Step By Step: Recording a Pop/R&B/Dance Song

Posted by Michael on March 13, 2009 under Articles, Recording Tips | Read the First Comment

I know that everyone works in a slightly different manner. So for those of you new to the recording process, or for those of you who want an idea of how I work, I thought I would walk through the whole process, step-by-step, of recording a song.

This article is geared toward artists who don’t use a lot of live musicians, i.e. predominantly pop/r&b/dance music. Singer/Songwriters who want me to put together a track without a lot of live instruments will also see a very similar process. I will do another walk through for bands, and another one for solo artists who DO want to use predominantly live musicians in other articles.

I also work quickly. Depending on the Client’s availability, I can usually move through all the steps to completion in a week or less. Things move even faster (per song) when working on more than one as I can work in parallel on the songs.

1. Scratch the Song

I am a song-based producer. What that means is I don’t have hundreds of pre done “beats” or tracks lying around. I like to craft the musical arrangement to work perfectly for each song that my clients bring in. So what this means… I listen to the client sing “or play” the song… Then I find the tempo, put in a temporary, unchanging drum beat, and start figuring out the song. We will lay a temporary piano or guitar line that is meant for just figuring out the chord structure of the song. Once this is laid down, the client will lay down a “scratch” vocal for me to use as reference. I don’t spend much time at all on the scratch vocal. (The only people who will ever hear it are myself and the client!) The scratch vocal serves three purposes… Hearing it over and over I can get to know the song better. I will get to know the singers idiosyncrasies and get some ideas of how to coach out an amazing vocal performance later. Most importantly, I can see how the voice fits in the track so I can choose instrumentation that will sound good with and support the most important element of the song. Then I am ready to move on.

2. Starting the arrangements

I prefer to do this step without the client present, as I can always change ANYTHING later on. I usually start with getting the drum/percussion/bass groove going first. Even with ballads, the groove is so important for defining the song. For those singer-songwriters out there, this doesn’t have to be “synthy” sounding. I have some very good virtual instruments, and I can play/program very realistic Electric Bass/Drum sounds if desired.

3. Lay Down Live Musician(s)

This is the point where I like to lay down any live musicians we want to use… Guitars, Sax, etc… I do want the client at this session. Even R&B/Dance tracks can really benefit from one live musician, and for more “organic” styles, it is really amazing how one live instrument can breathe a lot of life into a song and make the WHOLE arrangement seem more alive. This step is, of course, skipped if we aren’t using any live musicians.

4. Finish Arrangement

Again, I prefer to work alone here. I will do any editing needed from the live musician setting, and start fleshing out the rest of the instruments and arrangements. I tend to “over-arrange” a bit at this point, because I know I can always take stuff out (mute parts) in the mixing stage. I would rather have everything I might possibly want already in place. I am NOT mixing at this stage. I try to balance the parts so they sound decent, but I am not going for a polished mix yet. When I am finished with the arrangement, the client can pick up the track (or I can email them an mp3). If there is anything they don’t like at this point I can get rid of it, or work on adding something the client wants that isn’t in there yet. Then they can practice singing a little bit before the…

5. Vocal Session

If there are going to be thick Backing Vocals as in many Pop/R&B Songs, I prefer to start with laying down the Chorus Backing Vocals. Depending on the style of the song, this can be relatively quick, or a painstaking process of quadrupling every single harmony line. I like to do this first, because the presence of background vocals, like the rest of the arrangement, can really give the singer more confidence and energy to nail their lead vocal. I can usually do ALL vocals, lead & background, in one session, but depending on complexity and stamina of the singer, this could get broken up into two sessions.

If there are lead vocals only (No background vocals) this session actually moves very quickly. If the singer is up for it, I prefer to do 6-7 full takes straight through the song. I’ll give my comments and suggestions between each take. If there are any sections that we didn’t feel were nailed at this point, we can punch in those parts. However, if it makes the singer more comfortable to do it section by section, I can easily accommodate that.

At this point we work on Background vocals for the verses and bridge if necessary. This doesn’t always mean “harmony”. A light whispered line below the lead vocal can add some great intimacy, for example.

6. Vocal Editing

I pretty much insist that the client not be present when I do this for several reasons. The client could be uber-picky and slow this process to a crawl. (I can ALWAYS go back to the other takes if a client wants to hear another line after I’ve finished editing.) Or the client could get self conscious hearing takes where they went off, etc… and a singer’s confidence is of utmost importance. I go through the takes line by line looking for which take has the best delivery, and then bring them all together into one amazing take. At this point I tune the vocal when necessary. (In Pop/R&B/Dance this means pretty much always, but even in other genres, listeners are getting accustomed to hearing an electronically, perfectly tuned voice.) Don’t worry, I’m great with this, and can make the process very transparent. You won’t *sound* like you’ve been tuned. (Unless we’re going for a vocal effect… Akon, T-Pain, Lady Gaga anyone?)

7. Mixing

I usually prefer to do this process alone, but I have no problem with a client attending a mix session. However, this needs to be worked out before we start, as I will charge a bit more in the package price for a sit-in session on mixing. I tend to mix in two steps.

The STATIC MIX

The static mix is where I get everything sounding as good as possible WITHOUT doing and “fader moves” or automation, special efx, etc… I get the EQs and compression settings right, find the right delays and reverbs to give the right sense of space, etc… Here I will also do my “subtractive arranging”. I’ll decide where to bring parts in and out if I haven’t already done so before. This step can really make the arrangement! I usually prefer to wait a day before moving on to the next step to clear my ears and perspective for a moment. If I have any questions as to what direction the client wants to go at this point, I will send them the static mix for feedback. But usually I know when we are both after and can proceed without feedback.

The AUTOMATED MIX

This is where I do all the detail work. Adjusting the volume levels of the vocals and instruments from section to section (or line to line if needed). Adding some special effects where appropriate or desired. Automating panning (a sound moving from left to right) where called for, etc… Once I am done with this I am ready to call in the client for:

MIX APPROVAL

Just because I prefer to work alone, doesn’t mean the client doesn’t get what they want! At this point if there is anything the client wants changed, we can work it all out until the client is thrilled. Then we can:

8. Mastering

I am not a mastering engineer. However, I have heard many mastering engineers whose work is worse than mine. In any case, and good mixer will always recommend the client use another mastering house for fresh ears to bring out the best… That said, I understand some clients won’t always have the budget to go to a mastering house. Because of this, I include a complementary basic mastering job. The main purpose for this is to make sure the volume of the mix competes with other released stuff in your genre.

9. Complementary Touch-Up

Many clients never need to use this, but I always offer a complementary tough-up session later if something pops up in the mix that we just didn’t notice beforehand. It’s amazing what your ears can get accustomed to going over the song over and over sometimes. This is another reason I prefer the client not be at the mixing session… When they come in to approve/tweak the mix, they will have fresh ears for the job… In any case, I do requre a wait of 2 weeks for the touch up session to make sure that the client has caught everything they want to tweak.

I Hope This Helped!

I hope this article helped those of you new to the process of recording understand everything that goes in to it, and for those of you who are studio veterans, I hope this helps you understand my process.

I always offer a free, no-obligation consultation for potential clients to discuss your project and work out a budget based on your needs. Please feel free to call me at 646-345-3433 or email me at mgilboe@copperheadproduction.com