Last time, we unveiled the mystery of the recording studio and saw the "unknown" things in the recording studio:
They used strange tricks to record perfect songs to refresh our cognition and opened the door to a new world.
So, how can you cultivate yourself like professional singers, how can you conquer the recording studio, sing to the best level, and record a wonderful life?
is certainly not as simple as "drinking, holding your urine, and gnawing on chili" mentioned last time. This is a long road that requires time and sweat. Today, I want to teach you the first step!
This week, Ben Jiang was fortunate to interview a recording master from Taiwan - Mr. Ah Hua!
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Zhang Xianhua aka Ahua
Recording/mixing engineer, live performance audio engineer and producer, occasionally unemployed work as lyricist, record company publicity, artist broker, entertainment project planning and coordination, work scope spans Asia, Europe and the United States, across the Taiwan Strait, the three regions, mainstream and independent music circles.
was born in Taiwan and graduated from the Department of Recording Arts at Full Sail University in Florida, USA. He was taught by Lee Peterzel and Chen Xiunan, a teacher in Taiwan.
artists who have worked with include Wang Leehom , Xin Band, Wang Xinling , Li Quan , Lu Guangzhong , RAIN, Muma Third Party, etc.
Come and take a look below. Teacher Ahua, who has both full scores in the talent and charm, shares with us what knowledge in the recording studio!
"Understanding" the song you are preparing to record
Teacher Ahua: "Learning songs is the most perfect homework a singer must do before entering the studio. You must make sufficient recording preparations before entering the studio, be familiar with the songs to be recorded enough, and adjust yourself to the state of opening your mouth. This is the most basic self-cultivation of a singer."
is like an actor who needs to read the script in advance and recite the lines. The singer is familiar with the songs to be recorded enough, which is the most basic necessary condition for recording in the studio. Teacher Ahua mentioned that many songs by non-singers are now included through song collections, and singers do not understand the songs enough. Only by understanding the songs enough and having a solid foundation skills enough can you use more tricks when recording.
At first, Ben Jiang secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the word "learning songs", thinking that it was just to be familiar with the tunes and memorize the lyrics, but Teacher Ahua said that "learning songs well" is not easy.
Teacher Ahua: "Pop music is 'selling emotions'. Every song is an expression of emotion. Singers should understand what the song expresses, and it is necessary to think in advance how to interpret the song in their own way." Is the song
joyful or sad? If it is sad, is it a sad sadness or a faint sadness? Should I frown or sing in tears?
Each different emotional understanding and different emotional expressions will give the song a completely different feeling, which requires a lot of trial and practice before recording.
Teacher Ahua: "Songs are a way for singers to express themselves, so finding the tone and expression of their own speech is the most important lesson for singers before entering the studio."
Although singers will get some tips from producers or recording engineers after entering the studio, it is also very important to have their own opinions. Every song is a singer showing himself and expressing himself. No matter how skillful and realistic imitation is, it is not as precious as thinking interpretation.
Don’t think that the moment you stand in the studio is the real start of recording. Before recording, “get thoroughly” the songs you are about to record, think about what kind of emotions you should use to interpret the songs, and adjust your recording status is an important recording rule.
Fully use your imagination
Teacher Ahua: "When recording, fully expose your imagination and imagine various scenes of the song, so that you can find such emotions, and the sound will have a sense of picture."
Although the singer recording is in a closed recording studio, you must make your mind active, fully develop your imagination, imagine yourself in various scenes, and feel the most appropriate state in an immersive way. To express comfort, you must imagine yourself lying on the soft bed and blowing air conditioning, expressing spectacularity, and imagine standing on the top of the mountain overlooking the earth...
Teacher Ahua gave an example, this is like a movie actor imagined various magical scenes after the later synthesis in front of the green screen, and then devoted to the performance. The singer performs with his voice, so you need to open your mind, divert your imagination, and devote yourself enough.
Don't be afraid of communication
Teacher Ahua: " Singers should remember: the "singer is the biggest" in the recording studio. All the staff in the studio come for the singers. Their purpose is to help singers record and listen to singers singing. So don’t be afraid of communication, don’t be shy to make requests, of course, first of all, be a good attitude. ”
In order to stimulate the imagination of singers and give them better fantasy space, the recording studio will also provide singers with a more comfortable environment. Therefore, for some reasonable requirements for recording, you can communicate with the recorder
, such as: adjusting the lighting environment, adjusting the air conditioning temperature, using your own headphones, hoping that a soft carpet can be more relaxed when singing barefoot, you need to enlarge the font printed by the lyrics so that you can see clearly, etc.
Teacher Ahua said that you should not underestimate these scattered things, they can help you adjust to a more free and comfortable state, but when you ask others, you must also strictly demand yourself, so as to create an atmosphere that can create miracles!
Learn professional communication
Teacher Ahua: "Professional requirements for a professional recording engineer can effectively improve the comfort of the headphone monitoring environment and directly affect the singer's singing status. "
Professional and efficient communication methods can save recording time and solve problems the fastest. When there is a problem with the monitor in the headphones, it will directly affect the singer's performance. It is very important to accurately describe the problem and provide professional improvement opinions to the recording engineer.
Teacher Ahua talked about many examples of "not speaking human words" often circulated in the recording circle:
"Recording teacher, I want the texture of my reverberation , just like the autumn in New York. "
" recording teacher, I hope my bass feels more technological and my treble is more modern. "
There was once a singer who reported the recording: "Recording teacher, I feel my voice is fake. "Because I can't understand, the recording engineer can only make various attempts. After some trouble, I found that the "fake" was just too loud.
understands certain recording knowledge, masters some basic recording terms, and improves my professional level. It is an important thing for singers to enter the studio to record songs.
treats the microphone as your best friend
teacher Ahua: "When you really start singing, you must treat the microphone as your best friend. It is your partner, your partner, and your most important weapon. ”
Only by completely treating the microphone as a real person can you open your heart and express your emotions to it. You must grasp the distance between you and the microphone, consider the tone of your speaking to it, and treat the feeling of singing to it as speaking to people.
If you are recording a love song today, you must treat it as the ear of your lover, and whisper to it affectionately in its ears
If you are recording an angry song, treat it as the imagined scumbag, pointing at your nose and scolding it
Teacher Ahua: "The distance between you and the microphone will show different tones, which will help you present different states. The state is fed back to you through the headphones, and you can grasp and adjust it in time. Using the distance between the microphone to achieve different tones, create different expressions, and complete your tone, this is an important point that requires conception and design. "
every rule above is a valuable asset summarized by Teacher Ahua from his years of practical recording experience, and 24k pure dry knowledge.
