vocalproduction – Perfect Vocals Academy

Singers, you have a bigger range than you think……

This is a huge debate with vocal instructors. Some think you are limited to a certain vocal range that you were born with and others believe you can have a 5 octave range! I follow Brett Manning and he believes we are able to have that 5 octave range… male or female…it’s possible! He isContinue reading “Singers, you have a bigger range than you think……”

Have trouble getting the vocal to sit “in” the mix?

I had a request to talk about getting the main vocal to sit “in” the mix and how to guarantee it’s “finalized” aka “album ready”. So first off, what makes it not sound finalized? Well, actually a lot of things. Pitch correction is huge, if it’s not pitched right then it will never seem toContinue reading “Have trouble getting the vocal to sit “in” the mix?”

How do you know how much compression to use on a vocal?

There are a lot of opinions when it comes to vocal compression. I was taught in recording school to never get more than 3 db of gain reduction. Although that may work sometimes, its definitely not always the case! Odds are, a singer will belt a high note 15db louder than the previous note andContinue reading “How do you know how much compression to use on a vocal?”

Compression is cool, eq is too, but dynamic eq is awesome!

Vocals are unlike any instrument ever when it comes to mixing. I’ve heard problem frequencies in almost every area you can think of! Sometimes singers sound really muddy, or super harsh, or the sibilance on an “s” word can cut right through glass! Others sound chesty and don’t have any brightness in their voice. TheContinue reading “Compression is cool, eq is too, but dynamic eq is awesome!”

Here’s a great way to make sure the singer is comfortable during recording…

When I started off in my first couple years of recording I use to record vocals like recording guitars. I would have the singer sing along and punch a word or two here and there and just tell them to sing along. It took me a while to figure it out but that’s not theContinue reading “Here’s a great way to make sure the singer is comfortable during recording…”

Which program is better?Melodyne or AutoTune in graphic mode?

Ever since moving to Nashville, engineers look at me crazy because I prefer Autotune in graphic mode for my default program to pitch correct vocals as opposed to melodyne. Truth is, they both have their pros and cons though. The reason I’m drawn to Autotune in graphic mode is because the workflow is extremely fast!Continue reading “Which program is better?Melodyne or AutoTune in graphic mode?”

It’s up to the singer to give the mic a great signal.

So many times I run into a problem while recording a vocalist. The problem is usually harsh characteristics. Whether it be a “K” or a “T” or an “S”…certain letters can sound pretty brutal if the singer isn’t careful. Here’s my theory…singers are more often singing in clubs through an Sm58 than in the studioContinue reading “It’s up to the singer to give the mic a great signal.”