Recording Vocals In A Professional NYC Studio With A Vocal Producer
Going to a recording studio to record vocals can feel a little intimidating sometimes. Recording vocals at home can sometimes lead to recording 50 takes for the same phrase and still not feeling happy with the results. But what if the recording process doesn’t have to be scary or dragged out for too long?
I recently had the pleasure of joining singer and songwriter Alina Victoria in the studio in New York City and guide her through the process of recording vocals. I was basically acting as her vocal producer for the recording session.
Let’s look at what a vocal producer can do for you and how to best go about recording vocals - with or without a vocal producer.
Are You Ready To Record?
Recording 50 takes in a row and still not being happy with what you got is a result of not being properly prepared ahead of the session. No, you don’t have to have you song memorized. We always bring a lyric sheet with us so that we can focus on the recording of it, not remembering lyrics. But you have to feel vocally prepared to deliver some good takes.
I created a Recording Ready checklist that walks you through how to prepare for a recording session - whether you’re going to the studio or you’re recording at home - in addition to some best practices while recording. You can download it for free here.
Are You Ready To Record?
Recording 50 takes in a row and still not being happy with what you got is a result of not being properly prepared ahead of the session. No, you don’t have to have you song memorized. We always bring a lyric sheet with us so that we can focus on the recording of it, not remembering lyrics. But you have to feel vocally prepared to deliver some good takes.
I created a Recording Ready checklist that walks you through how to prepare for a recording session - whether you’re going to the studio or you’re recording at home - in addition to some best practices while recording. You can download it for free here.
What Is A Vocal Producer?
There are two main parts to vocal production:
In The Studio:
They are in the studio with you coaching you to make sure we can get the best takes possible. Vocal producers make vocal choice suggestions and in general give you vocal direction so make sure you sound awesome! They will also help with figuring out what harmonies to add, where to add doubles, what kind of ad libs to add, etc. They’re like a mixture between a vocal coach and a producer - a vocal producer - in the studio.
Post Production:
The other part of being a vocal producer is taking all the different takes we recorded and editing it all together into the final vocal. That means comping (picking the best takes), pitch correction where needed and adding plugins to the vocal (Reverb, EQ, Delay, etc). It can also include vocal mixing where the vocal producer balances the volumes and panning of all the different vocals (lead, doubles, harmonies and ad libs).
I personally only help singers with the first part - the coaching in the studio and will let the producer do part two. That’s also what I did for Alina in our session. My job was to make her feel comfortable, being her advocate and giving her vocal direction. Miette Hope then took over part two - the editing of the vocals.
The Recording Process
Once you’re in the studio - or pressing record in your home studio - here’s what the process usually looks like.
Lead Vocals
This is the most important part of any song so we want to start with that to make sure your voice is still fresh and not tired. Sometimes we record a song out of order, meaning you record all the verses first, then the pre-choruses, then the chorus and lastly the bridge. The reason why we do that is because your voice is in the same kind of setting for those song sections so you don’t have to go from low to high back to low back to high and jump all over the place. If you prefer going in order that’s totally fine as well, just be sure to communicate your needs with your producer. If you are recording out of order just be sure to keep the overall arch of the song in mind!
Harmonies
Not all songs have harmonies, but if you want to add some you can do so after you’re done recording your lead vocals. The tendency for singers is to record too many harmonies… Keep it simple - Unless that’s not your style ;)
Ad Libs
Those are the little “uuh”s and “aah”s that you hear in a song. Same thing as with harmonies - feel free to add some, but be sure to not overdo it.
Doubles
Doubles is when you’re recording exactly the same thing as the lead vocal again. The producer will then take those takes and tuck them in behind the lead vocal (making it much quieter than the lead). Why do we do this? This adds presence and is an energy boost for the seconds that have doubles. Don’t do it over the whole song, just the sections that need that extra boost.
Your vocal producer or your producer will be able to help you with figuring out what to add where - what’s just right and what’s too much.
What Really Matters In The Studio
It is so easy to get caught up in hitting the right notes and wanting to sound good when you’re recording. But I am here to tell you that pitch doesn’t matter that much - we have Melodyne and Autotune for that!
But there is no plugin we can use to add emotion to a song… So whenever you’re recording vocals be sure to remind yourself what the song you’re recording is about, what emotions you feel and you want your audience to feel. That’s what matters!
Join Me In The Studio
Want to see this whole process in action? I recorded the session I did with Alina and edited it together to give you a highlight version of that we did.
That way you can see the process so that you know what to expect for when it’s your turn.
🎧 Check out the whole session here:
Prefer Listening To The Podcast On Your Favorite Platform? Listen Below.
