Vocal Production Techniques

Record vocals like a pro, regardless of the DAW you use. Learn mic'ing, recording, and creative production techniques for capturing great lead and background vocals.

Vocals are arguably the most important part of any great-sounding song. Vocals carry the hook and capture the emotion of listeners. No other instrument has as much power or influence. Vocal Production Techniques guides you through the most important steps in recording vocals, regardless of the software or DAW you use. Audio engineer Scott Hirsch takes us into his own studio to demonstrate the recording techniques the pros use to get crisp, resonant lead and backup vocals for any genre.

First, learn how to get the singer comfortable in the recording studio and select the right microphone and preamp for the session. Scott discusses how to set up a good headphone mix and configure your DAW, and interviews the recording artist featured in the course, Jade Hendrix, about warm-ups and vocal health. Next, Scott moves directly into recording: positioning the mic, setting levels, and using compression. Then he delves into the psychological aspects of vocal production, like coaching the singer and giving feedback over the talkback mic. In the final chapter, Scott demonstrates some creative production techniques, including doubling vocals, stacking multiple vocal tracks, using Auto-Tune while recording, and methods for harmonizing.

Introduction

• Welcome
• What you should know before watching this course

1. Pre-Production

• Warming up and vocal health
• Maximizing creativity by design
• Microphone selection
• Connecting a microphone/playback
• Selecting a preamp
• Setting up a great headphone mix
• Managing latency in vocal recording

2. Recording Techniques

• Microphone positioning and techniques
• Checking and setting levels
• Dealing with dynamics: Microphone technique
• Dealing with dynamics: Using compression
• Talkback microphone demeanor
• Takes management: Psychology
• Takes management: Technical
• Recording the vocal takes

3. Creative Production Tips

• Doubling lead vocals
• Working with harmonies
• Methods to stack multiples
• Using Auto-Tune during the recording phase

Conclusion

• Next steps