The recording studio can present a frustrating situation: It’s a place you should be trying for the best vocals you can possibly get, but it’s one of the hardest places to do so. Why? What can you do about it?

• It requires perfection. Recording equipment is now so sensitive, it picks up everything… you can’t get by recording vocals with mediocrity without it mattering.  So the pressure’s on.

What can you do?

Make technology work FOR instead AGAINST you. Ask for help if you are not hearing well through your headphones. Some people (like me) like to have a little reverb in the “cans” to help them support their voices. Make sure you try taking half an ear off, which helps you hear your voice acoustically in addition to the sound from the phones. Make sure you have the instruments you need, and nothing you don’t need. And here’s the best part… remember that the great thing about recording is that you can punch in! Your engineer will also be able to help in other ways when you need it (flying, tuning, editing… should be done with discretion by an intuitive person at the helm).

• It’s missing a vital element of performance… the audience! This means you’ll have to summon some acting skills… you must communicate to someone who in all likelihood is not present. Otherwise, your voice really is just faking it, because it has no clear goal. And don’t think this is just a problem for beginners… seasoned, successful live singers are often frustrated because they can’t get the magic of live performance into the studio.

What can you do?

Use your imagination! Think about your lyric… who are you supposed to be singing to? Make that person the only one who exists when the engineer hits the red button. Also use your body language. Believe it or not, it will help in many ways. Try talking the lyric a couple of times… make it sound like you are NOT reading it. Then sing it with the same passion and nuances of expression.

• The music stand in the vocal booth is placed counter-productively… usually right in front of you… between you and the mic. This makes it easy to lean your head forward… sabotaging breath and contributing to a tight throat. It’s very hard to sing while subtly “pulling back”, which you need to do for best tone and control.  Also…

What can you do?

Move the music stand! Either move it to the side and back so you can get your feet more under the mic, or take it away entirely (you’re not reading your lyric while recording vocals are you?)

• You’re facing the control room. This makes it too easy for you to have your attention on the people in the control room instead of on the person you need to sing the song to.

What can you do?

Ask your recording engineer, if possible, to reorient the mic so that you can at least face a corner instead of head on into the control room. Also, ask for the lights to be dimmed… in your recording booth and even consider asking for lights down in control room if it continues to be a visual distraction for you.

• You’re told to push more, go for it, use more power, etc by your well-meaning producer. You interpret this, if you don’t know better, to mean … push breath!

What can you do?

Reinterpret the command for “more” to mean: More passion- NOT more pressure! Use your face and body more, but don’t push your voice. Open your mouth more, use your eyes and hands, go deeper into talking to your audience. Keep your head back and chest out. Best advice I can give: Try to get a vocal producer to conduct your lead vocals.

• You’re paying by the hour. This alone can set up tension and worry… all counterproductive to good voice.

What can you do?

PLAN your recording project! Make sure you practice your songs til you are confident with them, getting vocal lessons as needed. Make sure you budget enough time to get your vocals the way you want … remembering that it may take a few passes until your voice settles into it’s best form. I like to allow anywhere from 1 to 3 hours per song, especially giving extra time for the first song of each vocal recording day. If your starting budget reflects the cost of the most important part of the process — recording vocals — you will not stress about it and can focus much better in the moment of the song.

What other frustrations have you experienced in the vocal booth?