Recording Great Vocals

By Lorraine Lawson

Consider a ‘great’ song sung by a mediocre singer, will be heard by the audience, as just mediocre. Whereas, a ‘mediocre’ song sung by a great singer has a much better chance of becoming a smash hit! 

With well over one hundred thousand songs being uploaded on music platforms every day and the quality of the self-produced music being released increasing, it has never been more important to capture a unique and memorable vocal performance in order to truly stand out. 

To create a truly memorable record, artists today must be able to effectively communicate their vision for how they want their music to sound. They need to be able to clearly express their vision to their team of co-writers and producers. They must know what they want their songs to be about, what types of stories they want to tell and what the overall feeling they want their music to convey. Successful artists develop their personal and professional skills in order to eventually become undeniable, unstoppable and prolific by consistently writing, recording and releasing music.

I recorded for the first time at the age of 16. A friend from mine recommended me to a group of producers who were making dance music. They were looking for a 2nd singer to make up a girl group. Once I put the head phones on, it was like I was under water. I was used to performing live on- stage. Being in the recording studio, was a completely different experience. Recording felt so isolating and stimulating all at the same time. The producer asked my friend to sing the original song first. She had more experience in the studio and was able to deliver exactly what the producer asked for. When it was my turn to sing, I struggled. The producer kept saying “You are sounding too smooth.” I didn’t know what that meant. “Sing with more pocket,” he said. I had no idea what he meant by that either. To attempt to solve the problem, the producer put my friend’s voice in my ear phones and asked me to match her vocal phrasing. This worked. I was able to sing the song with more rhythmic phrasing, cooler tone and ultimately I was able to deliver what the producer was asking for. The song, ‘Que Te Passa’ went on to be a smash hit. The tactic of having a ghost singer is used by every major producer to increase the speed in which the recording artist is able to learn and record the record.  If you watched the Celine Dion documentary you can witness Celine keeping the ‘demo’ singer in her head phones while she learns the song and tracks her initial vocal tracks. 

What I realized from my first experience in the studio and having a ghost singer in my head phones was, having a beautiful voice isn’t as important as I thought it was. The most important part of any vocal performance is being able to create a unique vocal delivery. Singing with urgency, excitement and emotional connection is by far more interesting than a singer who has a big range but no idea how to tell a compelling and captivating story. 

From the very first time in the studio, I fell in love with the recording process and all the challenges that come with it. 

Since then, I have gone on to record hundreds of songs, jingles and full albums as an artist myself and studio singer in Toronto, LA, New York and even China. I have been able to use all that experience to help hundreds of other artists prepare for and be in the studio, as a coach and vocal producer. The goal for me whenever I’m in the studio is always to make sure everyone present loves the process of recording before, during and after the recording session. 

Recording can be exhilarating and scary all at the same time!! It’s not uncommon for the artist to experience emotional ups and downs through out the recording process. Many times, the artist has just finished writing the song which means they don’t know the song very well. They have never performed it in front of an audience. Most singers have not taken the time to discover all the possible vocal and emotional moments in the song that will help them tell the story and deliver a super confident vocal.  Sometimes the singer has never worked with the producer before or has never recorded at a particular studio before. These are all factors that contribute to the success or failure of the recording process and success or failure of how well the song does to capture the audience's attention once it is released. 

In order to record a great song, there are countless small and large choices that need to be made. What most songwriters, producers, engineers and studio owners won’t tell the artist is, the best time to make these choices is not during the session but rather before the artist even enters the studio. 

The main objective for any record label A&R, manager and producer is to make a hit record. In the process to do so, they often fail to recognize the importance of creating a safe emotional space where the artist can truly reach their highest potential through out the recording process. It could be as simple as having enough practice time before the session to help create the vocal performance before putting on the headphones. Taking the time to make sure the temperature in the studio is comfortable for the singer can make a huge difference. It’s horrible to sing when it’s too hot and some singers react poorly to when the air conditioning is blasting, making the temperature is too cool. Creating the right mood by adjusting the lighting and making sure the singer has enough visual reinforcement from the engineer and producer can make a huge difference. The artist may want to be seen by everyone in the control room but in some cases, I have worked with some artist who do not want to be seen. I have been in the studio with artists who want to lie on the floor when recording and others who prefer to be in the control room with everyone in one room. Whatever the case, the goal for every session is to make the singer as comfortable as possible. 

I have been very fortunate to sit beside some of the best engineers and producers in the world including Ian Kirkpatrick, Belly, Dajaun Martineau, John Bailey, Stephan Moccio, Gavin Brown, Ryan Tedder, the late Busbee, just to name a few. I can assure you, even with the best producers calling the shots and being behind the console, if the artist doesn’t love each and every aspect of the process, before, during and after the recording session, the artist will not be able to deliver a great performance. Even more important, if the artist is not happy with the recording experience and final vocal performance, they won’t be able to properly promote, market or perform the song live. They will remember how difficult the session was. They will remember each note, each take, each criticism. They will also remember each time they go past their comfort zone to create something remarkable and special. 

There is no way around it, ‘Singers’ are emotional and sensitive beings. Singing occurs in the subconscious brain so, it’s important to stimulate and reinforce the positive moments so these become powerful memories which stay with the singer going forward. These positive experiences build on each other. The singer will get faster and faster at trusting themself and their abilities the more they record and the more they work with the same production teams. It’s important when the singer is discovering who they are and what they want to sound like, not to work with a lot of different people. It’s like dating. To really get to know someone, you need to go out on a few dates. On the same tangent, it makes sense to work with only 1 or 2 or 3 people at once or you risk each song sounding different and never being able to pin point what is working and what isn’t about each creative process. 

Fortunately the industry, as a whole, has finally woken up to the fact, the audience wants to discover music more organically. The identifiable vocal performance and unique song production act as an invitation for the audience to experience the song in their own intimate way and interpret how the song inspires certain memories in their own life. We all know the significance music plays in the lives of the audience and it is our responsibility, as creatives, to deliver this music in the most authentic way. To achieve this delicate balance, requires all the people in the recording session to be in alignment with the shared process before, during and after the session. This distinction alone will not only save everyone a huge amount of time, effort and money, it will create a phenomenal recording experience which leads to a much better chance of having a phenomenal outcome. 

BEFORE

There are so many common mistakes singers make before heading into the recording studio, starting with making sure they know ‘how’ they want to sing the song they want to record. More often than not, the singer has jjust written the song. They haven’t  taken the time to find the right key or discover all the possible ways they can sing each word. 

It’s important to work with the right people at the right time. Unfortunately many singers and record labels make the mistake of rushing into recording with big name producers, with big resumes, with big budgets thinking, because they have had success in the past, the producer can guarantee the success of the record. When someone trys to rush the process, they often spend what they simply cannot afford and what they are ready for. Instead, the best advice I can offer artists is to befriend someone who has their own studio so you can record a lot!! Get the experience you need to get great! The goal is to be in the studio as often as you possibly can in order to trust your creative voice and the choices that go along with it. 

Below is an excellent check-list of what needs to happen beforeyou invest in your next recording session:  

1. How many songs have you written before selecting this one? Is it the best song for you as an artist? Do you love it? 
2. Do you want to demo the song or are you wanting to record it for release? 
3. If it’s for release, do you have a plan to promote it? This is important for artists wanting to build a fan base. It’s important to have an idea of how many songs you want to release in a year based on your budget and how much time you can afford to spend promoting it. Right now it is recommended to release every month, 6 weeks or maximum 8 weeks to trigger the algorithm and increase your chances of reaching the right audience. That said, it’s important to know, you should release at whatever pace you want and can afford. 
4. Is the song in the right key for your voice to really stand out? 
5. Have you explored different production ideas? Do you know what is the best BPM for how you want to record it? Great songs can sound amazing in different tempos, genres, acoustic or fully produced. Choose what is the best BPM now. 
6. Have you explored the song form fully. How many bars for each section. For example; Intro, Verse 1, Pre Chorus 1, Chorus 1, Re-intro, Verse 2, Pre Chorus 2, Chorus 2, Bridge, Chorus or Double Chorus 
7. Once you have an arrangement you love, make sure you explore all the different ways you could sing each section, each phrase, each word, so to maximize the amount of vocal hooks in each section and create the most identifiable vocal performance. 
8. Have you ever performed it live for anyone? This is a fantastic way to ‘test’ the song out in front of an audience before recording. 
9. Get the instrumental for at least 1-2 weeks to sing to at home, at an open mic, for family and friends before recording! 
10. Have you created a budget for recording so you can properly negotiate with producers and studios. Knowing your budget not only allows you the ability to choose the best collaborators, you will also be able to choose how big or small the production level can be. 
11. Do not spend what you cannot afford; this means your Time, Effort, Money and your emotional well being! 
12. Check in with yourself each step to make sure you are taking actions out of inspiration and not acting out of desperation. 
13. Love the process! 

During

The recording process is best when it’s comfortable and stimulating, honest and confronting, inspiring and challenging. This requires the singer to get emotionally intimate and vulnerable in what can be a very confined and often uncomfortable space for a potentially long period of time. Depending on the design of the recording studio, the singer can be isolated behind a piece of studio glass or could be in another room entirely, like a closet. With headphones on, the artist needs to be able to bare their soul - happy or sad, use their authentic natural voice, sing loudly and softly and feel completely self-expressed during the entire session. Of course, a great engineer/producer can use all sorts of tools - microphones, processors and plug-ins after the recording session but what happens during the session is where the magic happens. Just like a great photographer can only capture what the model in front of them is able convey in the moment, a singer must also be able to deliver a magical performance in the moment. ‘Airbrushing’ can only do so much to enhance the picture but if you do too much, the image starts to look fake. The same is true in the recording process. There is a lot that can be done technically to help the singer during the session but if the expectation is to ‘fix’ the vocal performance in the mixing stage, the artist risks their vocal not sounding identifiable or recognizable. Multiple Juno Award winning engineer, John Bailey has told me so many times during our countless recording sessions together, “I can’t fix a singer's performance, I can only enhance what the singer does during the session.” 

All the people in the recording room need to agree on a plethora of choices which are being made every second of the process. There is no official right or wrong in music which makes making choice exciting but also can be quite overwhelming. The singer could choose to sing a word loudly or softly, sing the note longer or shorter. They could embellish the melody or sing it straight. They could add harmonies or adlibs. They could use vibrato or no vibrato. The point is, creating a memorable vocal performance is more like doing a really cool chemistry experiment where the outcome of the experiment will always be different depending on who is in the room that day. Those of you who have experienced this level of studio magic know, there is nothing like it. This is where you can truly create something that lives forever and that’s really cool. 

Use this check-list to help during your next session: 

1. Get familiar with the space before recording anything
2. Sing the song a few times in the control room with the producer before tracking. 
3. Set up the microphone height to be directly in front of your mouth with approx 2 inches between your mouth and the pop screen infront of the microphone itself 
4. Make sure your headphones are comfortable on your head and ears 
5. Make sure the volume balance between the instrumental and your vocal 
6. Ask for how much reverb or EFX you want in your head phones. 
7. If you are using lyrics don’t use a music stand. Tape them onto a boom stand with the arm straight infront of you. This keeps your head up instead of looking down and gives you more room to move your arms 
8. Make sure your feet are comfortably planted with no cables or stand legs to get in the way or distract you
9. Make sure no one is in the control room you don’t want there and make sure they are quiet, focused on you and what you are doing. 
10. Explore having someone in the tracking booth with you to add more energy and keep you inspired through out the session. This is what I always try to do for the artists I vocal produce! It works!!!  
11. Learn thebest ways to communicate with the producer to get what you need when you need it, to keep the session moving forward as positively as possible. 
12. Stop if you loose your Mojo! 
13. Do not over think! Music is best when it feels spontaneous, emotionally- connected, and full of passion and inspiration. 
14. Record as if you are making a film or TV show not a live performance. Break up the sections as if you are filming one scene at a time. 
15. Start with the chorus sometimes to get warmed up and emotionally into the session. Tracking the verse can be challenging when you are not fully present or comfortable. 
16. Use the 2nd verse to track the first verse and then put the vocal back in the verse 1 spot. This trick is really useful when the first verse has less production and the artist is struggling to find the pocket or vibe. 
17. Come back for a 2nd day to track harmonies and ad libs. It’s so great to be able to comp the lead vocal and tune before adding layers and ad libs. It’s also great to give the singer time to create those extra vocal moments by singing to the tuned lead vocal in the car or maybe book a coaching session to work out the parts before going back into the studio. 
18. Enjoy the process each step of the way. 
19. Compliment and acknowledge the team around you, including the people getting you water and coffee, turning the lights up or down, etc. 
20. Remember today is about you, for you, to be you and all that means to you. 

After

After you have tracked, comped, and tuned a memorable vocal, the next step is to hire the right person to mix the record, unless the producer is mixing, of course. You will need to hire someone different to master the record ideally who specializes in mastering your genres of music. 

It’s common knowledge, creative people often have an over active mind. After the session, an artist will typically over think and critically analyze the recording session. They might second guess the choices that were made during the session. This is the reason, it’s important to create momentum between the recording session and the mix. The artist may pick everything apart. They may want to record the entire song again and again. To avoid this, it’s so important the artist loves what they did during the session. 

The artist may be afraid to listen to the rough mix especially because the vocal usually hasn’t been tuned yet. Some artists do not like being in the studio to comp the lead vocal because it forces them to listen to all the ‘bad’ takes. I strongly encourage the artist to stay after the tracking session to help make each and every choice. 

The producer will send the rough mix ftothe artist and rest of the team, to provide notes. It’s important to answer in a way the producer asks for. For example; take the time to listen many times before sending anything. It is advisable to send a list of notes (not too many) instead of one note at a time. 

The Mojo of the producer is equally important to the Mojo of the artist. The realization and appreciation everyone in the recording process are creatives too not just the artist. Energy feeds off of energy. The energy after the recording session is equally important to make sure the record gets mixed and mastered so everyone involved in this recording is proud of it. 

A successful record is a result of the perfect blend of planning and spontaneity, skill and instinct, experience and chemistry. It requires everyone in the process to have a shared agreement of who the artist is or isn’t, what they are recording, why they are recording it and what the goal is for the record after the session.

Use this check-list this after your session: 

1. Do you love your song? Did you love the recording session? Do you love the choices you made vocally? Do you love the BG vocals and adlibs? 
2. Is there anything about your vocal that really bothers you when you hear the rough mix. If you answer yes, fix it immediately. 
3. Set deadlines for each step after the session - notes, revisions, edits, instrumental overdubs, mixing, and mastering. 
4. On what platforms are you releasing it? 
5. What is the budget for mixing and mastering and hire the right people who can honour your budget and time lines. 
6. Make sure you get all the mixes you need a) Full mix, b) Lead Vocal up mix c) TV or Performance Mix with BG vocals d) A ccapella mix (all vocals) e) Instrumental only 
7. If you are performing with a band it’s important to get the session files/stems. (There maybe an extra fee for this.)
8. Make sure you download these mixes right away and save in a backup 
9. Make sure you have listed all the names of everyone who worked on the record for credits, cue sheets, royalties and anything else. 
10. Don’t take too long to release your music. Keep the momentum. Your abilities and skills will increase with experience. So release music as a reflection of where you are as an artist now!!!
11. Only ask for feedback from friends, family and industry if you really want it!! Do not ask for feedback if your song is already mixed and mastered. The time to ask to for feedback is before the recording session or right after the first rough mix. 
12. Only release music you love! When you love what you create you can handle potential criticism or negative comments. More often than not, when you feel genuinely excited to share your creation, the audience loves it too. 
13. Don’t release your songs expecting results. Just keep releasing great music. Keep sharing who you are. You will attract the right audience at the right time. 

Taking time to know who you are, what you want, why you want it and what you are truly committed to doing to achieve it, is the secret to loving each step of the process to where you want to be. 

“You can’t get great at anything without doing what it takes to be great.” Lorraine 

Start! Do!! Create! Share! 

Rinse and repeat!! 

Lorraine Lawson is CEO of LVS Vocal & Performance Coach, Schitts Creek/The Launch/Grammy & Juno Winning Artists, Key Note Speaker, Author and Mentor

Website: www.lawsonvocalstudios.com

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/lorraine-lawson