The image some might have in their head while listening to many contemporary a cappella CDs is that of the whole group standing in the studio, rocking out in perfect tune, creating a superhuman sound. Well, that is what we WANT you to think at least! The reality is more like putting together a 5,000 piece jigsaw puzzle, and yes, we're looking at the picture on the box while we do it!
More often than not, especially in the thicker, more produced albums, the whole group never sets foot in the studio at the same time. This is the case even for smaller groups like the House Jacks - I never saw all five of them at one time during the whole of the sessions that became the "Unbroken" album!
So, then, how do they sound like they are all singing together? This is where the picture on the box of the jigsaw puzzle comes in. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to youthe CUE TRACK.
The cue track is a guide for the singers so they all have the same reference point. Kind of like a tracing table for an artist, or cue cards for Jay Leno. It's something you don't see (or may not even be aware existed) in the finished product, but essential for making sure everything goes smoothly and nothing was forgotten. It also keeps you from drifting out of pitch and time, a common problem of the A Cappella world since the dawn of time!
With many if not most of arrangements being done on computer programs like Finale or Sibelius, the making of the cue track is easy - basically if you've arranged it on a computer, it's almost done - all you have to do is insert any tempo events into your score and export it as a MIDI track. Sing along with it to see if it feels comfortable, then use it as your guide to perfect pitch and rhythm.
With a click track (a rhythmic drumbeat, hi-hat, or just a clicking metronome sound) keeping time for you, and a piano or other perfectly pitched instrument keeping you in key, you are now free to perform without worry. The click track can be programmed to flow if needed, taking you though dramatic retards and tempo changes, or keep you rock solid in the grooving-est dance track. And no reason to be stiff here, either - it won't take your feel away as long as you don't fear it!
That said, the fear of losing live feel IS the biggest concern of groups doing this for the first time. I can almost guarantee, though; once you get used to it, you won't record without one ever again! You learn very quickly how to use the perfect meter to your advantage, creating more feel than you ever had before.
The other advantage is that it now becomes a repeatable performance, since everyone is using the same perfect and predictable reference, meaning you can very accurately double or even triple track each voice - increasing the "bigness" of the sound without making it sound like a choir. Many collegiate CDs these days have in excess of 60 voices going on at one time, though it still only appears to be 15 superhuman individuals.
Also, since there is a real time template of the song on the table now, you can start or stop at will, no reason to sing the whole ting at once and flail - do the hard parts first or save them for last, really work those 4 difficult bars that no one really knows the rhythm to, etc. This is the jigsaw puzzle part. If all the choruses have the same tenor 2 part, there's no reason to do all of them - get a great performance and use it in all of the choruses! "People will notice they're all the same!" is the first response, but no, you can fool most of the people most of the time in this regard. The lead vocal and other things on top will distract them away from the tenor 2 part, and besides, a lot of the hits you are covering by the original bands were recorded this way as well, so if Maroon 5 can get away with it, so can you!
This of course is just the first few steps toward making a great album, and we'll talk more at length about getting the rest of the way there in future columns. In the meantime, I'd like to know what questions you all might have, and maybe we can add an advice column as well. I've always considered myself the Ann Landers of A Cappella recording on the forums, might as well make it official!
Click on the wrench in the upper left-hand corner to see what else you can do.