Chords for Butch Walker - How to record Vocals
Tempo:
91.275 bpm
Chords used:
Em
C
F
G
E
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
[Em]
[C] [Em]
[C] [Em]
My name is Butch Walker and I'm a singer, songwriter, producer.
[D] Vocals are probably the most important part of the puzzle to me when making a record.
Especially in pop music, it's everything.
[B] Listening [Em] to 30 minutes of [Eb] the radio, nine times out of ten [G] the music is going to sound
very similar but what separates one song from the [G] next these days, hopefully, is the vocal.
Getting a great vocal, [C] there's many ways to go about it and there's many factors involved.
There's no rule saying it has to be like, okay, I'm going to put it [N] down here and you're
going to sing like right here.
Or I'm going to put it up here and face it down and you're going to sing like this.
Because really, [Bm] it depends on how the singer sings.
[C] I'll just watch them sing [Em] and then kind of raise and lower the mic [C] and get it somewhat
in the vicinity [Em] of where their mouth is.
[C] In this case, if I'm standing here, this is about right where I would be.
[F] If you're having any trouble, make sure that you're approaching it [Em] correct.
You don't want it too far away if you're looking for [C] a very present, up [Em] close in your face vocal sound.
You also don't want to be chewing [F] on it like a rapper does live, you know, where it's like
[C] it's stuffed in their mouth.
If you want a roomier effect, then you [E] obviously go further away from the microphone.
If [Em] you want a closer in your face sound, you get [C] closer, but then you have to just make
[Em] sure that your gain structure is right.
A lot of [C] times people may have the gain set too high and it's distorting when it's up
close so you've got to back it off.
[F] Otherwise, sometimes people have it set too low [Em] and I'm almost [F] more of a fan of too much
[G] than too little because things sound thin and noisy and have [C] no attitude and no presence
[Em] whenever they're recorded with too little gain.
[Dm] I would say use effects sparingly or [Em] on a case-by-case basis.
I'm a big fan of [C] keeping any magic [Em] that's been recorded on the demos of stuff and it's
good if [F] you've got some decent tools on the front end.
[G] I love the [Em] Apogee Mic because I've used it [E] just plugging it direct [B] USB into my laptop
[E] and kept so [F] many tracks on the Final Master recording [C] using that.
I mean, [Bm] backup vocals, lead vocals, [Am] acoustic guitars and percussion [Em] and foot stomps and
hand claps and whatever else you mic up [F] in the room.
It's a great mic.
There's been [C] many instances where the keeper vocal was sung in a hotel room into my laptop
or [Em] just using my Apogee Duet into, say, [F] an SM7 microphone and [G] I've [Em] had 90 [D]% of the vocals
like that end up on the record.
The [G] good thing is not to [C] watch the meters but to listen.
If it sounds good, do [Em] it.
[F] [G]
[C] [Em]
[C] [Em]
My name is Butch Walker and I'm a singer, songwriter, producer.
[D] Vocals are probably the most important part of the puzzle to me when making a record.
Especially in pop music, it's everything.
[B] Listening [Em] to 30 minutes of [Eb] the radio, nine times out of ten [G] the music is going to sound
very similar but what separates one song from the [G] next these days, hopefully, is the vocal.
Getting a great vocal, [C] there's many ways to go about it and there's many factors involved.
There's no rule saying it has to be like, okay, I'm going to put it [N] down here and you're
going to sing like right here.
Or I'm going to put it up here and face it down and you're going to sing like this.
Because really, [Bm] it depends on how the singer sings.
[C] I'll just watch them sing [Em] and then kind of raise and lower the mic [C] and get it somewhat
in the vicinity [Em] of where their mouth is.
[C] In this case, if I'm standing here, this is about right where I would be.
[F] If you're having any trouble, make sure that you're approaching it [Em] correct.
You don't want it too far away if you're looking for [C] a very present, up [Em] close in your face vocal sound.
You also don't want to be chewing [F] on it like a rapper does live, you know, where it's like
[C] it's stuffed in their mouth.
If you want a roomier effect, then you [E] obviously go further away from the microphone.
If [Em] you want a closer in your face sound, you get [C] closer, but then you have to just make
[Em] sure that your gain structure is right.
A lot of [C] times people may have the gain set too high and it's distorting when it's up
close so you've got to back it off.
[F] Otherwise, sometimes people have it set too low [Em] and I'm almost [F] more of a fan of too much
[G] than too little because things sound thin and noisy and have [C] no attitude and no presence
[Em] whenever they're recorded with too little gain.
[Dm] I would say use effects sparingly or [Em] on a case-by-case basis.
I'm a big fan of [C] keeping any magic [Em] that's been recorded on the demos of stuff and it's
good if [F] you've got some decent tools on the front end.
[G] I love the [Em] Apogee Mic because I've used it [E] just plugging it direct [B] USB into my laptop
[E] and kept so [F] many tracks on the Final Master recording [C] using that.
I mean, [Bm] backup vocals, lead vocals, [Am] acoustic guitars and percussion [Em] and foot stomps and
hand claps and whatever else you mic up [F] in the room.
It's a great mic.
There's been [C] many instances where the keeper vocal was sung in a hotel room into my laptop
or [Em] just using my Apogee Duet into, say, [F] an SM7 microphone and [G] I've [Em] had 90 [D]% of the vocals
like that end up on the record.
The [G] good thing is not to [C] watch the meters but to listen.
If it sounds good, do [Em] it.
[F] [G]
Key:
Em
C
F
G
E
Em
C
F
_ _ _ _ [Em] _ _ _ _
_ [C] _ _ _ _ [Em] _ _ _
_ [C] _ _ _ _ _ [Em] _ _
My name is Butch Walker and I'm a singer, songwriter, producer.
[D] Vocals are probably the most important part of the puzzle to me when making a record.
Especially in pop music, it's everything.
[B] Listening [Em] to 30 minutes of [Eb] the radio, nine times out of ten [G] the music is going to sound
very similar but what separates one song from the [G] next these days, hopefully, is the vocal.
Getting a great vocal, [C] there's many ways to go about it and there's many factors involved.
There's no rule saying it has to be like, okay, I'm going to put it [N] down here and you're
going to sing like right here.
Or I'm going to put it up here and face it down and you're going to sing like this.
Because really, [Bm] it depends on how the singer _ sings.
[C] I'll just watch them sing [Em] and then kind of raise and lower the mic [C] and get it somewhat
in the vicinity [Em] of where their mouth is.
[C] In this case, if I'm standing here, this is about right where I would be.
[F] If you're having any trouble, make sure that you're approaching it [Em] correct.
You don't want it too far away if you're looking for [C] a very present, up [Em] close in your face vocal sound.
You also don't want to be chewing [F] on it like a rapper does live, you know, where it's like
[C] it's stuffed in their mouth.
If you want a roomier effect, then you [E] obviously go further away from the microphone.
If [Em] you want a closer in your face sound, you get [C] closer, but then you have to just make
[Em] sure that your gain structure is right.
A lot of [C] times people may have the gain set too high and it's distorting when it's up
close so you've got to back it off.
[F] Otherwise, sometimes people have it set too low [Em] and I'm almost [F] more of a fan of too much
[G] than too little because things sound thin and noisy and have [C] no attitude and no presence
[Em] whenever they're recorded with too little gain.
[Dm] I would say use effects sparingly or [Em] on a case-by-case basis.
I'm a big fan of [C] keeping any magic [Em] that's been recorded on the demos of stuff and it's
good if [F] you've got some decent tools on the front end.
[G] I love the [Em] Apogee Mic because I've used it [E] just plugging it direct [B] USB into my laptop
[E] and kept so [F] many tracks on the Final Master recording [C] using that.
I mean, [Bm] backup vocals, lead vocals, [Am] acoustic guitars and percussion [Em] and foot stomps and
hand claps and whatever else you mic up [F] in the room.
It's a great mic.
There's been [C] many instances where the keeper vocal was sung in a hotel room into my laptop
or [Em] just using my Apogee Duet into, say, [F] an SM7 microphone and [G] I've [Em] had 90 [D]% of the vocals
like that end up on the record.
The [G] good thing is not to [C] watch the meters but to listen.
If it sounds good, do [Em] it.
_ _ _ [F] _ _ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [C] _ _ _ _ [Em] _ _ _
_ [C] _ _ _ _ _ [Em] _ _
My name is Butch Walker and I'm a singer, songwriter, producer.
[D] Vocals are probably the most important part of the puzzle to me when making a record.
Especially in pop music, it's everything.
[B] Listening [Em] to 30 minutes of [Eb] the radio, nine times out of ten [G] the music is going to sound
very similar but what separates one song from the [G] next these days, hopefully, is the vocal.
Getting a great vocal, [C] there's many ways to go about it and there's many factors involved.
There's no rule saying it has to be like, okay, I'm going to put it [N] down here and you're
going to sing like right here.
Or I'm going to put it up here and face it down and you're going to sing like this.
Because really, [Bm] it depends on how the singer _ sings.
[C] I'll just watch them sing [Em] and then kind of raise and lower the mic [C] and get it somewhat
in the vicinity [Em] of where their mouth is.
[C] In this case, if I'm standing here, this is about right where I would be.
[F] If you're having any trouble, make sure that you're approaching it [Em] correct.
You don't want it too far away if you're looking for [C] a very present, up [Em] close in your face vocal sound.
You also don't want to be chewing [F] on it like a rapper does live, you know, where it's like
[C] it's stuffed in their mouth.
If you want a roomier effect, then you [E] obviously go further away from the microphone.
If [Em] you want a closer in your face sound, you get [C] closer, but then you have to just make
[Em] sure that your gain structure is right.
A lot of [C] times people may have the gain set too high and it's distorting when it's up
close so you've got to back it off.
[F] Otherwise, sometimes people have it set too low [Em] and I'm almost [F] more of a fan of too much
[G] than too little because things sound thin and noisy and have [C] no attitude and no presence
[Em] whenever they're recorded with too little gain.
[Dm] I would say use effects sparingly or [Em] on a case-by-case basis.
I'm a big fan of [C] keeping any magic [Em] that's been recorded on the demos of stuff and it's
good if [F] you've got some decent tools on the front end.
[G] I love the [Em] Apogee Mic because I've used it [E] just plugging it direct [B] USB into my laptop
[E] and kept so [F] many tracks on the Final Master recording [C] using that.
I mean, [Bm] backup vocals, lead vocals, [Am] acoustic guitars and percussion [Em] and foot stomps and
hand claps and whatever else you mic up [F] in the room.
It's a great mic.
There's been [C] many instances where the keeper vocal was sung in a hotel room into my laptop
or [Em] just using my Apogee Duet into, say, [F] an SM7 microphone and [G] I've [Em] had 90 [D]% of the vocals
like that end up on the record.
The [G] good thing is not to [C] watch the meters but to listen.
If it sounds good, do [Em] it.
_ _ _ [F] _ _ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _ _