

If the song has a modern feel (like pop, pop country, some rock, etc.), you will most likely want to go for a tighter tuning, where most notes adjusted to be nearly perfect. Pitch editing is dependent on style and performance. When done correctly, you shouldn’t even be able to notice that the vocal has been tuned! Whether it is every single note being adjusted, or just a few notes throughout the song that need help, the overall goal is to make the vocal sound as great AND as natural as you can. No one wants to sound fake! Your fans can tell.ĩ0% of the vocals you hear on commercial songs have had pitch correction to some degree. Nearly all singers have a very strong sense of pride (or, let’s face it, an ego) about their singing. A few milliseconds should be plenty.Īs with all editing segments, this is a very touchy subject for musicians, singers, and artists. Breaths help the vocal to sound more natural and less “processed.” You can always adjust how loud the breaths are using volume automation.ĭon’t forget to fade the ends of your clips to ensure there aren’t any pops or clicks as the clip starts.

Make sure you don’t delete the breaths of the singer though. I typically solo the vocal and listen through top to bottom and delete sounds as I hear them. I recommend against going through quickly using your eyes only, as you might end up cutting out a quiet word or the end consonant of a word (s’s, d’s, and t’s commonly). The first step to getting rid of these sounds is to find them. They’re an instant indicator of an amateur mix.

These random sounds are distracting to the listener. Once you start the mixing process, these sounds will likely become audible due to compression and EQ. Singers will often make weird little noises throughout a vocal take, like lip smacks before breaths, clearing their throat in between lines, and so on. This step definitely does not make or break a vocal performance, but I think it is a quick and easy start towards the “pro” sound we’re all after.Īfter you’ve finished comping the vocal, solo the track and start listening for any unwanted sounds. If you do not crossfade between audio clips, it will create loud pops and clicks in the track. Once you’ve gone through the entire song, you should have a single vocal take of puzzle-pieced lines from various takes.Īs you’re cleaning your vocal, make sure to crossfade any areas where you switch between vocal takes (whether that be from the comping process or from punching in while recording). You can pick specific words that sound better on a certain take, but I recommend not going through completely word by word, or you’ll drive yourself mad! You can be as picky as you’d like, but don’t over-analyze it. Pick each line that sounds best and copy and paste it to a new “Comp” playlist. first line of first verse on take 1, take 2, take 3, etc.). Once you (and the singer) feel that you have multiple great takes, listen through each take line by line (i.e. When recording the vocal, record and keep each pass on track playlists. The easiest and best way to reach this overall best take is through a process called “ vocal comping.” I always like to describe this as “copying and pasting” to make the best vocal take possible.

Your overall goal (which applies to singers of all talent levels) should be to get the best take that the singer can give. Until now, everyone has been teaching production totally backward.īut if you just want to learn all about Pitch Correction specifically, keep reading.Īlso like with the band, the most important step in getting a great vocal is the performance itself! Don’t push yourself past any breaking points (both physically and emotionally), but record takes until you feel that it already sounds good as is. We put together a brief training that covers a totally new approach to music production. I’m guessing you’re here because you want to make your mixes sound professional. Get industry-quality every time (steal this framework)
#Pitch correction logic pro x how to#
In this article you’ll learn how to use pitch correction to make your vocals to sound real and radio-ready. Even though the rest of the band is important, the average listener pays the most attention to the vocal.Ĭreating a tight, in-sync band performance can easily be wasted by a less-than stellar vocal performance.
