How To EQ Your Reverb:: Do you EQ your reverbs at all? Yeah, really good question. You do the high cut and usually a low cut as well. When you're recording and cutting vocals again, it's so important with the vibe and that everyone feels relaxed and comfortable. The magic will only happen when you feel comfortable again.
How To Make a Natural Vocal Take:: In Pro Tools, you just do Apple E, which cuts that part out, or separates that part. An important way to get a natural sounding vocal is to keep all the breaths in there. It makes the job of the producer really easy when you can sing that well.
How To Make Stacks:: If we were to do stacks, that's a good way to lift the chorus and make it bigger. How do you deal with you personally deal with vibrato in stacking? Tor prefers to just have a strong lead vocal and not too many stacks. Do you usually engineer your own sessions?
How To Produce Vocals For Rihanna:: Watch Mikkel work with student to show how he made Diamonds with Rihanna. Mikkel lets an artist just jam on the mi to show how to comp vocals and create high-quality lead vocals
How To Track Vocals in a Multitrack:: Each group has to have their own bus input and output. I would definitely work on a two track most of the time because it's easier. Sometimes we work directly in the multi as well. Getting a rough mix demo with more layers as opposed to the final.
How To EQ Your Vocals:: First thing I put in my vocal chain is EQ. Then you have a compressor and an analog compressor directly after the mic. The purpose is, of course, to even out the sound. Is there a huge difference or something that you do with male and female voices?
How To Get the Artist to Sing Safely:: Having a good song is key. Great melodies and words flow better. Never be afraid to change while you're recording. How can you encourage an artist to give a better performance without ruining the vibe.
How to Make Background Songs:: What I like to do with backgrounds is have them as mono tracks, but then going into a stereo bus. When you put it all together it actually sounds great. Maybe before we start working on it, we should add some of these same plugins to the background arcs as well.
How to Sing With No Latency:: Let's just stick with this song and import the instrumental as well. Make sure that both tracks have different colors. Don't sing with gum. Do too much busing, it's a horrible idea because it creates latency. Can one of you help me to lay down little verse?
How to Use Vintage Mics in Pro Tools:: With vintage mics, you have to have someone who really knows to change the tubes. The most important setting for vocals is the hardware buffer size. Your worst enemy is latency. To get a mic signal in you need some sort of audio interface.
How to Edit Vocals in Autotune:: You don't want to activate autotune until you know the key of the song. It's really important to have it before your effects. And then it's a lot more inspiring to sing if you have a little sparkle, you have some reverb or delays.
How I started to make music at 12 years old:: I grew up in Norway as well, like Tor. Tor is from outside Oslo, the capital. I'm from a town called Trondheim, which is much, much smaller. I started playing in bands to make music at my high school. Found my first production partner Lars Eric. Wanted to take music seriously and make the music on MTV.
How to Use Autotune in Pop Music:: I like to use autotune pro. Live or artist. is also good. The good thing is that they have low latency kind of built in Autotune Pro. You need to enable low latency mode, which is also a good way to do it.
Mixing mono and stereo tracks:: Why it is stereo is another question, but I can quickly make it into a monotrack. Loud Click that was very interesting with the click. Let's see if this one is giving us more lucky shine bright like a diamond.
Rock Nation started working in the studio together:: This is the OG Rock Nation crew. They worked together for 15 years and still good friends. Some amazing moments include working with Rihanna and Drake. Just being in the room and being able to work with these guys is truly amazing.
The First Week:: How was the first week? I'm sure it was a lot of fun. The song came out really, really good. There's a huge difference between the quality of the vocal production or how it sounded. That's what we're going to try to focus on today.
Vocal Production:: The lead vocal is by far the most important thing. There are two main components when it comes to vocal production. You really need to know your craft and the equipment. How to connect with the singer and the artist and get the best possible performance.
Mikkel's Journey: From Norway to Global Fame:: Mikkel Eriksen, growing up in Trondheim, Norway, pursued music early, partnered with Lars Eric, and established Black Paint Studios. They worked with artists like Rihanna and Coldplay, emphasizing clear vocal production, and received industry recognition.
Mikkel Eriksen Vocal Production 2023:: Watch Full Length Video
The Importance of Vocals in Music Production:: Examines the vital importance of vocals in music, establishing them as the foundational element of any song. Discusses the integration of technical proficiency and emotional depth in vocal recordings, emphasizing their role in storytelling and emotional impact within music production.
Your Microphone is the Most Important:: Mikkel underlines the importance of selecting the appropriate microphone for vocal recording. Stresses that choosing the right microphone is a crucial investment in music production, pivotal for capturing high-quality vocal performances.
Creating Ideal Recording Environment for Artists:: Highlights the distinct qualities of an artist's voice, acknowledging that some possess naturally intriguing textures while others require additional enhancements. Emphasizes the significance of a conducive recording environment tailored to ensure artist comfort for optimal vocal performance.
Navigating DAWs for Superior Vocal Tracks:: Explores the use of various Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs), focusing on adjusting settings for optimal recording quality. Additionally, it covers enhancing audio tracks with the strategic application of plugins.
Techniques for Capturing Vocal Performance:: Discusses recording preferences, focusing on minimal headroom to maximize signal level without clipping. Highlights the use of external preamps in the studio for superior sound quality. Mentions a preference for Neve 1037 and Warm Audio preamps, acknowledging their higher cost but superior performance in audio production
EQs and Compressors:: Addresses essential EQ and compression techniques in vocal processing. Stresses the importance of a low cut, typically around 40 Hz, and boosting high-end frequencies near 10k for clarity. Discusses the practice of applying multiple compressions with medium attack, favoring the R compressor by Waves. Explains the EQ placement varies based on vocal characteristics, recommending less low-end removal for female voices compared to male. Emphasizes using gain adjustments over volume faders for consistent track levels, utilizing compressors to fine-tune the overall volume.
How I Use AutoTune Pro:: Utilizing AutoTune Pro (Artist) for vocal tuning, with a focus on low latency mode, key detection, and Advanced Mode for non-standard scales. The plugin is optimally positioned post-compression for improved performance.
Delays and Reverbs:: Enhancing vocal tracks with reverb and delays for inspiration and texture. Recommends adding EQ, particularly Pultec EQP-1, and Microshift for tonal adjustments. Suggests using quarter-note delays and EchoBoy, with attention to high cut filtering to avoid clutter. Advises on optimal reverb decay (2-5 seconds) and mix levels for balanced sound.
Layering Background Vocals and Harmonies:: Covers techniques for recording and mixing background vocals and harmonies. Emphasizes using mono tracks routed to a stereo bus and layering for depth. Highlights grouping tracks, adding harmonies, and applying plugins like harmony engines and vocal effects for distinctive sound textures.
Advanced Mixing, Stacking and Effects:: Explores vocal stacking and panning techniques to achieve a broader sound. Discusses using Neve 1037, Auto-Tune, and Focus EQ for enhanced vocal production. Emphasizes stereo plugin usage on a stereo aux compressor for richer texture. Details strategic panning of original and stacked vocals for spatial effect, and the use of Pultec for highlighting high-end frequencies. Addresses varying approaches in vocal tracking and the use of microshift versus manual panning for different textural outcomes. Highlights the importance of EQing reverbs and managing latency in vocal recordings.
Editing and Mixing Vocals:: Focuses on direct track effects application, detailing editing and mixing techniques. Highlights the use of Antares Harmony Engine, Pultec EQP-1A, and EchoBoy for enriching backgrounds. Discusses the practice of routing mono tracks into a stereo bus for a more dimensional sound.

Mikkel Eriksen Vocal Production 2023

Mikkel Eriksen

One half of the production duo Stargate, Mikkel Eriksen has produced and co-written chart-topping hits for Beyoncé, Rihanna, Coldplay, Ne-Yo and Katy Perry. His innovative production techniques and songwriting skills offer invaluable insights in creating hits that resonate globally.