How to Get Vocals Consistent When Recorded on Different Days

Got a question from a reader a while back asking me about recording vocals.

Specifically, how to get a vocal sound consistent if you record for several days.

First I didn’t think it was a big deal. But then I started thinking…

Does he mean doing takes of the same song on different days?

Because that’s a little trickier. Recording an albums worth of vocals spread out over a few days or weeks is perfectly normal. But comping a vocal take from vocals that were recorded on different days?

That sounds problematic.

Studio Inconsistencies

The problems with working from a home studio is that things get moved around. Microphones get changed, mic stands get moved around and you might change some settings on your gear.

Singer Inconsistencies

The same thing applies to the singer. The subtleties of his or her voice can change from day to day depending on how they’re feeling. Subsequently the performance is going to sound different.

The Only Plausible Solution

If you really want to record the same vocal track on different days it requires some serious planning ahead and attention to detail.

Make a note of every setting in your vocal chain.
Make sure your mic placement stay exactly the same.
Take note of the position of the singer relative to the microphone.

I would highly recommend against it, but if it’s just a matter of going home in the afternoon and starting again in the morning and leaving the session intact then you probably wouldn’t notice any inconsistencies in the vocal sound. Because even if you’re comping vocals from different takes you don’t want anybody to notice.

And with a completely different vocal feel from the second first verse into the second chorus you’re running the risk of breaking that illusion. You want that performance to be convincing and complete.

That’s where Recording & Mixing Strategies come in. Not only do I devote and entire chapter to I also interviewed a seasoned voice-over veteran to share his years of experience with getting a great vocal sound.

It’s all in here: www.audio-issues.com/strategies

Image by: DrChumley1978

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