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Pitchy in a Perfect World (the Art of Vocal Comping)
Metadata
- title
- Pitchy in a Perfect World (the Art of Vocal Comping)
- description
- Recording vocals is probs the hardest part of pop music production. Vocal comping, assembling the best parts of multiple takes, is how you get there. I walk through how I actually do it, take by take.
- status
- complete
- date
- 2024-06-18
- kind
- solo
- guestSlugs
- —
- listenUrl
- https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lovemusicmore/episodes/Pitchy-in-a-Perfect-World-the-Art-of-Vocal-Comping-e2kv107
- appleUrl
- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pitchy-in-a-perfect-world-the-art-of-vocal-comping/id1567355195?i=1000659363398&uo=4
- spotifyUrl
- https://open.spotify.com/episode/0xQ1RMHNFrBic58SqZVtyi
- topicsDiscussed
- Singing and vocals
- Music production
- Genre
- Songwriting
- DAWs
- Mixing
- Analog
- Collaboration
- hostNote
- Recording vocals is the hardest part of making a pop record, and vocal comping, assembling the best parts of a bunch of different takes into one performance, is the tool nobody outside a studio thinks about. I walk through what comping actually is: taking the best syllables, phrases, and takes and building one vocal that never happened as a single performance. Modern comping has gotten extreme compared to how it used to work, and I don't think that's automatically good or bad. What matters more is what happens in the booth before comping starts: singing multiple takes with different emotional choices, even ones that feel wrong for the song, because that range is what gives me something to comp from later. The part I keep coming back to is that comping isn't about chasing perfect. If you want it note-perfect, you might as well let software sing the whole thing. The goal is a performance that still sounds like a person took a risk, assembled from the take where that risk landed.
- selectedMoments
- label
- Intro to vocal comping
- startSec
- 93
- note
- I introduce the concept of vocal comping and its relevance to both musicians and producers.
- label
- The process of vocal comping
- startSec
- 138
- note
- I explain how vocal comping involves selecting the best portions from multiple takes.
- label
- Modern versus traditional comping
- startSec
- 227
- note
- I discuss how modern music has heightened the complexity and techniques in vocal comping.
- label
- Singing techniques for comping
- startSec
- 361
- note
- I provide advice on how singers should approach their performances when comping.
- label
- Emotional choices in vocals
- startSec
- 586
- note
- The impact of emotional delivery when vocal comping and why it matters.
- label
- The balance of art and technique
- startSec
- 811
- note
- I reflect on the balance between artistic expression and the technical aspects of vocal comping.
- excerptQuotes
- text
- Vocal comping is the act of taking a lot of different vocals.
- startSec
- 135
- reviewed
- true
- text
- In modern music, it has gotten kind of extreme, which is not necessarily a good or bad thing.
- startSec
- 228
- reviewed
- true
- text
- Vocal comping allows you, I think, to take some more of that risk.
- startSec
- 497
- reviewed
- true
- text
- By trying different emotions as you're in the vocal booth, you are allowing yourself to maybe come up with things that are antithetical to the meaning of the song.
- startSec
- 587
- reviewed
- true
- text
- It's not about making it sound perfect because if you make it sound perfect you might as well be using a computer end to end.
- startSec
- 767
- reviewed
- true
- text
- When you're producing a song, it drives everyone else around the house crazy because you're listening to the same 10, 15-second loop for an hour and a half.
- startSec
- 902
- reviewed
- true
- faq
- question
- What is vocal comping?
- answer
- Vocal comping is the process of assembling the best parts from multiple vocal takes to create a single, polished performance.
- question
- Why is vocal comping important in music production?
- answer
- Vocal comping helps achieve a perfect take, allowing producers to capture the best aspects of a singer's performances while maintaining creativity.
- question
- How do singers approach recording for vocal comping?
- answer
- Singers should experiment with different emotions, resonances, and techniques across multiple takes to provide a variety of options for comping.
- transcriptPublished
- false
- draft
- false
Content
No body content; see metadata above.