You’ll forgive the lack of posting. I’m mixing…. frantically mixing.
Upon arrival back in my studio i was delighted to discover that the vocals are actually better then i remember them. I worry my impression is clouded by the fact that… look, when you’ve spent months studiously building a long piece, writing and recording and putting it all together, and then one day, FINALLY you here singers singing it, it sounds like heaven itself.
This is good, but it is also bad.
When you are there to record, you cannot indulge the pleasure of hearing proper vocals finally put to the music. You can smile a few times, but then you have to wipe it from your mind or you will miss hearing where direction is needed. You must listen for where the trouble is. You must listen for what’s working. You must try and determine what can be done to make it as perfect as possible and what will work best for the singer’s actual style.
No plan survives contact with reality. Real singers have particular styles. These may be different from what you envisioned in your head. This can be awesome and it can be troublesome. If you’ve got great singers, you shouldn’t have any problems, as long as you’re willing to re-envision the part with the reality of who is actual singing it and their singing style. This can requite tweeking and rethinking on both your parts. Sometimes you have a set of intentions they do not know.
And do i need to mention that the singer is being recorded? They are not the one sitting and listening. It’s a very, very different situation to be in the recording booth than to be sitting behind the board. (Granted we were not in a studio for this… a living room actually, but the rule applies). You know more of what it’s actually sounding like then they do because they’re wrapped up in the moment of performance. They’re relying on you to help be their ears.
You must be careful that the fact that you’re liking how it sounds isn’t overexcitement.
So no congratulations. Just stay calm. Just concentrate.
Thus when we get home and it turns out it really DID sound good (actually some parts were shockingly good. Even better then i had thought), we are pleased.
And so i mix. I mix and i mix. Apply effects. Go through takes. Etc.
Now if you’ll excuse me, i have this 8 part double tracked harmony of Lauren i’m applying reverb to, and it is fucking heavenly. So if you’ll excuse me, we shall talk again tomorrow.
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