Vocal Recording Masterclass with Trevor Horn (The Buggles, Paul McCartney, Seal, Pet Shop Boys)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 มิ.ย. 2024
- Trevor Horn sat down with our music production and vocal performance degree students at our campus in Orsman Road London as he hosted a masterclass full of valuable insights and wisdom he's gained from producing and recording vocals for a diverse range of artists such as ABC, Tom Jones, Paul McCartney, Pet Shop Boys, Rod Stewart, and Tina Turner.
Trevor Horn's Book & Socials: linktr.ee/trevorhornmusic
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:48 Trevor Horn's biography
2:51 PREPARATION
4:46 Microphones and lyric sheets
5:57 Working with vocalists
7:51 The story behind Rod Stewart's 'Downtown Train'
9:53 Count-ins for singers
11:59 Picking the right key for vocalist and song
16:09 Microphone choice and placement in a vocal session
18:44 PRODUCTION/RECORDING YOUR SINGER
26:18 Most aging rockstars are great bluffers
27:19 How to prepare for a better vocal comp
28:15 How to approach out-of-tune singers
32:44 What to try at the end of a vocal recording session
34:43 POST PRODUCTION
36:43: How the ideal comp should be
39:21 Producing vocals for John Legend
41:17 Q&A
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What was your favourite thing you learnt from Trevor in this masterclass?
The "soft" last take of a song..., shoulders down..., , do it one more time but different...., and dont try to hard...
The basics work!
Very relieved to be able to bypass Atmos without a guilty conscience.
That the best vocal performance is more about the treatment of the talent than the treatment of the tech.
That I am lucky to be alive to experience this masterclass
Big up the editor who concisely, smoothly, subtly cut this talk into 100% killer no filler. Fantastic talk
Thanks for watching!
Trevor is the epitome of hard work. My friend shared a flat with him, when Trevor was a bassist at the local night club. He said that Trevor would work hard all week, then spend all his money on studio time, recording a song called 'Video Killed The Radio Star'.. If it wasn't right, he would scrap it and start over again. It took him almost 2 years to get it right.
Since David Bowie passed away, Trevor Horn is my desert island dinner date, love you Trevor! and Thank you for all your hard work!
In the 80s and 90s, Trevor Horn was seen as the epitome of a producer for inventive and extremely detailed, rhythmic productions that sounded epically big and powerful. We couldn't believe how great it sounded. He could take a (not so great) singer like Grace Jones and turn her into a music goddess. With him behind the production, it seemed impossible not to have a successful record. And he never chose "cheesy" solutions. It wasn't until youtube came around that we could actually see him and get to know him as a real person. Not just an iconic quality tag.
Wow that was actually incredible. The amount of valuable information is insane.
We agree!
I would listen forever to Trevor Horn telling his stories
An hour of Trevor Horn discussing recording vocals!!! Are you kidding me! This is so amazing.
One of the greatest record producers in the business.
Incredible info.
Chock full.
I’ve been a professional singer since 1973. Never been a famous one, but I’ve had steady work my whole entire life. What an amazing guy Trevor Horn is. It would be a pleasure for anybody to get the chance to sing if he’s producing. He seems to take all the scariness out of singing in the studio. A lot of times when you’re just doing your job trying to sing the song you don’t get the feedback that you should get and you just start to feel left out of the loop with all the musicians and the producers if nobody’s telling you what’s good or what’s bad. so thank you Trevor for being an incredible guy.
What kinda work do u do? Like a session background singer?
This was such a delight the entire way through. Trevor is the Man.
Max! We're so glad you liked it. It's still one of our favourites. He's a true legend.
This is wonderful. Trevor Horn is a genius. I really hope that those there get to understand the wisdom he presents here as their careers go forward.
As someone who has recorded hundreds of singers in my time, the single most important thing is generating the correct psychology to get the best out of the artist. I have seen world class singers on the other side of the glass and they have been terrified. It's the loneliest place in the world. If they are doing their job properly, they are laying their very souls on the line to be criticised and scrutinised and that requires trust.
“No mates, only birds” in the studio…great advice in my book.
This is far beyond what I was expecting, some amazing insight and experience.
Thank you for watching it. :)
Really, really cool to hear Trevor's philosophy, work ethic and insights and lessons learned from his illustrious career. I fondly remember working in Sarm West, bumping into him whilst we were recording RITF with Julian Mendelsohn in '87, and he was I think recording/mixing Frankie with Steve Lipson, with Lola on reception and Lucky cooking up some delicious Jamaican cuisine. "Great days" ;-)
Mike, it's an honour for us that you've watched this video.
@@PointBlankMusicSchool My pleasure. Would love to give a songwriting Masterclass to your students if you’re interested?
@@MikeLindup42 I’d DEFINITELY be up for that 😊
Level 42!!😮❤
The story he tells about John Legend (or rather, about some of the people John Legend was working with at the time) illustrates this point: to be able to make music on this level and get paid for it is a complete privilege that should never be taken for granted. People like Trevor never take it for granted. He knows that the music he leaves behind will still be listened to 20 or 40 or 60 years from now, so you'd better get it right. Reminds me of some stories about Steely Dan. For the most part, they poured all of their rock star money into their records rather than rock star extravagances, and they have a legacy of brilliant music to show it.
100s if not 1000s of years? Interesting!
Wow, amazing to hear Trevor say he tunes vocals these days. I'll bet if asked he'd say it wasn't needed in the old days because singers used to be able to *actually sing!* And how cool that after talking about people like Seal, John Legend, and Rod Stewart he says Chris Squire was the best harmony singer on stage he'd ever worked with. Yes fans know this, but it's really great for Trevor to acknowledge it after 40+ years.
Vocals have been tuned to various degrees for over 50 years. The tricks and techniques used to fix pitch back in the day were pretty cool and can generally be applied still to this day. I would agree that bands, singers, and artists were generally more prepared for the recording process than they are today.
This was wonderful to hear in terms of the psychology involved, Trevor Horn is so understated in his style but look at how much he's achieved. I was in the studio once as an observer to watch a good local jazz band record, and I went in thinking it would be terrific to watch the band performing. I wound up being captivated instead to watch the performance of the producer. He was adopting one persona to speak to the band, being ultra positive and smooth in terms of responding to & guiding the band, but whenever he was speaking to his engineer (and therefore off the talk-back loop) he was almost a completely different person. I can imagine it's fairly draining to keep doing that all day! This guy had quite a different personal style to Trevor Horn, but he had a similar attitude with respect to the psychological elements.
I'm only 6 minutes in and already would like to give this video 20 thumbs-up. Amazing. Thank you so much for this.
Wow! That's really kind of you. We loved hearing Trevor speak too.
This man is a legend!
This is amazing. I have absolutely nothing to do with recording music in any capacity but gosh this is a super interesting talk. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Thanks for watching!
Amen to Trevor applauding a vocal take. Reminds me of that We Are the World video, where Stevie Wonder, Lionel Ritchie and Quincy Jones are really encouraging and praising Bob Dylan as he goes through takes.
Really really appreciate Trevor Horn and Point Blank doing this and sharing it.
This guy is a real gem 💎
He made Frankie Goes to Hollywood sound incredible. This guy is awesome.
Holly Johnson's "Yeeeaaaaaaaaaaah!"
What an absolute master of People Skills! - That would have to be a major factor in his success... he'd be so great to work with.
We think you're right! Everyone seems to love him.
Excellent .... so great to hear one of the "I did it for real" guys sharing their experiences. This is very helpful and practical rather than just technical. Thank you to TH and Point Blank.
Thanks Hutch Music. Also, we appreciate you checking it out.
Trevor is one of a rapidly dwindling number of producers who are actual musicians as well as amazing producers. I wonder how many of the guys in that room understood all of the musical references/terms he used?
I couldn´t praise enough such a great - and entertaining - giving away of "that" 100% real life studio everyday experience and ways of some "psychological guidance"!
In the end - if small or big budget - everybody is just cooking with water. Humans together are working, struggling, taking their efforts in every possible creative and/or practical way to reach at least a consumable - or even gorgeous - final result.
The art is in the vision and in the refinery - but you somehow have to build a healthy base first!
Nice words!
Awesome hearing TH riff on these topics. Seal is def one of my favorite singers. What a talent!
Trevor the master. Music to my ears.
An audio class with such an amazing teacher where you keep having to turn the volume down whenever a song is played hahahaha
Nice work, Point Blank.
Trevor is an amazing talent, he simply is a true great at explaining production is the widest, personal sense: the wonderful gift of this class. Brought into the Drama sessions a big Yes fan, awaiting Jon to arrive which never occured and wound up working on 90125 was great fortune.
It doesn´t really get any better than "Owner of a lonely heart",what a song...what a production!And Trevor plays Dire Straits with some friends!What a brilliant mind!
This was brilliant. If you are interested in production I highly recommend Trevor's book
My life, the right and wrong people,
the love fore music ,.....
Not any money,....
Just ,.... love fore music,....
And I would do it all over again !
Good solid, practical advice from someone who has seen it all! I'd love to work with TH....
Absolutely ridiculous level of experience - such a good talk. Im going to listen to Slave To The Rhythm now!
Brilliant the type of tips i need before i start my projects. Luckily I was at the Prince's Trust Concert tribute to Trevor back 2004 so i know how amazing his work is live
That's gold Trevor, gold!
Some truly wonderful advice related through some fabulous anecdotes-is this the dying art of storytelling as a teaching medium??? Even though I wasn't sure what to expect at first, at an hour or so long, this was a comprehensive and delightful learning experience from a really experienced educator! Thank you very much for sharing this! It was wonderful! :o)
It’s definitely a dying art form especially with platforms like TikTok prioritising sub minute content. But if you liked this vid, check out our one with Arthur Baker about Planet Rock! th-cam.com/video/8Y93jBY7Wgo/w-d-xo.html
A legend - when I first heard Video and Owner of a lonely heart it was mind blowing, and they still sound great - thanks Trevor
Thank you. That was just brilliant. Without doubt Trevor Horn is my favourite record producer. His creative skills and ability to dig deep and draw such brilliant musical and vocal ideas and sounds out of the music is second to none. Thank you.
Thank you for watching and taking the time to leave a comment!
This session could have gone on for hours, and kept me totally absorbed.
@@Polyphemus47 Agreed!
I love Trevor Horns bass playing
trevor , living legend
Great, common sense, advice. Thanks!
I've always wanted my vocals to sound like the Buggles, especially as they do on Video Killed the Radio Star (which is without doubt one of the least annoying vocal performances of all times), and now i can finally learn how. Thanks!
Hits the mark on many topics, and his lack of stress meant that the focus in the audience was sharp without being onerous. A typical example of how subtle and purposeful he was, was the demo of the mic, fairly obvious once he started changing the speaking distance and maybe not apparent for the previous part of the lecture. A few name drops let’s us take his points and hear at our own leisure the recordings and qualities he so successfully elicits in the studio.
This was brilliant. Trevor is a treasure. I’m not in music production in any way but I enjoyed every second. BTW: I saw Trevor live from the front row in a Yes concert.
Thanks for watching!
Brilliant brilliant video. Goes back to basics but covers so many things that are crucial.
The word legend gets thrown around for anyone and their dog these days but Trevor Horn is one of the greatest producers of all time. His recordings are hi fidelity heaven and so tasteful. Go listen to Grace Jones Slave to the Rhythm.
This is gold!!!! Just tracked three vocalists for a film and i discovered all these things!
Great insights! Love the John Legend anecdote
It was really interesting to hear Trevor’s comments about how he relates to singers. I sing in an amateur band and, even though I have never done any recording, many of his techniques remind me of how our band leader interacts with me and all the other band members when we are rehearsing.
That J.G. Ballard story is interesting, there is a man in The Netherlands who cleans up sounds in spaces using copper rings with carbon resistors. His name is Henry van der Heyden.
This was a brilliant video BTW, Trevor is still one of the most enigmatic producers in music history.
Brilliant!..i'm glad i'm not the only person pushing my digital levels..always sounds better to me lol. Great masterclass from my icon producer 😎
Better to have more to work with and cut then to try and boost or add - always ads noise.
@@sana-cm7oc agreed. But sometimes I prefer a clippy edge to my tracks. Depends what I'm doing.
great session. i love the number of times he picks up his wine and doesn't drink it! Intrigue!
They just edit it out and cut to a different angle, usually from behind.
@@theboofin It's definitely a mixture of both!
Outstanding insights from a legend. Love this guy and almost all the things he's touched in the electronic related genre. ZTT stuff is just giant.
Wow. Every trick in the book revealed... and probably every mistake I've ever made! Thanks.
OMG Trevor, just sip the wine already! 😂 This is a fascinating talk. When you're a home studio one-man-show, and you're the singer AND the recording engineer AND the mixing engineer, it adds a few more dimensions. Brilliant video, thanks!
Thanks for watching!
@@PointBlankMusicSchool Absolute pleasure. It's very insightful, but also reassuring that even the best of the best encounter the very same questions and issues that we amateurs and hobbyists do. To hear someone like Trevor speak, who has been such an integral part of great music for many years, and who has left an indelible mark on pop music, is fantastic. I love hearing stories about the age of 4, 8 or 16 tracks and tape, and how absolutely economical they had to be in how those tracks were allocated and bounced. In the digital age of computer mixing we are so spoilt and it's so easy to use the ease of multitracking in DAWs as an excuse to let artists get away with poor musicianship. Trevor just makes me want to aspire to doing this well from the get-go. Thanks for hosting this. It's brilliant.
i have always thought my way of recording was weird, but damn i am so glad that even the pros does the same haha, thank you Mr Trevor Horn for re-assuring me of my recording
Seeing him with Seal next month. Can't wait. Legend producer. All time!
I had the pleasure of working with Terry Reid recently and he is just as amazing as he was on that recording now!
Terry Reid!!! 'Faith To Arise' :)
Boy we take for granted some of the things we get to watch on the interent. Guys like Trevor could change $3,000 a head for this and here we are sitting their listening to history and genius for free
Yeah, we were lucky to be able to film this!
Brilliant, thanks for sharing - was in a masterclass with the awesome Julian Hinton on Monday who referred to his current projects with Trevor.
This was really great. I can really relate to all the 'star' singers who were actually one-trick ponies, and getting the magic on tape was a herculean task. Back when i was trying to 'make it', I ran into a lot of those
This is really gold! Thank you for sharing.
Glorius to hear all the great information.
Incredibly helpful.
Wow what an amazing piece of history. Brilliant explanation by an expert in their field that we don't usually have the opportunity to relish.
What a legend. Thanks for this superb and funny video. Advice for life.
Brilliant Trevor, he must have alot of patience working with so many Diva's.
What a GREAT VIDEO! Thanks for posting. my favorite advice. if you have a singer struggling with a line re pitch. dont go straight to the problem… Thanks fOr posting
This is an awesome masterclass, thanks for sharing!
Thanks Trevor that’s the best ever
Thanks Trev for that, very educational....and entertaining
Thanks for that! F***** great!!!
love trevor, this was pure gold!
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for watching the masterclass.
@@PointBlankMusicSchool This was gold, thank you for posting it. I’m going to check your other videos and look y tt o subscribing. Great job👍
I liked Trevors singing on the Yes album that he was the lead singer on.
Maravillosa clase, ¡gracias por compartirla!
De nada!
would be nice to see him sips that glass. great stuff here. many thanks!
Thank you!
Wow! Really great to see Trevor here.
Brilliant talk by a brilliant guy!
I'm genuinely curious how many people in that audience realise what a legend this madlad really is. It's also funny to hear him act as if he didn't remember Jean-Paul Goude's proper name. Not only is JPG one of the most iconic creative director's ever, but Trevor produced Goude's then-girlfriend Grace Jones, for which Goude directed all the videos and adverts. My guess is they know each other very well.
There was a lot of genuine admiration in that room from both staff and students.
That was great. An amazing producer and raconteur. His book is great as well.
Great lesson!
Energy & empathy...
what a brilliant lecture.....
Thanks for watching!
This is gold! Thank you!
I'll have to check the book. I've been studying Trevors work for a long time, esp with Seal. He inspired the concept of "groove shadows" along with Teddy Riley. I had a chance to work with his buddy Mars and learned quite a bit about commercial music from that experience.
His tips & techniques + the video editing is perfect... 💯🤙🏽
Thanks for the feedback! Appreciate you taking the time :)
Love Trevor. Wish I new his work when I was a teenager in the 80's or even a young adult in the 90's
I distinctly remember him winning the BPI award (nowadays known as Brits) for best producer a couple of times in the '80s, but maybe I recognised his name because ZTT was one of my favourite labels (FGTH and The Art of Noise had got me excited with their use of the Fairlight sampler).
This is so great! I learned a ton of info. My main take away is the amount of fakery involved. You really put it out there regarding making better recordings with shill artists. Thanks so much for exposing that information!
Riveting anecdotal clip. Great common sense. Loved it!
Can’t wait for the vocal class. ❤
Thanks for sharing this. The story of "Video Killed the Radio Star" in context today sort of reads like the story of A. I.
I remember when I did a weekend course at point blank when it was located in Greenwich. It was May 1998
Pure gold!!
I somehow managed to get into the VIP at a Marillion gig and Trevor Horn was there!
I remember my sister urging me to go and speak to him but I didn’t wanna bother him. This interview has answered all the stuff I would’ve wanted to ask him ❤
That's really nice to hear! We were all wanting to ask a tonne more questions too, so hopefully we can get him back in again at some point.
Thank you for posting. That was amazing. Very informative.
Thank you for watching it! :)
Fantastic insights from a legendary producer. Thanks for uploading.
Thank you for watching it! :)
Great information..only have a cupboard and a house full of kids ..always bumping my head when recording vocals and get loads of background noise that I have to cut out..your a legend vey inspiring.👍