Vocals - concepts
Lesson time: (1min 22sec)
Course preview
This lesson is part of the course Produce a killer pop track
Watch a preview of the full course below.
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.
About the instructor
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. read more