The Backing Track Vocal Recording Guru: "New" - Finding The Right Mic - "Recording Vocals ...

The Backing Track Vocal Recording Guru: "New" - Finding The Right Mic - "Recording Vocals ...: "After all is said and done with regard to getting a quality vocal recording how important will the microphone be in achieving this? I will l..."

Finding The Right Mic - "Recording Vocals for Backing Tracks At Soundback"

After all is said and done with regard to getting a quality vocal recording how important will the microphone be in achieving this?
I will leave this on blog for the day or so to see what responce is forthcoming and then I will give my thoughts and opinions.
In the meatime here is a backing track that I suggest would test the best of singers.

http://www.soundback.co.uk/mp3/MARIAH-CAREY/Hero/1338-mp3-backing-tracks.php

Royal-Airforce-Band-Album - "Gurus Opinion"

Whilst not pretending to be an expert on Orchestral or Large Band recordings on the TV this morning I noticed that the R.A.F Band had recorded a commercial album that will be on sale in all media formats and sales bases. If ever a young band needed an example as to how to get to the top the media promotion on this venture is how it is done. From what I saw and heard the budget for this production would have been phenomenal and probably better used buying Helicopters for use in Afghanistan but it was not the Air force that paid the bill it was a private record company called Decca I believe. My point on this blog is beware young Bands and Musicians "Times They Are A Changing" again.
http://www.soundback.co.uk/search.php?artist=742&cat_1=&frmtext=&x=53&y=18
Now come the real thinking of the producer as once he had finished the promo on the R.A.F Band he cleverly show a snippet showing how the P.R.S/M.C.P.S supports young singer song writers in their quest to obtain finance for their work. Did not the media promotion show them that in the previous clip.
http://www.soundback.co.uk/mp3/TOBY-KEITH/A-Little-Less-Talk-And-A-Lot-More-Action/3415-mp3-backing-tracks.php

Good or not Good - The Auto-tune - "Vocal Recording Guru Opinion"

After being asked the question when should an auto tune be used? after deliberation I have come to the conclusion "whenever the producer/artist feels the need" and that does include X factor type shows. My reasoning behind this is that in normal circumstances such as studio work or live gigs an artist must give the paying public the benefit of the best performance they are able and if that happens to include auto tune so be it. Lets me give an example of when it could be needed "top artist booked on tour has a bout of cold but still has to perform auto tune gets them out of trouble and the crowd go home happy". To consider a little more in depth the question why use auto tune in a competition whereby a singing voice is being judged I say this "what is the difference" if an artist gives a great performance using technology and the judges are fooled by it then poor show the judges and hoorah for the entrant,if the judges recognise that technology is being used to enhance the performance then that particular entrant if the judges decide so will not progress. So to conclude my conclusion Technology must be allowed to be used in any or all situations whether it be science,music,sport in fact I would go as far as to say every genre of activity.
http://www.soundback.co.uk/mp3/OASIS/Don-t-Look-Back-Anger/3053-mp3-backing-tracks.php
http://www.soundback.co.uk/mp3/S-CLUB-JUNIORS/New-Direction/2432-mp3-backing-tracks.php

Answer to the Key Question"-or- "Is It Auto-Tune"

CONTINUED FROM LAST POST.
Analyzing the key, OK to start with the reason we have a key is so that we don't want to waste time trying different scales of music to see which suits our voice and that a singer can confirm with certainty to another a scale that their voice can cope best with. How would you know your key,well that in my opinion is the middle note between the highest and lowest registered note that your voice will support with an even volume and power. This does simplify things I know but as I say it's my opinion given with well over 20 years in the recording industry.
AUTO TUNE.
I have noticed in the last week or so that vocal auto tune has become a topic of conversation in the National Media. Once again I will voice an opinion on such a maligned topic. With the country using up singing entertainers at an alarming rate it has become necessary to bring to the forefront singing entertainers (quickly) who for the most part have enough talent to carry their good fortune and become an Icon something I am sure by their very nature Singing Entertainers crave for. So where does auto-tune come into it? If you have read my Analyzing the key then you will have realised that it is importent from most peoples perspective to sing in tune,not nessersarily my opinion by the way, so now that a piece of equipment has been developed to ensure this why not use it?
Personally any enhancement that can make entertaining better I agree with being used no matter what.
As John Lennon said. http://www.soundback.co.uk/mp3/JOHN-LENNON/Imagine/1395-mp3-backing-tracks.php or http://www.soundback.co.uk/mp3/JOHN-LENNON/Whatever-Gets-You-Through-The-Night/6108-mp3-backing-tracks.php.

Whats My Key" - "Recording Guru"

Probably the most questions I have had to answer in the whole of my years of recording and producing is "Can you tell me my key" and to be fair in many instances I have been able to help.
I think first of all we need to know is what do we have a key for? obviously we are talking musical terms here not Doors or Safes. Well I am going to leave this post on the shelf for a day or two to see if anyone wishes to come up with any answers before I make my analasis of "The Key"
http://www.soundback.co.uk/mp3/from-BEAUTY-AND-THE-BEAST/Be-Our-Guest/5617-mp3-backing-tracks.php

Is Recording An Art Form?"

I was asked a few days ago whether I thought that recording (by the word recording I mean the capturing of a vocal or musical recording) was an art form or just a case of getting all of the frequencies in the right places.
Well!! my opinion is that it is an art form similar to the painting of pictures where an artist painter has to get all of the colours in in all the right places.
A very experienced sound engineer once asked me what I thought might be the most important thing I need in a recording studio, after mentioning many pieces of equipment I was told it was none of those but my ears that were the most important, of course I had to agree and was annoyed with myself for not realising it in the first place.
I ask you a question now as an engineer do I start with a concept and build my work to it or do I start with what I feel the end result must be.
I will leave this post open to conjector and a link to a track that will give you a sample of a mix that you can comment on.
http://www.soundback.co.uk/mp3/ALICE-COOPER/School-s-Out/2073-mp3-backing-tracks.php

Are Mics That Important - "patrick@soundback.co.uk"

Over many years that I have recorded different singers with a multiple of different vocal tones you can imagine if a single vocal tone deserved it's own Microphone how many Mics would you need to hold in stock. Of course this would be a ridiculous thing to do so the question is how do recording studios deal with the variety of Mics needed to make a good job of recording the best sound from any individual vocal?
Before I make any comments I invite you to document on this blog your experiences good or bad with your vocal sound at a recording studio.
http://www.soundback.co.uk/site/4/services-and-other-stuff/

Vocal Recording Can I Help"

The reason I recorded so many vocals is that the studio, Soundback had the biggest selection of backing tracks available over most of the U.K. many singers have come from far and wide to record at Soundback some from as far away as Monaco and Eastern Europe because they knew firstly we would have the backing track they required and that they could get the right sound and as importantly the right mix to give their recording the professional touch.
Why do I feel I can solve vocal recording problems because in the period of time that I was recording I must have recorded many 100s of singers male and female and came across and solved many of the problems the singers faced.
I'll give an example of a problem.A female singer came to record in the studio one day and as soon as she started to sing the sibilance(Distorted High Frequency) she created was unrecordable but under the sibilance I could hear a really strong and good sounding voice,so I checked and double checked all equipment and could find no reason for the problem until I asked her if she had this problem previously when recording she replied yes I was disapointed at the sound in the last studio I recorded in,so I started to ask her a few questions and on hearing her voice in normal conversation there was no sign of the sibilance so without being rude I asked if I could take a look in her mouth and there I saw the problem,a metal tooth brace no noticable in normal circumstances,obviously once she added power to her voice the reverberation inside her mouth was distorting the vocal.She removed the brace and guess what she had a great voice that became easy to record problem solved and we had a great day.
This is just one example there are many others that I can tell that give me the confidence that I may be able to help with vocal recording problems.
So if you feel the need and have had a problem with the recording of your vocal give me the chance to advise it's free and it may help.