Recording Your Lead Vocals

The song does not work if your lead vocal sucks. Think of your lead vocal as the starring role; everything else in the song is your supporting cast (backups, music tracks, instrument solos, etc.). The lead vocal recording should never be forced or rushed.

If you've already been in the studio a few hours doing other things, you'll need to take a 5 to10 minute break. But, no matter how few or how many breaks you've taken so far, YOU'LL REALLY NEED THIS ONE! Go outside to get away from the studio atmosphere. This will refresh you. Then you'll be ready to record your lead vocal(s).

At this point, since all your backup vocals are done, anybody that's not singing lead parts can leave, allowing you to be less distracted. For those that remain, this is not the time to check voice mail or return calls; the lead vocal is at the most important part.

You'll need to adjust the environment to whatever allows you to concentrate. Ask the engineer to make any adjustments you may need in your headphones, such as volume differences between different instruments, as it relates to the volume of your own voice. If need be, adjust the lighting in the vocal booth (where you're singing) and in the control room (where the engineer/team members sit).

Now that you have the mood set, you're ready to record your lead vocal. You have a few options. Some are listed below:

1. If you've previously recorded a pilot lead vocal and it only has a few minor mistakes, you can simply re-record only the bad parts (punch-in/punch-out) while keeping the rest.

2. Discard the pilot vocal, and record a whole new vocal, correcting errors as you go along.

3. Record 2 or 3 lead vocal tracks, making sure that each vocal doesn't contain the same mistakes in the same spots. Then you can use Cut/Copy/Paste to build one good track from those tracks.

The pilot vocal track is likely a track that you rushed through because you knew it was temporary, so it won't be strong enough to just "fix" in most cases. Recording multiple lead tracks to "build" a final vocal track from has been proven (most of the time) to be a good technique, but it does eat away at your studio time. So, I suggest option #2 for the sake of time and vocal continuity (flow).

There are times when I've gone into the studio to record lead vocals, my voice is strong and I can do no wrong! But, I've also had sessions when I may start to feel like I'm struggling with the task. Or, sometimes I start out strong on the first half of the vocal and weak on the second half. Who knows why these things happen. My point is that sometimes you have to face the fact that it's just not your day; and that's ok. In such a situation you'd be best to switch to another task, or just end the session and live to record another day. Whatever you do, don't force it. When you've taken the time to record an ear-catching vocal, you'll hear a lot less complaints about anything else in the song; trust me!