Vocals: Execution

Vocals, though usually the main attraction in a pop song, can play many roles. Each individual song will call for its own approach. A rock band might want a vocal double and multi-part harmonies, while a singer-songwriter might prefer one dry, unaltered vocal track. I prefer to organize vocal tracks into three main categories: “lead,” “double,” and “backing.”

Lead Vocal

This is the one that sits most up front. I usually spend the most time engineering, practicing, recording, and editing this track, as it will be the most prominent and noticeable vocal in the song. I tend to like to use a condenser microphone for this track. Condenser microphones are generally better at capturing the high end of the frequency spectrum and all the bright and airy details of a human voice. EQ can always be applied later to dampen these frequencies if they are too loud, but nothing can be done to add tonal information that wasn’t captured during the recording process.

In rare circumstances though, depending on the particular song, I have used a dynamic microphone to record a lead vocal. This isn’t all that unusual, really, as some of the most popular live vocal microphones are dynamic.

Vocal Double/Triple

Pop and rock music will often employ a second or third vocal track with an identical performance to the lead. The purpose of this is to thicken the vocal sound, and it can be used strategically, particularly during denser parts of a song.

The interesting thing about a vocal double or triple is that, to the untrained ear, it will still sound like one performance. This is despite the fact that what makes a vocal double or triple work is the slight differences between the performances.

A lead vocal track simply copied and pasted, for instance, is actually technically still just one performance, though its amplitude will be increased.

Modulation, delays, and pitch correction can be used as an alternative to vocal doubles and triples in the event that multiple takes of a performance are not available after recording has been completed, but these techniques don’t bear quite the same result as a true double or triple take of the performance.

I tend to like to use a dynamic microphone to record a vocal double or triple, because the presence of two performances recorded with condenser microphones can compete in a mix, whereas the darker tone of a dynamic microphone fits neatly underneath the brightness of a lead vocal that has been recorded with a condenser microphone. This does even more to blend a vocal double or triple in with the lead.

Backing Vocal

A pop song might have any number of backing vocal tracks. These are simply additional vocal tracks that don’t fit neatly into the previous two categories. Most often this refers to vocal harmonies, interlocking melodies, or “call and response” parts.

In my own music, I like to use backing vocals to fill in the spaces left by the rest of the instrumentation and the lead vocal.

I also like to stack vocal melodies in parts of the song that might be denser, exaggerated, or more intense.

A backing vocal is sort of the last compositional opportunity to craft the tonal character of the song, to build unique or interesting chords.

I like to approach backing vocals in the studio the same way I approach vocal doubles or triples, though it depends heavily on the part’s role in the song.

For instance, I often record vocal harmonies with a dynamic microphone, so that the vocal lead can maintain its position up front in the mix.

On the other hand, I might record a “call and response” part with a condenser microphone, given that its role is more similar to that of a lead vocal.