Before You Record, Rehearse With A Vocal Producer
Before you step into a recording studio, you should have the song that you intend to record well-rehearsed. More than just practicing, however, you need to have someone listen to your performance and critique you. That's where a vocal producer steps in.
Vocal producers help you coax out the emotional meaning behind the lyrics. All effective recording artists are able to transmit emotions via sound. A great vocal producer helps ensure that the emotions in your tone of voice match the song.
Usually, the first step will be for the producer to listen to you sing. To help get you on the right track, the producer may also bring in an instrumentalist, to give you easy accompaniment with an acoustic guitar or Cajon, for example. This helps to loosen you up and get you in the rhythm of the song.
After that, the methods of different vocal producers may vary, but they all have the same goal: to make the audience believe that you're actually feeling the lyrics that you sing.
But a great vocal producer is much more than just a vocal coach. When the time comes to go into the studio, most vocal producers will be there with helping to evaluate your performance and create the track.
In the Studio
When you're recording takes, the vocal producer will be there, along with the track producer, to offer encouragement and direction. They may have you perform the complete song several times in a row. Increasingly common, however, they may record several takes of each verse and chorus.
Then, later, when they are mixing the tracks, the vocal producer will help comp the vocals, meaning they'll choose the best takes and decide which to use when they're mixing the song. With modern digital audio workstations (DAW), this has become common practice.
The vocal producer will also help decide what effects, like compression and delay, need to be added to your vocal track to make it really stick out amongst the background music. Additionally, vocal producers help decide if your voice needs to be layered in certain sections of the song to help it sound thicker and more compelling. With a good track producer and a powerful DAW, this can be accomplished fairly easily, and the results will help your song sound amazing.
Final Thoughts
Recording music has always been a group effort, like most things in show business. A competent vocal producer is a crucial part of the team. You need someone who will honestly evaluate your singing and then help you improve.
Reach out to a vocalist producing service near you to learn more.
