Perception is subjective. The type of vocal sound you like and the type of vocal sound I like are not necessarily the same thing. Is there a perfect vocal sound everyone will love and crave? No. One singer will say, “I love her voice,” and another singer responds that they can’t stand that same voice.
The same is true of the recorded voice. One singer will absolutely love the sound of his or her voice when it is up close, right on top of the mic(s), while another person prefers the sound of their voice from the back row of a 1,200-seat hall.
What’s going on? Many things. Keep reading.
Perception of space
“Oh, I love the sound of this hall! I can’t wait to record my voice in it.” Later, the singer records in the hall—and when she or he hears the recording in postproduction, doesn’t like the sound of her or his voice in that hall.
What happened? The singer’s initial perception of the hall was made according to how the singer “heard” or sensed the hall from his or her perspective (i.e. physical position in the hall, hearing the voice from inside the head), not how the singer “heard” that same voice recorded in the hall and as it interacted with the acoustics of the space.
How a person “hears” a hall depends a lot on their experience in listening to hall acoustics and singing in many different halls. A large cathedral with a six-second delay may not yield the best audio results for an opera singer, although it may “feel good” to sing in that space. Similarly, a padded studio box large enough to fit one human and a mic may not “feel good” to sing in, but for some, would yield a cleaner recorded sound of their voice.
Perception in postproduction
Sometimes, singers love a mix when they are working with the engineer, and then—after they’ve heard the CD three days later at home, about 50 times in an afternoon—find that the mix isn’t what they wanted. After the engineer provides a second or third mix as alternatives, the singers prefer the first mix version after all!
What happened? It could be anything, from ear fatigue, to listening back to the sound on inadequate speakers or headphones, to how the singer listened to the mix, and what they were listening for.
Another example: Singers may love the live-hall quality, but still want their recordings to sound like studio recordings because they have done all their recording in a studio, or are familiar mostly with recordings made in studios. Conversely, the singer who records in the studio may want to have artificial reverb added to make it sound like he or she is in a hall.
What’s happening? We tend to gravitate to what is familiar. Yet sticking to the familiar may not always give the singer, especially the opera singer, the best audio representation.
It is important to work with engineers and producers who understand the demands and complexities of recording the operatic voice. Singers, engineers, producers, and teachers are all bound by what they know. The larger our file cabinet of sounds, training and experiences, the broader our perspective. A comprehensive perspective provides more options from which to choose—and that, depending on the choices you make, results in a better final product, whether it’s a performance or a CD.
Ear fatigue is real. If you repeat a mantra for an hour, you will notice how your focus shifts over time and the mantra seems to become different things. In the same way, listening to the same recorded passage for an extended period of time can alter your perception of the sound. The singer asks the engineer, “Can’t you edit the ending of that word and replace it with another one?” The engineer complies with the singer’s request, and the singer takes home the CD with the new edit. Soon, the singer calls the engineer and says she preferred the recording the way it was before.
What happened? Most likely, the singer has experienced ear fatigue. Making good edit choices often requires repeated listening. Did the singer take breaks or just listen ad nauseum to the passage? Read on.
Focus and perception
Remember during that performance you did a while ago, when you made a mistake and it seemed absolutely huge? It may have felt like the mistake lasted at least five seconds or more. As you thought back to it that night after the concert, it seemed at least that large, if not larger. Perhaps you chastised yourself, and assumed that everyone heard the mistake at the same, shall we say, “mental volume level” as you did. Then, when you heard the recording of the performance a few weeks later, you didn’t even notice the flaw.
Here’s another situation. You know how it feels when you have sung a phrase so many times—while practicing, in your lessons, with your coach—and yet, when you are in a performance situation (especially if this is the first performance of the piece), suddenly the phrase feels different, sounds different, and you are not sure you are even recognizing it in the same way you had done before. Furthermore, your experience and perception of that phrase in performance actually shapes how you handle the situation in that moment.
What’s happening here? I like to call this micro-listening.
Micro-listening, sometimes referred to loosely as “selective hearing,” is a phenomenon I have experienced time and time again, both during my own vocal performances and as a recording engineer. The more I listen “up close,” the more I hear. It’s like hearing the micro-spaces between the textures, the gestures of the musical line at a 100x amplified level in my mind, the minute fraction of a second that distinguishes the breath before the big cadenza, that slight pitch alteration during the voiced consonant, the spatial relationship measured in millimeters between the voice and the hall, or the perceived micro-distance between the voice and the piano.
This is a good thing—but if I can’t step back and listen more objectively, as if I were hearing it for the first time in the audience, or on car speakers, or whatever, then the micro-listening can actually become detrimental to the mixing and editing process, as it can affect the actual choices that are made. This can also affect your pocket book, not to mention your sanity.
Perception is the fundamental key in your decision-making process.
Now what?
Listening is both an art and a skill developed throughout a singer’s life. Like most learning activities, productive listening is best achieved when the singer is calm, grounded, centered, relaxed, yet aware, focused, and self-supporting, rather than highly critical and judgmental. Once someone can achieve this (there are many methods available), the act of listening becomes easier, straightforward, and yields results.
Developing a system of listening
Here are some important things to consider and simple questions to ask yourself at the various stages of your recording project.
Testing the space
When you sing fully, does it sound as if your voice:
• Bounces back off of the walls?
• Gets lost in the building somewhere?
• Sounds too “echo-y?”
• Sounds dull or flat?
• Is without any natural reverb?
• Is excessively bright and/or is wooly or unclear?
Do you enjoy singing in the space? How does the piano (and/or other instruments) sound in the space? Do you like the overall feel and sound of the space?
Sound checks before recording
Do you like the sound-check playback sound? Do the highest or loudest notes sound compromised in any way? Do you like the balance between the piano (or other instruments) and your voice? Do you like the sound of the mic(s) up close to your voice, farther away, or somewhere in-between? What is your perception of your voice in the space, and does it match what you hear in the sound check?
While recording
Listen back to at least one complete take of an aria or song before doing too much recording. You will quickly hear what you need to redo. This will save time by omitting unnecessary repeating that can lead to vocal, mental and ear fatigue. Trust your gut instinct. Most singers know when the song is covered and doesn’t need any more takes.
Postproduction—the mix
The mix choices you and your engineer make can have a profound effect on how you actually sound on the finished recording. You can think of the mix in the same way a painter would approach a color palette.
Again, does it sound like you? Do the highest and loudest notes sound compromised in any way? Do you like the balance between the piano (or other instruments) and your voice? Do you like the audio image representation of yourself in space or does it sound two dimensional?
Where are you positioned in the space, the same as you were when making the recording (left, center, right)? If reverb is added, do you like the effect of the reverb on your voice? On the instrument(s)? Do you like the overall feel of the mix? What perceptions have aided you in determining your mix choice?
Postproduction—editing
Do you want to use one “base” take, then use phrases or words from a few other takes? Or do you want to piece together the entire aria or song with sections from several different takes?
When choosing edit points, as well as listening to the rough edits completed for you, does the edited phrase or section still sound natural with regard to timing, timbre, intent, emotional content, and line?
When listening to the rough edits completed by the engineer, do you hear any clicks or unexpected fades at the edit points?
If you are not happy about a particular word or phrase, and other choices are not that viable, what version would be the best for the overall feel of the phrase, word or section, and can you live with that?
Take a step back. Listen on a different day, on different equipment, when you’re in a different mood. Perception does affect choice. No recording is ever perfect. Take into account the human element. Refrain from editing the thing to death. Don’t let micro-listening and ear fatigue get the better of you!
The completed CD
Your name is going on this CD. This sound is your identity card, your calling card. What is your overall perception of your product? Do you feel at peace with the project?
Improve your perception skills before recording
A mock recording session is an inexpensive and simple solution for recording preparation. One or two weeks (or more) before your recording session, hold a two- or three-hour mock recording session with your accompanist and a cassette tape recorder or mini disc. Hold the session exactly as you would a recording session, in the venue itself, if possible.
Become an audiophile
Why? To widen your base of perception. Listen to as much as you can, both live performances and recordings. The more information you have, the better recording artist you will be. Be your best. You have nothing to lose.
