The Key:
Vocals sound good only when they are “in tune.” If a singer is ”flat” (or sharp) the vocal performance doesn’t sound as good and can even sound poorly recorded.
The Problem:
A singer sings in tune when he/she gets a good “pitch reference.” The ears, however, are not always correctly “hearing” the pitch.
When music is played loud, a person hears the bass frequencies flat. How Flat? A lot flat - as much as the pitch difference of the next key on the piano and even more. In recording the singer hears the band through headphones. If these headphones are loud and bass-heavy, the singer will try to “tune” to what he/she hears and usually sing flat.
Its interesting to observe that if a singer is off during recording, it is usually because they are flat - not sharp.
The Solution:
The solution is simple. If the singer sings flat, reduce the headphone volume and reduce the amount of bass-frequencies in the headphones. This may require a little “training” for the singer to get used to lower volumes and with less bass than they want in the headphones.
When singers insist on loud bassy headphones and always sing flat, I will suggest an experiment:
1. Have the singer sing a verse with the headphones loud and bassy.
2. Have the singer sing the same verse on with the headphones much lower and with less bass. Record this second performance on a different track.
3. Without telling the singer which track is which, play each track with the music and ask which one the singer likes best. They will always choose the track done with the lower-volume, reduced bass headphone mix.
Other Tips:
When two instruments are supposed to be playing the same pitch but one is out-of-tune, there is a “beating” that occurs. This beating sounds like the volume increasing and decreasing regularly. When the instruments are close to the same pitch this beating slows down and when they are exactly in pitch this beating stops. Hearing this beating is a large part how we hear that something is out-of tune.
Adding reverberation “covers” up the beating that occurs when two instruments (or a vocal and instruments) are out-of-tune with each other. Everyone likes reverb on the vocal. If you, however, have a lot of reverb on the vocal when a singer is trying to sing, it will be harder for the singer to hear he/she is off pitch. As a result, vocals are recorded best with little or no reverb in the headphone mix.
Unusual Circumstances:
Sometimes singers have become accustomed to singing in tune with loud music playing. This kind of thing happens to singers that have done a lot of live performances where the music is very loud on the stage. Over years, the singer has learned to sing at the correct pitch with loud stage volumes. With a singer like this, low-volume headphone can cause the singer to sing sharp. Instances of this are rare - but they do occur.
Conclusion:
Two rules to record vocals by:
1. If the singer is having problems with intonation (being in tune), use different headphones volumes - usually turn down the volume and turn down the bass.
2. Use the minimum amount of reverb possible when doing vocal recordings.
Vocals sound good only when they are “in tune.” If a singer is ”flat” (or sharp) the vocal performance doesn’t sound as good and can even sound poorly recorded.
The Problem:
A singer sings in tune when he/she gets a good “pitch reference.” The ears, however, are not always correctly “hearing” the pitch.
When music is played loud, a person hears the bass frequencies flat. How Flat? A lot flat - as much as the pitch difference of the next key on the piano and even more. In recording the singer hears the band through headphones. If these headphones are loud and bass-heavy, the singer will try to “tune” to what he/she hears and usually sing flat.
Its interesting to observe that if a singer is off during recording, it is usually because they are flat - not sharp.
The Solution:
The solution is simple. If the singer sings flat, reduce the headphone volume and reduce the amount of bass-frequencies in the headphones. This may require a little “training” for the singer to get used to lower volumes and with less bass than they want in the headphones.
When singers insist on loud bassy headphones and always sing flat, I will suggest an experiment:
1. Have the singer sing a verse with the headphones loud and bassy.
2. Have the singer sing the same verse on with the headphones much lower and with less bass. Record this second performance on a different track.
3. Without telling the singer which track is which, play each track with the music and ask which one the singer likes best. They will always choose the track done with the lower-volume, reduced bass headphone mix.
Other Tips:
When two instruments are supposed to be playing the same pitch but one is out-of-tune, there is a “beating” that occurs. This beating sounds like the volume increasing and decreasing regularly. When the instruments are close to the same pitch this beating slows down and when they are exactly in pitch this beating stops. Hearing this beating is a large part how we hear that something is out-of tune.
Adding reverberation “covers” up the beating that occurs when two instruments (or a vocal and instruments) are out-of-tune with each other. Everyone likes reverb on the vocal. If you, however, have a lot of reverb on the vocal when a singer is trying to sing, it will be harder for the singer to hear he/she is off pitch. As a result, vocals are recorded best with little or no reverb in the headphone mix.
Unusual Circumstances:
Sometimes singers have become accustomed to singing in tune with loud music playing. This kind of thing happens to singers that have done a lot of live performances where the music is very loud on the stage. Over years, the singer has learned to sing at the correct pitch with loud stage volumes. With a singer like this, low-volume headphone can cause the singer to sing sharp. Instances of this are rare - but they do occur.
Conclusion:
Two rules to record vocals by:
1. If the singer is having problems with intonation (being in tune), use different headphones volumes - usually turn down the volume and turn down the bass.
2. Use the minimum amount of reverb possible when doing vocal recordings.
