VOCAL

PRODUCTION
CHECKLIST
Everything You Need To Keep in Mind to Capture
Professional Vocals in Your Project Studio

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 VOCAL PRODUCTION CHECKLIST

The vocal sound is the most important part of the musical production. You can have hard hitting
drums, powerful guitars and a killer arrangement, but if the vocals sound thin, harsh or washed
out, then your song is doomed from the start.

I want you to walk into every vocal production session with confidence so I’ve created this
Vocal Production Checklist to help you out. Make sure you follow this checklist to get expert
sounding vocals every time in your project studio, regardless of what kind of equipment you
got.

Things to Think About During Pre-Production

The song is written and finalized

The necessary backing track has been recorded for the singer to record their vocals

The melody is solid

The lyrical delivery fits the rhythm of the song

Harmonies are thought through and planned for

The singer is healthy

The singer knows the song inside and out and doesn’t need a lyric sheet

The song is in the right key for the singer

The singer can hit all the notes

How To Prep Your Vocal Session Before You Start Recording

The room is acoustically treated to the best of your abilities, including reflection filter
behind the mic and absorption behind the singer

The headphone mix has been tested with the vocal level and the backing track and is
ready to record

There is no latency in the vocal recording due to a buffering issue

Water and tea is on hand in case the singer needs it

Multiple microphones have been set up for testing, if applicable

If tube mics are used, make sure they’re turned on and warmed up

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How to Get a Great Vocal Performance During Recording

Get the right levels for the singer in the headphones. The singer may need different levels
than what you got with your headphone mix test

Educate your singer on proper mic technique

Use a pop filter

Test your microphones to find out which one suits the singer’s voice

Find a good setting for any outboard gear you may be using

Place the microphone and make sure your singer feels comfortable singing into it

Warm up your singer with a quick take. Make sure you record this take in case it’s golden

Check headphone bleed into the vocal mic

Check your levels and rebalance any settings if needed

Record until you’ve nailed the song.

Record doubles and harmonies

Celebrate recording one of the most important parts of the song

How to Edit Your Vocals to Make Them A Breeze to Mix

Use clip gain to set a uniform level between all the vocal phrases

Comp them together into a perfect take

Check any cross fades to make sure the vocal isn’t abruptly cut off by accident

Do the same for doubles and harmonies

Edit out any silences between phrases to keep the vocal track clean

Edit out any pops, clicks, lip smacks, or unnatural breaths between phrases

Edit the timing of the doubles and harmonies to sync up in time with the lead vocal, if
applicable

Tune the vocals if needed

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 VOCAL PRODUCTION CHECKLIST

Simple Steps to Get a Great Vocal Mix

Find the right fader balance of all the vocal tracks in context of the rest of the mix

Use necessary EQ to filter out low-end and remove unwanted frequencies that don’t flatter
the vocal sound

Use compression to make the vocals sit better in the mix

Use saturation or analog emulations if applicable for added analog depth

Use a de-esser if the singer sounds too sibilant

Use EQ on other instruments to create pockets for the vocals to sit in

Use reverb and delay to create space and depth

Use spatial imaging and stereo processing for width

Use artificial double tracking to thicken vocals if you don’t have real doubles

Use any character compression, parallel processing, or experimental effects to have fun
with the vocal sound

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 VOCAL PRODUCTION CHECKLIST

About the Author

Hi, my name is Björgvin Benediktsson. I help musicians and producers make a greater impact
with their music by teaching them how to produce and engineer themselves

I've worked in live sound doing huge concerts back home in my native Iceland (that's where the
name is from), recorded bands in Madrid, Spain (where I went to audio engineering school) and
now I produce, record and mix local bands in Tucson, Arizona (I get around a lot...).

Through these diverse experiences I've grown to learn one thing:

I love teaching you how to make an impact with your music and
audio production.

I've written over 1,000 articles on audio and taught thousands of up and coming home studio
producers such as yourself how to make an impact with their music through www.Audio-
Issues.com since 2011.

If I can help somebody improve the sound of their music and that helps them get extra fans and
exposure I think I've done a great job.

I believe in sharing my knowledge with everyone, and through Audio Issues I've been able to do
that. I might not have won any Grammys, but I enjoy being the person who inspires others to
make great music while aspiring to learn as much as there is to know (and pay it forward!).

That's what I'm all about. I've learned a lot from working in the industry for over 10 years and I
hope my knowledge can become your shortcut to taking your mixes to the next level.

If you’re looking for more from me, check

www.audio-issues.com