Unleashing Your Creativity: The Different Types of Vocals in Music Production

Vocals are an integral part of any musical piece, often being the element that listeners connect with most. In music production, vocals can be categorized into three broad types: song vocals, riff vocals, and glitched vocals. Each of these categories has its own characteristics, production techniques, and ways to originate content. Understanding these types of vocals and the various approaches to creating vocal content can help music producers and artists unlock their creativity and produce memorable and impactful tracks.

Song Vocals

Song vocals form the backbone of any traditional musical piece. They usually adhere to a structure that includes verses, choruses, and occasionally a middle eight. The lead vocal is typically clean and well-defined, supported by harmonies, ad-libs, and double tracks. Lyrics are a crucial element in this type of vocal, and a high-quality vocal performance is essential. Producers often employ various techniques, such as equalization, compression, and reverb, to enhance the vocals and blend them seamlessly with the instrumental arrangement.

Riff Vocals

Riff vocals are more direct and straightforward, often disregarding traditional song structures and featuring short clips of sung or spoken word content instead. These short vocal snippets become central hooks that structure the entire track. To prevent monotony from repeating the same line, producers can use different production tricks, like automating the tuning of a vocoder. However, change is not mandatory; sometimes, the repetition of a catchy vocal line can be exactly what a track needs to stay memorable and engaging.

Glitched Vocals

Glitched vocals have gained popularity in recent years, especially in electronic and experimental music. This involves manipulating vocals by applying various digital effects such as pitch shifting, time-stretching, and granular synthesis, resulting in a 'glitched' or 'mangled' sound. Producers often layer these glitched vocals with beats to provide organic textures to the groove or use them as a track's topline if they are unique or memorable enough. Sample libraries supply single-loop bars of glitched vocals, making it easier for producers to integrate them into their productions.

Approaches to Originate Vocal Content

1) Do it all yourself

If you are a talented singer and songwriter, you can write your lyrics and melodies and record them in your studio. This approach gives you full control over the vocal content and allows you to express your creativity without any restrictions.

2) Use a session singer

If you have songwriting skills but lack vocal talent, you can write the lyrics and melody and then hire a session singer to perform it. The session singer may also contribute their own ideas during the recording session.

3) Get a third party to write the topline

You can build the backing track and then give it to a vocalist or topline writer to create the melodic content or lyrics, or both. Although you may have to concede some publishing rights, collaborating with an experienced singer can transform your track into a hit.

4) Acapellas

Using acapellas from existing songs can be a useful creative exercise to develop your vocal arrangement and production skills. However, it is important to be aware of the legal implications of using copyrighted material in your production.

5) Samples

Using vocal samples from copyright-cleared libraries is a legal and convenient way to incorporate high-quality vocals into your production. Even if the samples are not perfect, they can sometimes provide melodic inspiration when you are struggling with ideas.

6) Speech Synthesis

Computers usually have built-in speech synthesis capabilities that allow you to create vocal lines easily. However, the results can be variable, somewhat cliche, and legibility is not always assured.

7) Other Ideas

If none of the above methods suit your needs, there are other creative ways to generate unique vocals. For example, recording a phone conversation on speakerphone can result in a thin, distant-sounding vocal that is unashamedly lo-fi. Or, using a field recorder to capture real-world vocals from various public spaces can provide unique and unexpected vocal content. However, it is important to be aware of copyright and publishing implications when recording other people's performances or conversations.

Conclusion

Understanding the different types of vocals and the various approaches to creating vocal content is crucial for music producers and artists looking to unleash their creativity and produce memorable and impactful tracks. Whether you are working with song vocals, riff vocals, or glitched vocals, there are multiple ways to originate vocal content, from doing it all yourself to using samples or speech synthesis. Being aware of the legal implications of using copyrighted material and exploring creative ways to generate unique vocals can help you create tracks that resonate with your audience and stand out in the crowded music landscape.