The 10 Fatal Vocal Production Mistakes

Transcription

1 The 10 Fatal Vocal Production Mistakes! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved

2 The 10 Fatal Vocal Production Mistakes The 10 Fatal Vocal Production Mistakes The 10 common mistakes you MUST avoid in order to get GREAT sounding vocal tracks in your productions By Rob Williams 2014 Rob Williams ProSoundFormula.com UltimateVocalFormula.com All Rights Reser ved! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved

3 Why this is so important: The short answer: Vocals matter. For any kind of music that features vocals, ALL the listener s attention is on the vocals. The average listener may not even be able to distinguish the various instruments that make up a track, but they can tell you immediately whether they like or dislike the vocals. Sure, the singer plays a BIG role in that. But even the BEST singer s in the world rely on production magic to make them shine. What you re about to read is not a collection of random / made up / cute tips, it s the distilled knowledge and wisdom from almost a decade of producing music professionally. This report is NOT meant to be seen as negative. I m NOT trying to make you feel bad about the things you may be doing wrong. Let me put it this way Imagine you were going on hike, a tough hike, up a mountain you had never been up before. How valuable would it be for you to know the places where there s danger? The places where many people fall and hurt themselves and don t end up making it to the top. If you knew where these dangerous places were, you would be aware of them and you could avoid them. That s my intention and reason for writing this short book to show you the ways that most people ruin their vocal tracks, without even being aware of where they re going wrong.! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 3

4 Obviously, there s no ways I can teach you EVERYTHING there is to know about producing vocals in such a short book, but I CAN teach you the common, often easily avoidable, mistakes that destine most vocal productions to fail. I ve found that when learning something new, you re often so overwhelmed by ALL the different things you need to know, that it s difficult to remember everything. It s impossible to get EVERYTHING in your head right away. So what I ve found to be more useful, particularly when you re starting out, is a list of things NOT to do. This gives you room to play and experiment with the confidence that you re not committing any serious mistakes that could undermine all the things you re doing right. ( And it s much easier to remember the 10 things to avoid, than the 150 things that you need to do!) Producing GREAT sounding vocals is about getting it right THROUGHOUT the production process From recording to mixing Each step builds on the next. Without a great vocal recording, you can not have a great vocal mix. So I ve divided this book into two sections, highlighting the TOP 5 mistakes made in each: Section 1: Vocal Recording Mistakes Section 2: Vocal Mixing Mistakes Just by avoiding these 10 common mistakes, you ll be ahead of 99% of people I can t tell you how many PROFESSIONALS I still come across that break these rules. Enough waffle, let s get started. I hope you ll take the wisdom found in this short book and put it to good use to make your vocals, and your songs, sound GREAT. Rob Williams! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 4

5 The most important thing about recording, no matter where you are, is that music comes first. Everything else is secondary Patrick Leonard! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 5

6 Contents The 10 Fatal Vocal Production Mistakes 8 Part 1: Vocal Recording Mistakes 8 Vocal Recording Mistake #1 Lack of preparation 9 Vocal Recording Mistake #2 Bad room acoustics 11 Vocal Recording Mistake #3 Bad mic positioning 14 Vocal Recording Mistake #4 Not using a pop filter 19 Vocal Recording Mistake #5 Bad headphone mix 20! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 6

7 The 10 Fatal Vocal Production Mistakes 22 Part 2: Vocal Mixing Mistakes 22 Vocal Mixing Mistake #1 Not fixing problems 23 Vocal Mixing Mistake #2 Processing vocals in solo 25 Vocal Mixing Mistake #3 Vocals not sitting in the mix 27 Vocal Mixing Mistake #4 Using compression to balance vocals 29 Vocal Mixing Mistake #5 Over processing vocals 30 Summary checklist 32 Closing 37! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 7

8 The 10 Fatal Vocal Production Mistakes Part 1: Vocal Recording Mistakes! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 8

9 Vocal Recording Mistake #1 Lack of preparation This may sound trivial, but good preparation is ESSENTIAL to getting a great recording. How many times have you gotten into studio, excited to record some tracks, only to spend the next couple of HOURS just trying to get everything working? Some cable doesn t work, the headphone mix isn t right, there s a problem with the session file or any number of other things that seem to go wrong in studio. Well, by the time you EVENTUALLY get star ted, you re so exhausted / frustrated / annoyed, that it s difficult to really give your BEST performance whether that s the vocals or any other instrument. Without proper preparation, the technical frustrations that come along with virtually every recording can kill off passion, creativity, and enjoyment, before you ve even hit the record button. Lack of preparation is one of the surest ways to ruin a recording before its even begun. It s just the nature of recording there s a LOT of stuff to prepare, and there s a LOT of things that can, and often do, go wrong. Obviously, we can t predict or prevent everything, but we can at least prepare everything that can be prepared. When it comes to music, it's all about capturing ENERGY and EMOTION and waiting around for ages while someone tries to find a mic cable or figure out how to record on the right track, is NOT very inspiring. Too many recordings are doomed to fail before they've even begun, just because there hasn't been the proper preparation.! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 9

10 And when it comes to vocals, it's even MORE important, because you can't hide anything If a vocalist is tired, frustrated, or simply not in the mood, that WILL come through in the song. Ok, I think you get the message here it s simple: Make sure that everything that can be prepared IS prepared BEFORE starting a recording. So what SHOULD we prepare when it comes to a vocal recording? I like to get EVERYTHING set up, tested, and ready to record BEFORE the singer even steps foot in the room. So that means, getting everything plugged in, testing the mic, finding the best place in the room to put the singer, setting up the recording session, getting the headphone mix working, and doing a rough balance to make sure the singer can hear themselves and all the important elements in the mix. One final tip If you ARE the singer, then I suggest separating the setup from the actual recording session even if you just take a few minutes break. This just helps you to step out of the technical mindset and into the musical performing role. Remember, recording may involve a lot of technical stuff, but at the end of the day it s all about CAPTURING EMOTION. By preparing all the technical stuff in advance, you give yourself the BEST chance possible of capturing a really GREAT, emotional performance. By preparing all the technical stuff in advance, you give yourself the BEST chance possible of capturing a really GREAT, emotional performance.! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 10

11 Vocal Recording Mistake #2 Bad room acoustics You can t separate the sound of someone s voice, from the sound of the room they re in they become ONE sound. Unless you re recording in an anechoic chamber (dead booth), it s critical that we sort out the acoustics BEFORE recording, because EVERYTHING is going to build on top this. To use an extreme example; If you record your self singing in the bathroom, what s it going to sound like? A BATHROOM. The bathroom is the perfect example of what we DON T want. Bathrooms are generally pretty small, have a lot of reflective surfaces, and virtually nothing to absorb the sound. Not a good combination. So what is the ideal recording space for vocals? It depends on what you re going for. Classical styles tend to benefit from bigger rooms with longer, natural reverb such as an old church. More modern styles, such as rap, tend to work best recorded in a space with very little reverb such as a vocal dead booth. I tend to go for somewhere inbetween, not too dead, and not too reverberant. Remember, if it s too dry, you can always ADD reverb afterwards.! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 11

12 But if there s too much reverb on the recording, there s NOTHING you can do to get rid of that, and in fact, processing such as compression will make the reverb MORE prominent. In general, I find it s best to record a little dryer as it gives you more options. Ok, so I m sure you re aware of the fact that acoustics matter, but what if you re stuck with a room that doesn t sound great and there s nothing you can do about it? Well, there s almost always SOMETHING you can do about it let s look at the options. 1. Acoustic treatment There are of course many professional options when it comes to acoustic treatment, and you may want to do some research on this if you re serious about getting the best sound possible. If you re in quite a small room, there are acoustic treatment kits available which are pretty affordable and will solve your acoustic problems for good. The general rule is: The smaller, the deader That is, the smaller the room, the more you want to deaden the reverberation to avoid it sounding boxy. Because the walls are so close together, small rooms have a lot of early refections which bounce back into the mic. Larger spaces don t have as much of a problem with early reflections, but they do often have a problem with long reverb times. If you don t have the budget for professional acoustic treatment, then mattresses and duvets can definitely help. Don t overdo it though the problem with putting up lots of blankets is that it dampens the HIGH FREQUENCIES but does nothing for the lower frequencies. This can lead to dull / muffled sounding vocal recordings which lack presence.! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 12

13 2. Mic positioning I cover this in the next section; Vocal Recording Mistake #3, Bad mic positioning 3. Find a better room The most obvious solution is to simply FIND a room that sounds good. It s not that hard, most living rooms make great recording spaces because they re generally a medium to large sized room, and they usually have furniture in which dampens and diffuses the sound. In most cases, the ideal space is a "neutral" sounding room like the average living room I just described above. With recording setups being very mobile these days, it's worth the effort of moving your rig out of your little bedroom into a more open space like your living room, just to capture the vocals or, simply get a long mic cable and headphone cable and run it through to a better sounding room, if you ve got one in your house. The fact is, a bad recording will NEVER sound great, no matter what you do. The best you can possibly do is fix some of the problems, but it'll never be GREAT. So basically, you're just making MORE work for yourself if you don't get it right up front. Bottom line: It's worth the extra time and effort to find a good sounding space to record your vocal tracks in. Bottom line: It's worth the extra time and effort to find a good sounding space to record your vocal tracks in.! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 13

14 Vocal Recording Mistake #3 Bad mic positioning Most people set up the mic, aim it at the singer, and press record they NEVER even consider that mic positioning could make a difference. The interesting thing is that if you see a pro setting up for a vocal recording session, it seems like they re doing exactly the same thing but there s actually MANY factors that they re taking into consideration, they ve just done it for so long that it s second nature to them. So let me give you a quick crash course in what s actually going on in their head, and the main factors to consider when you re setting up your mic Believe it or not, just where and how you position the mic can affect: Whether the recording has a clear low end or a boomy low end How dry or reverberant the voice sounds Phasing issues The way the singer s voice sounds present, nasal, bassy, etc. The fact is, WHERE you position the mic in the room, and HOW you position it with relation to the singer, can both make a significant difference to the sound of a vocal recording. Let s have a quick look at the two factors to consider: 1.The room As we discussed in the previous section, acoustics play a big role in the sound you capture, but even a great room can lead to a not so great recording with poor mic positioning. Firstly, we want to stay away from the corners of the room, as this will accentuate the bass and can lead to a boomy sounding vocal recording.! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 14

15 We also want to stay away from the edges of the room, as this can cause early reflections into the mic which can lead to all kinds of phasing issues. I try to stay at LEAST 3 feet from any wall, and preferably no less than 5 feet. Basically, I try and position the mic toward the middle of the room, but offcenter. You ll often find standing waves in the middle of two parallel walls, so just move a couple of feet off from the center. 2.The singer Where you aim the mic at the singer DOES make a difference to the sound. If you ve spent any time miking up various instruments, you would have noticed that where you aim the mic, and how close or far you place it, can both make quite a difference to how that instrument sounds on the recording. The same is true for vocals. If you aim the mic as someone s head, you re going to capture a thinner, more present sound. If you aim the mic down towards the vocalist s chest, you re going to capture a warmer, fuller sound. So, which is the BEST way? That depends on the singer, and what you re going for in the particular song, but let me tell you what I tend to find works best 9 times out of 10 I ll place the mic just a little higher than the singer s mouth to get them to lift their head, open their vocal chords, and sing up and out. I ll then aim the mic slightly downward toward their chest so that I m capturing both the fuller chest sound, as well as the more present head sound. I find this gives the best, most balanced results most of the time.! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 15

16 The 10 Fatal Vocal Production Mistakes Let me take two diagrams straight out of my Ultimate Vocal Formula program to illustrate to you how mic positioning affects the sound This first illustration shows how the angle of the mic can make a difference:! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 16

17 The 10 Fatal Vocal Production Mistakes This diagram illustrates how mic distance plays a role in the sound of the vocal recording, and differs depending on the application:! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 17

18 It s beyond the scope of this book to go into detail about all the various positions, but I wanted to at least give you a good illustration of how the sound changes based on where you place the mic in relation to the singer. Of course, the best way to learn and experience this for yourself is to TRY it yourself. Set up a mic, put on a set of headphones so that you can hear your voice, and move around while noticing the subtle differences. If you just want the simple tried and tested method, MOST of the time I set up the mic EXACTLY as I show in the first diagram, Standard Lead / Backing Vocal Miking. Just thought I d save you all the effort of having to figure it out yourself :) The fact is, WHERE you position the mic in the room, and HOW you position it with relation to the singer, can both make a significant difference to the sound of a vocal recording.! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 18

19 Vocal Recording Mistake #4 Not using a pop filter As obvious as this may seem to many people, I HAD to include this one because I STILL hear recordings where someone hasn t used a pop filter. (If you already use a pop filter, you can go ahead and skip this one :) Not using a pop filter is virtually GUARANTEED to ruin a vocal recording. If you re not familiar with what a pop filter is, it s that little round screen you see in front of studio mics. Its job is to stop wind from the singer s mouth distorting the capsule, which is only really a problem with plosives such as p and b. If you put your hand in front of your mouth and say the word POP!, you ll feel air hitting your hand. It s this wind that can cause horrible distortion in a vocal recording and once it s recorded, it CAN T be removed. It s quite simple really, if you don t have one, go out and buy yourself a pop filter IMMEDIATELY. It s not even optional, if you want professional sounding vocals, you MUST use a pop filter. (Unless you re recording classical vocals) How do you position it? Simple. Just place it about 2 inches in front of the mic and you re good to go. It s not even optional, if you want professional sounding vocals, you MUST use a pop filter.! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 19

20 Vocal Recording Mistake #5 Bad headphone mix If you re the engineer and you re recording a singer, you often just want to start recording, so as long as the singer can hear themselves that should be fine, right? NO!! The headphone mix is possibly the most over-looked, and underestimated element of getting a great vocal recording. The headphone mix that the singer listens to could be THE MOST important aspect of recording vocals. It can affect whether they sing sharp or flat, and whether they'll give their best performance. An inspired singer will do more for getting a great recording than any fancy mic or piece of gear, and the headphone mix plays a CRITICAL role in making them feel part of the song. Here are a couple of things to keep an eye out for when setting up a headphone mix: 1. Too much low end can throw off the vocalist s pitching, I generally drop the level of the bass. 2. Boost the MAIN instrument to make it easy for them to follow the song this could be a guitar or some keys. 3. If the overall volume is too soft, they ll probably hold back. So if you re not getting enough energy out of the singer, try boosting the overall level. 4. If their voice is too soft, and the track too loud, they ll tend to push their voice which can make them sing sharp.! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 20

21 5. If their voice is too loud, and the track too soft, they may sing slightly flat. Keep this in mind when adjusting the levels, and if you find they re singing CONSISTENTLY sharp or flat, try turning their voice up or down in relation to the mix. Also, bare in mind that this isn t an exact science, and every singer is different, so you need to find what works best for the individual. Bottom line: TAKE TIME to make the singer feel comfor table and inspired by the mix, this will have a bigger impact on the recording than any piece of gear. An inspired singer will do more for getting a great recording than any fancy mic or piece of gear, and the headphone mix plays a CRITICAL role in making them feel part of the song.! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 21

22 The 10 Fatal Vocal Production Mistakes Part 2: Vocal Mixing Mistakes! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 22

23 Vocal Mixing Mistake #1 Not fixing problems I've said this many times before, and I'm going to say it again: A professional production is defined not so much by any specific attribute or characteristic, but rather by the LACK of anything that sounds bad / cheap / unprofessional. This is good news, because it means that it's actually more important to get rid of anything that sounds 'wrong' than it is to get everything perfect. It can take just ONE thing to give away an amateur production. Most people do the recording, and then dive straight into the mixing, skipping over a critical phase of the production: Editing. The fixing is mostly done in the EDIT phase, which happens BEFORE the mix even begins. There are 4 components to the Edit phase, one of which is to correct any problems. The main things we need to check for are: Glitches Generally best to just replace the section with a piece from another take. Timing issues Cut the section that s out of time, and shift it into place. Background noise Check whether it s audible in the context of the mix, if it is, replace that section with a piece from an alternative take. Notes that are off key See if there s a better take, if not, you ll need to either re-record that section, or experiment with an autotune plugin. If you ve made sure to get at least one good take of each section during the recording, and you ve comped the best vocal tracks together, you shouldn t really have anything major to fix.! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 23

24 If there are major problems, it s often best to simply go back to the recording phase and redo the take, rather than trying to salvage a bad recording. The bottom line is, before you start to mix, fix everything that needs to be fixed. A professional production is defined not so much by any specific attribute or characteristic, but rather by the LACK of anything that sounds bad / cheap / unprofessional.! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 24

25 Vocal Mixing Mistake #2 Processing vocals in solo The great mix engineer Chris Lord-Alge said it best: "No listener ever hears anything in solo. Period. So the only way to get a great vocal sound is when it s competing with everything else in the mix. I did this for YEARS I would solo each instrument and work on it for HOURS, trying to get the perfect sound but when I eventually put it all together I couldn't understand why it didn't work. The very word "mixing" implies that we need to MIX multiple elements together, and so it only makes common sense that we need to listen to things in CONTEXT. It's fine to listen in solo some of the time and in fact, you need to listen to each instrument in solo to fine tune it and to hear whether there's anything wrong that needs fixing. But when it comes to the overall track, you MUST listen and make the final adjustments in CONTEXT of the entire mix, because this is the way it's going to be heard by your fans. Now you may be wondering "How do I process ALL the different instruments in context, when each element relies on EVERY other element I mean, you've got to start with SOMETHING don't you??". This is why mixing is an ITERATIVE process. For example, you don t work on the drums, and then say Ok, that s the drums finished.! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 25

26 You work on one element, get it in the ballpark of what you want it to sound like, then move on to the next thing. You may come back to adjust the same instrument MANY times before it sounds right in context of the mix. If you'd like to learn more about this, read my 5 Drivers of Mixing ebook, and go and watch these two videos I've put together on iterative mixing: So just to be clear: It s totally fine to initially process your vocals in solo, but you MUST make your final judgements in context of all the other instruments, as this is how the LISTENER is going to hear it. No listener ever hears anything in solo. Period. So the only way to get a great vocal sound is when it s competing with everything else in the mix. Chris Lord-Alge! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 26

27 Vocal Mixing Mistake #3 Vocals not sitting in the mix If the vocals are too loud, it makes the track sound weak and small in comparison. If the vocals are too soft, it can be straining to listen to as the lyrics aren t clearly audible. A good vocal balance is KEY to a great sounding song In many ways, it s almost as if the ENTIRE track pivots around the vocal. The level of the vocals change constantly, and so it s generally not enough to just set and forget them. Vocals are tough to balance, for MANY reasons; 1. The vocalist s volume changes depending on the key and how high or low a section of the song is. 2. The song s composition changes with different instruments coming in and out, all competing for space in the track 3. Because vocals are the main focal point, even the slightest variation is very noticeable The biggest level variation is usually found between the verse and chorus. This is often because the verse of a song is much lower than the chorus, so the vocalist will sing a lot softer in the verse, and then belt out the chorus. So what s the solution?! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 27

28 Well, it doesn t come down to just one or two things, there s many aspects that play a role here. But probably the most overlooked solution is AUTOMATION. Automation is a very powerful tool, and often a key part of balancing a vocal throughout a track. Rather than trying to explain this in a book, I ve shot a video where I show you this in a practical sense. If you haven't watched my video on this yet, I suggest you check that out. I show you the 3 main reasons vocals won't sit in a mix, and how you can fix that. Here's the link: In summary, getting the vocals to balance THROUGHOUT a song is a key part of making your track sound professional, and bringing the most out of a song. A good vocal balance is KEY to a great sounding song In many ways, it s almost as if the ENTIRE track pivots around the vocal.! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 28

29 Vocal Mixing Mistake #4 Using compression to balance vocals Nothing screams AMATEUR! louder than a vocal that s been crushed to death by compression. Don t get me wrong, I LIKE compressing my vocals a LOT. But there is a limit, and most beginners often cross that line. One of the most common reasons for this, is that many people try to BALANCE vocals throughout the track by compressing them. This is NOT the role of a compressor!! At least, not the primary role, I believe. Yes, compressors are used to control dynamic range, but tr ying to squash the life out of a vocal so that it stays loud enough through the song is NOT the goal. We have AUTOMATION for that. Compressors should be used to give character, and bring out the energy and nuances in a vocal, NOT to try and balance them. Using excess compression as a means to try and keep a vocal heard throughout a track is simply being lazy Don t do it! Use automation instead. Compressors should be used to give character, and bring out the energy and nuances in a vocal, NOT to try and balance them throughout a track.! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 29

30 Vocal Mixing Mistake #5 Over processing vocals This is the BIG one. Over processing vocals does so many bad things, but just to name a few: Makes vocals sound fake and plastic Instantly gives away an amateur production Ruins EVERYTHING that has come before It doesn t matter how great the performance, the room, the recording, the mix, the gear, etc. It destroys everything. This is the BIGGEST mistake most people make when it comes to mixing, and specifically, processing vocals. The worst part about this one is that it's totally unnecessary, and it would've been better to leave it UNPROCESSED than to over-process it. Think about it, when you listen to a commercial record, unless you re really trying to listen for it, you typically don t NOTICE the processing. Processing should NEVER distract from the vocal performance, it should ENHANCE it. are: The three main ways I hear vocals in amateur productions over processed 1. Too much EQ 2. Too much compression 3. Too much reverb! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 30

31 Now I'm not saying it's easy, it's not. In fact, in many ways mixing is more about knowing when to STOP processing, than which specific plugins or gear to use. So how do you learn where to stop processing? How do you know where the boundaries and limits are? Do you know how I learnt how much was too much? By using TOO MUCH... and then cringing when I compared my mix to other commercial tracks. What I encourage you to do is to PURPOSELY over compress and over EQ your vocals to the point that it s REALLY obvious to you. Bounce down your track just like this, and go and listen to it in a couple of places your car, HiFi, ipod, etc. LISTEN to what over compression and too much EQ sounds like, notice how unnatural it sounds, notice how distracting it is to listen to. This is the BEST way to learn what you want to AVOID, and how much is too much. Once you do this, you ll be more sensitive to what that sounds like and you ll try and avoid it. Now go back to your mix, and switch off the compressors, EQ s, and effects completely, and just notice what that sounds like. As you now begin to add in various processors, you ll be more sensitive to what it s doing, and you should be able to find the balance a lot easier. Processing should NEVER distract from the vocal performance, it should ENHANCE it.! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 31

32 Summary checklist Recording mistake #1 Lack of preparation Good preparation is ESSENTIAL to getting a great recording. Without proper preparation, the technical frustrations that come along with virtually every recording can kill off passion, creativity, and enjoyment, before you ve even hit the record button. Make sure that everything that can be prepared IS prepared BEFORE starting a recording. Recording may involve a lot of technical stuff, but at the end of the day it s all about CAPTURING EMOTION. By preparing all the technical stuff in advance, you give yourself the BEST chance possible of capturing a really GREAT, emotional performance. Recording mistake #2 Bad room acoustics You can t separate the sound of someone s voice, from the sound of the room they re in they become ONE sound. If there s too much reverb on the recording, there s NOTHING you can do to get rid of that, and in fact, processing such as compression will make the reverb MORE prominent. The general rule is: The smaller, the deader In most cases, the ideal space is a "neutral" sounding room like an average living room! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 32

33 Recording mistake #3 Bad mic positioning The fact is, WHERE you position the mic in the room, and HOW you position it with relation to the singer, can both make a significant difference to the sound of a vocal recording. 9 times out of 10 I ll place the mic just a little higher than the singer s mouth to get them to lift their head, open their vocal chords, and sing up and out. I ll then aim the mic slightly downward toward their chest so that I m capturing both the fuller chest sound, as well as the more present head sound. If you just want the simple tried and tested method, MOST of the time I set up the mic EXACTLY as I show in the diagram, Standard Lead / Backing Vocal Miking. Recording mistake #4 Not using a pop filter Not using a pop filter is virtually GUARANTEED to ruin a vocal recording. It s quite simple really, if you don t have one, go out and buy yourself a pop filter IMMEDIATELY. It s not even optional, if you want professional sounding vocals, you MUST use a pop filter. (Unless you re recording classical vocals) Just place it about 2 inches in front of the mic and you re good to go. Recording mistake #5 Bad headphone mix The headphone mix is possibly the most over-looked, and underestimated element of getting a great vocal recording. Too much low end can throw off the vocalist s pitching, so I generally drop the level of the bass.! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 33

34 Boost the MAIN instrument to make it easy for them to follow the song this could be a guitar or some keys. If the overall volume is too soft, they ll probably hold back. So if you re not getting enough energy out of the singer, try boosting the overall volume. If their voice is too soft, and the track too loud, they ll tend to push their voice which can make them sing sharp. If their voice is too loud, and the track too soft, they may sing slightly flat. An inspired singer will do more for getting a great recording than any fancy mic or piece of gear, and the headphone mix plays a CRITICAL role in making them feel part of the song. TAKE TIME to make the singer feel comfor table and inspired by the mix! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 34

35 Mixing mistake #1 Not fixing mistakes / problems A professional production is defined not so much by any specific attribute or characteristic, but rather the LACK of anything that sounds bad / cheap / unprofessional. There are 4 components to the Edit phase, one of which is to correct any problems. The main things we need to check for are: Glitches Timing issues Background noise Notes that are off key Mixing mistake #2 Processing vocals in solo The very word "mixing" implies that we need to MIX multiple elements together, and so it only makes common sense that we need to listen to things in CONTEXT. It s totally fine to initially process your vocals in solo, but you MUST make your final judgements in context of all the other instruments, as this is how the LISTENER is going to hear it. No listener ever hears anything in solo. Period. So the only way to get a great vocal sound is when it s competing with everything else in the mix. Chris Lord-Alge! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 35

36 Mixing mistake #3 Vocals not sitting in the mix A good vocal balance is KEY to a great sounding song In many ways, it s almost as if the ENTIRE track pivots around the vocal. Automation is a very powerful tool, and often a key part of balancing a vocal throughout a track. Mixing mistake #4 Using compression to balance vocals Nothing screams AMATEUR! louder than a vocal that s been crushed to death by compression. Compressors should be used to give character, and bring out the energy and nuances in a vocal, NOT to try and balance them. Mixing mistake #5 Over processing vocals The three main ways I hear vocals in amateur productions over processed are: Too much EQ Too much compression Too much reverb In many ways mixing is more about knowing when to STOP processing, than which specific plugins or gear to use. Processing should NEVER distract from the vocal performance, it should ENHANCE it.! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 36

37 Closing I m impressed. Do you know that most people who buy books NEVER read them? The fact that you have taken the time to go through this book tells me something about you: You re NOT willing to accept mediocre sounding music like most people, and you re serious about learning to produce GREAT sounding tracks. Even though I may not know you personally yet, I feel like we connect because we share that in common. I m just a little further down the road than you, and I want to help you get the BEST sound for your songs without having to go through the MANY years of trial and error that I did. I hope this has been insightful to you, and that it contributes in some small way to your music improving and sounding great and ultimately, more people getting to experience and enjoy it. Because that s the whole point, that s why we do this. I wish you all the best, and I ll talk to you soon, Rob Williams! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 37

38 The 10 Fatal Vocal Production Mistakes This Special Report is part of: The Ultimate Vocal formula To find out more, visit: Rob Williams ProSoundFormula.com UltimateVocalFormula.com All Rights Reser ved! 2014 Rob Williams - ProSoundFormula.com, All Rights Reserved 38