September 26, 2025 • 55 mins
Come with me as I vocal produce and coach singer Alina Victoria in the studio together with producer Miette Hope. While this wasn’t Alina’s first time in the studio she asked me to be there to get the best possible vocal takes for her new song “Waiting Room”.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:15):
that was pretty good
um
touch the ground
hey
yeah what you say the back now
(00:35):
oh you
we have other takes of that
we have plenty of takes of that
yeah but everything else I really liked
cool
so many bugs I made my way back now
I like that song yeah that's really sweet
hey voxar and welcome to from singer to artist
(00:58):
I'm Lara Chapman award winning singer and songwriter
turned viral vocal coach and the host of this show
at Voxar Studios
we help singers from all over the world
level up their voices
by teaching them the three fundamental skills
all singers need technique
awareness and artistry whether you're looking to go pro
or just develop your voice for fun
my team and I are here to help
(01:20):
check the link in the description
to book your first session
or grab some of our other resources
Alrighty are you ready
let's get started a couple of weeks ago
I had the pleasure to coach a wonderful singer
Elena Victoria in the studio in New York City
as she was tracking vocals for her new song
Waiting Room we decided to film the entire experience
and share it with you so that you can see the
(01:41):
behind the scenes of what it looks like
when you're going into a professional studio
what to expect when you're recording vocals
and just what the entire process looks like
now before we look at the behind the scenes footage
here's why I was there in the first place
I was basically acting as Alina's vocal producer
there's two parts to being a vocal producer
one is you're in the studio with the singer
(02:04):
and you're basically
coaching them on getting the best takes
out of them so that means something like hey
can you add a little bit more breath flow
can you make this note breathy
have you tried adding vocal fry here
let's see what that sounds like
if you add vocal fry maybe smile a little bit
uh to get just a different kind of tone right
like so we're just here to yeah
(02:25):
get the best takes out of you
coach you through that uh
and obviously
you already know how to sing at this point
when you're in the studio right
you already know how to do it
but we're here to guide you on the details
to really make sure we get the best vocal
performance out of you and
because those tiny little details
are usually
the things that people are not really aware of
(02:46):
and so it's our job
as your vocal producer
to get those little details out of you
while also making sure that you're staying emotional
in your vocal delivery because guess what
it's not about
hitting the right notes at the right time
we can fix that there's plugins for that haha
but there's no plugin for emotion
so it's also our job
to not get caught up in the technicalities of singing
(03:09):
but also like hey
what's the story behind this song
and really making sure that you can deliver on that uh
we also help you figure out what kind of harmonies
to add where should we add doubles and uh
maybe what kind of ad libs should we add over the song
as well just anything that has to do with recording
vocals in the studio or like at home
(03:31):
you can also do it from home
but right like anything that gets recorded
and obviously we're also there to help you just
feel comfortable and confident
and like you have an advocate there
that makes sure that you're getting the best vocal
takes and exactly what we need
but also know when to stop'cause a lot of times singers
they just wanna keep going and like
I can do this better I can do this better
I can do this better I'm like
we have everything we need
(03:52):
we don't need to do this again but uh anyways
so we're there in the studio to advocate for you
and help you get the best takes essentially
then the other part
the other side of being a vocal producer
is everything that happens to the vocals
after they're being recorded
and that means basically post production right
so you're taking all the different takes
that were recorded
(04:12):
and you comp them together into one main vocal
when you are listening to a song that's recorded
there's multiple takes that were recorded
for that recording to be the way it is
and then the producer just went in and cut everything
together and made it all just one vocal
so it sounds like it's one take
but in fact it was a million different takes
(04:33):
maybe not a million but it was a lot of different takes
right so that's called comping
so that's a part of the vocal producer's job
and then
you know cleaning everything up like pitch correction
uh rhythmic things right
like if the timing wasn't quite right
if the note wasn't long enough or too long
or not at the right spot or whatever right
we're just cleaning up the vocals and then also adding
(04:55):
um all the different plug ins like EQ
reverb delay
deessers like there's a lot of different ones
and this is not my area of expertise
so when I'm vocal producing for somebody
I don't do this second part
I can do comping and I can do uh
basic pitch correction and um
timing corrections and things like that that I can do
(05:18):
um but when it comes to then
you know all these different plug ins
nope that's not that's not what I do
so usually what I do is I just
go in the studio with you
and I'm your advocate in the studio
and then everything that happens after that
a producer would usually take over
like the person that made the track for you
um or whatever but
(05:39):
depending on what kind of vocal producer you work with
they'll do both or they'll do just one of them
and so anyways for Alina
what I was doing is just that first part
and then Mia's hope
who was the producer of the entire track
you'll see her in the video as well
she was there in the studio with us recording Alina
uh and uh
so she created the track and she did the entire uh
(05:59):
post production then as well
but they did outsource uh mixing and mastering
uh as far as I know so anyways
but the entire editing of the vocal miats did
okay enough talking let's get into the studio
I'll narrate the whole experience for you
so that you understand
what we were doing here in this specific part
and why we did it and also keep in mind
(06:22):
this was initially a three hour recording
I did not want to bore you with a three hour
recording of a vocal session
so I edited a lot of parts out
if it feels like wow
they only did one take for something
that's not actually what happened
there were multiple takes
we had at least five takes
probably more we had probably at least
seven to eight takes for everything that we did uh
(06:44):
just to make sure we have everything we need
at the end of the day
cause you don't wanna leave the recording session
and then be in the editing process
and you're like ah man
we're missing something
or this was not quite right or whatever
and then you have to do everything all over again
we definitely don't want that
so if it feels like we were skipping over something
or this was really fast
I just edited that part out for timing purposes for you
(07:05):
alright let's get started
the first thing we did was make sure that Elena
felt comfortable that the sound levels were right
that she can hear herself well
that she can hear the music well and just kind of
you know get into the song
cause when you first step into the studio
you sing through the song or the first part of the song
just to kind of get into it and feel like alright
(07:25):
I'm in the song I'm ready to get started
so I'd say probably starting with verses is good
yes um
I usually like to do four
and then we can check in and see if you want more
OK
um I'll give you the whole intro
so you can just get into the vibes
and then we'll run a chorus and check in after okay
or a verse sorry
(07:45):
yeah okay
(08:08):
awesome that's the whole first verse right
yeah and then it goes into the pre
yeah yeah
so let's focus on that section okay
are you recording completely dry
uh huh
okay do you like that
do you like hearing yourself dry
um yeah
okay we can add reverb if you want
um
I don't know do you usually do that or
(08:29):
I prefer dry but it's definitely up to the artist
like if you want vibes or like auto Tune or anything
I'm happy to bring I think this is fine right now
let's do another one
(09:08):
awesome
now that we are on the same page
I asked Elena a couple questions
to get her in the right headspace
and just emotionally ready for the song
like I said before
the most important part when you're recording music
and when you're recording vocals
is the emotional delivery of it
because there's no plug in for that
(09:28):
but we can fix pitch right
I don't want you to get caught up in the pitch
or sounding good I want you to remember
why did I even write this song in the first place
or if it's a cover what is this song about
and just get into that right headspace
great Elena
what's the song about
um
kind of like my relationship with my family
I feel like yeah
(09:49):
okay talk to me about the emotions of that
is that a happy relationship
a sad relationship
but more deep words than happy and sad
yeah hahaha
like both and everything all at once
but I I feel like just like
kind of like living far away from them and okay
I don't know yeah
and like kind of like waiting for
for the other shoe to drop and like um
(10:10):
just like
kind of try to emotionally be there for everyone
even though like I can't okay
yeah okay
what makes that first verse different from everything
else
I guess it's like kind of building it up
like setting the scene
like I feel like I'm like telling the story
like you're trying to stand up with your bleeding heart
(10:31):
it's kind of like like me
like watching like people around me struggle and like
try to I don't know
writing
it was like kind of me sorting with that and trying to
OK figure out what even to do with that
OK yeah
OK so it's a little bit of confusion in there too
yeah OK
frustration probably because of the confusion
(10:53):
yeah definitely frustration
okay so more sighing
more sighing yeah
you know like
versus how are we so close
a little more flow breath flow coming through okay
let's try it again
(11:38):
awesome try and stand up
try and stand up with your uh
can you take a breath after the word up
yeah try and stand up with your bleeding heart
just so leave a little bit more room
and not over singing it okay
(12:16):
with your bleeding heart yeah
let's punch in on that specific line
I don't actually think you need to take a breath
but can you just keep the word short
trying to stand up with your
just so that there's a little bit of a pause
like a changing of the phrase a little bit yes yeah
yes just so rhythmically just slightly okay
(12:37):
trying to stand
you know yeah
stand up yeah yeah
instead of up like scooping up to it
trying to stand and up yeah
that's nice yeah OK
love great also this first line sounded really great
(13:00):
it was killer I'm actually gonna label that yes
do it hahaha OK cool
so you're gonna hear yourself and then you'll come in
OK yeah
just on the second line okay
just so we can kind of zone in on that
(13:36):
you're singing the same note you're trying to sing
if she goes up go up yeah
trying to stand up like you're literally saying up
hahaha right yeah
cool I'm gonna punch you in a little bit sooner
just so we're solely focused on that okay
I'll give you a measure
(13:57):
should I sing along with it or um
I you won't even hear that first phrase
I kind of want to bring you sooner
just so like you're solely thinking about that okay
in line yeah
(14:18):
understand you have to go down on stand instead of
there you go nice
(14:38):
but she's repeating the same no right
I think you're repeating the same note trying to stand
trying to stand just do that
trying to stand nice
there it is let's try it again
(15:02):
before we try that again do you like that or yeah
are you more drawn towards the stand
stand up same note
yeah I like the low and up
I was just yeah
getting used to it yeah
for sure okay
let's keep trying okay
you got it is that an okay place to come in
um yeah
I think so OK
(15:22):
I can give you more if you want
um actually
can I try with a little more
yeah and do you wanna hear the other vocal
um maybe not
OK
great sounds good
so I'll give you another measure
(15:49):
nice great
let's just do the same thing again
same thing again that was awesome
sorry I'm like not used to pushing the button
no you're good
I'm pushing it for you you're good
thank you hahaha
that button that I was talking about
there is the talk back button
this allows Elena to hear us
whenever we're talking about something
in her headphones
Elena is in a completely sound isolated room
(16:12):
so she can't hear anything in that room
we do this I mean
people call this a vocal booth
and we do this so that
no other sounds get picked up by the microphone
only your voice again
we don't want our talking to bleed into the microphone
you'll also hear like New York City ambulance sirens
(16:33):
and police sirens and things like that um
as we move on in the recording
you'll be able to hear that
but the microphone that Elena is singing into
can't hear any of that
because she's in that isolated room
but that also means that if MIAT and I are talking
Alina can't hear anything
unless we click that talk back button
so there's a microphone uh
somewhere close to MIAT and I
(16:55):
that picks up whenever we're talking
but Alina can only hear it
when that button is being pushed
you have the same amount of time okay
awesome what do you think
I like this one I like it too
(17:17):
um why don't we listen to this in a chain
and just feel it out um
good idea
just to make sure the tune is gonna treat it right
listen to it in a chain what does that mean
basically
what Mia did here was quick little vocal production
a quick little editing on the fly and this is very
very common uh
(17:37):
we usually Mark which ones are our favorite takes
so that when you then you know
when the singers gone not in the studio anymore
and the producers now editing these vocals
comping the vocals right
we were talking about that before
taking all the best takes
and put it into one vocal chain right
uh that uh
if we if we have all the best takes already marked
(18:00):
that process is a whole lot faster
and so what Mia did was take two different takes
and cut them together
so that we could listen back to it
and see how those two takes sound together'cause
it's important that when we're using different takes
in the final product
that those two takes actually go together well
that it sounds like it was done in one take
(18:21):
and not like two completely different takes
so that's why it's important that
when you are recording vocals
like the same part of a song
that you sing it very like not exactly the same
but very similarly cause otherwise the two
the different takes won't go together
so again listening to it in a chain
just means
we are listening to different takes together here
(18:43):
just to make sure it goes together well
let me hear that first one again and fix the tune
(19:18):
nice I like it
how do you feel was the first
oh was the first so like I always
you did a little scoop
it's just up to you if you want that or not
I don't know if you did it on the other takes
so close
it seems like something you're consistently doing
so if you want to try it differently
(19:39):
we can definitely do that too um
can we try maybe yeah
I don't know I don't know if I love how
I think she goes down how are we so
(20:03):
is that what you yeah
is it hahaha
let's listen okay
well you're kind of in between
because you're splitting the notes over two
like the the word over two notes
so you're doing both so I'm like
which one do you want to do
hahaha yeah let's listen
(20:24):
so close so you did that consistently
um I was so close
what what do you wanna change about it
um I'm not sure if I like how this sounds OK
so you want it to be more straight
yeah OK
(20:46):
is that like a scene awesome
yeah that sounds amazing
that's beautiful that's the one you feel good about it
she's so happy hahaha
that's great yay
um let's do the pre
or wait actually no
(21:06):
since we're in verse land
let's move to second verse
when you are recording the vocals of a song
it's up to you
if you want to record all the different parts in order
or out of order
it's actually very common to record the vocals
out of order
meaning you'll be recording all the verses first
then all the precourses then the chorus
(21:27):
or if there's different courses
like all the courses
then the bridge or whatever order feels best to you
the reason why it's done this way is because usually
all the verses are very similar vocally
and then all the precourses are very similar vocally
and so forth
so that your voice doesn't have to go like LA LA LA LA
LA LA to LA LA LA
(21:48):
LA LA back to LA LA LA LA LA hahaha right
like your voice is more in that same kind of range
the same kind of way of singing
and that just makes it a little bit easier
for the vocalist when you are doing it this way though
you have to keep the story of the song in mind right
like if there's any uh
anything that you want to change in your vocal delivery
(22:09):
make sure you keep that in mind
make sure you're keeping
the emotion of the song in mind
and so forth right
uh but it's more common to record out of order
than in order if you prefer recording in order
meaning verse pre chorus chorus
verse pre chorus
chorus bridge
chorus or whatever the structure of your song is
but you're going in order of the song
that is totally fine as well
(22:31):
you just need to communicate with your producer
what you prefer
I let my feet touch the
(22:52):
um so actually I have a question for you Elena
in general um
cause the song is throughout
it doesn't build a ton vocally
yeah so
do you feel good about punching in the second verse
compared to singing it through
usually I also do verse
verse and then like the choruses and so forth
yeah but the song in general doesn't like
(23:13):
it doesn't get crazy in the choruses
yeah so I'm
I just wanna make sure you feel good about going
straight into that second verse
compared to just keeping going with the rest
like the pre chorus and the chorus
um depends on your preference
whatever you prefer I'm okay with doing the second
okay great
yeah so
um
how is the second verse different from the first verse
like
(23:34):
it probably would be like a little less conversational
or like I don't know
or do you mean like in the meaning
the feeling yeah
the feeling the
the meaning the story yeah
I guess like the first
first I'm kind of like setting the stage
like how are we so close yet so far apart
and like um
kind of just like feeling like I need to like
fix everything yeah
(23:54):
for everyone and the second verse is like
I made my way back now let my feet touch the ground
like I'm older but
and like I'm growing
but I feel like things around me are kind of the same
in a way um
okay
and five numbers are running
but no one's called my name
I'm kind of also saying the same
like I feel like I'm waiting for something to happen
(24:16):
but not at the same time like
I don't know kind of that feeling
when you're like in the waiting room
like anticipating like bad news or any sort of news
um yeah
anticipating bad news or not bad or good
I would say like
you're just like anticipating something okay
so kind of antsy a little maybe yeah
(24:37):
okay cool
let me hear that
touch the ground
that was awesome
I think we just need a little more confidence okay
I agree hahaha 100% believe in yourself
(25:02):
I let my feet touch
oh
hmm
cool how we feeling
yeah that
that's pretty good I like that one
(25:26):
that was pretty good
um
hey
yeah what you say the back now
(25:47):
oh you
we have other takes of that
we have plenty of takes of that yeah
but everything else I really liked cool
I like that one yeah
that's really sweet
okay cool
are we happy with verses yeah
I'm very happy yeah great
yeah we gotta keep it rolling just to make sure we can
(26:07):
um get everything done today yeah
but luckily
we already have like all the harmonies for this
if they end up all fitting
so that's cool yeah
um great
do you wanna move on to pre yeah
it's okay
(26:33):
I can't stay
I'm blessed with trying to fix your pain great
let's just do it again
awesome let's do that again yeah
you got it just need to get into it
but you got it I love the BA ah ah BA oh calls
I'm used to late calls a faster scoop okay
(26:55):
okay calls okay
and that was cute oh
that was nice that was a step
but I liked it okay yeah
it's okay
I'm used to my calls anyway
I can't stay
(27:22):
you nailed that I can't stay
that was really good cool
can we instead of the fry
can we try to sign to that
it's almost like adding an H in front of it it's okay
it's okay yeah yeah
I like that yeah
that's really cool I think you're overthinking the fry
(27:43):
yeah probably so
I think this is this is gonna work well okay yeah
that's great
it's okay
I'm used to late calls anyway
I can't stay
I'm blessed with trying to fix your pain
(28:07):
great let's do that again um
but then it's okay
used to you're really just getting all the breath out
like it's like yeah
whatever oh
it's okay right yeah
it's so it's okay
huh yeah
sexy mama uh huh
it's okay
(28:30):
I'm used to late calls anyway
I can't stay
I'm blessed with trying to fix your pain
awesome um
the word pain you wanna find a different pain
(28:51):
I'm just hearing a couple different notes and I'm like
what is it exactly supposed to be
I can't stay
no pain yes
oh yeah
that was nice oh
that was so good can we do just one last time yeah
like split second longer okay
(29:12):
the pain was so so so so so good
I would love it just slightly longer that's so good
I can't stay
hmm
yeah a little vibrato at the end too
hmm hmm I'm blessed with trying to fix your pain
(29:37):
I kinda like that one better
I do too OK cool
mmm hmm awesome
nice we have three sections out of the way
um is the second pretty different
different words oh wait yeah
it is OK
mmm hmm it's a little um
cause I went up on it like I can't stay awesome yeah
yeah let's do it
(30:02):
yeah I would just do the melody
and then the backgrounds can be the lower
I agree I like that
and like a double and like kind of hugging that yes
yeah yeah
hugging that that's a beautiful
you like left and right yes yeah I love it
(30:36):
hey whoa
super on your pitch is really great right now yay
yeah
you got it
what do you think that's
it's just one more but that was really good yeah um
I'm just gonna I think the pain
pain dropping down totally works
(30:57):
I just wanna see if we can get one
where you're not dropping down
yeah pain
it's like a tendency that you
that you do 100% yeah
I yeah
that's definitely something I like when I'm yeah
I do that I was just wondering
you know because like when we're
when we're adding harmonies to this stuff yeah
it's gonna be it's gonna sound a lot cleaner yeah
if you have just one note on it yeah pain
(31:22):
I think it's like a safety control thing
it's okay like scooping and moving
it's like you don't have to worry about losing game
I like that game I like that
okay
I like the I like that pain
(31:44):
the previous take was really
really awesome this one has a
has a nice pain
so we can maybe put in the pain yeah
let's let's
let's just see yeah it's okay
chasing you's a losing game
(32:05):
that's nice might have to like melodine uh
decrease the gain a little bit on that
like the the volume on the gain
so that's not punching so much
it's okay
(32:32):
that paint I like that did
did the I'm sound weird or is it
is that just I'm blessed that one yeah
the I'm just
I knew there was something about that
second to last take that I really liked
and it was the I'm yeah
yeah tiny scoop I like
(32:54):
hi
that feels good that pain is clear as day
yeah hahaha
nice it's resonating gorgeous okay
yes um
there's one thing
there's the s isn't really coming through very much
on losing use
so let's see if I can find it
I yeah
(33:14):
I'm wondering if there's a better take for it for that
yeah um
let's listen through
it's okay
game yeah
yeah I can't stay
(33:37):
okay great
I so oh sorry
what's up one second um
that it's okay
um is there a take where we have a little bit more flow
on the K of
it's okay yeah
let's see I think there's a lot
she's slightly holding back on that K cool
it's okay
hmm
it's the delivery isn't the same
(33:58):
so I'll just melodine it it's just the pitch oh
okay it's the way the auto tune is treating the pitch
oh I'm gonna melodine it anyways so okay cool yeah
we're good um
beautiful I think while we're here
I would like to get those doubles those lower doubles
yeah mm hmm great idea yep
so we're keeping
a lot of the stuff that you recorded previously
if it aligns OK
(34:19):
I guess the verses is like kind of leading up to like
me kind of like
feeling like I'm in the middle of everything
and then yeah
the chorus is kind of just like emphasizing it like
and I don't know there's not really like a resolution
it's just kind of like it is um
the car is still running like I'm kind of like
(34:41):
I don't know like I wanna be there for everyone
but at the same time
like also like wanna be there for myself
I thought I'd be miles away
but like I don't know part of me is like
I'm always gonna like
want to help the people around me that I care about so
um yeah
so you're kind of like torn like one
(35:03):
one leg goes this way the other leg goes that way yeah
you're kind of like yeah okay
I just imagine the photography beautiful beautiful yeah
yeah haha
(35:48):
I forgot about the keep me car it's okay
the now was actually really nice in this one um
kind of similar situation on car yeah
the car the car
the car yeah yeah
where's the cat yeah cat
the cat it's almost like you're you're from Boston
the cat still running the cat the cat
(36:11):
what you're about to see here
in the next part is called a punch in
we actually have seen a few punch ins already
but I just quickly wanted to explain it
in case you were like wait
why am I hearing Elena sing
but her mouth is not moving
so a punch in is when you are recording
just a smaller part of the bigger
overall section that you've already been recording
(36:33):
so in this case here
we wanted Alina to sing just the car still running
just that part again not I'm in
running we didn't need the
I'm in the waiting room part anymore
we only needed the car still running
so that's called a punch in in this case here
(36:53):
and usually what happens in the studio
I haven't ever seen anybody do it differently
but that doesn't mean you can't do it differently
but usually what happens is
the part that's already good
and we don't need to do again
you hear in your headphones
you hear a
version that you recorded a minute or so ago
in your headphones
and then the part that we want you to sing
there's no like you don't hear anything
(37:15):
that's already recorded in your headphones
so that you can just focus on the actual singing right
so
that's why you'll see Elena's mouth not moving at all
when it's
and then the car still running
Elena starts singing live right there again
that's called a punch in that way
(37:35):
we can just be a little bit more time efficient
and we can focus on very specific parts of a song
sometimes it's just uh
like a word or just a note or it can be really
really a small part
it's just important that you feel like you know it
like you're in the song and that it works in context
(38:26):
okay
I think we could try to start working with the comp
is there something you wanna isolate on
uh no
let's let's do comp first OK
cool and then there was a now that I liked
I feel like it was weird on timing
but it was not in an accent
which yeah needs to happen miles away by now
that was okay it's been miles away by now no
(38:50):
it's been miles away by now
it's been my miles away by now
now now miles away by now
now now yeah
I think this one it I think so but let me
(39:16):
bye now there we go that bye
do you feel like that one's a little punchy
yeah I can grab a different by here
Mia and I
were listening to a bunch of these different takes
that we've recorded
up until this point and did a little rough comp right
picked the favorite parts from
from all these different takes
and it's just seeing OK
(39:36):
do we have everything we need
does this sound good in context
let's have a listen to what we've got OK
we're gonna listen
(40:05):
beautiful you can't make
wow I like it how are you feeling
yeah good yeah
really good really gorgeous um
is the second chorus different
no cool hahaha awesome
(40:27):
MIAT asked Elena
if the second chorus is the same as the first chorus
because if it is
we can literally just copy paste the first chorus
to the place where it happens again
the second course and if there's a third course
we can just copy paste it as many times as we need
of course if there are vocal differences
if the lyrics are different
(40:48):
or you want your vocal delivery to be different
or whatever you can re record it
but usually the industry standard
if it's the same course it gets recorded once
and then it gets copy pasted three times
so that all three courses sound the same
this helps us save a lot of expensive studio time
now that we have the entire lead vocal done
(41:08):
it is time to add some ad libs
these are the little oohs and ahs
and whatever it is that you wanna do in a song
MIAT actually recommended that we just you know
have her have Elena sing through the entire song
like she listens to the recorded version
that rough comp that we already created
(41:29):
and then she just sings little oohs and ahs
and whatever kind of ad libs she wants to do over it
as much as possible right
not like I only wanna do ad libs here
but really kind of forgetting about
where we are in the song and just being like
ah these are the kind of ad libs that come to mind
uh this is what I wanna do now
this is a skill that needs to be practiced
(41:51):
this is super not easy to do hahaha
if you've never done something like this
if you never like worked on ad libbing
like what I wanna do where this can be like
oh my gosh like I am running out of things to do
I don't know what else to do
and that is totally okay right
just do whatever comes to mind
um
you'll see Elena here in just a second doing it as well
(42:13):
and the goal is not to be like
yeah this is a perfect take and we're doing all of this
the goal with this is to just see
okay these are like this little idea here
I like this this other idea here
I like that just to see what comes out and then
you know what is Elena naturally doing
rather than us just telling her what to do
because we still wanted to feel like her
(42:34):
and then what we did was just take those little ideas
that we liked refined them
re recorded them to get you know
basically like a polished version of those ad libs
yeah yeah
(43:13):
I'm used to playing cards anyway
anyway I can't stay
(43:59):
me coming
now
I let my feet touch the ground why
hmm that was nice
(44:36):
hey this is so good
keep me to love yep uh huh
(45:11):
cool sorry about that
um chorus timing
I wonder if that happens on both I
I didn't notice it the first time
sorry on the first one
can you uh
give me a little bit of what comes before
yeah
touch the ground
(45:42):
my name my name
so my my name
yeah also yeah
it I don't necessarily think has to be my name
my name yeah my name
(46:04):
can you play it again mm hmm
what she did um no just
just a moment yeah
and she's hearing you in real time
sorry haha
(46:25):
I'm trying to think and keep the button pressed uh
I like staying up
or you could go from lower oh
(46:52):
oh
yeah that's nice too
ooh
yeah my name wow
(47:18):
oh yeah I like that
oh oh
I like that a lot that was great
oh yeah honey no
yeah yeah
you're doing it you're doing it
uh think more flowy right
instead of like these are the separate notes yeah
(47:42):
yeah
that could not have been more perfect
that was amazing yeah
yes hahaha
yes yes yes
yes hahaha
(48:09):
yeah on the first one
I felt like you were you did the kind of isolation
oh
yeah haha
you nailed that one honestly
we should just keep the first one
I think it's I think it's like
the run is what matters more than the swell
cause we can kind of do
I almost also kind of want to do swells in general
(48:30):
like leading up to this part
so we'll have that run and then we'll also have like
um a stack of like OK cool
yeah you know
so like with the run you know what I mean
then you can support it with some other swells okay
yeah that sounds good
(48:50):
that's great um
maybe one more right there
yeah something high is nice
yeah I love that something you keep me coming
yeah yeah
(49:14):
yeah
we're really focus on that flow of your breath though
OK yeah what would you say
yeah perfect
yeah yeah
awesome beautiful
cool yeah
I feel really good about all these yeah
(49:35):
me too
and now we just have to do like some stacks and stuff
perfect I'll let you guys get to work on that awesome
I'm gonna have to go catch a flight
thank you so much for letting me yeah
you know observe and give my 2 cents
it was really fun hahaha yeah
it's cool seeing how other people work too
it's great yeah
I've never um
(49:56):
had this scenario it's
really cool yeah
yeah yeah
very cool how you feeling good yeah
I'm so excited how it's turning out yes
yes you only have just a couple stacks to go
a couple swells things like that
but the lead vocal is pretty much all there now yeah
right and uh
we got some ad libs too
I don't think it needs a ton like crazy stuff
(50:18):
just a little something here and there is
gonna sound really nice uh
do you feel like uh
you got like I
I love what you got but um
do you feel like some of the direction was like
oh yeah
I see where you're going with this
or was it more confusing um
what do you mean like
like if you know
if we talked about like oh
add more vocal fry here or oh
add more breath here like
did that translate for you
(50:39):
yeah definitely
I feel like hearing you guys do it
I feel like yeah
it's easiest for you to like hear and then like
try to make the example yeah
yes yeah
for sure a lot of people work really well by
just hearing the example and then yeah
uh mimicking that uh
very cool I mean
I'm really excited to hear the
the the end of this
like the whole production
the finished product um
(51:01):
for you what's like the next step
like once you have everything recorded
what happens after mm hmm
so I'm gonna melodine
all the vocals and Meladine is like pitch correction
right so it's some timing things
yep so it's going in and actually like
manually correcting things
so you can get a really more natural sound
and just throwing attitude on it
(51:21):
yes um
and then yeah I'll
I'll run all the vocals through um
all my processing we're gonna add some more production
yeah we're gonna add some more vocal layers
um for the rest of today
and then yeah
once we're happy with everything
we'll send it to mix yeah
very cool cause you already have a couple harmonies too
that you're probably gonna keep right
(51:42):
yeah we have harmonies from previous yeah
um so
we'll probably check those out
and make sure they're all good
I love it yeah
so cool I'm so excited
yes me too
you too yeah absolutely
absolutely it's gonna sound amazing
I mean it already sounds amazing right
but then once everything comes together
it's gonna be Mwah Chef's kiss
yes so proud of you
oh thank you so much
(52:03):
this was so awesome thanks for having me
very much appreciate
of course of course
anytime happy to help
uh thanks for having me
and I hope this is helpful
kind of like showing you the behind the scenes
of what it looks like recording in the studio
what happens it's really not that intimidating
it's hopefully fun yeah right
yeah so absolutely
you got it have fun
Alrighty enjoy the rest of
(52:23):
your session thank you
I gotta run to the airport
Elena and MIAT had about another 45 minutes or so to
record some more vocal things
like harmonies and doubles
and little swells and things like that
I unfortunately
had to run and go catch my flight back home
but Elena texted me a couple of days later saying that
um she was so glad that I was there
and that she felt so much more confident
(52:44):
in her abilities to record vocals
uh because you know
I was there coaching her through the whole thing
it was so much fun for me to be there
and I'm really glad that Elena
felt like this was really helpful
because at the end of the day
that's the whole goal right
that you feel confident in your abilities to do this
and the more you do it the easier it'll get
and the better the products will get
that you get at the end of the day as well
(53:06):
Alina Song Waiting Room actually just released
so if you wanna go show her some love
and listen to the finished product
with part 2 of vocal production
and mixing and mastering of course done as well
you can click the link in the description below
to check out her song Waiting Room
go show her some love okay
if you are looking to record vocals at home
(53:29):
or in the studio
I actually created a little recording ready
PDF guide for you if you want that it's free
you can just click it
click on the link in the description
download it and go through it
so that you know how to best prepare for
a recording session again
whether in the studio
or you're doing it at home by yourself
and what to pay attention to when you're recording
(53:51):
and so forth so if you want that recording ready guide
just click the link in the description and download it
now just a little heads up
the next couple of weeks are going to be mostly around
songwriting here on our channel
basically
the month of October is going to be around songwriting
but don't worry
it's gonna be specifically done for singers
songwriting for singers if you will
(54:11):
there's a couple of different reasons why
we decided to take
a large chunk of time
essentially to really focus on songwriting
we truly believe that every singer
should know how to write a song
that doesn't mean that
it needs to be the most perfect and amazing song ever
but that you at least have the foundations
to write a song
(54:32):
so that you can start telling your own stories
that you understand uh song structure
you know verse pre chorus chorus uh
that you can sing something
no one else has ever sung before you because
you know a lot of singers come to us and they're like
I don't know what my voice sounds like can you help
me find my voice my natural voice
my true voice whatever it is you wanna call it
(54:54):
and the easiest way to do that is by singing something
nobody else has ever sung before
and how do you do that well
write something yourself that you can sing uh
and again
these are not gonna be super high level songwriting
things uh
they're gonna be very beginner friendly things
so that you can write your first complete song
that you feel good about
(55:14):
even if you don't play any instruments by the way
we're gonna teach you how to do all of this
without playing instruments
without being a producer
knowing how to create your own track
or without knowing any music theory
or anything like that again
it's very singer specific okay
just wanted to give you a heads up
so if you are interested in that
please come and check back in every Monday
Wednesday and Friday for the next couple of weeks
(55:36):
the month of October
and let's write some songs together
oh and by the way too
on Instagram at Vox Tape Studios
we're gonna be posting daily stuff about songwriting
so if you're really into it
go make sure you follow us over there as well Alrighty
I will see you in the next episode bye
that was pretty good
um
touch the ground
hey
yeah what you say the back now
(00:35):
oh you
we have other takes of that
we have plenty of takes of that
yeah but everything else I really liked
cool
so many bugs I made my way back now
I like that song yeah that's really sweet
hey voxar and welcome to from singer to artist
(00:58):
I'm Lara Chapman award winning singer and songwriter
turned viral vocal coach and the host of this show
at Voxar Studios
we help singers from all over the world
level up their voices
by teaching them the three fundamental skills
all singers need technique
awareness and artistry whether you're looking to go pro
or just develop your voice for fun
my team and I are here to help
(01:20):
check the link in the description
to book your first session
or grab some of our other resources
Alrighty are you ready
let's get started a couple of weeks ago
I had the pleasure to coach a wonderful singer
Elena Victoria in the studio in New York City
as she was tracking vocals for her new song
Waiting Room we decided to film the entire experience
and share it with you so that you can see the
(01:41):
behind the scenes of what it looks like
when you're going into a professional studio
what to expect when you're recording vocals
and just what the entire process looks like
now before we look at the behind the scenes footage
here's why I was there in the first place
I was basically acting as Alina's vocal producer
there's two parts to being a vocal producer
one is you're in the studio with the singer
(02:04):
and you're basically
coaching them on getting the best takes
out of them so that means something like hey
can you add a little bit more breath flow
can you make this note breathy
have you tried adding vocal fry here
let's see what that sounds like
if you add vocal fry maybe smile a little bit
uh to get just a different kind of tone right
like so we're just here to yeah
(02:25):
get the best takes out of you
coach you through that uh
and obviously
you already know how to sing at this point
when you're in the studio right
you already know how to do it
but we're here to guide you on the details
to really make sure we get the best vocal
performance out of you and
because those tiny little details
are usually
the things that people are not really aware of
(02:46):
and so it's our job
as your vocal producer
to get those little details out of you
while also making sure that you're staying emotional
in your vocal delivery because guess what
it's not about
hitting the right notes at the right time
we can fix that there's plugins for that haha
but there's no plugin for emotion
so it's also our job
to not get caught up in the technicalities of singing
(03:09):
but also like hey
what's the story behind this song
and really making sure that you can deliver on that uh
we also help you figure out what kind of harmonies
to add where should we add doubles and uh
maybe what kind of ad libs should we add over the song
as well just anything that has to do with recording
vocals in the studio or like at home
(03:31):
you can also do it from home
but right like anything that gets recorded
and obviously we're also there to help you just
feel comfortable and confident
and like you have an advocate there
that makes sure that you're getting the best vocal
takes and exactly what we need
but also know when to stop'cause a lot of times singers
they just wanna keep going and like
I can do this better I can do this better
I can do this better I'm like
we have everything we need
(03:52):
we don't need to do this again but uh anyways
so we're there in the studio to advocate for you
and help you get the best takes essentially
then the other part
the other side of being a vocal producer
is everything that happens to the vocals
after they're being recorded
and that means basically post production right
so you're taking all the different takes
that were recorded
(04:12):
and you comp them together into one main vocal
when you are listening to a song that's recorded
there's multiple takes that were recorded
for that recording to be the way it is
and then the producer just went in and cut everything
together and made it all just one vocal
so it sounds like it's one take
but in fact it was a million different takes
(04:33):
maybe not a million but it was a lot of different takes
right so that's called comping
so that's a part of the vocal producer's job
and then
you know cleaning everything up like pitch correction
uh rhythmic things right
like if the timing wasn't quite right
if the note wasn't long enough or too long
or not at the right spot or whatever right
we're just cleaning up the vocals and then also adding
(04:55):
um all the different plug ins like EQ
reverb delay
deessers like there's a lot of different ones
and this is not my area of expertise
so when I'm vocal producing for somebody
I don't do this second part
I can do comping and I can do uh
basic pitch correction and um
timing corrections and things like that that I can do
(05:18):
um but when it comes to then
you know all these different plug ins
nope that's not that's not what I do
so usually what I do is I just
go in the studio with you
and I'm your advocate in the studio
and then everything that happens after that
a producer would usually take over
like the person that made the track for you
um or whatever but
(05:39):
depending on what kind of vocal producer you work with
they'll do both or they'll do just one of them
and so anyways for Alina
what I was doing is just that first part
and then Mia's hope
who was the producer of the entire track
you'll see her in the video as well
she was there in the studio with us recording Alina
uh and uh
so she created the track and she did the entire uh
(05:59):
post production then as well
but they did outsource uh mixing and mastering
uh as far as I know so anyways
but the entire editing of the vocal miats did
okay enough talking let's get into the studio
I'll narrate the whole experience for you
so that you understand
what we were doing here in this specific part
and why we did it and also keep in mind
(06:22):
this was initially a three hour recording
I did not want to bore you with a three hour
recording of a vocal session
so I edited a lot of parts out
if it feels like wow
they only did one take for something
that's not actually what happened
there were multiple takes
we had at least five takes
probably more we had probably at least
seven to eight takes for everything that we did uh
(06:44):
just to make sure we have everything we need
at the end of the day
cause you don't wanna leave the recording session
and then be in the editing process
and you're like ah man
we're missing something
or this was not quite right or whatever
and then you have to do everything all over again
we definitely don't want that
so if it feels like we were skipping over something
or this was really fast
I just edited that part out for timing purposes for you
(07:05):
alright let's get started
the first thing we did was make sure that Elena
felt comfortable that the sound levels were right
that she can hear herself well
that she can hear the music well and just kind of
you know get into the song
cause when you first step into the studio
you sing through the song or the first part of the song
just to kind of get into it and feel like alright
(07:25):
I'm in the song I'm ready to get started
so I'd say probably starting with verses is good
yes um
I usually like to do four
and then we can check in and see if you want more
OK
um I'll give you the whole intro
so you can just get into the vibes
and then we'll run a chorus and check in after okay
or a verse sorry
(07:45):
yeah okay
(08:08):
awesome that's the whole first verse right
yeah and then it goes into the pre
yeah yeah
so let's focus on that section okay
are you recording completely dry
uh huh
okay do you like that
do you like hearing yourself dry
um yeah
okay we can add reverb if you want
um
I don't know do you usually do that or
(08:29):
I prefer dry but it's definitely up to the artist
like if you want vibes or like auto Tune or anything
I'm happy to bring I think this is fine right now
let's do another one
(09:08):
awesome
now that we are on the same page
I asked Elena a couple questions
to get her in the right headspace
and just emotionally ready for the song
like I said before
the most important part when you're recording music
and when you're recording vocals
is the emotional delivery of it
because there's no plug in for that
(09:28):
but we can fix pitch right
I don't want you to get caught up in the pitch
or sounding good I want you to remember
why did I even write this song in the first place
or if it's a cover what is this song about
and just get into that right headspace
great Elena
what's the song about
um
kind of like my relationship with my family
I feel like yeah
(09:49):
okay talk to me about the emotions of that
is that a happy relationship
a sad relationship
but more deep words than happy and sad
yeah hahaha
like both and everything all at once
but I I feel like just like
kind of like living far away from them and okay
I don't know yeah
and like kind of like waiting for
for the other shoe to drop and like um
(10:10):
just like
kind of try to emotionally be there for everyone
even though like I can't okay
yeah okay
what makes that first verse different from everything
else
I guess it's like kind of building it up
like setting the scene
like I feel like I'm like telling the story
like you're trying to stand up with your bleeding heart
(10:31):
it's kind of like like me
like watching like people around me struggle and like
try to I don't know
writing
it was like kind of me sorting with that and trying to
OK figure out what even to do with that
OK yeah
OK so it's a little bit of confusion in there too
yeah OK
frustration probably because of the confusion
(10:53):
yeah definitely frustration
okay so more sighing
more sighing yeah
you know like
versus how are we so close
a little more flow breath flow coming through okay
let's try it again
(11:38):
awesome try and stand up
try and stand up with your uh
can you take a breath after the word up
yeah try and stand up with your bleeding heart
just so leave a little bit more room
and not over singing it okay
(12:16):
with your bleeding heart yeah
let's punch in on that specific line
I don't actually think you need to take a breath
but can you just keep the word short
trying to stand up with your
just so that there's a little bit of a pause
like a changing of the phrase a little bit yes yeah
yes just so rhythmically just slightly okay
(12:37):
trying to stand
you know yeah
stand up yeah yeah
instead of up like scooping up to it
trying to stand and up yeah
that's nice yeah OK
love great also this first line sounded really great
(13:00):
it was killer I'm actually gonna label that yes
do it hahaha OK cool
so you're gonna hear yourself and then you'll come in
OK yeah
just on the second line okay
just so we can kind of zone in on that
(13:36):
you're singing the same note you're trying to sing
if she goes up go up yeah
trying to stand up like you're literally saying up
hahaha right yeah
cool I'm gonna punch you in a little bit sooner
just so we're solely focused on that okay
I'll give you a measure
(13:57):
should I sing along with it or um
I you won't even hear that first phrase
I kind of want to bring you sooner
just so like you're solely thinking about that okay
in line yeah
(14:18):
understand you have to go down on stand instead of
there you go nice
(14:38):
but she's repeating the same no right
I think you're repeating the same note trying to stand
trying to stand just do that
trying to stand nice
there it is let's try it again
(15:02):
before we try that again do you like that or yeah
are you more drawn towards the stand
stand up same note
yeah I like the low and up
I was just yeah
getting used to it yeah
for sure okay
let's keep trying okay
you got it is that an okay place to come in
um yeah
I think so OK
(15:22):
I can give you more if you want
um actually
can I try with a little more
yeah and do you wanna hear the other vocal
um maybe not
OK
great sounds good
so I'll give you another measure
(15:49):
nice great
let's just do the same thing again
same thing again that was awesome
sorry I'm like not used to pushing the button
no you're good
I'm pushing it for you you're good
thank you hahaha
that button that I was talking about
there is the talk back button
this allows Elena to hear us
whenever we're talking about something
in her headphones
Elena is in a completely sound isolated room
(16:12):
so she can't hear anything in that room
we do this I mean
people call this a vocal booth
and we do this so that
no other sounds get picked up by the microphone
only your voice again
we don't want our talking to bleed into the microphone
you'll also hear like New York City ambulance sirens
(16:33):
and police sirens and things like that um
as we move on in the recording
you'll be able to hear that
but the microphone that Elena is singing into
can't hear any of that
because she's in that isolated room
but that also means that if MIAT and I are talking
Alina can't hear anything
unless we click that talk back button
so there's a microphone uh
somewhere close to MIAT and I
(16:55):
that picks up whenever we're talking
but Alina can only hear it
when that button is being pushed
you have the same amount of time okay
awesome what do you think
I like this one I like it too
(17:17):
um why don't we listen to this in a chain
and just feel it out um
good idea
just to make sure the tune is gonna treat it right
listen to it in a chain what does that mean
basically
what Mia did here was quick little vocal production
a quick little editing on the fly and this is very
very common uh
(17:37):
we usually Mark which ones are our favorite takes
so that when you then you know
when the singers gone not in the studio anymore
and the producers now editing these vocals
comping the vocals right
we were talking about that before
taking all the best takes
and put it into one vocal chain right
uh that uh
if we if we have all the best takes already marked
(18:00):
that process is a whole lot faster
and so what Mia did was take two different takes
and cut them together
so that we could listen back to it
and see how those two takes sound together'cause
it's important that when we're using different takes
in the final product
that those two takes actually go together well
that it sounds like it was done in one take
(18:21):
and not like two completely different takes
so that's why it's important that
when you are recording vocals
like the same part of a song
that you sing it very like not exactly the same
but very similarly cause otherwise the two
the different takes won't go together
so again listening to it in a chain
just means
we are listening to different takes together here
(18:43):
just to make sure it goes together well
let me hear that first one again and fix the tune
(19:18):
nice I like it
how do you feel was the first
oh was the first so like I always
you did a little scoop
it's just up to you if you want that or not
I don't know if you did it on the other takes
so close
it seems like something you're consistently doing
so if you want to try it differently
(19:39):
we can definitely do that too um
can we try maybe yeah
I don't know I don't know if I love how
I think she goes down how are we so
(20:03):
is that what you yeah
is it hahaha
let's listen okay
well you're kind of in between
because you're splitting the notes over two
like the the word over two notes
so you're doing both so I'm like
which one do you want to do
hahaha yeah let's listen
(20:24):
so close so you did that consistently
um I was so close
what what do you wanna change about it
um I'm not sure if I like how this sounds OK
so you want it to be more straight
yeah OK
(20:46):
is that like a scene awesome
yeah that sounds amazing
that's beautiful that's the one you feel good about it
she's so happy hahaha
that's great yay
um let's do the pre
or wait actually no
(21:06):
since we're in verse land
let's move to second verse
when you are recording the vocals of a song
it's up to you
if you want to record all the different parts in order
or out of order
it's actually very common to record the vocals
out of order
meaning you'll be recording all the verses first
then all the precourses then the chorus
(21:27):
or if there's different courses
like all the courses
then the bridge or whatever order feels best to you
the reason why it's done this way is because usually
all the verses are very similar vocally
and then all the precourses are very similar vocally
and so forth
so that your voice doesn't have to go like LA LA LA LA
LA LA to LA LA LA
(21:48):
LA LA back to LA LA LA LA LA hahaha right
like your voice is more in that same kind of range
the same kind of way of singing
and that just makes it a little bit easier
for the vocalist when you are doing it this way though
you have to keep the story of the song in mind right
like if there's any uh
anything that you want to change in your vocal delivery
(22:09):
make sure you keep that in mind
make sure you're keeping
the emotion of the song in mind
and so forth right
uh but it's more common to record out of order
than in order if you prefer recording in order
meaning verse pre chorus chorus
verse pre chorus
chorus bridge
chorus or whatever the structure of your song is
but you're going in order of the song
that is totally fine as well
(22:31):
you just need to communicate with your producer
what you prefer
I let my feet touch the
(22:52):
um so actually I have a question for you Elena
in general um
cause the song is throughout
it doesn't build a ton vocally
yeah so
do you feel good about punching in the second verse
compared to singing it through
usually I also do verse
verse and then like the choruses and so forth
yeah but the song in general doesn't like
(23:13):
it doesn't get crazy in the choruses
yeah so I'm
I just wanna make sure you feel good about going
straight into that second verse
compared to just keeping going with the rest
like the pre chorus and the chorus
um depends on your preference
whatever you prefer I'm okay with doing the second
okay great
yeah so
um
how is the second verse different from the first verse
like
(23:34):
it probably would be like a little less conversational
or like I don't know
or do you mean like in the meaning
the feeling yeah
the feeling the
the meaning the story yeah
I guess like the first
first I'm kind of like setting the stage
like how are we so close yet so far apart
and like um
kind of just like feeling like I need to like
fix everything yeah
(23:54):
for everyone and the second verse is like
I made my way back now let my feet touch the ground
like I'm older but
and like I'm growing
but I feel like things around me are kind of the same
in a way um
okay
and five numbers are running
but no one's called my name
I'm kind of also saying the same
like I feel like I'm waiting for something to happen
(24:16):
but not at the same time like
I don't know kind of that feeling
when you're like in the waiting room
like anticipating like bad news or any sort of news
um yeah
anticipating bad news or not bad or good
I would say like
you're just like anticipating something okay
so kind of antsy a little maybe yeah
(24:37):
okay cool
let me hear that
touch the ground
that was awesome
I think we just need a little more confidence okay
I agree hahaha 100% believe in yourself
(25:02):
I let my feet touch
oh
hmm
cool how we feeling
yeah that
that's pretty good I like that one
(25:26):
that was pretty good
um
hey
yeah what you say the back now
(25:47):
oh you
we have other takes of that
we have plenty of takes of that yeah
but everything else I really liked cool
I like that one yeah
that's really sweet
okay cool
are we happy with verses yeah
I'm very happy yeah great
yeah we gotta keep it rolling just to make sure we can
(26:07):
um get everything done today yeah
but luckily
we already have like all the harmonies for this
if they end up all fitting
so that's cool yeah
um great
do you wanna move on to pre yeah
it's okay
(26:33):
I can't stay
I'm blessed with trying to fix your pain great
let's just do it again
awesome let's do that again yeah
you got it just need to get into it
but you got it I love the BA ah ah BA oh calls
I'm used to late calls a faster scoop okay
(26:55):
okay calls okay
and that was cute oh
that was nice that was a step
but I liked it okay yeah
it's okay
I'm used to my calls anyway
I can't stay
(27:22):
you nailed that I can't stay
that was really good cool
can we instead of the fry
can we try to sign to that
it's almost like adding an H in front of it it's okay
it's okay yeah yeah
I like that yeah
that's really cool I think you're overthinking the fry
(27:43):
yeah probably so
I think this is this is gonna work well okay yeah
that's great
it's okay
I'm used to late calls anyway
I can't stay
I'm blessed with trying to fix your pain
(28:07):
great let's do that again um
but then it's okay
used to you're really just getting all the breath out
like it's like yeah
whatever oh
it's okay right yeah
it's so it's okay
huh yeah
sexy mama uh huh
it's okay
(28:30):
I'm used to late calls anyway
I can't stay
I'm blessed with trying to fix your pain
awesome um
the word pain you wanna find a different pain
(28:51):
I'm just hearing a couple different notes and I'm like
what is it exactly supposed to be
I can't stay
no pain yes
oh yeah
that was nice oh
that was so good can we do just one last time yeah
like split second longer okay
(29:12):
the pain was so so so so so good
I would love it just slightly longer that's so good
I can't stay
hmm
yeah a little vibrato at the end too
hmm hmm I'm blessed with trying to fix your pain
(29:37):
I kinda like that one better
I do too OK cool
mmm hmm awesome
nice we have three sections out of the way
um is the second pretty different
different words oh wait yeah
it is OK
mmm hmm it's a little um
cause I went up on it like I can't stay awesome yeah
yeah let's do it
(30:02):
yeah I would just do the melody
and then the backgrounds can be the lower
I agree I like that
and like a double and like kind of hugging that yes
yeah yeah
hugging that that's a beautiful
you like left and right yes yeah I love it
(30:36):
hey whoa
super on your pitch is really great right now yay
yeah
you got it
what do you think that's
it's just one more but that was really good yeah um
I'm just gonna I think the pain
pain dropping down totally works
(30:57):
I just wanna see if we can get one
where you're not dropping down
yeah pain
it's like a tendency that you
that you do 100% yeah
I yeah
that's definitely something I like when I'm yeah
I do that I was just wondering
you know because like when we're
when we're adding harmonies to this stuff yeah
it's gonna be it's gonna sound a lot cleaner yeah
if you have just one note on it yeah pain
(31:22):
I think it's like a safety control thing
it's okay like scooping and moving
it's like you don't have to worry about losing game
I like that game I like that
okay
I like the I like that pain
(31:44):
the previous take was really
really awesome this one has a
has a nice pain
so we can maybe put in the pain yeah
let's let's
let's just see yeah it's okay
chasing you's a losing game
(32:05):
that's nice might have to like melodine uh
decrease the gain a little bit on that
like the the volume on the gain
so that's not punching so much
it's okay
(32:32):
that paint I like that did
did the I'm sound weird or is it
is that just I'm blessed that one yeah
the I'm just
I knew there was something about that
second to last take that I really liked
and it was the I'm yeah
yeah tiny scoop I like
(32:54):
hi
that feels good that pain is clear as day
yeah hahaha
nice it's resonating gorgeous okay
yes um
there's one thing
there's the s isn't really coming through very much
on losing use
so let's see if I can find it
I yeah
(33:14):
I'm wondering if there's a better take for it for that
yeah um
let's listen through
it's okay
game yeah
yeah I can't stay
(33:37):
okay great
I so oh sorry
what's up one second um
that it's okay
um is there a take where we have a little bit more flow
on the K of
it's okay yeah
let's see I think there's a lot
she's slightly holding back on that K cool
it's okay
hmm
it's the delivery isn't the same
(33:58):
so I'll just melodine it it's just the pitch oh
okay it's the way the auto tune is treating the pitch
oh I'm gonna melodine it anyways so okay cool yeah
we're good um
beautiful I think while we're here
I would like to get those doubles those lower doubles
yeah mm hmm great idea yep
so we're keeping
a lot of the stuff that you recorded previously
if it aligns OK
(34:19):
I guess the verses is like kind of leading up to like
me kind of like
feeling like I'm in the middle of everything
and then yeah
the chorus is kind of just like emphasizing it like
and I don't know there's not really like a resolution
it's just kind of like it is um
the car is still running like I'm kind of like
(34:41):
I don't know like I wanna be there for everyone
but at the same time
like also like wanna be there for myself
I thought I'd be miles away
but like I don't know part of me is like
I'm always gonna like
want to help the people around me that I care about so
um yeah
so you're kind of like torn like one
(35:03):
one leg goes this way the other leg goes that way yeah
you're kind of like yeah okay
I just imagine the photography beautiful beautiful yeah
yeah haha
(35:48):
I forgot about the keep me car it's okay
the now was actually really nice in this one um
kind of similar situation on car yeah
the car the car
the car yeah yeah
where's the cat yeah cat
the cat it's almost like you're you're from Boston
the cat still running the cat the cat
(36:11):
what you're about to see here
in the next part is called a punch in
we actually have seen a few punch ins already
but I just quickly wanted to explain it
in case you were like wait
why am I hearing Elena sing
but her mouth is not moving
so a punch in is when you are recording
just a smaller part of the bigger
overall section that you've already been recording
(36:33):
so in this case here
we wanted Alina to sing just the car still running
just that part again not I'm in
running we didn't need the
I'm in the waiting room part anymore
we only needed the car still running
so that's called a punch in in this case here
(36:53):
and usually what happens in the studio
I haven't ever seen anybody do it differently
but that doesn't mean you can't do it differently
but usually what happens is
the part that's already good
and we don't need to do again
you hear in your headphones
you hear a
version that you recorded a minute or so ago
in your headphones
and then the part that we want you to sing
there's no like you don't hear anything
(37:15):
that's already recorded in your headphones
so that you can just focus on the actual singing right
so
that's why you'll see Elena's mouth not moving at all
when it's
and then the car still running
Elena starts singing live right there again
that's called a punch in that way
(37:35):
we can just be a little bit more time efficient
and we can focus on very specific parts of a song
sometimes it's just uh
like a word or just a note or it can be really
really a small part
it's just important that you feel like you know it
like you're in the song and that it works in context
(38:26):
okay
I think we could try to start working with the comp
is there something you wanna isolate on
uh no
let's let's do comp first OK
cool and then there was a now that I liked
I feel like it was weird on timing
but it was not in an accent
which yeah needs to happen miles away by now
that was okay it's been miles away by now no
(38:50):
it's been miles away by now
it's been my miles away by now
now now miles away by now
now now yeah
I think this one it I think so but let me
(39:16):
bye now there we go that bye
do you feel like that one's a little punchy
yeah I can grab a different by here
Mia and I
were listening to a bunch of these different takes
that we've recorded
up until this point and did a little rough comp right
picked the favorite parts from
from all these different takes
and it's just seeing OK
(39:36):
do we have everything we need
does this sound good in context
let's have a listen to what we've got OK
we're gonna listen
(40:05):
beautiful you can't make
wow I like it how are you feeling
yeah good yeah
really good really gorgeous um
is the second chorus different
no cool hahaha awesome
(40:27):
MIAT asked Elena
if the second chorus is the same as the first chorus
because if it is
we can literally just copy paste the first chorus
to the place where it happens again
the second course and if there's a third course
we can just copy paste it as many times as we need
of course if there are vocal differences
if the lyrics are different
(40:48):
or you want your vocal delivery to be different
or whatever you can re record it
but usually the industry standard
if it's the same course it gets recorded once
and then it gets copy pasted three times
so that all three courses sound the same
this helps us save a lot of expensive studio time
now that we have the entire lead vocal done
(41:08):
it is time to add some ad libs
these are the little oohs and ahs
and whatever it is that you wanna do in a song
MIAT actually recommended that we just you know
have her have Elena sing through the entire song
like she listens to the recorded version
that rough comp that we already created
(41:29):
and then she just sings little oohs and ahs
and whatever kind of ad libs she wants to do over it
as much as possible right
not like I only wanna do ad libs here
but really kind of forgetting about
where we are in the song and just being like
ah these are the kind of ad libs that come to mind
uh this is what I wanna do now
this is a skill that needs to be practiced
(41:51):
this is super not easy to do hahaha
if you've never done something like this
if you never like worked on ad libbing
like what I wanna do where this can be like
oh my gosh like I am running out of things to do
I don't know what else to do
and that is totally okay right
just do whatever comes to mind
um
you'll see Elena here in just a second doing it as well
(42:13):
and the goal is not to be like
yeah this is a perfect take and we're doing all of this
the goal with this is to just see
okay these are like this little idea here
I like this this other idea here
I like that just to see what comes out and then
you know what is Elena naturally doing
rather than us just telling her what to do
because we still wanted to feel like her
(42:34):
and then what we did was just take those little ideas
that we liked refined them
re recorded them to get you know
basically like a polished version of those ad libs
yeah yeah
(43:13):
I'm used to playing cards anyway
anyway I can't stay
(43:59):
me coming
now
I let my feet touch the ground why
hmm that was nice
(44:36):
hey this is so good
keep me to love yep uh huh
(45:11):
cool sorry about that
um chorus timing
I wonder if that happens on both I
I didn't notice it the first time
sorry on the first one
can you uh
give me a little bit of what comes before
yeah
touch the ground
(45:42):
my name my name
so my my name
yeah also yeah
it I don't necessarily think has to be my name
my name yeah my name
(46:04):
can you play it again mm hmm
what she did um no just
just a moment yeah
and she's hearing you in real time
sorry haha
(46:25):
I'm trying to think and keep the button pressed uh
I like staying up
or you could go from lower oh
(46:52):
oh
yeah that's nice too
ooh
yeah my name wow
(47:18):
oh yeah I like that
oh oh
I like that a lot that was great
oh yeah honey no
yeah yeah
you're doing it you're doing it
uh think more flowy right
instead of like these are the separate notes yeah
(47:42):
yeah
that could not have been more perfect
that was amazing yeah
yes hahaha
yes yes yes
yes hahaha
(48:09):
yeah on the first one
I felt like you were you did the kind of isolation
oh
yeah haha
you nailed that one honestly
we should just keep the first one
I think it's I think it's like
the run is what matters more than the swell
cause we can kind of do
I almost also kind of want to do swells in general
(48:30):
like leading up to this part
so we'll have that run and then we'll also have like
um a stack of like OK cool
yeah you know
so like with the run you know what I mean
then you can support it with some other swells okay
yeah that sounds good
(48:50):
that's great um
maybe one more right there
yeah something high is nice
yeah I love that something you keep me coming
yeah yeah
(49:14):
yeah
we're really focus on that flow of your breath though
OK yeah what would you say
yeah perfect
yeah yeah
awesome beautiful
cool yeah
I feel really good about all these yeah
(49:35):
me too
and now we just have to do like some stacks and stuff
perfect I'll let you guys get to work on that awesome
I'm gonna have to go catch a flight
thank you so much for letting me yeah
you know observe and give my 2 cents
it was really fun hahaha yeah
it's cool seeing how other people work too
it's great yeah
I've never um
(49:56):
had this scenario it's
really cool yeah
yeah yeah
very cool how you feeling good yeah
I'm so excited how it's turning out yes
yes you only have just a couple stacks to go
a couple swells things like that
but the lead vocal is pretty much all there now yeah
right and uh
we got some ad libs too
I don't think it needs a ton like crazy stuff
(50:18):
just a little something here and there is
gonna sound really nice uh
do you feel like uh
you got like I
I love what you got but um
do you feel like some of the direction was like
oh yeah
I see where you're going with this
or was it more confusing um
what do you mean like
like if you know
if we talked about like oh
add more vocal fry here or oh
add more breath here like
did that translate for you
(50:39):
yeah definitely
I feel like hearing you guys do it
I feel like yeah
it's easiest for you to like hear and then like
try to make the example yeah
yes yeah
for sure a lot of people work really well by
just hearing the example and then yeah
uh mimicking that uh
very cool I mean
I'm really excited to hear the
the the end of this
like the whole production
the finished product um
(51:01):
for you what's like the next step
like once you have everything recorded
what happens after mm hmm
so I'm gonna melodine
all the vocals and Meladine is like pitch correction
right so it's some timing things
yep so it's going in and actually like
manually correcting things
so you can get a really more natural sound
and just throwing attitude on it
(51:21):
yes um
and then yeah I'll
I'll run all the vocals through um
all my processing we're gonna add some more production
yeah we're gonna add some more vocal layers
um for the rest of today
and then yeah
once we're happy with everything
we'll send it to mix yeah
very cool cause you already have a couple harmonies too
that you're probably gonna keep right
(51:42):
yeah we have harmonies from previous yeah
um so
we'll probably check those out
and make sure they're all good
I love it yeah
so cool I'm so excited
yes me too
you too yeah absolutely
absolutely it's gonna sound amazing
I mean it already sounds amazing right
but then once everything comes together
it's gonna be Mwah Chef's kiss
yes so proud of you
oh thank you so much
(52:03):
this was so awesome thanks for having me
very much appreciate
of course of course
anytime happy to help
uh thanks for having me
and I hope this is helpful
kind of like showing you the behind the scenes
of what it looks like recording in the studio
what happens it's really not that intimidating
it's hopefully fun yeah right
yeah so absolutely
you got it have fun
Alrighty enjoy the rest of
(52:23):
your session thank you
I gotta run to the airport
Elena and MIAT had about another 45 minutes or so to
record some more vocal things
like harmonies and doubles
and little swells and things like that
I unfortunately
had to run and go catch my flight back home
but Elena texted me a couple of days later saying that
um she was so glad that I was there
and that she felt so much more confident
(52:44):
in her abilities to record vocals
uh because you know
I was there coaching her through the whole thing
it was so much fun for me to be there
and I'm really glad that Elena
felt like this was really helpful
because at the end of the day
that's the whole goal right
that you feel confident in your abilities to do this
and the more you do it the easier it'll get
and the better the products will get
that you get at the end of the day as well
(53:06):
Alina Song Waiting Room actually just released
so if you wanna go show her some love
and listen to the finished product
with part 2 of vocal production
and mixing and mastering of course done as well
you can click the link in the description below
to check out her song Waiting Room
go show her some love okay
if you are looking to record vocals at home
(53:29):
or in the studio
I actually created a little recording ready
PDF guide for you if you want that it's free
you can just click it
click on the link in the description
download it and go through it
so that you know how to best prepare for
a recording session again
whether in the studio
or you're doing it at home by yourself
and what to pay attention to when you're recording
(53:51):
and so forth so if you want that recording ready guide
just click the link in the description and download it
now just a little heads up
the next couple of weeks are going to be mostly around
songwriting here on our channel
basically
the month of October is going to be around songwriting
but don't worry
it's gonna be specifically done for singers
songwriting for singers if you will
(54:11):
there's a couple of different reasons why
we decided to take
a large chunk of time
essentially to really focus on songwriting
we truly believe that every singer
should know how to write a song
that doesn't mean that
it needs to be the most perfect and amazing song ever
but that you at least have the foundations
to write a song
(54:32):
so that you can start telling your own stories
that you understand uh song structure
you know verse pre chorus chorus uh
that you can sing something
no one else has ever sung before you because
you know a lot of singers come to us and they're like
I don't know what my voice sounds like can you help
me find my voice my natural voice
my true voice whatever it is you wanna call it
(54:54):
and the easiest way to do that is by singing something
nobody else has ever sung before
and how do you do that well
write something yourself that you can sing uh
and again
these are not gonna be super high level songwriting
things uh
they're gonna be very beginner friendly things
so that you can write your first complete song
that you feel good about
(55:14):
even if you don't play any instruments by the way
we're gonna teach you how to do all of this
without playing instruments
without being a producer
knowing how to create your own track
or without knowing any music theory
or anything like that again
it's very singer specific okay
just wanted to give you a heads up
so if you are interested in that
please come and check back in every Monday
Wednesday and Friday for the next couple of weeks
(55:36):
the month of October
and let's write some songs together
oh and by the way too
on Instagram at Vox Tape Studios
we're gonna be posting daily stuff about songwriting
so if you're really into it
go make sure you follow us over there as well Alrighty
I will see you in the next episode bye
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