Not long ago, a singer had to spend quite a bit of money in a professional recording studio to make a demo. Now, thanks to recent advances in computer power and software, singers can make great demos in their own homes. Whether you wish to add your vocals to a pre-existing karaoke track or create an entire album of original songs, it can all be done on your laptop. This new frontier of recording does take some know-how to get the best results, so I spoke with David Nahmani, an experienced producer and engineer.
In and Out of the Box
Pro Tools, Logic Pro, and GarageBand are among the most popular recording programs. They offer multitrack recording, audio effects, and virtual instruments, including drums, keyboards, and even full orchestras. The software will mix and master your recordings to CD as well.
While you can create an entire album's worth of music with just a laptop (referred to as "in the box"), you will need additional equipment if you wish to add vocals or real instruments. While "in the box" is great for electronic dance music, to record vocals a singer will require at least a microphone and a mike preamp. "The preamp takes the signal from the microphone and raises it so it can be properly converted to a digital signal," Nahmani explains. "A preamp is really going to add coloration to your sound, even more than the microphone." If your budget is limited, he advises splurging on the preamp, citing platinum-selling albums that have used $100 microphones but a top-quality preamp.
Special Effects
Knowledge of audio effects is essential, and software such as Logic will have a number of different effects built in. According to Nahmani, equalization (or EQ) and compression are the two most important: "A compressor will take signals that have a dynamic range that is too wide — too loud or too soft — and compress them so that everything above a certain threshold is lowered and everything too low is raised. This way you can hear the singer when they whisper and also not be overpowered when they scream." Compression can also make the voice sound more pleasing to the listener, he says. "Good compression can color the sound and make the voice sound thicker, warmer, and like the singer is next to you."
EQ is the equivalent of the treble and bass controls on your stereo, but it provides more command over which frequencies you can boost or reduce. "Most people have a good understanding of what an EQ does; the problem is how to use it," Nahmani says. EQ can be used to remove problem frequencies in the recording that make the voice sound either too harsh or too dull. "If the sound is too boomy or muffled," he says, "rather than simply turning the highs up, it's usually better to find the offending lower frequencies and remove them instead." Although this can be a trial-and-error process, Nahmani recommends doing lots of listening and trusting your ears.
Do I Hear an Echo?
The two other main effects used on the voice are reverb and delay. Reverb is much like the spacious sound you get in a church, while delay is a direct echo, such as when your voice bounces around in a canyon. These effects are used to give a sense of space to the sound. "If you don't add any delay or reverb," Nahmani says, "it can sound like the vocals are right where the speakers are. These effects add depth and dimension." Often in amateur recordings, reverb and other effects are overused, but Nahmani has a great tip for adding reverb: "Find a basic reverb sound you like and then turn it all the way down. Then close your eyes and slowly add the reverb back in until you just begin to hear it."
Loop the Loop
If you can't play an instrument, you can still create music tracks by using loops. "Loops are short recordings of instruments that can be layered together," Nahmani explains. "You can then add real instruments to these loops to build your song."
Going Deeper
For those who wish to get deeper into the world of digital recording, Nahmani leads three-day workshops that certify students in Apple's Logic software. "We can take complete beginners and in three days give them enough tools that they can work for years before they would need another class," he says. He teaches such subjects as the sounds into the computer, mixing, and finalizing the project. For those who can't attend, he has authored the official Apple training manual for Logic, Logic Pro 8 and Logic Express 8, which includes a DVD of tracks for you to work with. "I wanted to put a professional recording session in the hands of the student," he says, "so I went to producers and asked them for files from actual sessions." The book walks you through these sessions step by step, allowing you to learn all the basics of computer recording. Nahmani runs the website LogicProHelp.com, which includes information on his workshops.
Write to the author at john@johnhenny.com.