What should singers do before a long rehearsal to avoid fading by the end?
Long rehearsals can be rough on vocals, especially if the room is loud and everyone slowly turns up. I have seen singers sound great for the first hour and then start pus…
VOCALS
Say it like you mean it.
Ask vocal questions, share ideas, and get feedback from other musicians.
How do you choose backing vocals that help rather than clutter the chorus?
Backing vocals can make a chorus lift, but they can also make everything feel crowded if they are added by default. I am trying to get better at choosing when to use harm…
Choosing a compact mixer for a working band: what matters after the feature list
Compact mixers are easy to compare badly. Product pages encourage us to count channels, effects and USB sockets, but the features that matter at a gig are often more prac…
How do you write lyrics that sound natural when sung?
Lyrics can look fine on the page and then feel awkward as soon as you try to sing them. Syllables bunch up, stresses land in strange places, or the line sounds more like…
What makes a home vocal recording sound more finished?
Home vocal recordings often reveal the room, the performance, and the mic technique more than expected. Before even getting into heavy mixing, I am curious what gives a v…
Specific lyrics without turning the song into a diary entry
Specific details make lyrics believable, but too much private context can leave the listener outside the song. I try to choose details that imply a larger situation: an o…
What live sound mistake did you only need to make once?
Live sound lessons often arrive the hard way: feedback, bad monitor mixes, forgotten cables, mystery buzz, or a room that behaves nothing like rehearsal. What mistake tau…
What is a good first step into home recording for a songwriter?
Home recording can get overwhelming quickly: interfaces, microphones, plugins, acoustic treatment, MIDI, drum programming, mixing, and endless tutorials. For someone main…
How do you practise singing harmonies if you usually sing lead?
Singing lead and singing harmony feel like different skills. When I try harmonies, I sometimes get pulled back to the main melody, especially if the lead vocal is loud in…
How do you pick the right key for a singer?
A song can technically be singable in several keys, but only one or two might feel good. Too low and the verse loses energy; too high and the chorus becomes a fight. How…
Best recording mic?
Have you discovered the ultimate mic for recording your voice in the studio?
Writing lyrics
When writing songs, do you usually write the song and melody first, or do you like to have a set of lyrics first to write with?