Lesson 10 of 26Music ProductionIntermediate

Vocals - concepts

1:22
In this section, Paul walks you through the vocals of the track, how he treated them and what role they play sonically in the overall record.
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What's in the course

26 lessons (1h 43m) · 1 free
    • 01. Guitar part - concepts

      1:37

    • 02. Guitar part

      4:58

    • 03. Vocals - concepts

      You are here

      1:22

    • 04. ASSIGNMENT: Recreate the guitar production

      0:37

    • 05. Vocals

      9:42

    • 06. CHALLENGE #1: BUILD THE VOCAL ARRANGEMENT AND HOOK

      0:45

    • 07. Backing vocals

      4:07

    • 08. Keys and synths - concepts

      0:54

    • 09. Keys & synthesizers

      9:38

    • 10. Bass - concepts

      1:01

    • 11. Bass

      5:24

    • 12. Drums - concepts

      0:58

    • 13. Drums

      9:49

    • 14. ASSIGNMENT: Recreate the drum production

      0:32

    • 15. Effects and Atmospheric parts - concepts

      1:09

    • 16. Effects and Atmospheric parts

      5:53

Lesson transcript

Vocal Treatment in Music Production

Hey, guys.

In this next step, I'm going to walk you through the vocals in this record, how I treated them and what role they play sonically in the overall record.

Importance of Polished Vocals

It's very, very important that you get your vocal sounding really polished, strong, and powerful to ensure that anyone listening gets instantly hooked.

"I'd love to sing you part of the song myself, but trust me, I'm not a patch on the girl that sang this record."

She has a really, really fantastic voice, and I was really lucky that day to have someone of her skill level in the room with me.

Make or Break: Vocal Treatment

I find that the treatment of the vocals is really the make or break of a lot of records. It can make something sound either amateur or professional.

Tips for Vocal Processing

With all these tricks, you can do anywhere with any processing. Just adding the right steps in the right order really helps bring it all together.

So, let's have a look at what I did to these vocals to ensure that they had that sonic quality to them.

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Meet your guru

Paul Whalley

Paul Whalley

Paul Whalley is a multi-instrumentalist, producer and songwriter with a deliberately broad sound. He spent years on the road as a touring session musician with artists including Mumford & Sons and Ellie Goulding. Classically trained, he holds an undergraduate degree in instrumental performance and a Master's in composition from the Guildhall School of Music. Since moving from touring into production and songwriting he has worked with artists such as NAO, Wretch 32 and Nina Nesbitt, and played on top-40 records around the world, including Little Mix's 'Shout Out to My Ex'. He is based at Tileyard Studios in north London, where he writes and produces for major UK labels and develops new artists. On MusicGurus he and Emmi Green deconstruct a pop record from scratch - every arrangement and production decision laid bare - for songwriters and producers who want to hear how hit records are really built.

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