MALIK ARSHAQ
UNORTHODOX
VOCAL PROCESSING TECHNIQUES
It can be agreed upon that the vocals on a song predominantly shape it , at least in most cases . And with the development in technology , the possibilities , when it comes to processing vocals , are endless . In this edition we shall go through a few unconventional vocal processing techniques and dissect some music from artists that employ them frequently .
One of the most iconic techniques is using a vocoder . From subtle usage in tracks such as “ In the Air Tonight ” by Phil Collins , to artists such as the French house producers Daft Punk , the vocoder has been used to get a wide selection of results . Initially developed to serve as a speech coder for telecommunication purposes , it uses vocals to filter out the signal of a musical instrument to produce a strange melodic-speech effect . A similar effect can be achieved by an equally well-known device , the talkbox . Showcased in songs such as “ Jambi ” by Tool as well as “ It ' s My Life ” by Bon Jovi , the first being a groovy progressive metal track and the latter a pop-rock number , it serves very different purposes .
Autotune is a processing technique that is widely looked down upon as it seen as an on-record crutch for bad singers to disguise off-key inaccuracies by tuning the vocals to the nearest correct note . But artists like T-Pain , for instance , who is an extremely talented and efficient singer , uses it as a trademark technique or production aesthetic in his music .
Kanye West is another producer who has worked towards seamlessly integrating vocals as a part of the instrumentals . From sampling Daft Punk ’ s signature vocoder sections on “ Stronger ” to the intricate choirstyle vocal layering on “ Jesus Walks ”, he manages to showcase the human voice as a timeless instrument .
As hip hop had adopted sampling and began experimenting with all the possibilities that it had brought about , a lot of producers began re-pitching vocals and chopping them to rearrange them as a part of the instrumental . Jay-Z ’ s 2017 track “ The Story Of O . J ” had a pitched up and chopped version of Nina Simone ’ s vocals on “ Four Women ”. While this brings a completely new sonic flavour to the track , the vocals are also placed in a certain context to support the completely different narrative .
While this technique has been around since the 70 ’ s , today , radio-friendly pop music has saturated the air waves with pitched up and chopped vocals . A long list of pop and EDM artists , including Beyoncé , Major Lazer , Skrillex and even Justin Bieber , have employed this technique to produce repetitive and catchy hooks . The overuse of pitching in modern pop has led to a lot of artists sounding the same and in a lot of cases , unoriginal .
On the other hand , English singer and producer , James Blake , takes vocal effects and processing to a completely different level . A perfect example of his prowess is the song “ If the car besides you moves ahead ”. With his signature minimalist percussion and synth sections , the absolutely dizzying and aliensounding vocals take center stage . Varied levels of reverb , layering , filtering , chopping up and tasteful re-pitching pushes the listener into a ethereal state .
With the rise of the DAW-based production trend , achieving these results has been made a lot more accessible and is limited only by our imagination and taste .
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