50 Studio Tips for Vocalists
by Carl Rushing (sound engineer)
www.gemstarpro.com
1) Make sure the mic is at mouth level. If the mic is too high or low, the frequencies will not be normal and will be difficult to get the strongest possible signal.
2) You should be about 3 inches from the popscreen when recording.
3) Drink only lukewarm or warm drinks when recording. Cold drinks constrict vocal cords.
4) If you want to hear your raw vocal sound more when recording, take one earphone off.
5) Come in the studio well-rested and feeling fresh.
6) Your first 3 takes are usually the best. Unless there is a specific error, avoid doing many retakes.
7) When punching in, say the lines before and after the punch-in areas. This makes for smoother transitions.
8) Get to your session early. This assures you will have all or more of your scheduled time and shows the others in the session you are serious.
9) Consider having someone honest and experienced in the session to give you constructive criticism.
10) Be minimal with your ad-libs. They can easily clutter a song and compete with the lead vocal. Take a cue from your favorite artists. How much ad-libbing do they do?
11) If you rap, don’t waste your time and money freestyling in the studio. Unless you are in a live MC battle, people will not want a CD of you freestyling.
12) Study the greats. Have a clear understanding of what makes great songwriting and vocal performance.
13) Consider finding a vocal coach or a mentor. The most well known artists even have teachers.
14) Having a small buzz to boost confidence can sometimes help but watch out for the slippery slope into drunkenness.
15) Choose your studio wisely. Your songs will likely have the same quality as the other artists from that studio. Choosing a studio that works within your genre is also important.
16) Attitude is the key. Even a whisper can be felt if it has the right attitude.
17) Don’t invite too many people to the session. It presents too much chaos, noise, and sometimes an abundance of opinions that waste time. If there have to be a lot of people in the session, make sure they are not all drunk!
18) Respect the studio. Leftover trash, weed smoking, and/or large groups on the premises can cause stress for the property owners.
19) While most hooks are stacked 3-4 times, it is not always necessary. A more intimate song might work better with just one voice on the chorus.
20) For hip hop verses, consider using 3 tracks. 1 lead vocal, 1 double (or doubling key words), and 1 ad-lib/hype track. The ad-lib/hype track should not contain any doubles. Since ad-libs are generally louder than doubling, this helps the mix be more organized.
21) Punch in where there is a breath. This makes for a cleaner punch.
22) Have your songs prepared. It can be costly to spend studio time rewriting songs, printing out lyrics, finding beats on the internet, or making song structure decisions.
23) Set high standards for your song. The standards you set are what will ultimately define how good your song is.
24) If it aint broken, don’t fix it. Overworking a song can be counter-productive and frustrating for everyone involved. Unless you can pinpoint a problem in the song, there is no need to rework it.
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