Imitation and Integration

I was about 16 or 17 when I stepped into a recording booth for the first time. I don't remember exactly who the project was for but the content was devotional music with a folk/rock twist.

I recall the tightness of the booth. I recall thinking that the panels on the walls around me with the tiny foam pyramids all came together to look like a squishy medieval iron maiden. I can still see the gigantic microphone apparatus hanging down in front of me. It reminded me of the light fixture my dentist used. Of all the details of that day that I can bring to mind, the most vivid and horrifying detail is the producer's voice in my head phones saying "How about you try that again and this time use your own voice".

"Use your own voice". My own voice? Who else's had I been using? The sound was coming out of my mouth, was it not? What on earth was this guy talking about?

I asked to hear the playback and there it was in full crystal audio glory. I was doing a spot on impression of James Taylor. Now, to be sure, I was not doing that on purpose. Why would I? I was just trying to sing the song as best I could but take after take provided the same results.

Now, I've always been a fan of James Taylor but I don't necessarily want to sound like him. Little did I know that I had been falling into one of the most insidious traps an untrained singer can fall into - The Unconscious Imitation.

Scientific studies have shown that when we're young we gravitate toward certain sounds and timbres that we find enjoyable. We then settle on these sounds and stay with them for a lifetime. For a singer this "aural imprinting" can be rather dangerous if left unchecked.

I had been gravitating toward a certain style of voice. Nasal, forward placed, lightly colored with a mild tinge of the blues was the name of my game. I had no idea that every time I sang a song I was doing an impression. First it was my James Taylor impression. Then I moved on to my Billy Joel impression. Then I expanded my cast of characters to include Stevie Wonder and Sammie Davis Jr and Tony Bennet.

My voice was changing based on my current taste in music. It took a few years, voice training and an awful lot of studio recording to discover that imitation is a fine thing when used conservatively and with very direct purpose. It is however, integration that should be a singer's focus.

Whether we like it or not we imitate all the time by virtue of the fact that we are humans. We see or hear something we like and we try to recreate it for whatever the purpose may be. Far too many performers get away with simply standing on the shoulders of someone they admire and building a career on that.

What makes more sense is to integrate in small but meaningful quantities those qualities that we admire in other voices. By integrating we are forced to take a singular quality and fuse it with our own instrument rather than take the entirety of someone else's. This act allows you to manipulate a certain mechanic of your own in order to create a new sound. This in turn shows you how to use your instrument in ways you hadn't yet realized and thus make it so much more your very own instrument.

The struggle is singling out that one element of a voice that you want to recreate. Make a list of your favorite voices and try to describe what it is that draws you to them. Is it their tone color? It could be their placement of sound. It could be their accent or their dynamic nuances. Write as specifically as you can and then go over your list and goals with your vocal coach and see if you can work on creating these vocal elements with your voice!

-Michael

A Singer Walks Into a Studio...

Picture it. 8:30 am, Manhattan, a well lit recording studio. I've been called in by a casting director to sing lead vocals on a radio spot for an unnamed car manufacturer. I arrive, check in with the director's assistant and am handed a score complete with lyrics and some notes of general direction.

I ask if the vocal booth is ready yet and am told that it is still being set up. This is a common occurrence so, I excuse myself to the main lounge to sit and go over the score. Pitch pipe in hand, I begin to practice the melody quietly to myself, keeping in mind the director's notes in the margins.

It is now 9:00 am. The director's assistant calls me in and I move immediately to the control room to shake hands with the director and engineer. The clock hits 9:02 and I'm in the vocal booth. We record several takes of the short 16 bar phrase. Each take is recorded and we swiftly move on to the next take. The director gives his thoughts on each take in short 3 to 5 word sentences. "A little brighter", "I like that but faster", "One more just like it". It is now 9:25 and we're done with tracking the lead vocals. 

Normally my job would be done but because we finished so quickly they ask me to stay and maybe lay down some backing vocals on top of the singer they hired to do them. In comes the background singer. Wait a second, where's the singer?

The background singer is late. This is not good. Clocking in at somewhere around 20 minutes late, the background singer arrives and hurriedly enters the vocal booth with a crumpled score. After several takes it becomes clear that this session will not be as quick. Already behind schedule, the director and crew cannot afford to take more time to accommodate an unprepared singer. The director leans forward in his chair, looks at me and says "Want to make a little more money?"

By being early, prepared and focused I was able to not only impress my employer with a quick and painless session but I also was able to step in and help out. There is no trick here. It comes down to who's done their homework and who hasn't. The real reason my session was over so quickly is that I continuously work my voice and recording studio technique. I was able to respond immediately to direction because I am familiar and comfortable with my voice and the equipment and environment of a studio. 

Whether you're recording for a commercial job or for your own project, time is money. You literally cannot afford to not know what you're doing in the studio. For me, learning this was trial and error. I wasted a lot of time and a lot of money learning this lesson. I try the best I can now to help other singers avoid the same mistakes. If you have a recording session coming up or just want to sharpen your skills feel free to get a hold of me and ask me your questions.

As usual, share your thoughts and queries!

-Michael

The Science of Studio Singing

In preparation for the upcoming studio techniques class I'll be teaching I was scouring the internet for any new and relevant information about the craft. What I found was, to be honest, pretty shocking. The internet is a wonderful tool for learning but there is the ever present danger of coming across poorly presented and just flat out wrong information.

We happen to be in the kind of business where people can easily call themselves professionals without having had any formal training to call upon. These individuals feel that their real world experience is enough to deem them a professional. In certain cases this is very dangerous.

Now, before you rush to make a comment let me make it clear that I do believe that real world experience is invaluable and that certain people in our business have had immense success without formal training. However, I've had decades of experience driving a car but am not, as yet, ready for the Indy 500. See where I'm coming from?

I've just finished reading several web pages that came up first on a google search for studio vocal techniques and the majority of the people writing these pages make some pretty startling errors. Here are a few:

1. They don't mention getting a vocal coach
2. They site singing your songs in the shower as the ideal way to imagine hearing yourself in the studio
3. They all claim to be industry professionals but neglect to include a resume containing anything other than vague references to performances.
4. They don't make any mention of vocal health practices.
5. They don't detail the difference between dynamic, condenser and ribbon microphones and their respective audio capture fields.
6. THEY DON'T MENTION GETTING A VOCAL COACH

First and foremost, be careful where you get your information and always consider the source. It's imperative to break these things down step by step. If you want to sing in a recording studio the most basic thing to have down is your singing. This means training with your coach and developing consistent vocal health and warm up regimens. Pitch accuracy and solid breath technique are also necessities in the studio.

Once you feel your voice is an instrument that you can depend on it's time to learn a little about the technical side of recording your voice. There are two basic kinds of microphones. These are known as dynamic mics and condenser mics. Dynamic microphones are generally the kind you would see on a stage in a live performance. Condenser microphones are generally what are used in studio recordings. It is not however uncommon to use a dynamic microphone in a recording situation and in fact, many famous musicians do so. Practicing on several microphones will help you learn how each kind responds to your voice. This will allow you to learn how to augment your sound to achieve your optimal performance no matter what kind of microphone you find yourself using.

Once you know your gear it's time to get some practical studio time logged. This is where you must use your judgement to find the right studio, engineer and producer. Try to set up extra time to practice different positions in front of the microphone and within the room. Your voice will be picked up differently with even a minute adjustment to your positioning. Recording is as much an art form as anything else so taking the time to discover your best techniques is key.

In my opinion there's no better way to learn this material than in the studio with other singers. Take a moment to check out our upcoming studio singing class info here and in the meantime share your comments and stories about your own studio experiences.

-Michael