In this entry, I would like to take a closer look at vocals, specifically the differences between live and recorded vocals. Since this is another very large subject and the topic of "live vs. recordings" in general has already been addressed (this being a "sub-heading") I will be confining myself only to certain aspects viewed from the recordists point of view.
There have been so many cases of "studio manipulation" of vocals to create hit records from someone only capable of sub-par performances in recent years, it has become something of a standing joke. This trend, I believe, had its start when tape machines began to exceed 16 tracks (usually in multiples of eight, for such was the available technology). 24 track, then 32, then 64-track and yes, even analog studios with 128 open tracks ready for filling.
The vocalist could record umpteen different takes which could then be grafted, even by skilfully blending syllables to produce a decent track from someone who couldn't sing his way out of a paper bag.
Now, the possibilities are almost limitless: with endless digital tracks and Autotune the bullfrog can now become the nightingale!!
But first I think we must explore: Why the obsession with perfection in a vocal...Is it just to boost the performers ego?
Let's look at the movies...Have you ever been deeply impressed by some movie you saw as a child (that is, if you were alive back before anyone had ever heard of a VCR)? A handful of movies stuck with you thru the years as being truly great, such that when they became available for home viewing, you ran out and bought them.
At first watching, you were happy to see them again. Second time, you begin to notice little flaws that aren't tolerated in todays movies; things like sloppy edits, out-of-focus shots and the like.
By the tenth, or fifteenth time, holes begin opening up in the plot revealing the premise to be ridiculous. A good deal of the dialogue appears not to make sense, or is self-serving, existing only to set you, the viewer, up for what's going to happen next...Your "great movie" appears to be nothing more than a hastily thrown together B-movie and is ruined for you save for nostalgia.
The reason I mention this is because a similar function of mind comes into play when listening repeatedly to a recorded performance versus a live one. In a live performances, the small flaws that inevitably occur are a thing of the moment and are generally unnoticed or discounted by the brain of the average listener. Those familiar with the making of music will likely pickup on them, as we are usually attuned by daily practice to deep/close listening. Even so, all other factors being positive, we tend to gloss over and immediately forget small flaws.
But in a recording, where one hears the same performance over and over, any small flaw will tend to stand out in the short term. After that we will either accept it as part of the character of the piece or else it gradually becomes unbearable.
So that's the biggest reason for this quest for perfection!
As for myself, I do not own any sort of pitch-correction device. I used to record 28 different versions of the song's vocal, but these days I generally do it with 14. And sometimes I get that feeling of being a phony that I can't get everything perfect in one take! But there are a number of factors peculiar to recording that make this nearly impossible.
In live performances, many small nuances and their flaws are unheard or taken for granted. Things like oddities of mike placement, excess proximity effect, breath pops and the like...they go with the territory.
But I am often in a situation where I have 10 takes (out of 14) that are perfectly acceptable performances, were I singing live. So here is where discrimination must go to work. Minor differences in delivery? Too much breath on a word? Got too close/not close enough to mike? That's when the "producer's hat" gets the dust blown off as it is retrieved from the closet; I try to choose what will suit the overall mood & message of the tune best, what will bear repeated listening....and most of all, which one is not only perfectly sung but contains a little bit of MAGIC...In the face of that, I gladly toss many well-sung lines into the archives and obscurity.
My advice? Don't just sing it "right" but keep those ears open for that magic as well!
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