Vocal Production Techniques

Heads up! This course may be archived and/or unavailable.

Vocals are one of the most critical pieces of any song. No other instrument has as much power or influence. But almost every vocal track can benefit from some post-production. Vocal Production Techniques introduces editing and mixing techniques for the most popular DAWs—such as Studio One, the focus of this course.

Audio engineer Scott Hirsch starts with comping the vocals—combining the best performances into one final vocal master take. He explains how to edit out breaths and other noises and fabricate a doubling effect for additional texture and vibe, and then brings in some plugins into the mix—Antares Auto-Tune, Melodyne, and iZotope—to tune vocals and create more interesting soundscapes. In the "Mixing" chapter, Scott enhances the sound of the vocals with EQ, compression, reverb, delay, and automation, adding life and motion to the song. The final track demonstrates everything you can do to maximize the effectiveness of vocals with Studio One. Topics include:

• Comping takes in Studio One
• Editing breaths and noise
• Doubling and tuning vocals
• Experimenting with iZotope's Stutter Edit
• Processing vocals with EQ and compression
• De-essing vocals
• Using reverb, delay, and modulation effects
• Automating levels and FX in Studio One