Tricks from the Pro’s 12: A Crispy Side of Vocal Chord
A lot of new producers are working “in the box” these days with virtually the only thing recorded being the vocals. To get the best vocal sound on a small setup, it’s important to understand how to use your equipment properly to get a vocal sound that stands up there alongside a larger studio set up.
Firstly, the most important aspect of capturing vocals is the singer themselves. They have to have all the usual skills of being able to pitch correctly and to phrase in time with the music. There is no replacement for singing lessons. If they can’t get to a teacher, then I suggest singing through some chromatic intervals every day to improve their pitching and range.
The other thing that is paramount is the microphone you record with. Yes, professional vocals are recorded on a piece of engineering more expensive than your average car, and for good reason. But otherwise, I would recommend an entry level condenser microphone which goes for around R3000 with that all-important pop filter. Depending on the song, the singer should be about two fists from the diaphragm but if its hip hop, the rapper could be as close as almost touching the mic. Be careful of the singer bumping and blowing on the mic as this can just ruin a vocal take.
Thirdly, professional vocals are recorded in acoustically treated rooms which clear out all room reflection that may leak onto the mic. If you don’t have a booth, your next bet is to hang up some blankets around a metre all round from the singer – perhaps using a corner of the room or a cupboard. This should sufficiently dampen the room sound on the mic. You could also invest in an SE Reflection Filter which fits around the mic to filter out room reverb. The less room in your vocal signal, the clearer it is. It is easy to filter upper frequencies, say from 1 kHz up, but it’s those pesky lows which can muffle the vocal.
Your last piece of hardware that makes an incredible difference is the pre-amp you use to record. Yes, all your basic mixers have some form of pre-amplification (that ‘gain’ knob we all use at some stage), but your small, 2-mic-input mixers are often just too thin sounding to pull off a pro-sounding vocal.
This is where your tube pre-amps, optical compressors and analogue equalisation make a real difference. You can also pick up an introductory pre-amp for around R3000 but your pro amps often cost the same as the mics mentioned above. My low cost solution for you would be to get a tape emulator and other “vintage sound” plug-ins and run that on the vocal while mixing.
Play long and prosper!
Resistance to better sound is futile!
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Jonathan Shaw is a professional record producer who has worked with a multitude of artists and record labels in a freelance capacity. Outside this, he lectures music business at the University of the Witwatersrand and provides business consultation to the music industry. jshaw@smstudios.co.za
Top 5 Free VST Plugins
For Ableton Live (or other VST compatible DAWs)
Here are 5 free VST plugins for Mac OSX (and PC). They can be used in any music production program that supports VST, but since this is a tutorial dedicated to Ableton Live, these are of course geared towards electronic music production.
1. Audio Damage Fuzz Plus
2. Sample Tank Free
3. King Dubby
4. Da Hornet
5. FrohmageWRITING YOUR AUDIENCE?
Many folk deem good manners redundant and the behaviour of the old and conservative. In reality, inspiring leaders and career professionals (people who are taken seriously in society and deemed ‘successful’) approach good manners as the minimum requirement when interacting with others. So what?
To forge powerful and significant careers for ourselves, we must address potential employers, clients, customers, and everyone else in an appropriate fashion. In the same way that we adjust the type of language we use when speaking to small children versus adults, it is vital that we present ourselves with courtesy and respect to those that we want to do business with.
For those with an Internet connection, email has replaced the traditional letter as our primary medium of communication in business, but the principles of courtesy and professional practice have not changed. ‘Dear Sir’, as opposed to ‘Hi there’ portray extremely different perceptions for the recipient about who you are and how much care you have taken to present yourself. Do whatever is required to ensure you address your email to someone specific, and most importantly, someone who has the authority and portfolio to address your proposal, request, or offer directly. Wherever possible, avoid using a Company’s generic info@ or admin@ email address to ensure your email gets to the appropriate person, promptly.
Decision-makers and astute professionals are busy people. Keep your communications to them concise and as short as possible without compromising the context of whom you are and what you want to achieve by sending them your communication. There is no excuse for grammatical or factual errors in your formal communications. In addition to spell-check on your computer, there is no harm in asking someone you trust to proofread your writing prior to pressing send. As the saying goes (supposedly by Oscar Wilde), you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. If it is obvious to the reader that you are confident but humble, and have taken the time to deliver something deliberate with quality, you will attract more attention than if you are lazy and send a generic communication to multiple recipients. If busy professionals receive a generic request from an individual for employment or an offer of their services, many of them will not be interested in pursuing communication because the sender has provided evidence that they have not taken the time to personalise their communication which can be deemed lazy or lacking in confidence.
Professionals regularly receive résumés and covering emails from individuals seeking employment. Many of these documents contain grammatical errors and evidence that the sender is simultaneously seeking employment from whoever will give them a job. This does not bode well as a starting point for employers who are meticulous and have high standards. Remember that a prospective employer is assessing the quality of our communication (especially if you are seeking employment) with the question would I invest our Company’s time and money in this person, based upon this communication? Apart from looking for a candidate with the relevant qualifications and/or work experience, an astute employer is also assessing the quality of the presentation that an applicant portrays as they are seeking an ambassador for their business that will present themselves professionally and with finesse. We live in a very competitive world, so make your presentation meticulous and to the point.
As with all things, pay attention to the work and delivery of recognised professionals and people you admire to dissect how they present themselves. Dr, Seuss contextualises it beautifully, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
Folks, let us not be airheads and fail to discern the difference between the context of an SMS to a friend, a Facebook status, a Tweet or a formal business communication. SMS-style shorthand, abbreviations and acronyms have no place in a formal letter, email or other business document, especially when we are applying for work. We want to make a good impression remember. Leave hip and cool at the door.
Even if we do not have vast experience in our chosen field yet, it is still in our best interest to present ourselves in a mature and believable way. As a measure of quality control, prepare your résumé and covering letter against the reality that this employer or Company may well have already received numerous job applications or offers for various services on that very day.
You decide which is more convincing:
Hi there,
I am a qualified ABC and have just graduated from XYZ College and am looking for work.
Please call me if you have anything.
Regards
Bob
Dear Mr Smith,
I humbly attach my résumé and reference letters for your perusal with my deepest desire to work for your Company based upon its reputation and credibility in the ABC industry.
In addition to this communication, I would like to make a time that is convenient for you for me to come and introduce myself in-person if I may? Thank you for your time in reading this communication.
Sincerely yours,
Roger Goode
Dearest friends, good manners and humility will never go out off style, and if delivered authentically, tell the world that you are serious about what you do and are not a know-it-all.
Take your time to develop an impeccable résumé, regardless of how much or little experience you have. The world takes people who do this seriously. Time and money are too valuable to waste on anything other than superb. Your application for employment will only be considered if there is evidence that you are better than average (even if it is only on paper). As mentioned in a previous article, our résumé does not get us the job; at best it will get us an interview for the job.
A prospective employer is conducting their business and not providing employment per se. Individuals and Companies employ people to support their business needs and not to do anyone favours. Pay attention to how respected people around you conduct their communication and you can’t go wrong.
And lastly, we can all taste when someone’s made an effort.
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David Maclean | a Brief Biography
David Maclean is a mastering engineer, educator and business executive with two decades of experience in the music industry and tertiary education sector. David is the Director of SAE Institute South Africa and is based at their campus in Cape Town. The SAE Group has 54 campuses across the globe. David understands the attitudes and opinions of the industry professionals within the creative media industries and the educators and authorities within Higher Education in South Africa and abroad based on his unusual portfolio of skills in business, education and creative media technologies.
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