Back to Basics - Recording 101
| Back to Basics - Recording 101 - Page 2 |
| Written by Dave Sperandio | |||||||||
| Wednesday, 03 December 2008 06:26 | |||||||||
Page 2 of 2 Overdo It Vowels, enunciation, and energy. These are the three areas that, from my standpoint as an engineer, consistently need more focus. And by focus, I mean intense focus, both in preparations and during recording. What might seem "weird" or "over the top" in a vacuum tends to be "just right" in the studio. Intensity is one area of recording where skimping should never be an option. If you mess up by being "too crazy", it only takes a second to try it again! On the flip side, trying to create intensity during the mixing phase is an expensive (and often futile) process. The best recordings I have produced, heavily mixed or not, come from interesting and intense raw tracks. So, whenever possible, take the extra time to get well-executed, high energy tracks on the front end. It'll pay off in spades (and possibly awards!) later on. I often tell clients that the weirder they look while recording, the better their tracks will sound. For pure vowels, really overdo the facial movements that differentiate an "ooh" from an "ah". For more consonant syllables, make sure your execution is really crisp, even to the point of your fact hurting a bit for a few seconds. Remember that as parts aggregate, even a little sloppiness or lack of energy will start to become more noticeable. If you're running the session as a producer or MD, don't be afraid to demonstrate for your singers - sing the parts for them at about 150% of the intensity where you want them to be, sometimes more than once, and you're likely to get about 85% of what you wanted from them, at worst :) Breath support: if you can't make it through at least 1-2 measures comfortably, you probably need go back to the woodshed. I'm surprised at how often clients have a hard time singing more than a few beats without needing to take a breath. Vocal exercises can help with this, as can aerobic exercise - swimming is particularly helpful. Since you'll probably be recording a few measures at a time (see Focus Your Resources), you won't need to sing an entire verse or chorus in one take, but it's nice to have some air in reserve to help regulate your tone and delivery and, when necessary, to Overdo It. Focus Your Resources If this all sounds a little demanding, it is. Making a great record takes a lot of work! When you're done recording (either as the singer, producer, or MD), you should be tired, out of breath, and perhaps even a bit frustrated. That said, the Bubs weren't built in a day! It's perfectly OK and, in fact, quite necessary to set progressive, attainable goals when making your record. A great way to make sure you set up your singers for success is to Focus Their Resources by breaking up the recording into 1-4 measure increments (this also applies to more macro, CD-related goals, by the way, something I'll touch on in a later Blog entry). Your producer can help you with this, especially with overlapping sections, but it should be fairly easy to determine how best to divide a singer's part into manageable chunks. Doing it this way can yield some amazing results and will instill confidence in your singers, making each successive recording session that much more fruitful. Embrace Your Role Every group has its superstar, "could-sing-every-part-in-a-pinch" members, and these folks are certainly a vital resource when making a record. However, just as important are the "role-players" -- the rock-solid bass who can't read music well, the power alto who has some intonation issues but can make a spot-on vocal guitar, the amazing vocal drummer who might not have a terrific solo voice -- who are all essential cogs in the hit-making machine. A good MD and producer will be able to analyze each member's strengths and weaknesses and assign recording parts accordingly, with an eye towards efficiency as well as art. Sometimes this might mean taking people off their "normal" parts and assigning them to a different one; don't fall into the trap of "I sing this part normally so I HAVE to record it". (Just make sure to do this BEFORE the recording session!) Similarly, don't pigeon-hole someone into just one part. They might have a hidden talent that could be a major addition to a given song or to the entire project. Be sure to talk with your group before recording about everyone's role in the project so that your sessions can run efficiently, with a minimum of surprises, and so that people aren't put on the spot in front of their peers. Ultimately, you will find that with the proper preparation and delivery, members of your group will come to Embrace Their Role in the recording process, no matter how big or small that role may be. (Wo)Man up! As much as you try to plan and prepare for your recording sessions, it's important to stay flexible and be prepared to make decisions on the fly which may not be the "easiest" choices to make. You hope you'll know your music, come healthy, overdo it, focus your resources, and embrace your roles, but sometimes a member of the group may have an off day or may not be able to execute their part as well as needed in the vacuum and spotlight of recording. That's OK - it happens to everyone at some point. What's important is how you react to it, whether as a singer, MD, or producer. Keeping in mind that it's your group making this CD and not you alone, when the situation calls for it, (Wo)Man Up! Be mature enough to admit that someone else would be better suited to record a given part - or even an entire song. The momentary sting your ego may feel will be forgotten when you hear the end result and reap the rewards of a true group effort. These are just a few non-technical (and free!) details that you may find helpful when making your next record. Share them with your group and let me know if you have any feedback or tips of your own. Best of luck! Dave
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