while listening to monitor
speakers. There is a way to do this that minimises the amount of spill picked up by the microphone: let the singer
face the monitor speakers singing into a microphone that is equidistant between the speakers.
Reverse the wires at the back of one of the speakers, putting them out of phase, and switch the backing track to
mono. With this method, the backing track tends to cancel itself out and a minimal amount of spill is picked up.
In the mood
A great vocal performance is not just one where the technical aspects of timbre, tuning and timing are perfect; it
goes beyond that to create something powerful, skilful and moving that really connects with the listener. As a
recordist you can't provide a vocalist with talent, but you can help create a mood, atmosphere, and environment
that will let any singer concentrate on giving their best possible performance.
Recording vocals can be a traumatic thing for some singers, particularly ones who have never recorded before
and are suddenly confronted with the strange, naked, sound of their own voice coming back at them through the
speakers, so you need to make things as stress-free as possible for them.
Even professional singers will often want to convert a vocal booth into their own private sanctuary with various
combinations of pictures on the wall, pot plants, flowers, Persian rugs, coloured lighting and joss sticks. Whatever
makes them feel relaxed and able to perform is fine.
Different singers will have their own methods of getting in the mood for singing. Some may like a drink or a
smoke, and there are tales of some who like to strip off and sing, and, of course, the infamous story of The Doors'
Jim Morrison recording a vocal while allegedly having his todger serviced by a young lady on her knees in front of
him.
Of course there's no need to provide that sort of service in your own studio; a glass of water usually suffices for
most singers.
Where's the sauna?
The first basic priorities for creating the right atmosphere are heating and lighting. A neutral temperature is
preferable, and subdued lighting has to be a much better option than the glare of a fluorescent striplight. Some
singers even prefer to sing in the dark.
Different singers will have different reactions to people watching them record. This can range from wanting to
have loads of people around urging them on to a great performance, almost like a gig, to not having anyone
around at all. On one occasion, with a particularly shy singer, I actually set up a microphone in the control room,
showed the singer how to drop in and out of record, and went shopping for a couple of hours while he got on with
it. Most singers fit in somewhere between these two extremes.
Consider the situation where a singer is recording in a vocal booth with direct visual contact with the control room,
either through a window or via a video link. It can be very disconcerting to them to see people laughing -
remember that they can't actually hear the control room banter unless the talkback is on, and they might think that
everyone is laughing at their out-of-tuneness or that naff line in the lyrics that nobody has heard clearly before,
when in fact all that has really happened is that the keyboard player has dropped a particularly choice fart.
So, if the situation calls for it, clear the area of all but essential personnel. A curtain in front of the vocal booth or
area that will cut visual contact in both directions, which the singer has the option of pulling across, is also a good
idea.
A singer who plays guitar on stage but is in a booth simply to do vocals may feel a bit strange without their
instrument. The solution to this is simply to let them hold the instrument while singing - this might seem obvious,
but is something that is easily overlooked.
The human voice can get worn out by a long singing session, so it's important not to overdo things. Fortunately
the voice is very resilient, so a rest between sessions will restore it. Warming the voice up before a session is a
useful exercise, and a singer should be given the opportunity just to go somewhere and run through a few things
so that they are not going straight into the recording cold.
Mornings don't seem to suit vocalists, the reason may be physiological - something to do with the larynx opening
up as the day goes on - but the important thing about the timing of recording vocals is to catch the mood and do
them whenever the singer feels he/she is ready.
On a long, ongoing session it makes sense to have a microphone set up so that you are able to do vocals
whenever the singer feels like it. If you have to fit everything into a one-day studio session there isn't a lot of scope
available, but on an album session over the space of a month there will be days when the singer doesn't feel like
singing or their voice is shot, and there will be days when they will be really up for it. Flexibility is the key.
Scheduling the vocal for the end of a session with a specific amount of time set aside puts pressure on the singer.
They'll have to wait around through the whole of the preceding session, and there's always the chance that they
might have a sore throat or some other ailment when the time actually comes round.
Communication between the recordist and the singer is usually carried out via the talkback button, and it is
important to maintain that communication. Getting on the talkback straight after a take lets the singer know you
have been listening and doesn't leave them standing in silence wondering what to do next.
It might be the case that the singer wants to make several passes at the song, one after the other, on different
tracks, so it is important to work quickly in getting another track ready and not leave them waiting while you fiddle
with adjustments, as this may break their flow and concentration.
That was shite!
Advice and criticism about the vocal depends on the recordist/engineer/ producer's relationship with the singer.
Experienced producers have their own particular ways of helping improve a singer's performance, whether by
encouragement, coercion, or even abuse, and will be able to read the particular situation and react accordingly.
One helpful tip is to make criticism, if solicited, fairly specific. Few singers will want to hear that they can do it
better but they might want to hear about a particular word in the second verse that they need to pitch slightly
differently.
Some singers will know exactly how good they are and when they've got a good take. Others will not be so sure,
and will need a little positive feedback. It's good form for the recordist to have a copy of the lyrics so they know
exactly where they are in a song, and to keep a notepad handy to jot down comments on each take.
And if this article makes it sound like all singers are a bunch of prima donnas, that's not the case at all. Many
singers will just get in the booth, regardless of anything else, and sing their hearts out.
Nevertheless, a few of the tips here will go a little way to helping any singer turn in a great performance.

[Storm]

Recording Vocals (pt III)

If you've read the previous two parts to this feature you should have all your hardware in place, and your vocalist
will be suitably chilled-out and raring to give it some into the microphone.
This time we'll look at how to construct a definitive lead vocal from several takes, as well as double tracking and
backing vocals. So let's hit 'record' and roll through the song.
Different singers and producers will approach recording a vocal in different ways. Vocals can be sung a whole
song at a time, a section (verse or chorus) at a time, a line at a time, a word at a time or even a syllable at a time
a method that allegedly came as something of a surprise to the Pet Shop Boys when working with Dusty
Springfield.
Ultimately the method used has to be what the singer is most comfortable with or is prepared to do, whether that
means concentrating on one line at a time, singing it over till it's exactly right and only then moving onto the next
one, or perhaps singing the whole song in one take and going back to repair any duff phrases or words by
dropping in.
Any method or combination of methods is valid if it gets the job done. A situation where there is only one track left
to record the vocal on is always going to be more stressful than having several tracks available.
If you only have one track to work with, getting drop-ins accurate is essential and you have to hope that any
dropped-in vocals are going to be an improvement on the ones you are erasing, because you can't go back to it if
they aren't.
With more than one track available more options open up; notably the fact that you can keep a vocal on one track
and record another one on a different track.
My own preference is, if possible, to work across three separate tape tracks while keeping another free to bounce
the best bits of each across, to create a vocal that is hopefully greater than the sum of its parts.
Another personal preference, if the singer is willing, is to record a full pass of the song each time. This gives the
singer a chance to warm up and get into the feel, momentum and dynamics of a song, which ought to produce
more of a performance than would be achieved by constantly stopping and starting the tape.
However, this isn't an approach that will work every time. Some singers will prefer other methods and their needs
are paramount there is nothing to be gained by coercing people into doing things that don't feel right for them.
In a situation where you are recording a vocal across three tracks, it's possible that a definitive vocal might be
captured solely on one of them, negating the need to make a 'comped' vocal.
However, if bits of several of the tracks are to be used, a consistency in sound from track to track is pretty
essential as level and timbral changes will make it hard to match the sections up. To achieve this, keep the
vocalist the same distance from the mic for all the takes, (gaffa tape on the floor to mark the position will do the
trick), and once you have settled on a headphone mix, amount of compression and EQ, stick to it.
So let's go through the method of working with three tracks and constructing a composite vocal. We'll be refering
mainly to working with a conventional multitrack recorder and mixing desk here, but anyone using a computerbased
system will still find the following procedure of use.
Recording it
If you're lucky, the first pass a singer takes at a vocal might just be the perfect performance. It does happen the
adrenaline kicks in, the singer puts in the performance of their life and couldn't possibly do it better. It's usually
fairly obvious when this happens, and a decision has to be made whether to go for a second take on a different
track anyway.
If you do go for a second take, it will soon become apparent whether or not it's going to top the first. But the best
performance doesn't often happen on the first take. It's more common for a singer to have several attempts at a
song, improving with each take. In this case, take track 1 out of record-ready and record another performance on
track 2.
With some singers there is a palpable sense of relief at having got that first vocal in the can. It allows them to relax
a bit and the second performance benefits from this. Another thing to note is that singers do need to warm up,
both in terms of of the voice getting physically stronger, and of the performance becoming stronger through
repetition. So it is likely that track 2 will be an improvement on track 1.
To record a third performance, take track 2 out of record-ready, mute its playback channel, rewind and go for
another take, this time on track 3.
At some point in this process the singer may want to hear some or all of the performances back. That's fine it will
give them a chance to hear what they have been doing and assess how they can improve on it, as well as giving
them a break, although this has to be balanced against losing the natural flow and momentum of the session.
Personally, as engineer or producer, I'd rather have a singer build up a head of steam and do a few takes in quick
succession before coming in to listen, but each session and singer is different and working methods must be
adapted to the prevailing circumstances.
If the performances are getting better with each take and the singer is still game for it, then the next step is to
record a fourth performance or take. Note the use of the word 'take' and not 'track' at this stage it is possible to
move onto a fresh track and record another vocal, but having different vocal performances spread over, say, four,
five or six tracks makes things a bit unwieldy when it comes to listening back and choosing the best bits.
If occasion or the singer demands it then more tracks can be used, but working on three tape tracks only is a
much simpler and much more workable proposition.
So, sticking to working with three tracks only, take number 4 will usually be recorded over take 1 on track 1,
assuming that the singer agrees that the first take was poor compared with the last one and that the performances
are generally improving. So here we go, with playback from tracks 2 and 3 muted and recording on track 1 again.
At this point it's worth noting that a tracksheet, pencil, rubber and notepad are essential for keeping track of
everything, especially a note of which take is the best of the three at any point.
From this point on, as long as the singer's performance continues to improve, the process can continue with a
fresh vocal being recorded over the worst of the three already on tape until the performances reach a peak, or the
singer decides they've done enough. Use your judgement to tell you when you've got enough good vocals.
At some point it is important to draw a line under the proceedings, as vocals will not keep improving indefinitely
and voices get tired.
When there are three good performances recorded, it's time to assess what you've got. It's just possible that one
of them might be the definitive performance in itself, but if that's not the case, bits from all three performances can
be combined to create the best possible comped vocal.
Appraisal
As an aid to appraising the recorded vocal performances, take a large sheet of paper and make up a chart with
the lyrics line-by- line down the left hand side of the page, and three vertical columns on the right.
Next, sit down with the singer, listen back to each performance, give each vocal line a score out of three and mark
it in the vertical column for that track ticks or crosses are a good visual indicator. It's also a good idea to jot down
quick notes of odd words that may spoil an otherwise good line, or that stand out in an otherwise crap line.
After playing back all three tracks of vocals you will have a fairly good idea of which lines should make up the final
edited version of the lead vocal. It may be the case that one track stands out from the others, with most lines
scoring threes, and that line should form the basis of the composite track, with any imperfect lines or words
replaced by good ones from the other two tracks.
There are obviously several routes through the song and the important thing is to run through the song a few
times and, by switching between tracks with the channel mute buttons, try out the various permutations to see
which sounds best.
You may find that you have to switch tracks in the middle of a line, but eventually the best-sounding route through
the song will be found. Mark it on the chart with a highlighter pen, taking care to note the exact position in each
line where the tracks should be switched.
But what if you find yourself with three good vocal takes, all with a real clunker of a word, or a line that is equally
bad on all three tracks? The obvious solution is to get the singer back in the vocal booth and attempt to drop in a
good version of the offending word or line.
The same method as before can employed, utilising all three tracks if required. Alternatively and this only possible
where the same word or line appears twice in the same song the word or line can be sampled and dropped in
where needed.
Anyone working on a digital system with good editing facilities will have no trouble moving the odd word or line
around, but for anyone using tape sync'd to a sequencer, the easiest way to sample a vocal line and move it to
another part of the song (without lots of editing of start times and so on) is to initiate sampling using a MIDI note at
the start of the bar, and sample a whole block of vocals.
Moving the line to another position in the song is simply a matter of moving the same MIDI note to the bar where
the new line should start, and using it to trigger the sample.
Bouncing
Having decided which lines will make up the best possible comped vocal, it can now be put together, and
depending on the medium you are working with, the deed can be done in different ways. Anyone with a computerbased
digital system will have their own method of editing a vocal together; anyone using a digital or analogue
tape-based system can bounce bits from the three tracks across to another track.
With analogue tape, any track bouncing is going to slightly degrade the sound quality. This may be unacceptable
to some, but the advantage is that once the composite track is recorded the original vocal tracks can be erased,
effectively freeing up two tracks. If there is no shortage of tracks, then the composite vocal can be constructed at
mixdown by switching between the three no bouncing required.
This is straightforward if your console offers fader and mute automation. Otherwise it's a lot of work, but if that's
the preferred method it is still useful to make up a composite vocal on one track to be used as the reference vocal
for additional overdubs.
To make the comp when working with a multitrack tape machine, the three recorded vocal tracks (source tracks)
should be bought back through three adjacent desk channels (adjacent for ease of switching) and routed to a
clean track (destination track).
Let's call the destination track '6' for sake of argument (remember never to bounce to an adjacent track on an
analogue machine). The three source tracks should not be routed to the main L/R mix, but the destination track
should be, as this is the one we need to monitor.
With the destination track in record-ready, set the tape running and switch between the three source tracks by
using the desk's channel mute buttons and following the previously drawn-up chart. If the three vocal tracks have
been recorded consistently they should all be set at the same level, but it may be that some minor level
adjustments have to be made for the odd word or phrase, and a piece of masking tape fixed alongside the
channel fader is useful for making the various level changes.
Sometimes a little EQ may be needed to even things up on one of the tracks where the singer's timbre has
changed, and if you decide that a little overall EQ or compression should be added to the composite track while it
is being committed to tape, then outboard processors can be patched in on the group insert.
Once you're well-versed with your fader moves and channel switchings, roll the tape and record onto your
destination track. If you make a mistake, just roll back and drop in. When you have finished, check the composite
track for glitches, level changes or anything that doesn't fit, and if a section is not good, simply roll back and do
that section again.
Only when you are completely satisfied with the finished vocal is it time to erase the original vocal tracks 1, 2 and
3, and if you are really paranoid about losing anything put them on a safety DAT first for sampling later vocal on
one side of the stereo, timecode on the other.
Double Tracking
Once a definitive lead vocal is in the can, it's time to look at recording additional vocal parts. A lead vocal can
often be enhanced by double tracking, which is basically doubling the vocal part and then using the two vocal
parts mixed together as the lead vocal.
Double tracking can add a certain depth and thickness to the sound of the voice, and is a technique often
embraced by those singers who don't particularly like the sound of their own voice or consider it to sound weak on
its own.
Automatic double tracking or ADT is an electronic method of achieving a double tracking effect using delay, and
although this is a very valid and effective sound in its own right, it does sound different from real double tracking.
With ADT the doubled vocal is a clone of the original vocal, but with real double tracking the slight differences
between the newly recorded vocal and the original can give interesting results as the two voices blend together.
For good results when double tracking, the doubled vocal must closely follow the original, so it's important to hear
the original at a reasonable level in the headphone mix. Any problems mainly arise from timing namely coming in
early or late on a word and not matching the tails of words precisely.
This is most apparent on hard consonants like 'T's and on sibilant sounds. Slight timing differences on these can
cause a smearing of the sound, but even if the timing is correct, problems can occur with the stacking up of hard
consonants or sibilants producing a peak of energy in the vocal. This is particularly noticeable when reverb and
delay are being used on the vocal.
One way to counteract these types of effects is by softening some of the words when singing the doubled vocal
part. An example might be that if a word has a 'T' at the end of it, it may be a good idea to ease off on that 'T' or
not to pronounce it at all when recording the second vocal.
The two vocals might blend together more easily with only the 'T' from the original being sufficient to carry the
dictation of the word. This is a technique that takes a little practice, but by running through a song a few times it
will soon become apparent where to soften the second vocal and perhaps shorten the tails on some words.
This softening or blurring of the words is not just something that can be done on double tracked vocals. Backing
vocals and stacked harmonies can often benefit from this, and in some cases it can help backing vocals blend
more easily into the vocal track and not clash with the lead vocal.
Another thing often worth a try when doubling vocals and tracking up harmonies, especially if you are doing all the
harmonies yourself, is to varispeed the tape slightly when recording. This obviously means you will have to sing
slightly sharper or flatter (depending whether you take the speed up or down) to match the already recorded
sound, but when the speed is returned to normal, the newly recorded voice will have a slightly different timbre to
the original, which will add some variety to the sound.

[sinisake]

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[Storm]

Recording Vocals (part IV)

The previous three articles in this series have all been concerned with getting the best possible vocal performance
recorded with the best possible sound. In this final installment, the focus is on techniques that will make that vocal
sound as good as possible blended in with the other instruments in the mix.
The lead vocal is usually the focal point of a song and, as such, will be a fairly prominent feature in the overall mix.
However, it should still sound like a coherent part of the track, not like it has just been stuck on top of the other
instruments.
There are ways and means of achieving this. When constructing a mix there are four basic elements that can be
adjusted for any particular sound. These are Volume, EQ, Panning, and Effects, and all are important in setting a
vocal in its appropriate context.
The overriding element in the whole thing might just be the overall volume of the vocal, and although rough
volume levels will be set as the mix progresses, final level adjustments might not be made until the end of the
mixing process. In fact, some producers will do separate 'vocal up' and 'vocal down' mixes (with the vocal at
different levels), which gives the record company different options and may save having to remix the whole track.
Before the final settings of the fader on the vocal channel are decided, however, there are other elements to be
addressed...
Compressors and gates
Vocals are usually recorded with compression, but not too much, as once recorded it can't be undone. The mix
stage is the place to add more of this effect, and there is plenty of scope to pile it on and see what works best.
Compression will make the overall level of the vocal more consistent and allow it to be heard clearly in the mix.
It may be that there are various unwanted breathing noises, grunts or headphone bleed in the gaps between the
vocal phrases, and any compression applied is likely to bring the level of these up. If any such noises are causing
a problem, they can be removed by muting the desk channel between phrases, or by gating.
Some compressors, and many of the new voice channel-style processors, will have a built-in expander/ gate. This
often takes the form of a downward expander, which lowers the level of any signals falling below a user-defined
threshold. These can be very useful if set up to work unobtrusively. Care should be taken to set them up so that
the starts and ends of words are not chopped and made to sound unnatural.
The same caution should be applied when using a conventional noise gate to clean up a vocal track. A few runthroughs
of the song should allow you to set the optimum settings for the threshold, attack and release controls to
be achieved.
Noise gates can also be used to keep backing vocals tight. You may have several tracks of backing vocals that
are all meant to start and finish at the same time, but which are actually a bit raggedy. These can be fed through a
gate, and a split from the tightest-sounding one can be used to key the gate so that all the starts and stops are
closely synchronised.
EQ
The human voice is a natural sound that everybody is completely familiar with, so any over-use of EQ will be
easily apparent. Now, if a special effect (like the old trick of making the voice sound like it is coming down a
telephone line) is required, a good old fiddle with the EQ knobs might be just the thing. But under any other
circumstances, sparing use of EQ (or even none at all) is the best option.
In situations where the sound of the vocal has not been recorded well in the first place, or where the vocal needs
a little tonal separation from the other instruments in the mix, there are several areas of the frequency spectrum
which can be addressed.
The vocal may not have been recorded with a high-pass filter in place to remove unwanted low frequencies. In
this case, these can be removed at the mix stage with the filter on the desk channel. Anything below 60Hz isn't
really going to be useful information in a voice, and removing some of the frequencies just above this (up to about
100Hz), can help to increase clarity without losing the body of the voice.
Cutting out some of the lower midrange can lose some of the body of a voice, but this is sometimes useful for
taking out a bit of muddiness. If the voice does have a little too much 'mud' in it try cutting at around 300Hz.
Some voices may have an irritating harshness, either from the voice itself, or from the recording having been
made with a cheap dynamic mic. This harshness can usually be located in the 2K to 4K frequency range and can
be cut accordingly.
Boosting the top end of the voice a little can open up the sound and let the vocal through. Anything over 5K
counts as top end, but make small amounts of boost the order of the day, and be aware that boosting the top end
can increase the sibilance in the voice. Sibilance usually occurs somewhere in the range between 5K and 9K but
this depends on the particular voice. As a useful rule of thumb, if your EQ has a bandwidth control, cut over a
narrow range and boost over a broader range.
Panning
The obvious and traditional place for a lead vocal in the stereo spectrum is dead centre, and this is where you will
find it on the majority of commercial releases. However, the taste police won't come round your house to arrest
you if you place it somewhere else.
Having the lead vocal dead centre does give it a certain focus, though, and leaves the door open for placing
backing vocals in stereo each side of it. In the case of a double-tracked vocal, the two can be panned slightly left
and right of centre if desired.
In earlier parts of the series we recommended that vocals be recorded dry (that is, with none or very little of the
sound of the room picked up with the voice). Now, at the mix stage, some ambience in the form of reverb or delay
can be added to the voice to put a sense of space around it, and help it to sit in with the rest of the instruments.
The amount of reverb and/or delay added to the voice will determine its perspective or depth in the stereo picture.
A completely dry voice can sound unnatural but will also sound very forward and intimate, while adding larger
amounts of reverb and delay will have the effect of pushing the voice further back into the picture. Aim to get the
voice sounding in the same space or just a little in front of the instruments. This will give a certain coherence to
the track.
Reverb
Traditionally, reverb was produced by an echo plate: an electro-mechanical device consisting of a large metal
plate driven into vibration by a speaker coil. Transducers picked up the vibrations, which were then amplified to
produce the reverb sound.
Plates are still in use in many studios and produce a familiar sound that is good on vocals, and which is simulated
in the 'plate' settings of digital reverb units. Some reverb units will have specific 'vocal plate' programs, and these
can be a good first choice when choosing a vocal reverb, although room and other program types work equally as
well.
The amount of reverb used is probably a more critical factor than the type of reverb program. Be aware that
bright-sounding reverbs can emphasise sibilance in a voice, and longer reverbs can reduce intelligibility by
swamping the sound. Most reverb and multi-FX units will allow editing of the most useful parameters, such as the
length of the reverb decay, and the pre-delay which provides a gap between the dry sound and the onset of the
main body of the reverberation, so that the dry signal can stand out more from the reverb.
Backing vocals can usually be given a little bit more reverb than the lead vocal to sit them further back in the mix
and, if available, a less bright reverb emphasises this effect. Some multi-FX processors will allow a combination of
effects to be set up - placing a chorus effect or a bit of mild detuning from a pitch-shifter before the reverb can
thicken it somewhat, which can be useful on massed backing vocals.
Delay
Delay can be used on vocals both as a definitive, audible effect, and as a more subliminal effect that helps bed
the vocal nicely into the backing track. The type of effect obtained depends mainly on the length of delay used.
A very short delay (below 30ms) can be added to the vocal to slightly thicken it. When this is used, the human ear
can't really identify the two discrete sounds (dry vocal and delay) and will perceive the whole vocal sound as being
thicker. Slightly longer delays (in the range of 30-60 ms) are used to produce the ADT (automatic double tracking)
effect we mentioned last month. In this range, the human ear will distinguish two separate voices and it will seem
like the voice has been doubled. Introducing a little modulation into the delay adds variation to the sound.
Another effect achieved by using a relatively short delay time is slapback. This is one repeat, which sounds like a
definitive echo, and can be heard on some of Elvis Presley's recordings and on old rockabilly records. Choosing
the length of the slap delay is a matter of taste, but try something around 90 ms as a starting point, and as with all
delay sounds, experiment with the relative volume of the delay against the dry sound to see what sounds best.
Using longer delays than those in the three types of effect already mentioned gets us into the realm where delays
can be set up in time with the track, and these can be extremely useful in bedding the vocal in with the rest of the
backing track.
Tempo-related delay
If the tempo of the song in BPM is known, then it is easy to set up a tempo-related delay using a digital delay line
(DDL). Delay charts are available that give the correct delay times to use for any given BPM but the times can be
worked out anyway by using a simple formula. Dividing 60,000 (the number of milliseconds in a minute) by the
BPM gives the delay time in milliseconds for 1 beat or 1/4 note (60,000/BPM = delay time in milliseconds per 1/4
note).
So for a BPM of 120, the formula gives us a 1/4 note delay of 500 ms. To get an 1/8th note delay this figure can
be halved, giving a time of 250ms, or it can be multiplied by 3/4 to give a 3/16 delay of 375ms.
If the song's BPM is not known, a rhythmic element in the backing track (like a snare drum) can be fed into a DDL
and the delay time adjusted until the delays are in time. Any variations on the displayed delay time can then be
worked out mathematically as before. Many of the newer DDL's and multi-FX units now, of course, have a tap
tempo button which can certainly speed up the editing process.
Once the tempo-related delays have been worked out, they can be tried out on the vocal to see which of the delay
lengths is most effective. One useful combination using a stereo delay is to have a 3/16 note delay on one side of
the stereo and either an 1/8th or 1/4 note on the other. Add these to the mix and they will help the vocal sit nicely
in the track.
Now, these delays do not necessarily have to be heard above the rest of the track - they work well as a subliminal
effect and even if you can't hear them, they do help to keep a vocal sat in the track.
Some tempo-related delays that you really do want to hear can also be applied to a vocal. One popular delay
effect is where the occasional word, or maybe the last word in a line, is repeated. There are a couple of ways to
achieve this: the first is simply to momentarily turn up the aux. send to the delay for the particular word that needs
repeating.
This can easily be achieved with an automation system in place, but it can be a tricky thing to get right each time if
done manually. A favoured method is to assign or split the vocal to two desk channels: one for the normal vocal
feeding the main stereo buss and any static effects that are in place; and the other not routed to the stereo buss,
but merely used to send signal to the delay.
The fader of this second channel then becomes the send to the delay line, and can be manipulated accordingly.
Pushing a fader up to a set position is a lot easier than grabbing an aux send knob each time if you are working
manually, and the process can be easily automated if the desk has some automation.
Of course, delay can be applied to the entire vocal from start to finish, making it most apparent at the end of the
line after the vocal has stopped (which is the desired effect). Doing this, however, may just clutter up the vocal
and obscure it with delay during the singing. The way to get around this is to use ducking.
Ducking can be achieved by feeding the delay outputs through a noise gate set to ducking mode with a split from
the dry vocal used to feed the gate's key input. With this method, the delay level will be attenuated when the
vocals are present, but will rise to fill the gaps where the vocal has finished.
Careful adjustment of the controls is needed to achieve the most natural-sounding effect.
This technique can work equally well for reverb, and several of the FX units currently available have ducking delay
and ducking reverb programs on board which dispense with the need for an external gate.
De-essing
Some recorded vocals can suffer from overemphasised 'S' and 'T' sounds. These sibilants can become especially
apparent if delay or bright-sounding reverb is being used on the voice - the T sounds in particular can trigger
digital delays to produce repeats that are quite obtrusive in a track. Fortunately sibilants can be tamed by a deesser,
and there are several models currently on the market, available as both dedicated units or as a feature on
some voice channel-type units.
Basically a de-esser works like a frequency-conscious compressor, and can be tuned to compress just the
frequency where the sibilance occurs (usually somewhere between 4K and 10K, depending on the particular
voice). Usually a de-esser will have a control to zoom in on the offending frequency and a control to determine the
amount of de-essing carried out, but beware of over-use, as this can sound very unnatural (to the extent that it
sounds like the singer is lisping).
In the absence of a dedicated de-esser, any compressor with a sidechain facility can be used. The vocal should
be fed through the compressor and an EQ unit patched into the sidechain. If the EQ is set so that the frequencies
where sibilance is occurring are boosted, then these frequencies will be compressed.
One method of curbing the effects of sibilance on the reverbs and delays without affecting the dry vocal sound
itself is to simply split the vocal and use a de-essed version as an effects send.
Pitch-shifting
A pitch-shifter or harmoniser can be useful for making a vocal sound better, both as a creative effect and in a
corrective capacity. A slight detuning of the vocal sound can thicken it up and draw attention away from any small
pitching inconsistencies by blurring the edges of the actual pitch by a small amount.
Typical settings on a stereo unit would be a shift up of between 5 and 10ms on one side and a shift down by a
similar amount on the other side. Usually there is a delay between the dry and pitch-shifted sounds that can be
adjusted to add a bit more thickness. Pitch-shifting of this nature can be applied right through the track, giving a
consistent and subtle shift throughout.
For the odd out-of-tune word, a pitch-shifter can be employed to shift it into tune, perhaps with automation being
used to switch to the pitch-shifted sound at the appropriate point in the song. Alternatively, a word could be
sampled, pitch-shifted, and spun back in.
Finally...
Once the vocal has been EQ'd, panned, effected, and seems to be sitting at the right level in the mix, give the
track a good listening to. Turning the speakers down to the minimum can give a good indication of whether the
vocal is bedded in nicely, as can listening to the track from outside the door.
Even if the vocal is sitting at the right level through most of the song, there may be sections where it gets buried or
becomes too prominent. Fixing this is a job that any automation system can cope with, but when mixing manually
using a channel fader, a piece of masking tape next to the fader can be used to mark the fader positions for the
various sections.
So, we've come to the end of our quest to record the perfect pop vocal. We said it at the beginning of this series,
and now we'll say it again: whether your singer is an ultra-smooth Lisa Stansfield-type, a manic Keith Flint-type, or
something in between, it's usually the vocal that determines whether your song will be a hit or a miss. And as a
producer, your 'performance' is as important as your singer's is in getting a result.
Over the series, we've touched on every factor you need to consider: from selecting your gear and setting up your
studio, through to singers' psychology, comping, backing vocals, and mixing, and no doubt you'll have a few tricks
we haven't thought of. Now go forth and make those vocals shine!

[sinisake]

A lepo si mogao da uradis i ovo:

SVE O SNIMANJU VOKALA!!!

[Storm]

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Sta je ,tu je.Ja sam stavio

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Srecno snimanje!

[MetalFunk]

A lepo si mogao da uradis i ovo:

SVE O SNIMANJU VOKALA!!!

hahahahah

[VoxPopuli]

Svaka cast storm.