Okay, let me take the time to talk about my views on recording. They are just that, my views. Some artist record different im sure, they may lay down the hook first and then the verses or they may lay the leads to the whole song all at once from beginning to end, and then come back and stack their vocals.
That’s all find and dandy. But there are usually 2 elements (Lead, Overdubs) that you are not going to get around, and a 3rd (Ad libs) that is pretty much the same outcome except you can get away most the time without adding adlibs, in my opinion.
I’ve been recording songs for over 15 years. Over that time I’ve found techniques that have worked for me and these tips are not necessarily industry standard
Verse Format – Explained
but those that I have acquired over the years. Now with that out of the way, let’s talk about the foundation or format that I stick to when going into the studio. As far as verses go, there are 3 basic structures or steps that I take when going into the studio. That’s the Lead, the Overdub and the Adlibs and I almost always do them in that order.
1. Lead2. Over Dubs3. Ad LibsLet me take the time to explain each one separately. Your lead vocal is just what it sounds like, your lead vocal. The lead is the vocal that the other 2 elements will follow. The lead is the foundation. This is the vocal you lay down when you first drop your verse.
Usually the lead is the first vocal you lay down in a verse or chorus form. I was told recently while in a session the vocals are the last instrument of the song. I thought that was good food for thought to keep that in mind next time you are in the booth.
Okay after the lead comes your Over Dub. All you are doing here is reinforcing parts of your lead. By reinforcing I mean simply repeating the lead at different parts throughout the lead. Next time you’re listening to a song see if you can tell where the Over Dubs are. You should be able to here it, but you have to listen closely because of the mixing and mastering process. It’s almost always going to be in the hook but I want you to listen to the verse, only because most of the time they will stack the lead and stack the Overdubs (2 leads and/or 2 Overdubs) in the hook. You’ll understand better by listening to the verse.
Listen for the effect of the lead sounding like two people are saying the same line at the same time. This is usually a good indicator that this is where the over dub has been placed. When laying down your over dubs try not to over do it. Don’t turn your over dub into a Stack, its supposed to be a over dub so be sure to only over dub certain parts of the lead and not the whole lead, which would be a what?....a Stack.
Okay you got that down. But experiment with placing different over dubs in different parts of the lead and see what you come up with. After leads and over dubs its time for your ad libs. You would hear Young Jeezy talking a lot about Ad Libs when he first came out. He said his different than a lot of artist at that time.
Your Ad libs are different than the lead but similar to over dubs just because they are placed in different sections throughout the verse but in a broader range. This is where you amp your song up. Repeat words or lines. Chant out a word. Say something in relation to the song. Keep in mind the sections where there are pauses in your vocals are ideal to where you want to throw in an adlib, but there is no rule to what is correct and what is not. Just do your best and study your favorite artist to get ideas and then come up with your own ad lib remedy/sequence.
Okay, that’s it for now. Verse format explained in the simplest way I know how. Now hit the booth and see what works best for you. Creativity is at your fingertips.
Please leave a comment in the box below. Let us know what works for you or how you feel about the article. All comments will be approved.
Until next time....Good Luck
How2rap.com
"Much Success"
Comments:
- I have been tryind to find out about dubs and libbs are or a while thanks to you now i kno. THANKS, Check me out on myspace search for macage
- yeah advice is emotional_but i dnt stack my vocals coz afterwards it sounds like jumble up words but other than dat have a listen to my stuff and tell me what ya fink n wat i need working on? http://www.facebook.com/pages/Versatile/103055055433
- You did a good job
- Great article! I learned a lot from it!
- Thanks Dawwgy
- Yes this has really helped. I seen J-Mill's article at yoraps.com. Best of luck.
- good book ican learn from this i live in the caribbean i got a story to tell dont now if am gonna make it but i know i gotta lose my self in the music only got one shot
- thanx dawggy
- thank much love frome prince p
- Yea when I first got into the booth the sound man aint know what he was talkin about, and had me doubling my whole verses (Str8 Stackin lol). Didn't feel like I was doin it right, cuz it sounded like a big hook, lol. Thanks fa clarifying it fa me.
- It good material but is their any school that will teach you how to contruct leads, over dubs and ad libs No, not any we know of. But we have a article here that you can read.
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Author details: Jamaal West is the author of The Official How To Rap Manual. He has over 15 years experience helping others improve rap skill and rhyming ability. Inventor of the How2rap Point-System & The Understanding Bars Tutorial his techniques on teaching others to rap have been regarded as one of the best of its kind since the year 2000.
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