Recording

5 Tips for Recording Vocals

Comments (18)
  1. Mook says:

    I was surprised you don’t mind vocalists reading lyrics while putting down a vocal track, I’ve always thought that was lazy, likely to give a detached performance. I can understand if the singer doesn’t give you the choice, but it’s not ideal is it?

    1. Warren Huart says:

      Hi @plap-disqus-2e667fca5e24ac13dcee94ddc4aa751a:disqus great comment! Definitely not there for the purpose of reading lyrics. Lyrics should always be available so the singer can have a reference if needed or very importantly creatively if they choose to change something they have them there to work on. My experience is having them far out ways not having them, whether it’s a local artist or Steven Tyler it’s always been a huge benefit for the creative process to have lyrics available! Have a marvellous time recording and mixing, many thanks Warren

  2. Marti Purull says:

    As an artist / producer, I was shocked to think you could record vocals almost a line at a time… shocked! However, after trying the method out, I discovered it not only doesn’t mean you are detached from the song, but you can actually get as attached to it as when you wrote it! I still find the line by line approach to be a bit much, but I still work on a section by section basis, and get great results from an artistic point of view! This is an excellent video once again, thank you, Warren! PS: still working on my mix of Save Me… battling against yours… how did you get those vocals, man?!

    1. Johnny Fuller says:

      Yeah Marti,
      That’s a great song and that vocal PERFORMANCE!!! And love the guitar work. Great course Warren has there.

      1. Marti Purull says:

        Indeed! What a vocal performance! The guitars are so intricate yet they work perfectly… Amazing. I’m forcing myself to mix it before looking at how Warren did it… but looking forward to the course itself!

        1. Johnny Fuller says:

          Ha! I do the same thing most times! This time, I watched the video once first. I usually listen once the the provided mix then go at it and, when I’m getting to the beginning of the end (how’s that for a non-comital commitment) i’ll give that mix a listen start middle and end. I was way off with the guitars. Mine were WAY to quiet.
          Hey Marti, if you’d be so kind, post the link to your mix here, We can compare our takes of this song for fun.

          1. Marti Purull says:

            Haha! See, I didn’t want to listen to the reference mix but I did when I was half way through it – the guitars were okay but the snare and the vocals were killing me! I need to finish it off, and then happy to share it here! Have you got a link for yours, Johnny?

          2. Marti Purull says:

            Hey! Sorry it’s taken me so long. Your track is way louder than mine! I had to rush it cos I’ve had a crazy week – a shame I didn’t have time for proper automation or mastering! I love the impact your transitions. I really neglected those doubles on the chorus! Here’s the link: https://soundcloud.com/user-840310770/the-matthews-save-me-mp-mix/s-YOm50 (Still haven’t done the course, so that was my quick blind take on the multitracks!)

          3. Johnny Fuller says:

            Hi Marti,
            No problem, I HATE when real life infringes on the artistic. Yeah, I always ‘master’ the tunes. But they don’t HAVE to be processed inside the academy. Are you in the academy?
            Thanks for sharing the link, BTW. Your a man of your word and I enjoyed our interaction. ?

          4. Marti Purull says:

            That’s what I thought! The reference track wasn’t mastered so I kept it a similar level (around 15dbs) with headroom. I already saw a couple of things I’d do differently, namely less reverb on the verses and more impact on the transition to chorus (I totally neglected those tracks).

            I’m not in the academy yet (I want to finish a couple of courses from the pro audio files first), but I have been a member of AMP with David Campos. Really looking forward to joining the PMA soon.

            Really enjoyed our interaction too!

          5. Warren Huart says:

            We look forward to seeing you in here @martipurull:disqus! It’s an amazing bunch of guys and girls!! Have a marvellous time recording and mixing, many thanks Warren!

          6. Warren Huart says:

            Yes @johnnyfuller:disqus is correct @martipurull:disqus, in the Academy we don’t emphasise mastering. We fully understand that in order to compete to win mixes then Artists are going to be listening to heavily limited mixes, that’s a given! However, Mixing and of course Production are hugely important to us! Have a marvellous time recording and mixing, many thanks Warren!

    2. Warren Huart says:

      Thanks @martipurull:disqus ! Yes the singer, Jack is amazing!! Hugely talented! Sometimes I go line by line, but usually I try to do large sections, full takes are great, however it really comes down to the individual singers stamina. Have a marvellous time recording vocals, many thanks Warren

  3. Leo Bercoff says:

    Great video! Thanks for sharing your knowledge, Warren! 🙂

    1. Warren Huart says:

      Thanks very much @leobercoff:disqus!! Have a marvellous time recording and mixing, many thanks Warren!

  4. Srabon says:

    Wonderful Tips! Thanks very much.

    1. Warren Huart says:

      Thanks very much @disqus_8hu1OIYq20:disqus! Have a marvellous time recording and mixing, many thanks Warren!

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